It's been two years since the release of Halo 3, Bungie's FPS mothership that allowed Xbox to dominate the online circuit. Even today, the demand for more Halo remains as high as it was when you finished the fight in 2007. Bungie is always happy to answer the call, and this is no more evident than with their new title, Halo 3 ODST. What was once a simple add-on to the original Halo 3 is now an eight hour journey that follows ODST, or Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, on a near-suicidal mission into the depths of an abandoned city on Earth. And the result: STUNNING.
Hands down, Halo 3 ODST is the best presented Halo to date. Hell, it's one of the best presented games on the 360. The story takes place toward the beginning of Halo 2, just as Master Cheif is wrapping up his business with the Covenant in the African mega-city of New Mombasa. You play not as the Chief this time, but as the Rookie, a new recruit to the ODST. You and your squad drop into the city just as a Covenant cruiser enters slip-space and decimates the entire city. You are scattered from the rest of your squad and awaken six hours later to the dark ruins of the city, now crawling with Covenant in search of stragglers. Using only your training, your gear, and New Mombasa's VI, the Superintendent, you must search for clues as to what happened to your squad, and more inportantly, why you've come to this proverbial heart of darkness. Each clue you find throughout the story sends you into a flashback that follows one of your squadmates. Your team this time really is well-defined, well-voiced characters. Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, and Alan Tudyk voice Buck, Dutch, and Mickey, respectively, and Tricia Helfer voices your tough-as-nails, Recon-wearing Captian Veronica Dare. It's nice to see that Bungie took the time to give characters a nice backstory for each character and its a nice change of pace from Sgt. Johnson and Co. telling you what to do.
The visual and audio effects also drives the story as well. Rather than doing a dramatic space opera, the entire campaign is in the city, which really gave Bungie a chance to make Earth look the nicest it's ever been in Halo. Gone are the gigantic Forerunner structures and goofy alien purples, but best of all: NO FLOOD. The night sections with the Rookie give a great sense of loneliness to the destroyed atmosphere; the isolation and hopelessness is almost crippling. The day sections in which you flashback to are beautifully and uniquely crafted to never feel the same. You'll be blasting through the streets one level and rolling through the jungle the next. However, the masterstroke of the game is the sound. Not just the silenced pistols, huge explosions and great voice acting, but the music. Bungie has some of the best composers around, and it shows throughout the game. Each level is given its own treatment, which ranges from a full orchestras to electric guitars licks to what I can only describe as "Science Fiction Jazz." It gives the game a nice noirish feel while still retaining the classic Halo badassery we've all come to know and love.
This is only part one of this blog on the presentation of the game. Stay tuned for part two which will talk about the gameplay aspect. Thanks for reading!
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