Halo 3: ODST Standard Edition - Xbox 360

Developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by acclaimed developer Bungie, Halo 3: ODST is a new, stand-alone expansion to the Halo saga that lets players experience the events leading up to the epic story told in Halo 3 through the eyes of an entirely new character the ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper), as they search for clues leading to the whereabouts of their scattered squad and the motivations behind the Covenant's invasion of New Mombasa. The game adds a new dimension to an all-encompassing universe! Much more than an expansion, Halo 3: ODST allows players to explore dangerous new ground, search the dark, abandoned streets of New Mombasa for clues, and fight back against the Covenant invasion from multiple perspectives.

Halo 3: ODST was a very good expansion, especially for multilayer if you do not already own Halo 3. Campaign Disc: This was a very good but short campaign with a decent replay value. Firefight is the only reason to keep this game if you don't have Halo 3. Firefight you can play with you're friends online, (though not many people own this game anymore.) Multilayer: THIS WAS THE SAME AS HALO 3!?!?!?!? WHAT? Everyone who owns an Xbox 360 has at least played Halo 3! So why include the SAME multilayer? Hopefully Halo Reach will torn out better. Overall, this a decent game, but definitely needed some work in the long run. Not worth a $ price tag far an expansion. This game should have been on the Xbox Live marketplace for 1200 Microsoft Points.

Halo 3:ODST is NOT an expansion, despite the many accusations and the common audience vernacular that really hampers this game's reputation. It's presentation is obviously one of Halo-caliber, realizing itself to be a fully revamped version of the Halo franchise. Yet despite the many differences in the HUD display and its game play execution, the Halo formula still feels, controls, and experiences like any other Halo game out there. Although, there is only a few minor changes in the game play itself. First we have the shields and stamina taken away from the common Spartan suit, because now the player experiences the game through an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper who is not as "strong" as his Spartan counterpart. Many people see this as a hamper in the game play, and yet I feel as if it is a new refresher and an overall unique perspective on how a Halo game should be played. It encourages strategic placing, location, and overall just a bit of intelligence while playing. It treats the shooter-genre much more seriously, while those who will not be enjoying this new change are those who believe that rushing headlong into battle and recovering from every bullet taken is, in and of itself, the way to play. Although, it really makes no difference at all. The stamina is just a simpler representation of the previous shield system that just runs out a bit faster, and health reminiscent of Halo:Combat Evolved's HUD also returns. Overall, this new game play variation brings upon the player a new and refreshing take on the Halo experience. Now, here it comes to the story, which is about 6 hours in average length. It is also something quite different from the usual Halo format as it does not follow the protagonist Master Chief any longer, but a new ODST recruit who embarks on a journey through New Mombasa. Yet, as he and his team depart, an explosion of the enemy covenant ship through slip-space tears the city apart, and ends up separating the team. You, the rookie, is trapped din the city isolated from the rest of the team, and must go throughout the city on search for beacons and clues about your team members. Activating these beacons stats up memory flashback sequences that allow you to play through your teammate's experience through the city. In the end, all of these memories tie together and end up to be quite the expected and action-filled Halo game everyone expects. Although it is not one straightforward story anymore, there are contrast game play levels in which you travel through. As the rookie, you wander around the open-world city in the pitch-black night, looking for clues. Here, you turn on the new nightvision HUD mode which outlines surface and reveals the night scene to be a bit brighter. This trek through the night is atmospheric and mood, which is accompanied by a fantastic score composed by Martin O Donnell. And the environments change to war-torn and brighter levels in the flashbacks. Now, we have firefight mode, which is similar to Gears of War's horde mode where you face battering waves of enemies that increase as time goes on. Here, you attempt to live out as long as you can and vie fort he top score. It is a blast to play, and yet it is quite disappointing that there is no matchmaking for the mode, which means to MUST have a friend on in order to play it with others. When it comes to graphics, they aren't photo-realistic but remain true to the style and physique of Halo 3. Yet, one may notice improvements with textures and lighting, as well as a change in color palettes. The palette was once a more blue and purple as you would travel on spaceships a lot, yet not there is a lot of brown and orange as the contrast shifts into the daytime scenes. Don't get me wrong, it isn't bad at all and also presents a different take on the Halo look. There is a modified SMG with a scope and a silencer, and a pistol replacement to be reminiscent of the Halo:Combat Evolved, which was a fan favorite. There is also the absence of dual-wielding which may be an issue to some, but it is really not necessary at all. This brings it closer to the Halo:Combat Evolved game play which everyone loves so dearly, which also marks the return of the HEALTH PACK which many people may not love. But for me, yet again, it is a strategic factor in the game play. As for the second disk, it is basically a repackaging of Halo 3's multi player along with ALL of the downloadable maps that have been released so far, along with an exclusive three to this package. Some may argue that this is a cheap repackaging, but for me, I never bought the regular maps, and by buying this it seems I have saved over 20 dollars. Yet again, it is the Halo 3 multi player that no one should really complain about because it is still great, along with the other parts of the package such as Theater and Forge. Overall, Halo 3 ODST is a fantastic game and package which should be worth checking out by anyone.

The campaign is as fresh and exciting as you could hope. Bungie has scrapped its traditional galactic romp in favor of a focused, character driven tale. The result is one of the most satisfying Halo storylines and step forward for the franchise.

This game wont get much good reviews because there is not a new multiplayer. The story is probably better then past Halo games. Infact in my opinion it ranks in my top 5. The story is hard, and you actually feel like a hero. Also a big plus, they brought back use of scorpions, banshees, and warthogs. Something Halo 3 did not feature. The achievements that come to the game are interesting and will keep you playing. It's recommended that you have xbox live, the 3 hardest achievements can only be achieved on live. But they are fun and you and your friends will spend days trying to get. Something i think Bungie tried to attempt to compete with Gears of War and Call of Duty is the Firefight Mode. You go through waves of enemies and each time it gets harder. This is fun if your playing on heroic mode, mainly because the enemies arnt impossible and not so easy you wanna quit playing. One major loss people will rant about is the lack of online multiplayer. Yes it comes with a Halo 3 multiplayer disc but Bungie could of just made users buy the new maps with microsoft points. Is this game worth $60 if your looking for a good story mode? Yes, it's a long game (if your actually playing harder modes). Is it worth $60 if you want to just play the extra maps, honestly no. Either wait till Halo Reach or play MW2. Overall Id give it 7/10.

My son loves this game. I bought it for his birthday, not knowing if he would like it for sure. He's played other Halo games, and luckily, this one turned out to be a success also. Great graphics

It's a very different style of gameplay when compared to the other Halo games. I've only played it a few times but so far it's been very interesting. My only complaint at this time is how dark the environment is.

Not my son's (7yr) first choice of games to play, but it keeps the kids entertained for a little bit on a rainy day. My nephew (12yr) could play all day if I let him (but I don't).