ODST has brought Halo back to it's roots, with solid gameplay and some superb graphics.
The story picks up during the events of Halo 2. If you recall, the Prophet of Regret is about to leave Earth via slip space while inside the atmosphere above New Mombassa. Of course, this nearly flattens the city. You begin the game a few minutes before Regret's ship takes off. You take on the role of The Rookie, obviously the newest member to the team of ODST's (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers). The Rookie is knocked unconscious after the drop and wakes up six hours later. The events of the day have already taken place, but you'll soon learn what happened to your squad by playing as them. What sets this chapter of the Halo story apart from the others is the fact that you are not Master Chief. I know, the name Halo is synonymous with the big green man, but it works. Playing as the Rookie requires something that may be foreign to even the most hardcore Halo players; strategy. As the Rookie, you don't have an over shield, speed, or the ability to jump nearly as high as you could in the other games. For all intents and purposes, you are a peon. The game plays differently than the other Halo titles as well. While you are given missions in the form of flashbacks. These missions play out in the form of levels, more or less. In between these levels, you're given free roam of New Mombasa to wander the streets and slay any Covenant scum that gets in your way. It's actually quite refreshing to have a less linear experience in a FPS. Instead of moving down narrow hallways from Point A to Point B, you're given the time to make as many detours as you'd like. It would be hard not to compare the graphics in ODST to Halo 3, especially since both use the same engine. However, those of you who have played Halo 3 for a while and jump into ODST will notice subtle differences. ODST seems to have nicer textures and an overall sharper look to it. One of the glaring differences is that ODST is played primarily in a nighttime setting. The entire atmosphere is entirely different while wandering through the tattered streets of New Mombasa. Bungie has done an amazing job of recreating a decimated cityscape for you to free roam in. Cars litter the streets, some with their lights still flashing. Debris and fire are everywhere. Buildings are crumbling to the ground. One of the more interesting additions to the franchise is the use of VISR mode, which is essentially night vision. With this enabled, you see the city through an entirely different light. Enemies appear in a red outline and interactive clue objects are outlined in a yellow. The VISR mode helps you plan an attack. When you normally wouldn't see a group of Brutes from afar, switching to VISR mode will allow you to see them from a distance and decide to attack or sneak around them. For the most part, the VISR mode is essential when playing as the Rookie in order to locate the clues needed to progress the story. When not playing as the Rookie in the night time settings, you're going to take on the role of one of the other ODST squad members to play through their story. These flashbacks are set mostly during the day, while the Rookie is knocked out. New Mombasa looks just as beautiful in the day as it does at night. The enemies in ODST look as they do in Halo 3 as well. Like I mentioned earlier, the textures of their skins may be slightly better looking, but there isn't much of a differance in character types, which is a good thing!
Every good gamer knows that it's gameplay that makes a game. ODST plays very similarly to Halo 3. Again, that is not a bad thing. Anyone who's played a Halo game in the past will easily get the hang of how to control the game. You will notice, however, that you certainly don't feel like you're playing as Master Chief. The members of the ODST squad are significantly slower, cannot jump nearly as high, and most importantly, don't have an over shield. These new attributes might not sound like huge differences, but trust me, they are. When you've been playing as a seven foot tall super soldier for the past few years and are now just a marine, you notice these things. As you sneak your away through the city, the AI of New Mombasa, The Superintendent, gives you clues along the way. He doesn't have a voice, but he can communicate with you through road signs and other clever ways. Keep an eye out for his hints and you may find yourself in for a treat or two. For example, in one instance I was getting my digital ass handed to me by a pack of Brutes and Jackals. I figured I would gain the higher ground by jumping onto a truck, then onto a ledge and showering them with my remaining grenades (which are hard to come by, so save em'!). I then realized that I couldn't even make it on top of the truck, let alone the ledge, and soon found myself punctured to death by pretty pink needles. That's the most embarrassing death there is, people. One thing I did notice was that you're still able to flip warthogs and rip turrets from the ground. I used to think that things like that were reserved for Spartans. That's just me being picky though. In terms of the campaign, you may not go through it more than once unless you're one of those players who needs to get every achievement (me) or see if you can make it through the more difficult Legendary mode. Bungie has woven in a side story that is told through audio files that you find throughout the city. There are a total of 30 files to find which tell the story of a young girl named Sadie in New Mombasa during the attacks. True Halo fans will definitely want to find these and hear the story. The campaign is solid though, and will last you a good fifteen hours! but why wait? Overall, ODST is a solid Halo addition, and should be experienced by everyone with an 360!
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+ Amazing graphics
+ Cool AI, even better
+ Good gameplay
+ Solid sound
- Sometimes repeative