Halo 2 added these bugs as a way of switching up our tactics when facing the covenant. These bugs and the brutes added the missing depth of the covenant, and have been welcome in every halo so far.
The Drones were great in Halo 3, seen enough to get a decent taste of them, without making them irritating, but in Reach they may as well of been absent for the amount of times they showed up (i count 4 times?) as well as being absent from firefight.
ODST for me nailed the look of the Drones, switching up this enemy to give it some variety: different paint jobs and ranks, and even different weapons and some sheilded.
One thing that did spark my interest was in the mission “Data Hive” where Dare explains that the drones had made a hive there. And just like ants, with a hive you have a queen. This queen was never seen, but was meant to be there, so this brings me onto the future of the Drones in the reclaimer trilogy.
The Drones should have a larger role than they did in Reach, ODST did it perfectly in my opinion. The different types should be added in again, with more noticeable differences between ranks other than colour eg. larger wingspan, antennae, bigger body ect… and to incorporate the Drone “Monarchy”, while during one mission in the future the cheif has to destroy the hive of a swarm of drones, eventually fighting the large queen, a boss drone if you like. Only one in the game however.
Other drones could be incorporated from the books and stories written, such as the ones with clipped wings from the Black Spartan team story (the name of which currently escapes me) and these could be used for alternate reasons eg. ranged drone? one that uses a carbine as it isn’t flying around?
What the drones must not become however, is an irritating nuisance. they must change up the tactics. Have them grabbing hold of warthogs and mongooses again. have enough of them to get airborne before dropping you to the ground? All these are just random ideas coming into my head, but one thing is for certain:
We cannot let the drones die out of the series, they have too much a vital role within the universe now. we just have to execute their use properly.
Who wants to see some improvements to this great species?