If anyone knows anything about me as a gamer, they know that I am an avid Halo fangirl. So of course I am here to bring you the latest and all there is to know about Halo 3's upcoming stand alone expansion; Halo 3 ODST. So click on the jump to find out more!
When the game was first announced at E3 last year, little was known other than the fact that it was a game connected to Halo 3. Even after the teaser trailer so cleverly named "keep it clean" we were still left in the dark about ODST. But i am glad to say it is almost a year later and we have a general release date timeframe, somewhat of a storyline, and what will be some major changes from Halo 3, yes people, we have progress.
First and foremost lets clear up the name, ODST stands for "Orbital Shock Drop Troopers" who are UNSC special forces trained specifically for unorthodox warfare missions such as personnel recovery and counter terrorism. These soldiers usually operate in small combat teams with your standard sniper, heavy machinery expert, and squad leader. You start out in the game as the Rookie of the group. This squad component of ODST plays very nicely into the four player co-op mode. The game begins with your own search for your squad mates after you've been knocked unconscious after a not so steady landing. In this game there will be no Cortana in your head to lead the way, largely due to the fact that you are not Master Cheif or even a Spartan for that matter. You, as a Rookie will not have an AI friend with you, but an artificial intelligence presence will exist in ODST. His name is the Superintendant and he lives in New Mombasa, not much else is known except his voice is heard in the trailer. In this game you will be fighting mainly Brutes, because the storyline of ODST takes place in the same timeframe as Halo 2. Your troop comes into play immediately after the Prophet of Regret retreats from New Mombasa and destroys half the city in the vortex he creates. (you may remember clearing out the elites in New Mombasa as Master Cheif in Halo 2) ODST promises 6 additional missions that you play as The Rookie, which in the past has been said to last for about 3 to five hours. So thats it for the storyline, now on to what really matters, gameplay and online multiplayer!
Now, since you are no longer a spartan you're going to have to get used to being a little weaker in battle. That means no more rushing into firefights and just waiting for your sheild to get back up. The controls will be noticeably different but they will still retain that "halo feel" we all know and love. Another addition to the game is the newly revised SMG. Yes folks I am talking about the half n00b combo sub machine gun from Halo 2. But in ODST it has a shiny new silencer and is apparently more accurate. I don't know how much it will improve the weapon, but I know the accuracy part will definitely make a difference if this gun makes it into online multiplayer.
And now for multiplayer, in ODST the multiplayer will be exactly the same as the Halo 3 online world that you SHOULD be familiar with. So in a sense ODST is like an all in one map pack that includes every map that has been released except fo the 3 exlusive to ODST. On an even happier note, the coveted Recon Armor will finally be available to anyone who unlocks all of the Vidmaster achievements, including the ones added with ODST and the Mythic Map Pack. Kind of a big deal considering the Recon Armor has only been available to Bungie employees and the lucky few they have decided to dote on.
Halo 3 ODST is set to be released this fall, so not too far away, but just far enough to give me butterflies. Sadly ODST also signifies the end of Bungie made maps, there are apparently no plans for them to release anymore maps or campaign expansions after this game. I know, /cry! But bungie has said they will continue to support the community by banning cheaters, managing playlists, fixing glitches etc. But it's okay, because we can all create our own new maps in forge, so i think we'll survive. More information should be released at E3 this year, and you can bet I will be all over that.
