Halo ODST That Good?

Games Other Halo
1

IDK fam, I just went on a major rant about this, but tell me your thoughts. I think I just straight up don’t like ODST solely because of the “Mombasa Streets” levels. That one part where you need to look for the sniper rifle hanging on those wires… no joke took me weeks and I never found it. Only MUCH later on the OG Internet, I decided to use my brain and look up where I was supposed to go. Seriously left me some serious PTSD to the point where, compared to the other Halos, I definitely dont spend any time on it. I really enjoyed some of the major levels of defending New Mombasa, ONI centre, etc. But man. Mombasa Streets really killed the vibe for me. Vibe Check?

What do you like/dislike about ODST? Are there any specific parts that were utilized that you want to see return in future titles?

2

I absolutely love the Mombasa Streets level. The music and the entire atmosphere make you truly feel that you are alone in the big city. You were free to explore like you had never done before in a Halo game.

The only thing I don’t like, and this is more than likely an issue with me, is I mis-throw my grenades the majority of the time. Whenever I think I have the perfect aim, the grenade will go sailing over the enemies head.

3

I think ODST is over-hyped by the Halo community. It’s a good game and I’m glad we have it, but it’s not a top-5 Halo game.

Sure, it’s got a unique soundtrack. And it really does capture the feeling of loneliness and fending for yourself, which is something that you don’t really get in Halo. I like how it flirts with open-world gameplay as well, being able to explore the night streets by yourself. And the ODST version of Firefight? Best damn version of Firefight we’ve gotten, each attempt we get after it just isn’t as good as the original.

What don’t I like?

There’s no point to the silenced SMG. For the most part, enemies travel in groups, so you can’t pick anything off because it has no range, even with an utterly useless 2X scope.

The characters are boring. Other than Buck and Dare, after playing through the game I couldn’t tell you the difference between Mickey, Romeo, and Dutch, much less their names. Buck and Dare are also just not interesting. It’s just Nathan Fillion being in a “forbidden relationship” with his superior who is a government agent. Like that trope hasn’t been overplayed in science, military - hell, even romance fiction. The Rookie is also just a blank piece of paper and uninteresting, and deserves his fate in the books.

The audio logs absolutely blow to get. They tell an interesting side story, and even open up some extra purpose in the story, which is really cool. But there’s like what, 29 of them? Miss one, and you don’t get to unlock the 30th, and the extra piece of story.

Having the “physical limitations of an ODST” is hardly convincing. Your “shield” goes red screen as you take damage like in any CoD game, and comes back quickly if you’re smart with cover, just like it would playing as a Spartan. And health packs are a dime a dozen, so you don’t really ever need to manage your health, as long as you’re smart about taking fire. It really isn’t a huge change from any other Halo where you’re a Spartan. Really, the only differences are that you can’t dual wield (whatever), and that your grenade toss range and jump height is different. Big whoop.

4

In my opinion, Halo 3: ODST is one of the most boring Halo games as they didn’t really managed to capture the feeling of being a city with unique neighborhoods and areas where peoples interact with each other or get essential supplies like food and clothing. Another huge flaw is that the city environments are to a large extent reused throughout the mission but with the difference of either being rotated or mirrored and having slightly different lighting.

To summarize it all, the main reason why I don’t enjoy Halo 3: ODST is due to the reason that they didn’t capture the feeling that you are in a real city.

5

> 2533274850493408;3:
> I think ODST is over-hyped by the Halo community. It’s a good game and I’m glad we have it, but it’s not a top-5 Halo game.
>
> Sure, it’s got a unique soundtrack. And it really does capture the feeling of loneliness and fending for yourself, which is something that you don’t really get in Halo. I like how it flirts with open-world gameplay as well, being able to explore the night streets by yourself. And the ODST version of Firefight? Best damn version of Firefight we’ve gotten, each attempt we get after it just makes it worse.
>
> The characters are boring. Other than Buck and Dare, after playing through the game I couldn’t tell you the difference between Mickey, Romeo, and Dutch, much less their names. Buck and Dare are also just not interesting. It’s just Nathan Fillion being in a “forbidden relationship” with his superior who is a government agent. Like that trope hasn’t been overplayed in pop culture. The Rookie is also just a blank piece of paper and uninteresting, and deserves his fate in the books.

I remember watching the ODST firefight trailer with SGT Johnson. Jaw dropped ngl. I openly agree with you there. ODST Firefight 12/10.

