You’ve played as Master Chief, the culmination
of human evolution, the perfect soldier, and the pinnacle of badass. “Tell that to The Covenant.” You’ve played as Thel Vadam, the Arbiter. A stoic, duty-bound elite who once presided
over the entire covenant armada, a badass to match the Chief. “How ya doin’?” *cute roar
And now in Halo 3 ODST, you’ll play as…. “ME!” An Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, otherwise called
an ODST. It’s an interesting sales pitch to say the
least. And perhaps it’s something you don’t often
think about. In a video game: who are you playing as? I mean, First-Person Shooters are all about
the shooty shooty. It’s easy to forget the role of the player
when you get caught up in all the action, and the Halo series traditionally has enjoyed
mixing things up - changing perspectives. Master Chief has always been the face of the
series but you don’t always play as him. This idea of perspective is important in terms
of narrative and also gameplay. When you play as Duke Nukem, you expect to
kick some alien ass and hear awesome one-liners. “Hmmm… Don’t have time to play with myself.” When you play Call of Duty, you expect to
be a soldier, a cog in the machine who witnesses war on a grand scale. But here comes ODST, and Bungie tried something
that would shake up your expectations. This time around, your role in the game is
completely different and the overall importance has been toned down. You’re not saving the world and the galaxy
AGAIN! In a nutshell you’re following orders. So what else do we need to know about Halo
3 ODST? Well it’s not exactly a brand new game,
it builds off the original Halo 3 because DUHHHH and is basically a spinoff. A lot of things will be familiar, and I like
to think of ODST as an expansion. Like for Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, and Starcraft. That sort of thing. The biggest controversy surrounding ODST was
it’s price tag at release. Going for the full $60 at the time for a spinoff
wasn’t something a lot of gamers were happy with. No doubt a decision made by Microsoft, they
maintained that ODST came with enough new content to make it worth $60. And you could make a pretty good argument
against that… This was sort of the tipping point when Microsoft
was really trying to get as much cash out of the Halo series as possible. But I will say, Halo 3 on it’s own was well
worth $60 and if you truly loved the game like I did, these types of add-ons weren’t
a huge deal for me you. But how exactly does ODST fit in along the
other games? Is it overshadowed by the more grandiose adventures
of John-117? Was Firefight a worthy addition to the franchise? Should it have become a staple? And are the characters, setting, and atmosphere
as powerful as fans make them out to be? Well, let’s check our mouths, find our chairs,
and get SET for a combat drop. When it comes to reviewing a game, I think
one of the most underrated and rarely discussed aspects is the marketing. All the stuff we soak up before it launches
and we see the game for ourselves. Because unless it’s super special awesome,
it seems like the only reason we talk about marketing is if it’s misleading. COUGH COUGH! But ODST wasn’t like that, it was like peak
marketing. There was style, creativity, and charm in
all of it. And I say it’s underrated because marketing
has nothing to do with how the game plays, at the end of the day. And at this point, with Combat Evolved becoming
a smash hit, spawning the biggest and most controversial sequel, which led to the ultimate
finale, I really felt like there had been a great relationship built up with Bungie
and the fans by the time ODST was being shown at E3. And for a lot of game companies, a long-lasting,
trust-filled relationship with the consumer is hard to come by. To be frank, the marketing for ODST was awesome! Any time Joe Staten comes out, it’s like,
yes, dude! YES! He represents the nerd in all of us. “Any fans of the old Halo 1 pistol? Yeah? If you like that one then you’re gonna love
this one.” And they had this sick as fuck stage set up. You can see the detail, the coloring, the
theme, rain of ODST in all this promotional material. Which is why I chose to highlight it! And I also love how live action trailers have
become a staple of Halo’s marketing. This one definitely worked in portraying ODST
as being a tough and sorrowful experience. It shows us that ODST’s are much more human,
and relatable than Master Chief is. There’s a clear distinction. This trailer gave us a better look and understanding
of the location of the game. In the Halo Universe, it portrays a modern
city and it’s connected conscience of cameras, the network. So you see all these things they’re showing
us are reflected and present in the final product. It gets you hyped, it gets you intrigued,
it’s phenomenal and it paid off! But then they came out with the trailer for
