Halo 3 ODST Remaster Xbox One Review
Posted on: 2015-06-14
Our rating:
Halo 3 ODST Remaster is a good game but falls short (no pun intended) with its length with the campaign and they also left out the Firefight mode that was packaged with the original game.
This seems to be the current fad at the moment for the 8th generation of consoles that they seem to be “Remastering” every game they can think of from the 7th generation and some are good and some are bad, but this one is ok and if you played Halo The Master Chief Collection from release to 19th of December 2014 then you can download this game for free. Halo 3 ODST was released in 2009 originally and was intended to be an expansion to Halo 3, but Bungie who were making the series at that moment thought they would release it as a full game which didn’t bode well with consumers as you can finish the campaign in 3 hours if you know what you’re doing.
The story takes place before the events of Halo 3 and you are part of the ODST which stands for Orbital Drop Shock Troopers which are an elite unit that specialise in covert operations. You mainly control of the Rookie in the hub area where you have to find out what happened to your squad after a crash then you play through flash back sequences as the different characters. This is what I love about this game is the atmosphere, it’s dark and foreboding when you play as the Rookie as you wander the dark and stormy streets as you have the subtle musical score playing in the background that consists of a piano score as you traverse, but picks up when you get into combat.
The gameplay is well it’s like Halo although this does run on the Halo 3 engine everything feels faster and more responsive and this is nothing to do with the 60 frames per second which does help, but it felt faster when it was originally released in 2009, things such as your run speed and vehicles feel faster. As you are not a Spartan you can take damage very easily so in this Halo game instead of having regenerating health and shield, you have a health bar and stamina which makes the game feel more challenging because you can’t just hide behind cover and suck your thumb you have to find health packs to survive. You have weapons that we haven’t seen in a Halo game since like the silenced magnum pistol which has a small scope on it and the silenced SMG with an adjustable scope as well which fits the covert operation you’ll be partaking in.
The big major negative with this game is that it is way too short, if you know what you’re doing like me you can finish this game in 3 hours, but it’s not an issue now as it only costs £3.99 because when it first came out in 2009 it cost £40 which was outrageous. Another negative is that the game is way too dark and I know they give you a night vision mode on your helmet, but that does really help that much it just shows you the outlines of objects more than anything and doesn’t illuminate the environment that much.
Halo 3 ODST Remaster is a good game but falls short (no pun intended) with its length with the campaign and they also left out the Firefight mode that was packaged with the original game, but at £3.99 it’s a steal or if you’ve played Halo The Master Chief Collection between its release up to 19th of December 2014 then it’s yours for free. So give it a play if you’re curious.
3.5/5
Reviewed by The Bristolian Gamer for 365Bristol
Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
