Halo 3: ODST
It’s the Xbox 360 prelude to the 2007 Christmas blockbuster; Halo 3. Read our impressions of the new “Oni Alpha Site” multiplayer map, and more.
To say that Microsoft isn’t done with plundering the Halo universe quite yet is an understatement. We’ve just learned of the Halo Legends anime series, surely aimed at rousing some Master Chief fandom in Japan. Halo Wars is expanding the UNSC vs. Covenant theme in almost the complete opposite direction to what you’d expect. Halo 3 ODST is more of the kind of routine you might predict, but even though it’s a first-person shooter, creators Bungie are still taking calculated risks.
Starting with the decision to shift focus away from Master Chief, he of the green JCB armour and 1980s chic mirrored visor, and bring us literally down to Earth as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST). And down here on Earth, albeit far into the future, the landscape is much more industrial and far less fantastical to what Halo fans have been getting used to in Halos 1-3. However both elements combine to bring home how destructive and disruptive the Covenant invasion is, and how vulnerable you might feel as a lone human trying to regroup with your pals.
Halo 3: ODST opens with that immense real-time cinematic sequence, showing your squad of ODSTs (including Buck played by Nathan Fillion of Firefly and Serenity) suiting up and entering their capsules to fly fearlessly down to Ground Zero of the Covenant invasion. There’s one Covenant warship left behind and our guys are going in there to teach some manners and all that good stuff. But the warship space-jumps to safety at the point of impact and the ODST guys are scattered like seeds.
Our nameless ODST recovers consciousness six hours after the Slip-Space Rupture. And from hereon in this becomes a mystery story, as you search for what’s left of your pals, and eventually figure out what became of that lone Covenant warship.
It’s night time, or near enough, so visibility is low. You’ll quickly learn to activate your ODST’s low-visibility visor that also highlights the enemy silhouettes in green, friends in red. The Heads-Up Display is basic compared to Master Chief; no motion tracker for starters. Yes – oh dear.
The very first thing you’ll notice is that your suit has no on-board function to regenerate health. You have armour and stamina to keep you going, if you need patching up it’s time to go searching for a medical pack – old school, baby. Also, you’ll need to get used to the new guy’s lack of speed and comparatively feeble jumping ability. You’ll need to make strategic progress through the ruins to avoid being a sitting duck. This makes you look to the environment as one big chessboard.
An ODST’s standard issue firepower is different too. The new game introduces a Silenced Machine Gun that’s optimal within a 200 metre range, and an Auto-Mag pistol, similar to the pistol of Halo 1. The latter is very powerful but only fires single shots, however if you find a safe spot you can activate the scope and perform sniper-like headshots or carefully placed multiple body shots.
Our ODST is not entirely alone in his search. Terminals highlighted in yellow give access to the New Mombasa Superintendent, a city-wide A.I. service that offers area information downloaded as an interactive map. This allows you to set waypoints much the same way as Grand Theft Auto IV, making it easy to head toward Tayari Plaza, Uplift Reserve, Kizingo Boulevard, or in our case Oni Alpha Site.
Alpha Site is a flaming ruin, the sky is flickering red against pitch black smoke from burning skyscrapers and the skeleton of some colossal structure we admit to not recognising – there’s a glimpse of this in the Video Trailer available via Xbox LIVE.
We’re here to find an artefact belonging to one the other ODST guys, and this at least is located using a tracking application downloaded from the Superintendent. There are several such ‘Clue Objects’ scattered around New Mombasa, and each one gives you some kind of flashback through the eyes of whomever it belongs too. We saw events taking place two hours after the drop in which Dutch and surviving ODSTs are setting charges to blow a huge bridge. Covenant Banshees do their best to prevent this, but Dutch makes it to the detonator in time and BOOM it looks great.
To cut a long one short, Halo 3: ODST will not be a linear experience. Whereas Halo 3 has Master Chief following A to B, then A to B, and A to B the whole time, ODST gives multiple pieces to a story that are explored in more of an open world scenario. It feels much more like a narrative, which we think we’re going to prefer. And much more so given that the visuals are a clear step-up from what we saw in 2007.
To finish up our demo we got hands-on with an unseen multiplayer level in the new Firefight mode. In Firefight there are five waves per round, comprising three sets per wave, and each wave is affected by Halo Skulls limiting health supplies or ammo to keep you varying tactics. So, although it’s a similar concept to Horde in Gears of War 2, Firefight benefits from the ever-present Bungie humour.
Our venue was the Oni Alpha Site, and for the purposes of our 1-4 player battle against the waves of Covenant attackers, a fairly tight space that feels like a transportation hub – there are billboards and attractive views of the city, ruined of course by the arrival of Brutes, Hunters, Grunts and Jackals in their gunship. Alpha Site columns provide great cover, and several short flights of stairs allow you to rush and attack from below or take down Brutes that are stupid enough to descend single file in their blind fury. This is even easier if you grab the sniper rifle conveniently hanging from the wall. Doubtless there will be plenty more sweet spots to boost your Killing Spree potential, but what we enjoyed most in Alpha Site is that you were only ever a few meters dash from your buddies in case they needed you or usually vice versa!
Halo 3: ODST is released 22 September on Xbox 360.