From a character standpoint, I felt like, for me, the levels where the characters were introduced made me connect with them better. The later missions where we played alongside them all together, kinda gave a fire team Osiris feel where they were kinda pointless. LET ME CLARIFY, they were with you on a mission and to later flee the city, so they weren’t utterly pointless like Osiris, just towards the ends of the campaign they were kinda just along for the ride similarly to H5 (but that was the point, to be “along for the ride” as you flee the city for your life). They get a pass where Osiris was Insert Vomit Emoji. So for specifically Dutch, I know him because he got one of the more iconic missions when you got that "Halo 3 “the Ark” feeling. With all the vehicles, chaos, environment changes and the space elevator collapsing, that missions specifically labeled him as BA. From that level, I got to really connect and enjoy playing as Dutch and because of this I was able to recognize him a bit more compared to Mickey and Romeo.

Well said.

6

I thoroughly enjoyed ODST and feel it’s a much better game than some of the recent stuff we have received. Everything that made all of Bungie’s games special such as gameplay, atmosphere, music, story, narrative, etc. is prevalent. Because of the success and high quality of everything that came from them at the time, I felt $40 was acceptable. But, looking back, I don’t think it was priced as it should have been. That is my only complaint.

7

> 2535469120778295;4:
> In my opinion, Halo 3: ODST is one of the most boring Halo games as they didn’t really managed to capture the feeling of being a city with unique neighborhoods and areas where peoples interact with each other or get essential supplies like food and clothing. Another huge flaw is that the city environments are to a large extent reused throughout the mission but with the difference of either being rotated or mirrored and having slightly different lighting.
>
> To summarize it all, the main reason why I don’t enjoy Halo 3: ODST is due to the reason that they didn’t capture the feeling that you are in a real city.

So, I respect your opinion, but I have to differ. Though I personally am not a big fan of the game like yourself. I think they did actually a really good job capturing that feeling. I mean,every level had different “city” environments whether that be at a park, in a skyscraper, in the sewers, in the subway system. The point isn’t to interect with pedestrians like its your good ole everyday bustling city, no the damn covenant are here. With destruction around every corner, I would honestly expect the city to be rid of people as the covenant have already been attacking the city for many days/weeks. It is supposed to be a wasteland, captures that feeling of hopelessness x N7 117 x mentioned above. I mean, it doesn’t feel like a forerunner planet or the countryside. They really do nail the city atmosphere in my opinion, or I may just be misunderstanding what you are saying…

8

I usually state it’s my favorite halo game (the truth is a bit more complicated), but it has a great campaign, interesting characters (aside from the rookie), brilliant music, and is simply one of the best atmospheres in halo. Going through the mombasa street sections trying to decide if you should sneak around brute/sleeping hunters or fight them and spend a bit of your carbine ammo, following the superintendents hints towards the audio logs, and the audio logs themselves is simply a fantastic experience for me.

9

> 2533274824050480;6:
> I thoroughly enjoyed ODST and feel it’s a much better game than some of the recent stuff we have received. Everything that made all of Bungie’s games special such as gameplay, atmosphere, music, story, narrative, etc. is prevalent. Because of the success and high quality of everything that came from them at the time, I felt $40 was acceptable. But, looking back, I don’t think it was priced as it should have been. That is my only complaint.

Gotta give you an Amen for ODST’s Bungie feel in terms of gameplay, atmosphere, music, story, narrative, etc. When I played ODST, it never didn’t feel like a non-Bungie Halo game. I get you on the price point though. I think that was a major issue that was disputed among fans when it came out, as Microsoft argued that their was enough “new” content in the game to make it worth $60. I’ve always looked at it has a H3 expansion, but dont quote me on that.

10

> 2747061736998531;9:
> > 2533274824050480;6:
> > I thoroughly enjoyed ODST and feel it’s a much better game than some of the recent stuff we have received. Everything that made all of Bungie’s games special such as gameplay, atmosphere, music, story, narrative, etc. is prevalent. Because of the success and high quality of everything that came from them at the time, I felt $40 was acceptable. But, looking back, I don’t think it was priced as it should have been. That is my only complaint.
>
> Gotta give you an Amen for ODST’s Bungie feel in terms of gameplay, atmosphere, music, story, narrative, etc. When I played ODST, it never didn’t feel like a non-Bungie Halo game. I get you on the price point though. I think that was a major issue that was disputed among fans when it came out, as Microsoft argued that their was enough “new” content in the game to make it worth $60. I’ve always looked at it has a H3 expansion, but dont quote me on that.

