I have always viewed ODST as the unwanted child of the Halo series. This game had the unfortunate timing of being the first game after the initial trilogy had ended, and fans were wanting Halo: Reach, and this game may have been justifiably viewed as filler between Halo 3 and Halo: Reach. The game has a fairly short campaign with effectively one very large main level and several medium sized side levels. The firefight mode was a nice addition that would be continued in later Halo games. Including a multiplayer disc that unlocked all Halo 3 maps I thought was very questionable, as I would rather they have unlocked content for everybody rather than try to make Halo 3 multiplayer maps a selling point for ODST.
So despite all of these problems, why do I like it the most? Especially more than Halo CE or Halo 2? I like the game most for reasons why others hate it the most: because it is so different from other Halo games. I like playing as a character that is obviously more human than Master Chief. I can't lob grenades multiple football field lengths. Stealth weapons are introduced so that you can attempt to bypass large groups of enemies rather than taking them head on, especially on Legendary. The large map of the city is a great step for freeroaming, although unfortunately backtracking and certain gates blocking you in an attempt to linearize your actions can diminish this effect. I thought that the squad mission levels not on the main city map were done very well.
The best part for me is the simple story. Your character is simply trying to survive an occupied city and figure out what happened to his squad. This story is infinitely more engaging and relateable than any other Halo game. The stakes are fairly low by Halo standards, which I think was refreshing in comparison to always having to save the galaxy. The characters are serviceable, and I will always endorse a project that reunites members from Firefly. The part with the engineers I didn't particularly care for, as it very obviously does not fit into Halo lore (and was subsequently dropped from Halo games after) but it didn't ruin the game for me.
The last part of the game, what I loved the most about it, the soundtrack. This soundtrack IS my favorite soundtrack from any video game, let alone the Halo series. The use of jazz, of piano, combined with traditional sweeping Halo suites, it is truly a masterpiece of music, and is my go to example in pointing out musical scores done right in videogaming. I call the soundtrack flawless.
As I have indicated, there are issues with the game. I wish ODST had a better incorporation of stealth, as it seems that after getting the first grunt for free, the rest of the enemies know not only is there a problem, but almost exactly where you are, ruining silenced weapons. After the first kill, there is no point. The VISOR system is good as long as it is dark. Turn it on in mild lighting and prepare to be blinded. Also, the whole stamina and health system is rendered moot by the sheer number of health packs. There are hundreds of these things scattered throughout the city, making taking damage and avoiding combat not that high of a priority. Again, I can understand why this is most peoples least favorite Halo game. It has problems, but it also didn't follow the exact same formula in terms of story or combat. I liked that it took risks, and for better or worse tried to stand out from the other titles. If nothing else, it gave me my favorite soundtrack from a video game or movie.
So despite all of these problems, why do I like it the most? Especially more than Halo CE or Halo 2? I like the game most for reasons why others hate it the most: because it is so different from other Halo games. I like playing as a character that is obviously more human than Master Chief. I can't lob grenades multiple football field lengths. Stealth weapons are introduced so that you can attempt to bypass large groups of enemies rather than taking them head on, especially on Legendary. The large map of the city is a great step for freeroaming, although unfortunately backtracking and certain gates blocking you in an attempt to linearize your actions can diminish this effect. I thought that the squad mission levels not on the main city map were done very well.
The best part for me is the simple story. Your character is simply trying to survive an occupied city and figure out what happened to his squad. This story is infinitely more engaging and relateable than any other Halo game. The stakes are fairly low by Halo standards, which I think was refreshing in comparison to always having to save the galaxy. The characters are serviceable, and I will always endorse a project that reunites members from Firefly. The part with the engineers I didn't particularly care for, as it very obviously does not fit into Halo lore (and was subsequently dropped from Halo games after) but it didn't ruin the game for me.
The last part of the game, what I loved the most about it, the soundtrack. This soundtrack IS my favorite soundtrack from any video game, let alone the Halo series. The use of jazz, of piano, combined with traditional sweeping Halo suites, it is truly a masterpiece of music, and is my go to example in pointing out musical scores done right in videogaming. I call the soundtrack flawless.
As I have indicated, there are issues with the game. I wish ODST had a better incorporation of stealth, as it seems that after getting the first grunt for free, the rest of the enemies know not only is there a problem, but almost exactly where you are, ruining silenced weapons. After the first kill, there is no point. The VISOR system is good as long as it is dark. Turn it on in mild lighting and prepare to be blinded. Also, the whole stamina and health system is rendered moot by the sheer number of health packs. There are hundreds of these things scattered throughout the city, making taking damage and avoiding combat not that high of a priority. Again, I can understand why this is most peoples least favorite Halo game. It has problems, but it also didn't follow the exact same formula in terms of story or combat. I liked that it took risks, and for better or worse tried to stand out from the other titles. If nothing else, it gave me my favorite soundtrack from a video game or movie.