Reviewer: Halo:ODST is Underwhelming

Halo 3 ODST is 'underwhelming', reckons a journalist who has recently been given access to a review build of the game.

When asked what it was like, our source mustered a fairly despondent response:

"Two words: really underwhelming."

"You just look at it and think 'so what?'. Sure, the multiplayer is fun (it's Halo after all) but it's all built on an old engine (which looks pretty much untouched) and looks nowhere near as good as games such as Gears of War 2 or Killzone 2. It smacks of no effort and is a teensy bit cynical. [Microsoft] needed a big franchise title for this Christmas and presumably there wasn't enough time to build something new, so they gave us new missions on old, ageing technology that didn't really look that great first time round."

Harsh, but is pretty much what we we've been thinking all along really. Just take a look at the direct-capture screenshots and videos we got our hands on a few days ago. The game runs in less-than-720 resolution, is really jaggy and overall looks pretty washed out - regardless of what the gameplay is like, we reckon a 'triple A' franchise deserves 'triple A' technology.

This is Halo. HALO! One of the most recognisable and popular franchises the videogames world has ever seen. In terms of overall quality, it SHOULD be up there with Gears and Killzone, not limping along at 640p. Let's be clear, we say this as people who want Halo to be amazing, not 'fanboys' or 'haters', as backwards-cap-wearing American teens will no doubt accuse us of being. It doesn't matter if you're the biggest Halo and 360 Fan going - don't bury your head in the sand, demand better!

Anyway, back to our source. He reckons most reviews are poised 'to drop' September 20th:

"Embargo's lifted ten days from now. That's when we'll be slammin' our review live."

But what score will it be getting?

"Haven't decided yet. Prolly give it an eight to be safe."

To be safe... that's the world we live in people. Don't give big games low marks - no one wants to hear it.

CANTTHINKOFACLEVERVARIATIONOFTHEWORDLINK

He is a Cow like you, that explains it, sorry Kotaku is saying its going to be a great game. It sure will outsell anything on the PS3 thats for sure...

The guy sounds unprofessional and bitter

Only complaint I see are the graphics, did he even talk about the campaign and firefight?

Did you write that article?

all they're pretty much talking about is the graphics... what about the actual gameplay?

Haven't decided yet. Prolly give it an eight to be safe.TheArmyGuy48

all they're pretty much talking about is the graphics... what about the actual gameplay?

ogvampire

all they're pretty much talking about is the graphics... what about the actual gameplay?

ogvampire

He is a Cow like you, that explains it, sorry Kotaku is saying its going to be a great game. It sure will outsell anything on the PS3 thats for sure...

PrimusGears

LOL..Kotaku is a lemming like you. Im sure it will sell very well considering that's all the box has.

that"review" seems terriblethe games graphics dont seem dated at all, yeah they arent as good as Killzone or Gears 2 but thats because it wasnt made on that advanced of an engine, it still loks very good.

He is a Cow like you, that explains it, sorry Kotaku is saying its going to be a great game. It sure will outsell anything on the PS3 thats for sure...

PrimusGears

EDIT: and LOL, at kotaku being COWS now, even though theyve been known for their 360 bias for years :roll:

I guess everyone who says something bad about 360 is a cow now

"You just look at it and think 'so what?'. Sure, the multiplayer is fun (it's Halo after all) but it's all built on an old engine (which looks pretty much untouched) and looks nowhere near as good as games such as Gears of War 2 or Killzone 2."

He is a graphic's whore crying about the graphics...

/thread.

"This is Halo. HALO! One of the most recognisable and popular franchises the videogames world has ever seen. In terms of overall quality, it SHOULD be up there with Gears and Killzone, not limping along at 640p. Let's be clear, we say this as people who want Halo to be amazing, not 'fanboys' or 'haters', as backwards-cap-wearing American teens will no doubt accuse us of being. It doesn't matter if you're the biggest Halo and 360 Fan going - don't bury your head in the sand, demand better!"

Do thay not know that Halo 3 ran in the same resolution? This is really silly.

"This is Halo. HALO! One of the most recognisable and popular franchises the videogames world has ever seen. In terms of overall quality, it SHOULD be up there with Gears and Killzone, not limping along at 640p. Let's be clear, we say this as people who want Halo to be amazing, not 'fanboys' or 'haters', as backwards-cap-wearing American teens will no doubt accuse us of being. It doesn't matter if you're the biggest Halo and 360 Fan going - don't bury your head in the sand, demand better!"