Oh, that’s right, it was priced at $60 and not $40! Certain numbers fade over time haha. So, to amend and clarify, $60 was too much in hindsight. $30 would have been acceptable or even $40 at most. I agree, ODST is like an expansion. I always felt it slotted somewhere between an expansion and a full game.

11

> 2747061736998531;7:
> > 2535469120778295;4:
> > In my opinion, Halo 3: ODST is one of the most boring Halo games as they didn’t really managed to capture the feeling of being a city with unique neighborhoods and areas where peoples interact with each other or get essential supplies like food and clothing. Another huge flaw is that the city environments are to a large extent reused throughout the mission but with the difference of either being rotated or mirrored and having slightly different lighting.
> >
> > To summarize it all, the main reason why I don’t enjoy Halo 3: ODST is due to the reason that they didn’t capture the feeling that you are in a real city.
>
> So, I respect your opinion, but I have to differ. Though I personally am not a big fan of the game like yourself. I think they did actually a really good job capturing that feeling. I mean,every level had different “city” environments whether that be at a park, in a skyscraper, in the sewers, in the subway system. The point isn’t to interect with pedestrians like its your good ole everyday bustling city, no the damn covenant are here. With destruction around every corner, I would honestly expect the city to be rid of people as the covenant have already been attacking the city for many days/weeks. It is supposed to be a wasteland, captures that feeling of hopelessness x N7 117 x mentioned above. I mean, it doesn’t feel like a forerunner planet or the countryside. They really do nail the city atmosphere in my opinion, or I may just be misunderstanding what you are saying…

Evacuating a city efficiently is a difficult process and I don’t see enough evidence to support that it had been a living city at one point.

12

This might be the first time I’ve heard someone explicitly say they didn’t like Mombasa Streets. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m sure there are plenty out there who don’t like it, but the change up to an open exploration level got a pretty good reception among a large portion of fans. I respect the opinion, but disagree.

I will empathize though that the transitions between the fast-paced intensity of the main levels, and the slow methodical pace of Mombasa Streets can be jarring.

13

I liked ODST. The major malfunction for me was the 30th audio log. If you saved the game and returned to it the next day to get the remaining logs, the 30th log was bugged. It should have been fixed a long time ago but It’s still broken!

14

Honestly ODST is right up there with Halo 2 for me as one of the best. It really brings home that humanity wasn’t winning the war. (That opening title crawl still really stands out) It’s told in the story throughout the Halo Trilogy how humanity kept being pushed back and losing to the Covenant, but when you’re playing as Master Chief, it doesn’t really come through to the player because, you’re blowing stuff up left and right, killing covenant leaders, and just being a badass Spartan like they were designed to be, etc. In ODST, not only are you playing on earth, They’ve already taken control of the city, you’re on your own, and you can’t do what Master Chief does. The music and theme of theme of the game is just spot on and is a great tonal shift from the previous titles. There’s really alot that can be said about ODST. If there is one thing I didn’t like, is that the hud system can make it hard to see obstacles in the city sometimes. But’s that’s really my only gameplay complaint.

15

yea halo odst !

16

I think it’s a great game for its atmospheric segments and different perspectives, but it’s overhyped. It’s good, bit not perfect, took long to find some clues too, and it was too short level wise.

17

I use to hate the Mombasa streets but then I played it on legendary it felt like a whole new experience, plus becoming aware of how virgil directs you to everything with the alarms and lights made it easier, it took me too long to figure out that the signs turning on and pointing somewhere actually meant something. And the hidden audio logs are a fun bit that make the streets more enjoyable.

