Updates
11-20 | Sketch wrote a long post about Reach and the thinking behind the VGA's debut, here.
11-20 | New ViDoc, called "Road To Recon", about, well, the road to Recon. Just Youtube for now.
10-22 | A new vidoc is available via the Intel menu in ODST. The Marketplace link is here. Youtube link here.
10-19 | Halo Waypoint detailed, with video and images.
10-12 | Added HBO's cutscene library to the Tips, Tricks and Resources section. Did a further pruning of superflous content, and some reararnging.
10-09 | Added a sales data section, and a few articles about the guys behind Sadie's Story.
10-06 | I've trimmed down some content (release dates, pre-order bonus, etc) and condensed some, to make way for some post-release content. First up, I'm adding a list of tips/tricks section, in the General Information section. So far: easter eggs and using Wraiths in Firefight.
09-22 | Free Premium ODST Theme for Gold Live members. Added a new FAQ from Bungie to the Official Sites section.
09-19 | IGN has a pretty amusing recap of the Halo story to date. Also, added OST preview and review to the OST section.
An overview of key information and features
ODST Sales Data
- Overall | USA Today reports 2.5m units and $125m in sales during the first two weeks.
- NA | ODST sells 2.52 million copies in September
- Europe | #1 debut in the UK and most other countries the first week, clearing 200k in September.
- Japan | 30k units sold in the first week, according to Media Create.
Reviews | Gamerankings (86%) | Metacritic (84)
Official Sites
- Bungie Social Media Sites | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube
- Bungie.net ODST Project Page | A hub collecting official screens, trailers and other content.
- ODST Field Guide | A collection of official information on the new features and characters in ODST.
- Bungie's ODST FAQ | Answers to common questions about ODST
- xbox.com site | A collection of marketing materials and other information on the game
Official Sound Track - Two-Disc Set | Amazon Link | Bungie.net OST Preview | Making the OST, from 1up | Preview the Full OST | OST Review
Media - Images and Videos
Note: Firefight gameplay videos are available in the Firefight section.
- Direct-feed Gameplay | IGN headshot montage | Gametrailers | Gamespot plays the first hour of the game here
- Concept Art and Pics | A gaggle of high-res images and art here | Bungie's Art and Image Gallery
- Trailers | Firefight trailer, "Bip. Bap. Bam." | Campaign Trailer, "Desperate Measures" | E3 Gameplay Trailer (Select from list) | Announcement Trailer (CG)
- Ads | 2 1/2 minute Live Action Ad | 90-second Live Action Ad | Sgt. Johnson/Gamestop Pre-Order Ad | Red vs. Blue Firefight Preview | Second Red vs. Blue ad, "Aliens, Aliens, Aliens" | Red vs. Blue ad #3, "The Man, The Myth, The Legend"
- Vidoc | "Terra Incognita" is a lengthy behind the scenes look at the making of ODST, from Bungie. Marketplace link.
Bungie.net Features | New Features Walkthrough | How to Link Your Profile to Bungie.net
All Halo 3 features are compatible with ODST, including file share and Bungie Pro. The ODST support on b.net makes Halo 3's look downright anemic.
- Friends List Leaderboards
- Career stats
- Detailed stats for each Firefight game, for every kill, medal, betrayal, death, etc.
- Heatmaps
- Road to Recon! Complete the Vidmaster achievements in both Halo 3 and ODST, and track progress to unlock Recon armor in MP on bungie.net
- Drill-down stats for each Game, Wave, Round, and Set of Firefight.
- Charts. Graphs. Oh my.
Achievements
Gameplay
ODST's gameplay is tweaked in several small but significant ways from Halo 3. In general, ODSTs will have to be much more careful in combat relative to Spartans.
- Reduced Capabilities | ODST's cannot use equipment or dual wield, do not have a motion tracker, move slightly slower, have a shorter jump and take fall damage.
- Health System | Similar to Halo 1's health system, ODST's have a small amount of Stamina, which recharges, and a larger amount of health beneath that, which does not. Accessing health packs and OPTICAN stations will recharge health.
- New Capabilities | ODST's are equipped with a night vision "VISR" mode, which in addition to amplifying visibility highlights enemies and allies. They carry three of each grenade type rather than two, and have access to an overhead map of New Mombasa, with the ability to place way points and track objectives, and a data recorder log.
VISR Night Vision
The VISR Map
New Weapons
M7 SUBMACHINE GUN
Now silenced and scoped, this variant has a much longer range than it's Halo 2 and Halo 3 versions.
M6C/SOCOM
A cross between the Halo 1 and Halo 3 pistols. Your go-to headshot machine.
Now silenced and scoped, this variant has a much longer range than it's Halo 2 and Halo 3 versions.
M6C/SOCOM
A cross between the Halo 1 and Halo 3 pistols. Your go-to headshot machine.
The Setup
The year is 2552. Covenant forces control the city of New Mombasa. They are searching for something beneath its darkened streets. You are an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. Your orders: Stay alive, meet up with your scattered squad, and escape the embattled city.
Halo 3: ODST allows players to explore dangerous new ground, search the dark, abandoned streets of New Mombasa for clues, and fight back against the Covenant invasion from multiple perspectives. Dropping in as "the rookie," a new member of an elite squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers sent into New Mombasa on a classified recon mission, you'll be armed with specialized weaponry and upgraded technology, including silenced weapons and a VISR enhanced vision mode.