Do thay not know that Halo 3 ran in the same resolution? This is really silly.

heretrix

lol. its like they dont even realize Halo 3 exists

"This is Halo. HALO! One of the most recognisable and popular franchises the videogames world has ever seen. In terms of overall quality, it SHOULD be up there with Gears and Killzone, not limping along at 640p. Let's be clear, we say this as people who want Halo to be amazing, not 'fanboys' or 'haters', as backwards-cap-wearing American teens will no doubt accuse us of being. It doesn't matter if you're the biggest Halo and 360 Fan going - don't bury your head in the sand, demand better!"

Do thay not know that Halo 3 ran in the same resolution? This is really silly.

heretrix

not every good gmae has to be graphics king. :|

its not like this game is Wii quality or anything.

"This is Halo. HALO! One of the most recognisable and popular franchises the videogames world has ever seen. In terms of overall quality, it SHOULD be up there with Gears and Killzone, not limping along at 640p. Let's be clear, we say this as people who want Halo to be amazing, not 'fanboys' or 'haters', as backwards-cap-wearing American teens will no doubt accuse us of being. It doesn't matter if you're the biggest Halo and 360 Fan going - don't bury your head in the sand, demand better!"

Do thay not know that Halo 3 ran in the same resolution? This is really silly.

heretrix

Didn't this game already get a positive review? I'm sure ODST will be fine. Who is this journalist anyway?

Are those distinct Highlighted OUTLINES on objects, whether foe or friendly, on an ODST's Visor, standard for the entire gameplay?

Because frankly, I find it.....RETARDED and IRRITATING. I hope dear God, it's just a scanning mode option, and not entirely part of the ODST's POV.

[QUOTE="heretrix"]

"This is Halo. HALO! One of the most recognisable and popular franchises the videogames world has ever seen. In terms of overall quality, it SHOULD be up there with Gears and Killzone, not limping along at 640p. Let's be clear, we say this as people who want Halo to be amazing, not 'fanboys' or 'haters', as backwards-cap-wearing American teens will no doubt accuse us of being. It doesn't matter if you're the biggest Halo and 360 Fan going - don't bury your head in the sand, demand better!"

Do thay not know that Halo 3 ran in the same resolution? This is really silly.

WAIW

Are those distinct Highlighted OUTLINES on objects, whether foe or friendly, on an ODST's Visor, standard for the entire gameplay?

Because frankly, I find it.....RETARDED and IRRITATING. I hope dear God, it's just a scanning mode option, and not entirely part of the ODST's POV.

KingsofQueens

IM almost 100% sure that its only a scanning mode, there have been a lot of screenshots with him using normal vision, I think its just to help you see enemies in the dark or something.

A graphics whore complaing about ODST's graphics, that's all it is people. He didn't even metion anything about the gameplay, story, or Firefight.

[QUOTE="WAIW"][QUOTE="heretrix"]

"This is Halo. HALO! One of the most recognisable and popular franchises the videogames world has ever seen. In terms of overall quality, it SHOULD be up there with Gears and Killzone, not limping along at 640p. Let's be clear, we say this as people who want Halo to be amazing, not 'fanboys' or 'haters', as backwards-cap-wearing American teens will no doubt accuse us of being. It doesn't matter if you're the biggest Halo and 360 Fan going - don't bury your head in the sand, demand better!"

Do thay not know that Halo 3 ran in the same resolution? This is really silly.

heretrix

ah crud, this is a bit embarassing, I didnt see the quotes around your post, I thought you were saying your own opinion...heh heh.

[QUOTE="heretrix"]

[QUOTE="WAIW"] What does it matter if they do or do not?dragonfly110

ah crud, this is a bit embarassing, I didnt see the quotes around your post, I thought you were saying your own opinion...heh heh.

Reviews from a no name journalist FTW? lol.

Good lord, he's just talking about graphics.

So he's rating the gameplay... on the graphics. :|

Sounds about right. Basically said the gameplay is the same old stuff... Solid, but the graphics leave a lot to be desired. Bunjie has yet to even meet the 2006 "realtime" target footage.

It was made with the same bloody engine as Halo 3, but they have improved the models ALOT.

so this reviewer was expecting Halo ODST to have graphics like kz2 and gears 2? epic fail

Reviews from a no name journalist FTW? lol.

Cicatraz_ESP

Doesn't make his opinion worth any less that any other reviewer. He would be one of the first that doesn't seem to hype everything to the high heavens. If he was saying "one word: awesome" instead everybody in the thread would be saying "OMG AAA am confirmed".

so this reviewer was expecting Halo ODST to have graphics like kz2 and gears 2? epic fail

sikanderahmed

Maybe he saw the bullshots first, I know I am expecting some kind of improvement in the graphics department.