Firefight, and it blew my undies off. “Now, I know what you’re thinking! Sergant Major Johsnon, these sound like overwhelming
odds. I don’t want to drop into hell without an
air-tight insurance policy! Well… do I have an offer for you. Pre-order your copy of Halo 3 ODST at participating
retailers now and you’ll get all the confidence you need: ME! Goddamn! I wish Sargent Johnson could’ve become like,
the spokesman of Halo. Got him selling me this game! Asking for pre-orders? If I’m gonna buy a video game, I’m gonna
buy it from a BADASS, alright! Also harkens back to the day when pre-order
bonuses were things that very clearly weren’t essential cut out parts of the game and resold. Bungie knocked it outta the park when they
were promoting and showing off ODST and it’s one of those games where the hype is and was
real. It all paid off. Ever since Halo 2, the series has always started
with a cutscene labeled as a mission. Part of that is so it makes it easier if you
want to jump straight into the gameplay, but as with every story the opening is of extreme
importance to not only hook the player, but also in establishing the tone. ODST opens up with a sort of atmospheric text
crawl which is kind of strange to see in a Halo game. This does a great job of getting us prepared
for the mildly post-apocalyptic setting. Plain text is a simple, and sometimes great
tool to help the audience get immersed. I thought that was a good decision because
you’re not being told how to feel by some narrator. However, I think it goes on for a bit too
long. Basically, ODST takes place in between Halo
2 & 3, and has you defend various locations around New Mombasa. And if you think about it, maybe Bungie intended
ODST to fill the gap of dissatisfaction many fans felt with the Halo 2 E3 demo. I mean, there were a lot of people upset about
the lack of missions on Earth and well, all of ODST’s missions are set on Earth, I think
it’s fitting. So we get introduced to our cast of characters,
and lemme tell ya, Bungie does a great job differentiating them and establishing the
character. I’ve always thought when it comes to character
designs they really nail the aesthetic and have been great at incorporating appearances
with personalities. Most of the time, Bungie has been on the side
of less is more and so we don’t often see long conversations like you’d see in some
JRPG’s or Super Paper Mario. Jesus, man… That game is like 60% text. Anyways, despite the short introductions,
you’re able to get acquainted with and understand the personalities of all the Helljumpers and
Veronica. They’re led by Edward Buck, AKA Gunny, an
exemplary soldier who is quick on his feet. Large, in charge, he’s a little bit cocky
but always cares for his teammates. Buck is more cynical and realistic because
he’s seen it all, done it all and been there. “Mickey? Dutch! Status?! Alive or dead, we’re pulling them out. You hear me? Make some noise. I got your back.” Following him are Dutch, Romeo, Mickey and
the Rookie. I like to think of Dutch as the big guy, he’s
gruff, loves being in the thick of the fight, and he’s a man of faith in desperate times. “So… was that a yes or
a no?” *kablammo
“Amen.” Romeo is the smart-mouthed marksman who’s
always got a sense of humor, even when he’s f*cking dying. “We went through hell for that?” “Give him some meds, would ya? It’s important. It knows things.” “Gunny… I wasn’t talking about the alien.” A reliable dude, who pulls it together when
he needs to. Next is Mickey and he’s rather unique amongst
most soldiers. A pilot and demolitions expert who seems out
of place in this war. Cautious and a little naïve, Mickey might
appear to be a scaredy cat but underneath, he’s got balls. “Hurry up!” “You wanna do this? Be my guest. But this ain’t a job you want to rush…” Then there’s the Rookie who basically fills
the same role as Master Chief but speaks even less, in fact, not at all. Some people might’ve take issue with the
Rookie because we can’t really learn anything about who he is or what he stands for, and
fans may not like a completely silent protagonist. But ODST isn’t just about the Rookie, you
play as all the other troopers.The Rookie’s role is more so for players to be immersed
in the setting, while the other Helljumpers are there to add character and drama to the
story. “We talked a lot about: how could we still
take people out of one character, put them into the body of another and not confuse people.” “And ODST, I think takes the lessons of
Halo 2 and feels a lot more natural. You’re going from one ODST to another. It’s not so jarring as it was with the Chief
and the Arbiter.” “Allowing the player to step into the shoes
of all of these different characters in the squad, makes this a game about what happens
to that squad.” Finally we have Veronica Dare, the captain
and an operative for the Office of Naval Intelligence. She’s like a no-nonsense leader, not willing
to divulge the true nature of the mission to the rest of the group. She had a previous love interest with Buck
