Halo ODST is coming at the end of the year (September 22nd) and whilst it might be easy to dismiss the game as yet another Halo based title in an ever increasing list of games built around the franchise, let's not forget that its success is paramount and well respected by many gamers. Offering a comprehensive and engaging storyline, characters that say little but are memorable at the same time, a hugely popular and accessible online multiplayer experience and a development team still very passionate about what they started some ten years ago.
Rather than develop a new Halo game which thrusts players back into the heavy and perhaps over-familiar shoes of Master Chief, Bungie have opted to showcase the Halo universe in a new light and from a different perspective. The ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) were first seen in Halo 2 as the special forces unit that aided Master Chief, although depending on how you played most likely were killed in action. Bungie felt that moving away from the series' well known character and bringing in a new set of players would enrich the experience rather than hinder it, and from what we've seen it's probably going to be a very clever and worthwhile decision to have made.
In ODST you get to play as a rookie trooper, although we say rookie in the loosest sense as to even be in the unit you're obviously made of the good stuff as far as combat readiness and skills are concerned. The rookie is merely that within the ODST units and as you embark on your first mission to drop directly onto a Covenant cruiser things go pear shaped as you crash land on New Mombassa - familiar turf for anyone who has played the previous games.
Landing in the city and being rendered unconscious for six hours it's your job to piece together the mystery of your predicament and the unit you were associated the task with. what went wrong, where are they now was the mission deliberately sabotaged, and what are the wider implications of this failure? There are many questions and even more answers to gather, because essentially as the rookie, that's your role. Amongst the debris and impending attacks from the covenant forces you're in the thick of it but still combat ready and able to fend for yourself.
The game takes an unusual path compared to its forbears and this time focuses on a more open playing field - one which is going to huge and filled with stuff to do beyond merely piecing together the mysteries of what happened. You move around during the darkened hours, interacting with the city's computerized system (Intendant) and using the tools you've been granted as you search for data items which offer flash backs, which in turn transports the player into the the story further. You'll then meet and play as new characters and live out their predicaments, ultimately forming an image of clarity over events.
You're able to tackle any of objectives as you see fit which means the open nature of the game can really make for a differing experience with less rigid restrictions. There's also a random element in terms of enemies and encounters here, keeping the game fresh and unpredictable. Who knows what scenes we'll get to play through during these flashback moments, and what horrors lie in wait as you hunt down further pieces of the puzzle. But as an approach and mechanic for story telling and keeping players hooked, the ideal seems to be well oiled and painstakingly structured to be compelling and entertaining for all the right reasons. Certainly shaking off any preconceptions you might have that this is going to be just another Halo game.
Halo ODST looks rich with its wide range of diverse male and female characters who propel the storyline and capture the imagination. Although how much of this will be lost if you dip into the game's co-op mode from the off is yet to be determined. For most, playing the single player alone is probably the first port of call. Co-op is an excellent shared experience at the right time and not when your partners skip crucial scenes or offer spoilers.
The game offers several other modes of which are borrowed from Halo 3 including the theatre modes and multiplayer hi jinx you come to expect and of course access to the Reach Beta, but the new 'Firefight mode' which we got to play is certainly a welcome addition to the Halo Franchise. This mode allows four players to tackle the AI in fairly open combat arenas. We had a play on two of the maps, one effectively being a sloped area with plenty of cover and the other a dimly lit portion of a precinct type locale. (You can view screens of these here). Both levels played in a similar manner although what was neat were the enemy spawn points being random and well spaced out. With co-ordinated play you could try and cover all points, but being alone is a recipe for disaster as the Brutes and heavy armoured forces can end any gains you might make in split second. The ODSTs weakness (although they don't feel like weaknesses initially) do begin to make themselves known but this is something you adapt to rather than complain about - dropping from a height is going to deplete that health bar so no random leaps of faith here. It's all part of a fresher feeling experience. The darker level we played also meant that you're able to use the ODSTs night vision display adding a different hue to the battle and somewhat adding an element of fear. With awards to be had (similar to Halo 3's) and an infinite number of enemies there's no end to the carnage here and certainly a lot of scope for tactics and free-form gameplay should you decide, although the former is obviously going to be more rewarding.
Firefight mode is very similar to Epic's Horde mode in Gears of War 2 and to a degree Left 4 Dead but neatly adds some twists of its own. For starters you're still the ODST who whilst very able, aren't as powerful as Master Chief. The most noticeable changes to the actual player character in relation to how Master Chief plays are player health which doesn't regenerate and can only be replenished by picking up health packs (in the single player). The ODST aren't able to jump as high, move as fast or dual wield weapons either, and so players are going to have to work far more as a team rather than the gung ho solo Master Chief character. Enemies will drop into the arenas by waves of increasing difficulty and randomly as well, so not predicting who's coming at you next, adds a sense of tension to the confrontations. What's more, the game adds modifiers automatically as you clear more and more waves, naturally becoming increasingly difficult as you progress - these are familiar modifiers much like the skulls from Halo 3 and will stack accordingly. The aim obviously is to score as much as possible before all your (team shared) lives are depleted (although you can regain lives at various points if you can last that long). We can imagine having to work closely and perhaps possible tensions between players if one person uses up all the lives, but the game is Halo, feels like Halo and for most should be easy to get into regardless of the changes that have been made.
Looking at the weaponry, you're able to collect familiar weapons from the fallen and in-between each wave more weapons drops come in (at your starting point). There are also gun emplacements you can use (and rip out if you want to remain mobile) to gain a slight edge over the weaker foes. Although don't expect grunts all the time as the big boys will make appearances on regular occasions. the new weapons such as the Silenced SMG is a good all round assault weapon, and that handy zoom allows you to pick off at range undetected - yes there's a reason it's silenced. It might not be that powerful but is a handy starting weapon as you can use it long or short range depending on your play style. The pistol (based on the original Halo 1 pistol) is handy also as a back up although some might prefer a weapon with slightly more ammo available. Running out and having to ditch a preferred weapon or running back to base isn't the best course of action at times and can often take you out of the fight when you're needed. So careful shots and planning is certainly required if you're to survive the furious rounds.
To summarise, we had an excellent play of ODST, an informative presentation and interview with the guys from MGS and Bungie which you can view here. We think that although it's easy to put on the blinkers and dismiss ODST as another Halo game which essentially is what it is, there's enough meat, diversity and depth here to keep fans happy and please shooter fanatics across the board. The new free-form gameplay, intriguing way of unfolding the story, the fact that we're in new shoes and to a degree (and yes this is a plus point), the familiarity of the series, makes for a game well worth raising anticipation. we're certainly looking forward to the September 22nd release date as you should too, as Halo ODST is going to be massive.
Preview By: Robert Cram
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