Halo 3 ODST Review

With Black Friday and the holiday season fast approaching, I figure that even though it's late, perhaps I should put a review up for a game gamers could be looking to pick up. As such, here's the review for Halo 3: ODST


Pros:

The multiplayer aspect is really Halo:ODST's strong point. It can be divided up as follows:

Firefight: Possibly one of its strongest points, firefight is a horde-like mode for Halo enhanced by the addition of skulls being activated throughout the campaign. While the story might be weaker this time, the multiplayer is still fun. Which brings us to

Every map and more: ODST comes with every single multiplayer map released and 3 new ones, meaning if you've been holding out on maps, you get the best value for your buck.

Within Reach: ODST comes with an invitation to play the Halo Reach beta when it comes out sometime early in 2010. Bungie knows how to please its fans and reward you for it.

Cons:

Campaign story: A problem with any game that tries to be a prequel or side-story in between is that you already know what's generally going to happen. You also tend to wonder with everything going on in Halo 2 & Halo 3, why this mission should still feel important, not to mention it feels undertoned by its sister game Halo 3's epic story. Yes, it's different characters focusing on different aspects, but it's easy to feel underwhelmed this time by something Bungie usually does a good job of nailing.

Marine's still cant drive for shit: You know, you could call this a staple of Halo, but after literally 3 games you would THINK that Bungie could have worked this problem out by now for when you want to gun a warthog instead of drive.

In all, Halo 3: ODST isn't a bad game. The multiplayer is still top notch and raids the XBL servers every day by millions of gamers, but the single player experience just feels overshadowed by it's counterparts. Regardless, Halo:ODST is still a solid game that if you're a Halo fan, you shouldn't be without. I can't justify the $60 price tag on this one though, so having Amazon sell it already at $47.50 seems a little more fair to the gamer.

Recommended buy price: $45
Game Score Ratings - HORRIBLE - Pass - Meh - Good - EPIC
Good