and the two try to maintain professionalism in this time of crisis. We’ll get more into the romance later. So after we meet the Kardashians, you get
briefed on the mission and get set to come out swinging. This drop pod scene is f*cking awesome and
I love how they added the respawn sound effect from multiplayer. “We are dropping into hell, troopers! Time to grow a pair!” I also find it funny how the year is like
2552 yet the microphones they’re using sound like they’re talking through an Xbox 360
mic. I guess it’s fitting. This is where Halo 2, Halo 3, and ODST’s
stories converge. The Covenant carrier makes a slipspace jump
which wrecks the city - we saw that in Halo 2 - and sends the pods crashing across New
Mombasa. Scattered, weakened, and injured, it’s up
to the Rookie to figure out what happened to his team and complete the mission. And just like every other title in the series
except Halo: Reach, ODST starts with a fall from space. I always thought this was a neat little theme
amongst the Halo games, kinda like how every Star Wars film pans down after the text crawl. So once you crash down, Bungie does what Bungie
do best and gives you a memorable, scenic opening into the world they’ve crafted,
and my god I think ODST does it best. “You’re alone, you’re in the city, you’re
trying to unravel a mystery. That’s the feeling you have every time you’re
The Rookie.” The darkness, the feeling of isolation, desolation
and… quiet. It’s a pretty big contrast to the whole
“you’re a badass in a super suit! Go get ‘em tiger,” style that we’ve
been accustomed to. In fact, I’ll go on record and say some
of the best Shooters and games in general, are the ones where you aren’t some overpowered
badass. When the game has reservations and can tone
things down. I’d even go so far as to mention Raycevick’s
video on Saving The World 1000 Times Later. And reiterate his point that you don’t automatically
raise the tension and the stakes of a story just by putting the world, galaxy, or universe
in jeopardy. And that’s what I like about ODST, you’re
not tasked with saving the world, we’ve already done that 3 times at this point. All we’re really doing is finding your lost
squad of troops, and defending Earth! We can feel just as invested in this story
as we are when we’re saving the galaxy as Master Chief. Not only did Bungie introduce a whole new
cast of characters in one game and give them adequate screen time, but it also gave us
a more down-to-earth perspective on this universe and this conflict. All without the Master Chief being present
AT ALL! So if anything, ODST also proves that not
every Halo game needs Master Chief to be interesting. Back to the topic of atmosphere, it’s a
perfect choice to have Rookie be a silent protagonist, because this setting of a destroyed
New Mombasa shrouded in darkness with alien troops all around and not a friendly in sight,
would be ruined if it was interrupted by dialogue at every turn. But it’s also nice how ODST pays homage
(intended or not) to classic sci-fi movies such as Aliens & Starship Troopers. “We’re on an express elevator to hell:
going down!” “We are dropping into hell, troopers! Time to grow a pair!” One of the biggest additions in ODST is the
VISR mode which lights up all the terrain, buildings, and weapons around you. What surprises me about the VISR is it wasn’t
just a gimmick for gameplay. Just like everything else in ODST it helps
to build the atmosphere. When you turn it off you see how dark the
world around you is and without this critical piece of equipment, you realize how unprepared
you would be. “When you combine those things that we took
away with things that we added, such as the VISR, even though you might feel a bit more
vulnerable, you have the right tools for the job.” Lighting is beautiful in this game and for
certain parts the VISR allows the player to see things differently. To have this ability throughout the entire
game, gives us an incentive to look around and take in our surroundings. And while for the more brighter levels it
doesn’t serve much purpose, just the fact that they had to render both of these types
of lighting. It’s an incredible amount of detail and
depth added to the experience. You think about how some games try to rely
on the “over-the-top Michael Bay action,” in order to keep people interested, and here
comes a game that is willing to slow things down and let you explore, move at your own
pace. When you do what ODST does, you risk boring
the audience but if you succeed the payoff for those moments of action is much more satisfying. What I’m trying to say is, the game has
a brilliant combination of a slow, somber, and silent moments mixed in with that great,
loud, badass action we love from these games. And it’s because of the atmosphere that
ODST is able to find a comfortable and unique place amongst the other games in the series. But how does the gameplay fit into all this? Well since it’s kind of an expansion to
