Halo 3: ODST was originally billed as a budget title in view of its somewhat truncated 3-5 hour-long single-player campaign. So how come the price has just been whacked-up?

In short, it seems that ODST has grown in stature since it was first announced. Either that or Microsoft has decided that it was giving too much away for too little:

"At the time of those statements, the overall scope of Halo 3: ODST was not yet finalised, and since then the project has grown increasingly more ambitious. We believe this standalone experience is much more than just an expansion," a Microsoft rep tells Joystiq.com.

"Halo 3: ODST provides a new campaign from the point of view of an entirely new character. Combine that with three new multiplayer maps, the entirely new cooperative mode called Firefight, and the complete Halo 3 multiplayer collection on a standalone disc, we feel this is a good value and tremendous addition to the Halo franchise."

Well, when you put it like that...

Halo 3: ODST is out September 22, complete with an exclusive invite to the Halo: Reach beta test next year. That alone justifies a few extra quid outlay, doesn’t it?