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Halo 3: ODST’s tale focuses on the legendary ODSTs or “Orbital Drop Shock Troopers” as they drop into the ruined city of New Mombasa, looking for clues behind the Covenant’s catastrophic attack on the city.

The new campaign chapter predates the events that unfold in “Halo 3″ and gives players a new perspective through the eyes of a new hero in the “Halo” universe. New multiplayer maps ensure that the award-winning Xbox LIVE experience of “Halo 3″ continues to thrive.

Genre: First-Person Shooter

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Developer: Bungie Software

Online Play:

Local Play:

September 19, 2009 –
Halo 3: ODST began as an idea for a simple expansion to Halo 3. It would be just a few hours long and help tide the fans over until Halo: Reach is ready in late 2010. That little idea grew to be so much more. The end result is a package that no Halo fan should be without, as it is the definition of fan service. You get a six hour campaign that expands the boundaries of what to expect in a Halo game, an excellent new cooperative mode called Firefight, and an entire second disc filled with adversarial maps. This isn’t a full-blown sequel, which might disappoint some people, but you’d do well to take it for what it is: another great game from Bungie.

In many ways, Halo 3: ODST is a return to the roots of the Halo franchise. Master Chief — with his magical healing Spartan armor, mockery of gravity, and dual wielding ways — is sitting this one out. Instead, you’ll take the role of the Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, or ODST. These highly-trained, but not quite super, soldiers don’t have all of the strengths of the Chief. They can only aim one weapon at a time. They have a health bar that requires health packs to restore once their light overshield is depleted. They can’t jump as high or fall as far or take as many bullets without stumbling into Death’s open arms. They handle quite like Master Chief did in Halo: Combat Evolved, and they have a powerful scoped pistol to complete the throwback feel.

Watch the Halo 3: ODST Video Review here.Though the ODSTs handle like the Halo of yore, the rest of the campaign is as fresh and exciting as you could hope for. With Master Chief on the sidelines, Bungie has scrapped its traditional galactic romp in favor of a focused, character driven tale. The result is one of the most satisfying Halo storylines yet and a great step forward for the franchise.

What to expect from Halo: ReachIt begins high above Earth. A group of the fabled ODSTs are preparing to burn through the atmosphere and enter the battle for New Mombasa in tiny one-man pods. Other soldiers call them Helljumpers, a nickname you’ll quickly learn is well deserved. In the moments before the leap of faith, you’ll meet some new faces. There’s Buck, the squad leader, Dare, a tough-as-nails girl with a mysterious history and a few others each specialized in one approach to combat. You’ll find yourself in the shoes of The Rookie, a quiet, inexperienced fellow. Without so much as a cheesy tutorial section, you’ll strap in and make the drop.

The squad’s timing could not be any worse. Their actions take place during the events of Halo 2, just as Master Chief is wreaking havoc on the Covenant and forcing the Prophet of Regret to make an emergency slipstream escape. This exit takes place just as your squad is plummeting towards the ground. The resulting shockwave scatters the group in mid air and everything goes black.

New to the Halo storyline? Get up to speed here.Six hours pass before The Rookie regains consciousness. By the time, most of the battle for New Mombasa has played out and things did not go well for the humans. A light rain is falling across the dark city, lit only by fires that continue to rage and the odd electronic sign that remains lit. Smoking husks of cars litter the streets. The city is quiet. Everyone is either dead or hiding, but the Covenant continues to search for stragglers. Did I mention you’re one of these stragglers?

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