Halo 3, naturally it’s going to be similar. Real quick though, there’s a couple things
I always found strange: #1 You never use equipment but the enemies
do. You might not have even noticed this which
doesn’t make it a huge loss. I don’t know why this choice was made. I don’t know what benefit it has to the
gameplay, I just find it strange that they took this sandbox element away from the player. #2 You can’t duel wield. “Dual-wielding… Paul doesn’t like dual-wielding. So we cut it.” This one I more or less understand as ODST’s
are smaller and weaker than Spartans. But even so, I freaking love duel-wielding! #3 Grenades have a very awkward ark compared
to H3 so they feel weird to throw. But other than that it’s just as good as
Halo 3’s Gameplay. ODST introduces two new weapons, the Silenced
SMG & magnum. And while it works thematically with a more
covert, sneaky sort of feeling, when it comes to gameplay the silencers don’t work the
way you’d think they would. I don’t know, it seems like no matter how
stealthy you try to be, anytime you fire these weapons the enemies notice you right anyway. Nitpicks and minor flaws aside, ODST like
I said earlier is similar to those old school expansions in the way that they build upon
the gameplay and give you more of what you want without being an entirely new game or
changing things too much. The engineers are a great addition, if not
super impactful but great nonetheless. The structure of the missions are simple,
you’re a lone wolf who’s trying to figure out what happened to your squad. So you search out their last known whereabouts
and find clues that lead to flashbacks, which lead to the next mission. This idea of a connected hub world was pretty
ambitious for a first-person shooter. There’s not many games I can think of that
have committed to a non-linear level design and can pull it off well. Maybe Bioshock comes to mind? The standard for shooter games is linearity,
which is fine, but it makes ODST stand out because you can explore New Mombasa to your
leisure. Sneaking through the shadows at night, on
the streets, reinforces the loneliness of the city and it allows the player to submerge
themselves in the atmosphere completely. You got all these Covenant squads patrolling,
there’s not much human presence, it feels like the aftermath of an Alien invasion! The technology and effort they put into this
area of the game was impressive as balls! In the flashbacks you’ll fight through these
areas by day, and as the Rookie you walk through them at night, giving a nice contrast between
loud and quiet moments. And it’s worth exploring the city because
you can find audio logs! Now at this point, audio logs weren’t an
overused, lazy tool for developers to inject slightly more story into their games, and
these ones tell a story about the citizens of New Mombasa. It gives us a perspective into the real people
on this planet, in this universe, something we hardly ever saw outside of the marines. With great voice-acting, sound effects, and
still images, the story in these logs plays out kind of like a graphic novel or an audio
book. It’s a strange hybrid, but works very well. New mechanics were added to make the gameplay
a bit more strategic, such as the map and nav system, which allowed you to see where
you’re supposed to go, what sort of resistance you might encounter along the way, and where
hidden caches of weapons and vehicles might be to help you out. It’s pretty cool. I wish more Halo games had some type of mechanic
like this. They’ve also given us the VISR. These are tools the Master Chief didn’t
have the privledge of using. So again, the Helljumpers feel special in
their own regards. In any case, one of my favorite aspects of
ODST is how it seemed like they drastically toned down the accuracy of sniper jackals. THANK F*CKING GOD! The return of health packs was a neat choice
and once again, makes you feel like a soldier instead of a super soldier. “Bringing back the health was something
that was born out of a discussion about: how can we add long-term level of tension to the
game.” “For us, health is important in the ODST’s
world because it reminds you that you’re vulnerable.” You’re new armor shield AREN’T extremely
resistant. You’re more vulnerable this time around. Which gave Bungie an excuse to make the game
pretty difficult on Legendary but this time around I feel like Heroic is perfect – not
too easy, not too hard. So gunplay is essentially the same with minor
tweaks and new mechanics but the levels are where ODST really shines! It’s a compilation of all the great types
of levels we’ve come to know and love from the Halo games. You got the quiet, stealthy sections in Mombasa
Streets similar to the play style of Truth & Reconciliation. There’s the wide-open infantry combat in
Tayari Plaza. Then an epic, large scale battle with heavy