> 2535469120778295;11:
> > 2747061736998531;7:
> > > 2535469120778295;4:
> > > In my opinion, Halo 3: ODST is one of the most boring Halo games as they didn’t really managed to capture the feeling of being a city with unique neighborhoods and areas where peoples interact with each other or get essential supplies like food and clothing. Another huge flaw is that the city environments are to a large extent reused throughout the mission but with the difference of either being rotated or mirrored and having slightly different lighting.
> > >
> > > To summarize it all, the main reason why I don’t enjoy Halo 3: ODST is due to the reason that they didn’t capture the feeling that you are in a real city.
> >
> > So, I respect your opinion, but I have to differ. Though I personally am not a big fan of the game like yourself. I think they did actually a really good job capturing that feeling. I mean,every level had different “city” environments whether that be at a park, in a skyscraper, in the sewers, in the subway system. The point isn’t to interect with pedestrians like its your good ole everyday bustling city, no the damn covenant are here. With destruction around every corner, I would honestly expect the city to be rid of people as the covenant have already been attacking the city for many days/weeks. It is supposed to be a wasteland, captures that feeling of hopelessness x N7 117 x mentioned above. I mean, it doesn’t feel like a forerunner planet or the countryside. They really do nail the city atmosphere in my opinion, or I may just be misunderstanding what you are saying…
>
> Evacuating a city efficiently is a difficult process and I don’t see enough evidence to support that it had been a living city at one point.

It wasn’t evacuated efficiently, audio logs show riots and mayhem, man turning on man when faced with a common threat. While a lot of people were evacuated at the end of it, a huge chunk of the population had died by the covenant and by themselves, so really what they should’ve done is had more civilian corpses scattered throughout the city, especially in areas where there’d be crowds like the train stations.
Also, it wasnt meant to look like it was a living city, the point is that the city is dead, no one’s left. And there wouldn’t have been time to set up places to get supplies for refugees, the invasion of new Mombasa lasted barely 2 days, that second day being the morning at the end of the game.

18

> 2533274889282194;17:
> I use to hate the Mombasa streets but then I played it on legendary it felt like a whole new experience, plus becoming aware of how virgil directs you to everything with the alarms and lights made it easier, it took me too long to figure out that the signs turning on and pointing somewhere actually meant something. And the hidden audio logs are a fun bit that make the streets more enjoyable.
>
>
> > 2535469120778295;11:
> > > 2747061736998531;7:
> > > > 2535469120778295;4:
> > > > In my opinion, Halo 3: ODST is one of the most boring Halo games as they didn’t really managed to capture the feeling of being a city with unique neighborhoods and areas where peoples interact with each other or get essential supplies like food and clothing. Another huge flaw is that the city environments are to a large extent reused throughout the mission but with the difference of either being rotated or mirrored and having slightly different lighting.
> > > >
> > > > To summarize it all, the main reason why I don’t enjoy Halo 3: ODST is due to the reason that they didn’t capture the feeling that you are in a real city.
> > >
> > > So, I respect your opinion, but I have to differ. Though I personally am not a big fan of the game like yourself. I think they did actually a really good job capturing that feeling. I mean,every level had different “city” environments whether that be at a park, in a skyscraper, in the sewers, in the subway system. The point isn’t to interect with pedestrians like its your good ole everyday bustling city, no the damn covenant are here. With destruction around every corner, I would honestly expect the city to be rid of people as the covenant have already been attacking the city for many days/weeks. It is supposed to be a wasteland, captures that feeling of hopelessness x N7 117 x mentioned above. I mean, it doesn’t feel like a forerunner planet or the countryside. They really do nail the city atmosphere in my opinion, or I may just be misunderstanding what you are saying…
> >
> > Evacuating a city efficiently is a difficult process and I don’t see enough evidence to support that it had been a living city at one point.
>
> It wasn’t evacuated efficiently, audio logs show riots and mayhem, man turning on man when faced with a common threat. While a lot of people were evacuated at the end of it, a huge chunk of the population had died by the covenant and by themselves, so really what they should’ve done is had more civilian corpses scattered throughout the city, especially in areas where there’d be crowds like the train stations.
> Also, it wasnt meant to look like it was a living city, the point is that the city is dead, no one’s left. And there wouldn’t have been time to set up places to get supplies for refugees, the invasion of new Mombasa lasted barely 2 days, that second day being the morning at the end of the game.

Despite that the city is abandoned, there is no evidence that indicates that it used to be a living city. The city lacks some essentials like grocery stores, parks, workplaces, residential areas and a transport infrastructure which is essential for a city which used to be functional.

19

I liked it, but I never felt compelled to return to the game, I feel like they could of done more to make you feel like an ODST and not just a diet Spartan.

20

Halo ODST was great but I think more so because of the eye opening story behind ODST. Beforehand they were just cannon fodder in halo games. Now there’s a story to explain the hardships they go through.