[QUOTE="Cicatraz_ESP"]

Reviews from a no name journalist FTW? lol.

Leejjohno

Doesn't make his opinion worth any less that any other reviewer. He would be one of the first that doesn't seem to hype everything to the high heavens. If he was saying "one word: awesome" instead everybody in the thread would be saying "OMG AAA am confirmed".

Basically said the gameplay is the same old stuff...Leejjohno

Well there's a problem. The gameplay is NOT the same old. The entire SP game design is TOTALLY different to Halo 3. Anyone who says it's just the same is senselessly bashing without merit.

[QUOTE="Cicatraz_ESP"]

Reviews from a no name journalist FTW? lol.

Leejjohno

Doesn't make his opinion worth any less that any other reviewer.

[QUOTE="PrimusGears"]

He is a Cow like you, that explains it, sorry Kotaku is saying its going to be a great game. It sure will outsell anything on the PS3 thats for sure...

TheArmyGuy48

EDIT: and LOL, at kotaku being COWS now, even though theyve been known for their 360 bias for years :roll:

I guess everyone who says something bad about 360 is a cow now

ummmmmm you gotta be kidding right? do u even know what the first halo scored? it got a 9.7/10!!!!! thats higher than any gran turismo game out there! even halo 3 scored a 9.5/10 which is higher than any gran turismo game out there as well. type it in on gamespot and you'll see what im talking about. even on your precious gamerankings, halo was given 95.45% while the highest gran turismo game was given 94.71%. next time find out the REAL answers before posting bs, because ppl will look to prove you wrong!

"but it's all built on an old engine (which looks pretty much untouched) and looks nowhere near as good as games such as Gears of War 2 or Killzone 2. It smacks of no effort and is a teensy bit cynical. [Microsoft] needed a big franchise title for this Christmas and presumably there wasn't enough time to build something new, so they gave us new missions on old, ageing technology that didn't really look that great first time round."

That's an unfair assumption because he doesn't consider the context. ODST has larger levels than Halo 3, large, open, non-linear enviorments with that same nice HDR lighting, the physics for both ragdolls and vehicles, and of course the engine supports many more characters onscreen at one time.

[QUOTE="Leejjohno"]

[QUOTE="Cicatraz_ESP"]

Reviews from a no name journalist FTW? lol.

heretrix

Doesn't make his opinion worth any less that any other reviewer.

[QUOTE="heretrix"]

[QUOTE="Leejjohno"]

Doesn't make his opinion worth any less that any other reviewer.

Leejjohno

he already sounds like a fanboy as is....

Who's gonna believe a make believe journalist.

Cows need to relax,most Lems are hyping this game AA.Its length make it a full game now but in essence its an expansion (gameplay,story,timeline, graphics)no one is expecting anything ground breaking or new.The new campaign,maps and firefight will be fun and a great addition to any halo fans library.The Cows are hyping this one more than the Lems,we Lems see this game for what it actually is whereas Cows are seeing it as a huge threat and praying for AA or A for a chance at fanboy hate,its hilarious.

[QUOTE="TheArmyGuy48"]

[QUOTE="PrimusGears"]

He is a Cow like you, that explains it, sorry Kotaku is saying its going to be a great game. It sure will outsell anything on the PS3 thats for sure...

charomid

EDIT: and LOL, at kotaku being COWS now, even though theyve been known for their 360 bias for years :roll:

I guess everyone who says something bad about 360 is a cow now

ummmmmm you gotta be kidding right? do u even know what the first halo scored? it got a 9.7/10!!!!! thats higher than any gran turismo game out there! even halo 3 scored a 9.5/10 which is higher than any gran turismo game out there as well. type it in on gamespot and you'll see what im talking about. even on your precious gamerankings, halo was given 95.45% while the highest gran turismo game was given 94.71%. next time find out the REAL answers before posting bs, because ppl will look to prove you wrong!

the best reply by the captain.


""So basically, the reviewer doesn't like Halo 3: ODST because it looks like Halo 3, and plays like Halo 3?

Yet he doesn't actually have the balls to give it less than an eight, because he's scared kids in Master Chief t-shirts will throw rocks at him?

How the hell do these people get into these jobs in the first place..?""

If this "reviewer" gets paid, then I really think he needs to get the boot. He's among one of the worst I've heard and has some personal issues with Halo in general. He didn't go in as an open reviewer, thus he wasn't doing his job, if this is a real, paid, reviewer.