Separated from your squad, you'll have to scour the city for clues in order to learn what happened to Buck, Dare, Dutch, Mickey, and Romeo. As you collect new clues, youll experience the story from their perspectives, fighting through the occupied city hours earlier.
Halo 3: ODST allows players to explore dangerous new ground, search the dark, abandoned streets of New Mombasa for clues, and fight back against the Covenant invasion from multiple perspectives. Dropping in as "the rookie," a new member of an elite squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers sent into New Mombasa on a classified recon mission, you'll be armed with specialized weaponry and upgraded technology, including silenced weapons and a VISR enhanced vision mode.
Separated from your squad, you'll have to scour the city for clues in order to learn what happened to Buck, Dare, Dutch, Mickey, and Romeo. As you collect new clues, youll experience the story from their perspectives, fighting through the occupied city hours earlier.
The Squad
From left to right: Adam Baldwin as Dutch | The Rookie | Nolan North as Romeo | Alan Tudyk as Mickey | Tricia Helfer as Dare | Nathan Fillion as Buck
Character bios are located here, and in the Field Guide ("Personel" section).
Campaign Structure
- Hub World | New Mombasa at night is an open-ended hub to explore as The Rookie, looking for clues to the fate of your squad mates.
- Flashback Missions | Upon finding a clue item, the game switches to a flashback mission, where the perspective changes to each member of the ODST squad, living through what happened to them. These are more traditional Halo levels in structure. You can find the clues - and play through these missions - in any order.
- Sadie's Story | Fourth Wall Stuidos In-Depth | IGN Preview | Another Studio Bio
Campaign Options
- Choose Difficulty (Easy, Normal, Heroic, Legendary)
- Choose Primary (Gold) and Secondary (Silver) Skulls. These are the same Skulls as in Halo 3, and are available from the outset in ODST. For more information on the Skulls, see the Firefight section.
- Campaign can be played co-op via two-player split screen, and up to four players online or in system link. (The same feature set as in Halo 3. This also means drop-in, drop-out is not an option, nor is matchmaking.)
Firefight Overview | Intro to Firefight
- The Lowdown | Firefight is a four-player cooperative Horde-like survival mode. Players fend off waves of Covenant in closed arenas, carved out from campaign. A few maps are available at the outset, with others unlocked over the course of Campaign.
- Customization | Choose Difficulty (Easy, Normal, Heroic, Legendary), Player Character, tag and emblem, and activate Secondary (Silver) Skulls.
- Game Structure | Firefight plays out in a series of Waves, Rounds and Sets. Five Waves make up a Round, and three Rounds make up a Set.
- Lives | A pool of seven lives is shared between all players. Additional lives are added between Sets, and lives can be awarded during the Bonus Round.
- Bonus Round | Taking place between Sets, the Bonus round is about racking up extra lives. All skulls turn on - so once everyone dies once, the Bonus Round ends - and it literally rains Grunts. Homicidal, suicidal, grenade-hurling Grunts. The higher the score, the more lives awarded.
- Skulls | These modifiers will cycle on and between each round of Firefight. Gradually more and more stay on, with all seven eventually on for good. The skulls are:
| Enemies are much more adept at dodging grenades, vehicles and other projectiles. Enabled out the gates in Firefight.
| Health for all enemies is doubled. Considered the next difficulty after Legendary.
| Shielded enemies are impervious to bullets, and must have their shields stripped with plasma or explosive weaponry.
| Enemies throw more grenades. Lots and lots and lots of grenades.
| Stamina no longer auto-recharges. The only way to get it back is to melee attack an enemy.
| The ammo left behind in dropped weapons is half the normal level.
| Extra lives are useless - die once, and it's off to the spectator camera, either until the end of the game or until the start of the next Round.
Firefight HUD
Firefight Maps | All Firefight maps listed below. There are 10 maps in total, including two nighttime variants.
- Rally Point
- Rally (Night)
- ONI Alpha Site
- Crater
- Crater (Night)
- Security Zone
- Lost Platoon
- Windward
- Last Exit
- Chasm Ten
Disc 2 is titled Halo 3: Mythic, and is the complete collection of Halo 3's MP content. It includes all original shipping maps, all DLC and three additional maps.
Halo 3: Mythic is literally Halo 3 MP. The Matchmaking, Custom Games, Theater and Forge features are identical to Halo 3, and is fully compatible with Halo 3 players. People playing Halo 3 and this disc will not be able to tell one another apart. XBox Live detects this disc as Halo 3.
ODST-Exclusive Maps | May arrive in Marketplace as a map pack eventually, but for now these maps are only available in ODST.
- Heretic | Very faithful Midship remake
- Longshore | Asymmetric BTB map
- Citadel | Small, symmetrical arena map
Mythic Map Pack | Project Page | Trailer
- Sandbox | Almost entirely editable slate for Force maps, small and large.
- Assembly | Medium symmetrical arena map
- Orbital | Sort of symmetric, generally confusing and best considered a freebie
Legendary Map Pack | Trailer | Developer Walkthrough
- Avalanche | Sidewinder-inspired BTB map
- Blackout | Lockout remake
- Ghost Town | Asymmetric medium sided map
Heroic Map Pack | Developer Interviews | Trailer
- Rat's Nest | Indoors symmetric BTB map
- Standoff | Medium-large symmetric map for 8-16
- Foundry | For user-Forged maps, made mostly redundant by Sandbox
Cold Storage | Developer Walkthrough | A remake of the Halo 1 map Chill Out, released for free on Bungie Day'07
