I have to say, all of the previews leading up to the release of Halo 3: ODST were very promising. "New Hero. New Campaign" was one of the more popular slogans and made it onto the box art. New hero? Sounds great. New campaign? Awes- oh, it's going to be an expansion instead of a full-blown game? Alright, cool, that's just as go- wait, you all couldn't keep it in your pants enough to make it an expansion, so now you're saying it's practically a full game and it will cost $60? And you're leaving the "3" in the title, even though it apparently takes place in Halo 2's time period and really has no connection with Halo 3? And instead of keeping it mysterious with "Halo 3: Recon," you're spoiling the surprise with a title change to "Halo 3: ODST?" Oh well, let's see it!
Excited for the release, I go to my local GameStop, preorder my copy of Halo 3: ODST (I end up ordering the Limited Edition version because I needed a fourth controller), and then wait for a very long time. September 22nd finally rolls around, after my losing my first XBOX to a flood, and I pick up my game late that night after school, and pop it in to test it out. Nice controller, nice dramatic intro and title screens, and cool intro to the game, but two things immediately get on my nerves.
I'm sitting in my chair, tired from school, watching the intro video when I hear a recognizable voice: Nathan Fillion from Castle and Firefly! Awesome! At least, until I see the faces. I'm not sure what happened to the graphics department for this game (and there really are many overall improvements to the graphics engine from Halo 3), but all of the faces honestly look like crap. They have hardly any texture or detail, and while it still looks like Nathan Fillion in an ODST suit, it looks like someone drew it in Microsoft Paint. And, yet again, the main character of the Halo game refuses to take off his helmet. Why does Bungie continue to insist on hiding their (already-dehumanized) main characters?
When I actually start playing, I check out the cool SMG, and am impressed with the return of the Pistol from Halo: CE. But when I keep hitting the Y button... Where the hell is my Battle Rifle?? After asking around the internet the next day, I find out the ODST head guy doesn't like BRs (or something to that effect). To this day I don't get that. In Halo 2 and 3 the ODSTs make almost exclusive use of BRs, but now when *we* play as them they just can't? How do I kill the Covenant then? Oh, that's right, a silenced pistol that doesn't even have a silencer on it.
Another weapon complaint: Ooh, that Brute dropped a Spiker! *Walks over and holds B to swap weapons.* Oh, look, another! *Holds A to dual wield.* Wait... Where's my second Spiker? Apparently not only do the ODSTs not like BRs, but they can't dual wield, either.
I do realize that these are relatively small game technicalities, but hey, it's the small things that make or break a game! Once I finally get the chance to carry a chaingun turrent (though I honestly was not expecting to be able to after everything else), all of a sudden I get a speed boost! Not only am I moving faster than Master Chief, a 7' tall, super soldier, but I'm actually moving faster than I did before I grabbed the turret! Is that even physically possible? (The answer is no.)
Moving on to the bigger picture, length is a big issue. We are at a point in FPS (First Person Shooter) gaming where the average FPS campaign for PC or Console almost never goes longer than 8 hours, and most last closer to 6. But on Normal difficulty, Halo 3: ODST's campaign only provides the player with 4 hours of campaign gameplay! Even if you were to up the difficulty to Legendary and explore more in the sandbox-type areas, the campaign still wouldn't make it to 5 hours. What happened to the "full game" this expansion had allegedly turned in to? Why did I have to pay a ridiculous $60 (plus $40 for controller) for this tiny game, when longer ones release at $50? Having been told that Bungie went above and beyond the original expansion expectations for Halo 3: ODST and made a full-blown game, I was expecting a campaign that was at least as long as Halo 3's, and for all the questions from Halo 3 and the hype for ODST to be answered. Instead, I got a short campaign and more questions raised than answered.
Moving on to the bigger picture, length is a big issue. We are at a point in FPS (First Person Shooter) gaming where the average FPS campaign for PC or Console almost never goes longer than 8 hours, and most last closer to 6. But on Normal difficulty, Halo 3: ODST's campaign only provides the player with 4 hours of campaign gameplay! Even if you were to up the difficulty to Legendary and explore more in the sandbox-type areas, the campaign still wouldn't make it to 5 hours. What happened to the "full game" this expansion had allegedly turned in to? Why did I have to pay a ridiculous $60 (plus $40 for controller) for this tiny game, when longer ones release at $50? Having been told that Bungie went above and beyond the original expansion expectations for Halo 3: ODST and made a full-blown game, I was expecting a campaign that was at least as long as Halo 3's, and for all the questions from Halo 3 and the hype for ODST to be answered. Instead, I got a short campaign and more questions raised than answered.
Overall, I was quite let down with Halo 3: ODST, and I think it could have been much better. I did not feel that FireFight was worth reviewing, but the rest of it I gave my harsh opinion on. For all the hype, the release had far too many gameplay issues, far too little playtime, and left far too many questions unanswered. If you're a die-hard Halo fan like me, I wouldn't tell you not to get the game, but don't pay full price for it, as it will soon just be gathering dust in your collection. For the rest of you, though, I'd honestly recommend that you just buy the rest of the Mythic Maps for Halo 3 and save your money for another game.
Bungie, I am disappoint. I am very disappoint. Let's hope reach won't "fall" this hard..
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