Halo 3 ODST

[Mike Teezie]

It did? The first one grabbed me by the balls because of the (frankly) awesome setting, but they lost it after that. Earth, Arcs (arks?) and the ultimately cliched story kinda ruined it for me. As an isolated system out in space I think Halo 1 worked. They just took it too far.

Yes. This is exactly how I feel about the series. After the first Halo, I found myself reading around on the internet, trying to dig up more about the story.
The mythos was surprisingly well fleshed out, with a long backstory in place.
Very enjoyable for a nerd like me, and all the more surprising since it's a FPS. Couple that with some of favorite gaming moments ever at our weekly LANfests, and you have a game near and dear to my heart.

Then 2 and 3 came along, and couldn't so much as stir a giggle with me. I didn't think they were TERRIBLE, but jeez. Just no magic there. Probably my fault, not Bungie's.

As far as ODST, I'll say, I'm a little intrigued. I really want the Reach game though. Bungie has a chance to give dorks like me what we've been waiting for: a total f***-fest war with multiple Spartan units dealing out some serious punishment. They really have a chance here to make something pretty cool. The NP Spartans should be nigh invincible, and each time one falls, it should be a huge deal.

Of course, all this is assuming they plan to follow the Reach book at all.

Sorry for the long, off-topic answer. Short version: I'll rent it.

 

[0098386]

I ended up getting it today with need for speed:shift too.

My old band (kinda) are in that!

Couple that with some of favorite gaming moments ever at our weekly LANfests, and you have a game near and dear to my heart.

Heh, same here. We used to have full LAN (on Xbox though) Halo parties at college. And they really were great. It was so fun and sandboxy that we just ran around searching for exploits (like backing up tanks on Sidewinder to walk along the maps cieling). Really good memories that have only recently been taken over by Left4Dead (PC version), all of 6 years later!

 

[spyker3292]

Waiting for UPS...

edit: Delayed till tomorrow

 

[hazza.jockel]

I had it pre-orded and picked it up yesterday. Don't know why i bothered pre-ordering it there were plenty of copies left by the time i got to the shops.

Anywayz, played through the game and it was pretty fun but no where near as good as Halo 3 was. Being a regular marine (odst) is just not the same as being a spartan. Plus the story line doesn't have that feeling where you are the only chance for humanity and all that crap so it doesn't quite match up.

Firefight is where its at though. I have played only two games of it and am impressed. Although i will probably turn back to normal halo 3 multiplayer soon.

If anyone wants to play firefight just add me: HazzaHJ

 

[MRU]

It's enjoyable. More so that HALO3 and the graphics have been stepped up a little over H3.

It's exactly what it says on the tin. no more. no less.

 

[whooleytoo]

Have to say it's ok, but not great.

I like the "story behind the story" element of the game, showing the lives of minor characters in the Halo story; but don't really like playing as several characters, IMO it dilutes the immersiveness of the game.

I also like that the game area is so huge and you have (relative) freedom to choose your route; but that's tempered by the fact that it suffers from Bungie's typical world design; the world is simplistic and lacking detail; and even worse is very much cut 'n' pasted. That makes it a fairly bland place to explore.

And I particularly hate that it doesn't auto-save; so if you don't Save and Quit, you have to go right back to the very start of the game. Ooops & Grrrrrr!

Edit - another annoyance, you can't turn off/down the music. For me, the music is too loud & overbearing. And unlike the other Halo games, it just seems to kick in at random.

 

[Unspoken Demise]

I was not impressed. Im very glad I rented this instead of bought. Played through it alone on heroic the 1st time. Not too much of a challenge. I have it for a few more days, but I think ill return it early. I dont want to play it again.

 

[PCtoMAC?]

I just got it over the weekend havn't finished it yet but its a been fun so far and the multiplayer elements especially firefight are totally worth the price of admission.

 

[Huntn]

So IGN gave it a 9.

But most player comments posted at IGN were negative. Here is an Arstechnica Review. I have to ask 3 hours of game play for $60? I'll wait and buy it used.

 

[whooleytoo]

But most player comments posted at IGN were negative. Here is an Arstechnica Review. I have to ask 3 hours of game play for $60? I'll wait and buy it used.

3 hours?? Perhaps if you play on 'training wheels' difficulty and make an effort to finish the game as quickly as possible then that might be right.

But IMO all of the Halo games are distinctly mediocre unless played on the top two difficulty levels (it's the tension with facing more difficult foes & the constant ammo shortages which help the game ambience). And if someone's aim is to finish it as quickly as possible, why then complain when they can finish it quickly?

Gaming is like dining. Or sex. The aim isn't just to finish as quickly as humanly possible, but to enjoy the experience.

I had no problem with the length of the game; my major problem was just the story was unsatisfying and the main game level was too bland and repetitive.

 

[Huntn]

3 hours?? Perhaps if you play on 'training wheels' difficulty and make an effort to finish the game as quickly as possible then that might be right.

But IMO all of the Halo games are distinctly mediocre unless played on the top two difficulty levels (it's the tension with facing more difficult foes & the constant ammo shortages which help the game ambience). And if someone's aim is to finish it as quickly as possible, why then complain when they can finish it quickly?

Gaming is like dining. Or sex. The aim isn't just to finish as quickly as humanly possible, but to enjoy the experience.

I had no problem with the length of the game; my major problem was just the story was unsatisfying and the main game level was too bland and repetitive.

3 hours of content is what two reviews I read implied. I'm not disagreeing with you as far as how good it may or may not be, but besides wanting a good game, I also compare the expense of a game with a minimum standard of content. I don't care how good a game might be, but I would expect at least 10 solid hours of content if they want to charge full price.

