Fans need not worry about Halo franchise

The franchise has seen changes since Microsoft and Bungie split.

By Eric Rees

Published Sept. 29, 2009

Halo fans were a little more than concerned when they got wind of the news Bungie and Microsoft were parting ways. And they were consequently a little more than hysterical when they heard that Microsoft would be keeping the rights to Bungie's epic story.

"Halo 3: Orbital Drop Shock Trooper" is the first incarnation of the franchise since the messy divorce, and fans should be coming back for more because even without Master Chief, "ODST" still changes the game yet again.

The new hero in the series is a strong silent type named the Rookie, who drops into the city of New Mombasa soon before the events of "Halo 2," for all those who keep up on the Halo lore. Rookie, as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper drops into the city to free it from Covenant control when disaster strikes, spreading his squad over the destroyed city and knocking him senseless for a fair amount of time. This is the basis for the story in ODST, a surprisingly engaging tale.

The player controls Rookie as he wanders through the dark, destroyed city trying to reconnect with his lost squad and when he comes across a clue leading to their whereabouts, players are taken back to earlier in the day when that squad member was out and about. An interesting way to tell the story, keeping players in their seats and their thumbs on the controller.

Remember in previous Halo games when grunts would stick themselves and run at you in a last ditch attempt to take Master Chief down? Remember how it never worked? You are not Master Chief, you do not have shields, you cannot leap tall buildings in a single bound, you cannot stop a speeding bullet and you most certainly cannot play this game like any other Halo game. Enemies are taller and more intimidating. You will think twice about confronting a Brute head on if you're low on ammo and health.

And the game is hard! Heroic difficulty is challenging and Legendary is almost impossible without help from the co-op aspect. ODST's have low-light vision that will help you navigate through the dark city and sometimes it's better to pass up those three grunts than to take them on.

The new Firefight mode is excellent, pitting you and your friends against as many enemies as you can handle. All you have are guns, a shared amount of lives and little bit of luck against brutes, jackals, grunts and wraiths; all at the same time.

"ODST" also comes with a second disc that has all of the "Halo 3" maps (Legendary and Mythic map packs included) and this disc is used to play with your friends who haven't picked up "ODST" yet. It's a nice addition if you didn't splurge for the map packs earlier.

Whether you buy this just because it's Halo or a new release, "ODST" is a very respectable standalone story compared to the Master Chief saga. The game is a must for any Halo fan and any first-person shooter fan.