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Classroom Facts
Classroom facts are not emphasized in ODST, though they are definitely present in a handful of ways. Some basic math is put into play when it comes to collecting and preserving ammunition and grenades, which can be a significant part of the game. Multiplayer games are also point-based, and players are shown charts detailing their performance after a round.
The game’s campaign mode offers detailed maps that allow players to check the whereabouts of themselves and enemies. Players can also use the map to locate objectives and can set waypoints anywhere on the map that will then show up in the on-screen compass display.
Creativity & Imagination
By the Player:
Players have plenty of creative freedom throughout ODST. While players may not have as much control over the plot of the game or over their character’s progression as an RPG would provide, each individual battle offers the player plenty of room to learn and experiment. The game features a set of carefully balanced weapons, each with strengths and weaknesses that players learn as they play the game, and players are constantly choosing new weapons from those around them.
The campaign’s level design consistently encourages players to work with the obstacles around them, taking cover and getting a jump on enemies in any number of ways. The campaign’s central hub is also fairly open, allowing players to explore, and a set of 30 audio logs hidden throughout the city rewards players for doing so.
In multiplayer games players are given even more freedom, particularly as they can play any type of game that they want, even creating their own rule sets. Forge mode also returns from the original Halo 3, and it gives players the option to tweak any of the game’s many multiplayer maps, rearranging items and adding obstacles to create entirely new levels.
ODST includes quite a bit of content, and there is plenty of room for creativity no matter which part you look at.
By the Developer:
ODST is interesting in regard to developer creativity in that it borrows so much from the original Halo 3, right down to lifting the entire multiplayer component of that title. What ODST does offer is an all-new campaign mode that deviates considerably from the Halo standard.
ODST’s campaign takes place mostly in the dark, quiet streets of the decimated city of New Mombasa, with players acting as a simple lone soldier searching the streets for signs of his squadmates. Every time players find some artifact that has been left behind they take control of another character in a flashback segment; these segments embrace the over-the-top action sequences present in other Halo games, only now they are more condensed. Each has its own focus, and when one is complete players return to the quiet streets of the city to search for the next. The campaign is fleshed out with a strong and varied soundtrack and some really memorable characters, making it one of the more enjoyable single-player Halo experiences.
Also new is Firefight mode, a co-op based multiplayer mode that condenses Halo right down to its essence; four players face off against wave after wave of enemies until they can’t take it anymore. Players are free to enjoy the series’ mechanics without having to worry about progressing through a story or competing against highly skilled opponents.
Between these new modes and the inclusion of the entirety of Halo 3’s multiplayer – plus some new maps – make ODST a pretty appealing package, for newcomers to the series and veterans alike.
Business Skills
Business skills are not really a significant facet of the game, though conserving ammo can sometimes fall into this category, especially when during the extended sections of the campaign players are trying to hold on to a particularly useful weapon for challenging segments.
People Skills
People skills are a fairly important element in many of ODST’s modes. While there are every-man-for-himself game types available, most multiplayer games revolve around teamwork between players. Team doubles, for example, more or less demands that partners communicate well with each other in order to succeed. The game’s campaign can also be played cooperatively, and especially on higher difficulties it is important that players work together.
Even more than these, Firefight mode demands cooperation. This mode pits a team of players against a never-ending stream of foes, and players that strategize carefully are guaranteed to see more success than players that don’t.
Problem Solving
The absolute focus of ODST is combat. Players battle enemies in the streets of New Mombasa, in the fantastic action set-pieces they’re taken to intermittently, against wave after wave of foes in Firefight, and against one another playing online.
Mastery of ODST comes with learning the rules of its weapons and of its environments. Learning these things allows players to anticipate how their opponents will behave, which is key to winning on higher difficulties or against other skilled players.
Campaign features a wide range of locations, and players need to be able to scan them quickly and figure out where their biggest threats are located. A helpful filter can be turned on that highlights enemies in a red outline, allowing players to more easily spot powerful far-away Brutes or lone Jackals looking to snipe from a rooftop. Knowing what enemies are present also allows players to choose the correct weapons at any given time.
One of the game’s central mechanics is its regenerating shield system. Players have a shield that is depleted by enemy fire, and when it has run out players sustain damage to their life meters. Life meters don’t regenerate, but shield do. Many enemies utilize this same system, something players will quickly learn to keep in mind. Most weapons are either bullet-based or plasma-based; plasma weapons deplete shields very quickly, while bullets are much easier to deal direct damage with. This simple balance gives combat in ODST a certain rhythm that players will quickly learn to take advantage of.
Halo games are also known for their vehicular combat, and ODST is no exception, bringing back nearly every vehicle from Halo 3 for various levels. Learning both to use these vehicles to their highest potential and learning to use the heavy weaponry available to combat them are necessary to success both throughout ODST’s campaign and in many multiplayer games.
Simulation
ODST is not a simulation game.
Popularity
ODST has been received quite well since its release. Many reviewers have praised the campaign’s pace and atmosphere, and the game’s new Firefight mode has received plenty of its own acclaim. Many reviewers have criticized the length of the campaign mode, though, and it is the opinion of some that it fails to bring in any new ideas to the franchise, instead offering a retread of familiar mechanics and scenarios.
Controls & Options
ODST includes standard audio and visual options and wealth of control options, allowing players to customize the game pretty much to their personal preferences. Both the campaign and Firefight mode can be played in any of four difficulties, and players also have the option of activating “skulls” which have various effects on the game; one makes enemies throw more grenades, for example, while another will have players finding less ammunition. These skulls add challenge, and also affect the player’s score during these game types.
In Halo 3’s multiplayer players have a staggering number of options, being able to customize any huge number of game types over Halo 3’s by now fairly huge number of maps, helping to ensure that the game won’t get old for some time.
Tips
Halo 3: ODST received an M from the ESRB with descriptors for Blood, Language and Violence. |