Halo 3 ODST Review

Before I begin I want to remind everyone that these are my opinions. Everything that i write is from my own perspective. So if you can get over the fact that you may disagree with things that i will write, read ahead.

Alright, So the expansion to Halo 3 has Finally come out since the year or two of extreme hype. But will it live up to expectations? In my opinion, maybe. Maybe, because depending on the person playing the game, they can decide whether or not it has live up to THEIR expectations. For me, It did for a while until i actually started getting deeper into the story.

The story takes you back before the beginning of Halo 3 and you are a lost Odst roaming a city looking for clues to find your lost squad mates. Each mission you play is a flashback excluding the last mission. This to some people will turn them off right away since you really are not progressing into the story like in past Halo games. I found the free roam feature more of a gimmick. It does not need to be in there and would be better without it. Since when did halo ever need free roam? The missions themselves are pretty fun but get old quickly. How do they get old? It really isnt the fact that you do the same thing over and over, but its the fact that the variety is small but varied. Its nothing we haven't seen before, and the game will stick to that saying strongly. In the last mission, You'll have to play through a lame and unexciting rescue and escort mission. That's all I will say to not spoil anything. And i dont know about you but i was pretty pissed at the ending. All In all the story is at least 5 to 8 hours long depending how you decide to play it.

Thankfully Bungie included Fire Fight. Basically what it is a Horde / Nazi zombies game type. But it mixes it up into its own thing. While playing, Skulls will be activated to keep the gameplay feel fresh and new each round. You can play Fire Fight and The Campaign with up to 4 people locally or through Xbox Live. Without Fire fight, I dont think this game would be worth even 30 bucks. And that brings me to the next problem.

WHAT IS WITH THE OUTRAGEOUS PRICE POINT? THEY WANT YOU TO PAY 60 BUCKS FOR ODST! I WOULDNT MIND IT IF IT HAD MORE CONTENT, LONGER STORY, AND A BETTER STORY. Really all you get for Odst is a short campaign, fire fight, and a multiplayer disc. I wouldnt even minded if Odst had its own take on multiplayer, with ODST weapons and Realism. It would be a nice change of pace for the halo multiplayer. BUT ALL YOU GET, IS A DISC WITH THE EXACT. SAME. CONTENT. THAT HALO 3 HAS MINUS THE STORY. But you do get 3 exclusive maps with are worth a normal map pack price.

So really, Get this game if you really know what this game is about. But I even knew what it was about and was disappointed. But overall The game has great multiplayer (no surprise since its the same stuff from halo 3) It can get very intense and edge of your seat action, and has a great Fire Fight Mode. But this is a STRONG rental first kind of game.

-Niblet