weapons and vehicles in Uplift Reserve. A tank mission with Kizingo Boulevard. One of my favorite levels in all the Halo
games is ONI Alpha Site for giving us a mission where the main goal is to defend and hold
out, rather than aggressively push towards the enemy. NMPD HQ gives us a lot of sniper combat mixed
with a rescue mission and a bombastic ending sequence. Kikowani station is probably the best level
in the game because it has you fighting in these HUGE tunnels against wraiths, turrets,
scarabs, you fight on foot, I mean it’s got everything. Data Hive is the escort mission, making sure
the Engineer and later the Elephant stay safe while fighting against everything the Covenant
can throw at you. One of the coolest parts is going through
the drone nest and having to constantly be alert for those damn buggers. We never really saw what they’re nests were
like or where these drones came from. So that’s interesting. These levels, despite their overall length
being pretty short compared to the other games, are all totally unique, fun and memorable. It’s like getting one of everything at the
buffet. You just feel like every dish is completely
new and most importantly, it tastes phenomenal. Overall, the Gameplay in ODST is as fun as
it is unique. The scenarios the game throws at you always
keep you on your feet and I’d pop this game in any day. The best addition that ODST brought was of
course, Firefight! “Firefight! Set start. Tough luck on.” Some might disagree but honestly thank god
we had ODST because it allowed Bungie to try new things. And Firefight quickly became a favorite amongst
Halo fans. It’s the type of thing that I think should
be in every game. “Welcome to New Mombasa. Bip. Bap. BAM!” Ideally, these stepping stones should’ve
led to forgeable Firefight maps in Halo 5 or forgeable AI but… oh well. Maybe Halo 6? It’s your classic arcade experience in a
modern game. Perfect for when you wanted to play something
besides multiplayer or campaign, it was just another thing for players to mess around with. It’s incredibly fun to get 3, 2 or even
1 other person to get together, kill aliens and hold out as long as you can! Shoot for that high score, baby! For bragging rights over your friends who
OBVIOUSLY have smaller dicks than you. With limited number of lives, weapons that
respawn, difficulty modifiers in the skulls, and the ability to choose which base difficulty
you want, it turned Firefight into a full-fledged mode. Like, it had everything it needed at that
point in time. And those moments when you’re down to one
life on the final round and your buddy is fighting against all odds and whether he succeeds
or fails, those moments are so intense. Honestly, I think it’d be a really cool
idea to not only bring traditional firefight back but to offer more unique rewards for
completing waves, for getting a high score. Maybe some special armor, maybe a special
weapon skin. Something. Anything! You know, I see a lot of potential with Firefight. It could even be something that adds more
story to the games. Think about how Nazi Zombies in the Call of
Duty series has transformed over these years into something that’s not just fun to play
but it has a story to offer; unique settings that build upon what’s there. Firefight should be that type of mode and
even though the Firefight levels are ripped from the campaign, I still think it’s a
great mode overall. So when it comes to story, one of the themes
I got out of ODST was this time, you aren’t invincible. Sure, Master Chief had always gone through
some shit, but in the back of your head you knew he’d come out on top. ODST pulls no punches in showing the Helljumpers
being outclassed and getting their ass kicked which adds to the threat the Covenant pose,
it’s a very real threat. “Hunters? Oh no! I do not have time for this!” It’s an against the odds, rally together
type of story and ODST alongside Reach go back to the roots of Combat Evolved, in the
sense that they don’t try to humanize the Covenant, elucidate their motivations (aside
from the engineers.) It seems like Bungie wanted the Covenant to
be more alien, foreign, or they just thought focusing on the troops was the best angle
to go. I really enjoyed the dynamics between the
ODST’s. “You ever seen one before? Hey, Romeo? You got your ears on? Oh. I get it. Permission to speak… smartass.” They banter back and forth, joke around, but
take things seriously when they need to. It paints a clear difference between normal
soldiers, ODST’s and Spartans. With this game, we now understand the food
chain of the UNSC’s infantry and their troops. The Helljumpers feel like real people and
we can connect with them in a way that makes us care. More impressive, is the subtext of romance
between Dare and Buck. At this point love wasn’t really something
the Halo games have really ever touched on. You get a sense that Buck loves Veronica and
still has to maintain his professionalism, but at the same time as the story goes on,
