Review: Halo: ODST

Have you ever woken up at four am to drive to Toys R Us and wait in line for two hours to purchase a video game? Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Not if the day was Black Friday, and especially if the person in question has more time on their hands then they have money in their bank account.

The video game in question was Halo ODST, on sale for a measly $35 -- when every other store is selling the game for $60. Was it worth the wait? The answer is a resounding yes.

From the moment I began playing the new campaign, the first thing that struck me was the music. The music is depressing, yet comforting at the same time. The music is what made the campaign in Halo ODST an enjoyable experience.

While many believe that first person shooters have no replay value, and should be traded in for store credit towards their next purchase, that simply isn't the case with Halo ODST. While less than 30 hours of story telling pales to many other titles out there, it is the extra features that make Halo ODST worthwhile.

While I finished the campaign on normal within the day, beating the game on Legendary, completing the firefights, and unlocking the rest of the achievements has taken over a month of dedicated play.

Bungie completely dropped the ball when it came to their decision to not include matchmaking for Firefight. Firefight is the team multiplayer mode where players defend against never ending waves of covenant. Playing Firefight by yourself is akin to trying to beat Tetris - you will spend hours playing without any real results, and end up throwing the controller in frustration.

It wasn't only until posting on the Xbox forums that I was able to get a full four player firefight going. And difference indeed. Even with four players, obtaining the 200,000 points for each achievement was somewhat of a challenge. It took over two hours of killing hundreds of Grunts, Bugs, Brutes, Hunters, and Chieftains before a whopping 10 gamer points were awarded. Unlocking the Vidmaster challenge Endure was another story altogether.

Halo ODST also came packed with all the downloadable content for Halo 3. This is where it truly shined. For those who have not bought any of the map packs to Halo 3, the included Halo 3 multiplayer disc is what makes Halo ODST a bargain - even at full retail price. The additional enclosed code to play in the upcoming Halo Reach Beta is gravy.

Between the main campaign, the new Firefight mode, the Halo 3 multiplayer, and Halo Reach Beta, Halo ODST provides hundreds of hours of game play. Halo ODST is a must have for any first person shooter fan, and also a great bang for your buck.

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