E3 2009: Halo 3: ODST
June 2, 2009
We had our first opportunity to check out the latest from Bungie in the Halo 3 universe. Halo 3: ODST, which many still refer to as “Halo STD,” has you controlling an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper set in the Halo 3 universe a few weeks prior to Halo 3. Players won’t control Master Chief in this prequel but do get to control the ODST “Rookie.” Rookie is dropped from the heavens in a small ship and crashes hard on the ground. This is where you wake up and the First Person Shooter goodness begins.
ODST’s have a variety of weapons and skills that even Master Chief doesn’t have. In the demo we had a chance to see a few of these first hand. First we got to see stealth kills via a night vision function on your visor and a silenced weapon. Speaking of weapons, Bungie was proud to show off a brand new pistol to appease fans who missed it in Halo 3. The demo next skipped to another sequence–at a different point in the game–where players joined their squad to take out Banshees and trigger a detonator to blow up the bridge and end the demo.
Rookie’s visor also has a few other tricks up its sleeves. You will be prompted of key items and story moments by an indicator. This helps further the story along and keep you on the right path.
Bungie is also incorporating some story elements into the gameplay. At various points during the campaign, players will experience a flashback that will give some insight to the situation you are currently in and help fill in the story.
Visually, Halo 3: ODST is running a much improved Halo 3 engine. The graphics are fantastic and ran at a silky smooth 60 FPS the entire demo. This game looks like it could ship this month. Sadly though, we will have to wait as Bungie announced that Halo 3: ODST will ship on 9.22.09 and feature an exclusive Beta invite for the upcoming Halo: Reach. In addition to this, players will be able to play a cooperative mode known as Firefight. From what little we have seen, Halo 3: ODST will not disappoint fans and should be the next hit out of the Bungie studios.
Keep reading CVGames for the latest on the Halo Universe.
Halo 3 ODST
Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft
1+ Player Game
Genre: First Person Shooter
Release Date: 9.22.09
Platform: Xbox 360
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