 

[whooleytoo]

3 hours of content is what two reviews I read implied. I'm not disagreeing with you as far as how good it may or may not be, but besides wanting a good game, I also compare the expense of a game with a minimum standard of content. I don't care how good a game might be, but I would expect at least 10 solid hours of content if they want to charge full price.

That was kind of the point I was addressing, in my own very roundabout way..

I don't think 3 hours is an accurate assessment, unless you only play on easy and make a bee-line from objective to objective. Under normal play patterns, it should offer a lot more. I probably played for 2-3 hours per sitting, for 4 or 5 nights before beating it. And I'll go back and play through on Legendary next.

Firefight is good bot-play fun too even in singleplayer, and offers a lot more replayability.

 

[Huntn]

That was kind of the point I was addressing, in my own very roundabout way..

I don't think 3 hours is an accurate assessment, unless you only play on easy and make a bee-line from objective to objective. Under normal play patterns, it should offer a lot more. I probably played for 2-3 hours per sitting, for 4 or 5 nights before beating it. And I'll go back and play through on Legendary next.

Firefight is good bot-play fun too even in singleplayer, and offers a lot more replayability.

Sounds good, just ordered a discounted copy on amazon! Offline coop!!

 

[MRU]

i got bored with it very quickly. I traded it in today with Mini Ninja's (a quite fun little game) for Brutal Legend & Uncharted 2.

 

[macfan881]

basicly the general reaction from what i hear is its a way over priced DLC but still good for the extra online stuff. I just recently got 3 and plan to buy this once i start seing it for 40 bucks. by the way does the extra disc for 3 come with the other DLC for Halo 3?

 

[MRU]

^ yep all the DLC for Halo3 multiplayer is included in ODST.

 

[Huntn]

mis post

 

[StruckANerve]

This game was a major letdown. I don't think I've ever seen such a halfassed attempt on a major title. There should have been drop in drop out for the campaign. And the campaign should have taken more than 5 hours to complete. Firefight is fun but without matchmaking I don't get too many chances to play it. I sure hope Bungie steps it up for Halo Reach.

 

[Huntn]

Finally got around to playing this game seriously. I started off absolutely hating the dark city streets. Somewhere I discovered that all I had to do was run from point A to B and then relive a previously fight that took place earlier that for the most part was not a dark city street although this game has lots of dark areas where you use your special vision to see. Then it became tolerable Halo coop fighting. It was ok, but I thought the ending was weak. I agree, it does not have enough meat to be classified a major title and compared to previous Halo titles it was a let down.

 

[SevenInchScrew]

This game was a major letdown.

I agree, it does not have enough meat to be classified a major title and compared to previous Halo titles it was a let down.

The problem with ODST wasn't really the game, it was in the marketing where it failed. The game did everything they said it would, and very well at that. The campaign was a nice spin on the standard linear Halo story. Playing on Legendary with 4 people is an absolute blast. Same goes for Firefight. Alone, it isn't much fun. But, the more people you add to it, and ramp up the difficulty, it really stands out.

But the way the game was marketed is how it failed many people. When the game was originally announced, it was pitched as an expansion to Halo 3, and was going to be a cheaper title. If all we got was the campaign, and it was a $20 add-on for Halo 3, all would have been fine. It has a great campaign. But then they added in Firefight, and it started to get bigger. Then, the topper was the Mythic maps.

Bungie originally wanted to just release all the maps as they normally do on the Marketplace. But Microsoft knows a cash cow when they see one, and decided to have them split the maps, and have 3 of them exclusively available on the ODST multiplayer disc. That rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. And rightly so.

But the other thing that didn't really make sense was how they advertised the game. This game is basically MADE for Halo fans. It has SOOO much going on in the way of backstory and things like that, a long time Halo fan, like myself, will find many hours of playtime with it. But, what doesn't work is how they tried to make it seem like getting all the Multiplayer maps was some great deal. There is a 95% chance that most people who bought this game in the initial month or so, where a major chunk of your sales happen, these people already have all the other maps. So, they aren't getting "The Complete Multiplayer Experience" as advertised. They are just getting 3 more maps.

If you are someone who has never played a Halo game, or never bought Halo 3, then ODST would be a great purchase. You are getting a fun campaign, Firefight mode, and all of the multiplayer maps. That is a great bargain. But for the core Halo fan, the person who already owns every other Halo game, and all the maps, for them the ODST campaign and Firefight should have just been a $30 Halo 3 add-on.

The game inside ODST is great. I have a lot of fun with it. I've played through the Campaign about 5 times now, and seem to notice something new and interesting every time. My friends and I play Firefight quite a lot, and more Multiplayer maps are always welcome. I just wish I didn't have to spend $60 to get it.

Game: A-
Marketing: D+

 

[Huntn]

When the game was originally announced, it was pitched as an expansion to Halo 3, and was going to be a cheaper title. If all we got was the campaign, and it was a $20 add-on for Halo 3, all would have been fine.
Game: A-
Marketing: D+

Yes that is the critique, they overcharged for a game that was an expansion. $60 connotates a major title. While it can be argued that the game play was good, typical Halo fighting (I was playing coop which makes it better) it all seemed disjointed, individual survival encounters. In the end you find the engineer who has some important knowledge and you fight to protect him. It just did not seem to have the scope of previous Halo titles. The question becomes how many more times can they recycle the Halo combat experience into new titles and expect masses of people to spend $60 especially when additions like ODST are weak in story and content. The been-there-done-that feeling will start to prevail. I will be very wary.

 

[StruckANerve]

I want to see a much deeper Halo Wars game. Halo Wars was my first RTS game and it was an awesome game, but after going and playing AOE and Command & Conquer there is a lot that can be improved in Halo Wars. I will definitely be playing Halo Reach and I am curious to see what kind of multiplayer the game will have and what they change from Halo 3.