he has a harder time restraining himself. “I never thought I’d see you again.” “Yeah? Well… here I am!” It’s like this huge conflict is bringing
out his true feelings and the desperation of their fight means that he and Veronica
could get taken down at any moment. At times like these, your true colors show. “Must’ve met a lot of other saps since
then, why pick me for this safari?” “First, you’re the best soldier I know
and second… you don’t remember? That night? What you asked me in the morning?” “I remember not getting an answer.” “Say again, Buck. You’re breaking up.” “I said, stay put! I’m on my way!” Meanwhile, Veronica tries to focus solely
on the mission and leave the past where it is but constantly relies on Buck when she
alone can’t get the job done. Yea she is kind of a damsel in distress but
it’s not because she’s weak, but because she tries to do everything on her own. She’s still pretty badass. “For me, it was about creating a credible
history between the two of them and by dipping into that history, I think that creates the
relationship.” But as I said the story is about defending
Earth, finding your squad, and completing this secret mission for Oni to capture an
Engineer and learn about the Covenant’s plans and motives for coming to Earth, which
ties into The Ark being on Earth and leads into Halo 3. It’s not as plot, dialogue, or story heavy
as something like Halo 2 but it gets the job done. I’m with it 100% from start to finish. At this point, I feel like I’m repeating
myself whenever I have to talk about the music in the Bungie games because I just end up
saying the same thing. It’s f*cking awesome, the soundtrack is
incredible and it always is with Marty. ODST brings us some of the best musical pieces
the series has seen, both sad and badass. There’s plenty of people who think it has
the best soundtrack in the series and that’s what’s awesome is every game up to Reach
had a very distinct, unique soundtrack that you could honestly look at each one of them
and make an argument for it being the best soundtrack. I can’t imagine it’s easy to mix these
cool ass f*ck guitar rifts in with dramatic, melancholy songs. Marty is just the type of guy who will impress
you in ways you never thought a video game soundtrack could. There’s a reason I use Skyline and The Menagerie
as background music when I open a new video. So ODST ends with FUCKING HOMEBOY JOHNSON
COMING BACK FROM THE GRAVE, BABY! To smoke a fat cigar and talk with the Engineer
leading straight into Halo 3 and filling in the holes. “We only captured one and it’s very delicate.” “Don’t worry. I know what the aliens like.” And it makes his character way more cool because
he’s treated as more badass than the ODST’s are! He’s basically one step below Arbiter and
Master Chief levels of badass. ODST’s story is short but sweet, and I really
appreciate how Bungie crafted something that is familiar but feels totally new. Romance, love in desperate times, the focus
of audio logs on actual civilians, it’s a much more down to earth story and it delivers
an experience Halo fans had always wanted and asked for since the Halo 2 announcement. It takes risks, tries new things and in my
opinion, succeeds at everything it tries. “What can I say? It was a hell of a night.” All in all, Halo 3: ODST is a fantastic game,
stifled only by it’s initial launch price, shorter campaign, and a few strange decisions
made by Bungie. But for the hardcore fans and even the casuals,
it’s a game unlike the rest of the series. It wasn’t just an expansion to bank of the
wild success of Halo 3, it feels inspired. It’s a fresh look at what this conflict
has done to Earth and it’s people, something many people felt they were promised and didn’t
get from Halo 2. So it also made amends, and added some fun
gimmicks to the gameplay, a new enemy to fight, and a new mode to play! Firefight has the potential to be something
fantastic, to be on the level of Call of Duty’s Nazi Zombies, where it almost feels like an
entirely different game. With memorable characters, Buck becoming a
fan favorite, a previously unseen perspective, the everlasting greatness of Marty O’ Donnel,
and a visual aesthetic that enchants the eyes, Halo 3: ODST proves that spinoffs from the
main series could not only be successful, but could also become the favorite of many. And that is why Halo 3 ODST WAS SO AWESOME! So this officially wraps up my thoughts on
the main Halo games. Every single one, why they’re awesome, or
bad or a combination of both. I really hope you enjoyed this series as much
as I enjoyed putting it together. And I look forward to seeing your thoughts
on ODST or any of the other Halo games or even what you’re doing today down in the
comments below! Like the video if you enjoyed it and subscribe
to The Act Man for more AWESOME content! Alright, everyone, that’s all I’ve got
for today! This is The Act Man signing out. PEACE!
