Halo 3: ODST

*Halo 3: ODST*

*“Prepare to Drop.”*— Halo 3 ODST tagline.
***Halo 3 ODST*** (formerly known as ***Halo 3 Recon***) or simply ***Halo: ODST*** or ***ODST***, is a first person shooter science fiction video game developed by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360. However, due to the Xbox One's lack of backwards compatibility, it cannot be played on its successor console. It is a spinoff from the main trilogy, taking place between and during the events of *Halo 2* and *Halo 3*. It serves as a de facto prologue to *Halo 3*.

*Halo 3 ODST* was released September 22, 2009, not long after the release of *Halo Wars* by Ensemble Studios. It was originally supposed to be just an expansion pack for *Halo 3*, named *Halo 3 Recon.* However, Bungie realized its potential, and instead made it into an independent game, although it is heavily connected to *Halo 3*, especially in terms of multiplayer. *Halo 3 ODST* saw large success, just like its predecessors, managing to sell a total of 2.5 million copies were sold in the inital weeks of release, totalling a sum of 125 million US dollars.

An official five-part prequel comic series called *Halo: Helljumper* was released in the months leading up to *Halo 3 ODST'*s release. Starting in July, they continued to release until the end of November, two months after the game's release. Later, on May 3, 2010, an invitation to all *Halo 3 ODST* players to play the *Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta* was made, and the beta lasted until May 20, 2010.

On December 19, 2014, as an apology for the state of the game's poor server management, 343 Industries made *Halo 3 ODST* a downloadable content package for *Halo: The Master Chief Collection* for Xbox One. Once downloaded, it was then added in the *Halo 3* submenu. Nothing changed for the game, except that all content was removed aside for the campaign, as well as updated graphics, including the game running at sixty frames per second and 1080 pixel resolution, and the removal of Firefight.

## Story

### Plot

*Halo 3 ODST* is unique as *Halo* campaigns go. It is also the first *Halo* game (excluding *Halo Wars*) where the main player is NOT John-117, or features him in any fashion. The player instead takes control of multiple characters throughout the course of the game, all of them being Orbital Drop Shock Troopers of the Alpha-Nine unit. Unlike other games, it does not delve into the canon as much, but instead focuses more on the characters themselves, and their situation, morals and what their mission really is. With a unique soundtrack that stands out from that of the rest of the franchise, *Halo 3 ODST* has a much less complex/diverse campaign, but is rich all the same. It is also the only game to feature a open-world campaign level that isn't strictly linear.

*Halo 3 ODST* takes place during the events leading up to the end of the level Metropolis in the game *Halo 2*. Onboard a Marathon-Class Heavy Cruiser called the UNSC *Say My Name*, in orbit over Earth, the ODST squad, Alpha-Nine, overlooks the battle plan. Their mission: board the *Solemn Penance*, and kill the Prophet of Regret. The commander of the unit, Edward Buck, then arrives alongside an ONI agent, Veronica Dare, and informs them that she is their new commander. Ordered into their pods, Romeo proceeds to rudely awaken the Rookie, who was sleeping. Entering his pod and sealing it, Alpha-Nine proceeds to launch from the *Say My Name* alongside the rest of hundreds of other ODSTs, moving towards New Mombasa. Just as they begin their final approach, Dare orders a course correction, much to the squad's confusion. Before anything can be done about it however, the *Solemn Penance* enters slipspace, and the resulting explosion kills most of the ODSTs, and sends Alpha-Nine flying into different directions, scattering them all over the city. The Rookie is knocked out by the impact.

Waking up six hours later at nighttime, the Rookie breaks his way out of his pod and begins to explore the streets, searching for his squad. Along the way, he engages multiple Covenant patrols, and even comes into contact with the city's AI, the Superintendent, who helps him find his squad. Travelling into Tayari Plaza, the Rookie finds Dare's Recon helmet wedged into a vidscreen and tears it out.

    In a flashback, we are returned to the moments just after the slipspace rupture. Buck's pod lands near Tayari Plaza, and proceeds to break out, managing to gain contact with Dare, who is trapped in her own pod. Locking onto her signal, Buck begins to fight his way through the damaged streets of the city, and with the help of scattered UNSC forces, manages to reach Tayari Plaza, only to discover Dare missing. Believing her dead, Buck is about to give up when a Engineer approaches him, holding her helmet. It is about to give it to him when a sniper round pierces it, causing it to explode, sending her helmet slamming into a vidscreen in a building above. Romeo reveals himself, and after a quick appraisal of his situation, Buck declares he's going to find his squad, and get the hell out of the city.

Back to the present, the Rookie continues his search, eventually arriving just outside Uplift Reserve; Mombasa's Zoo. It's there that he finds a crashed drone fighter, as well as its torn off optics. He picks them up to look at them, gazing into it.

Another flashback sequence begins, this time 30 minutes after the slipspace event. Dutch has just woken up from the pod in time to watch a

     squadron of drone fighters fly by, before proceeding into Uplift Reserve to aid surviving UNSC forces fight off Covenant troops. Managing to procure a vehicle, Dutch fights his way towards the *Solemn Penance'*s landing site under the orders of the Colonel. However, the collapse of the New Mombasa Space Elevator severely damages the city. The resulting destruction also kills the Colonel, while also devastating numerous UNSC forces in the area. With the original plan no longer viable, Dutch leads a charge with the rest of the marines, and manages to escape the Reserve. Afterwards, he remarks to God about he didn't train to be a pilot and, seemingly in answer, a drone fighter crashes into the area, its optics getting torn off and sliding along the ground (where the Rookie will later find it). Still not convinced, he asks for a definitive answer, and the vehicle he escapes on seems to explode.

Back to the present, the Rookie continues his search once more, eventually arriving on Kizingo Boulevard, where he finds the remains of a big battle, as well as a damaged Gauss turret. He grabs a hold of it, examining the damage.

    And then begins yet another flashback; this time, 90 minutes after the slipspace event. Mickey arrives near Kizingo Boulevard, where a convoy of Scorpion tanks is about to be encircled and destroyed a convoy of Covenant Wraiths. He then commandeers one of the Scorpions and blows a hole through the enemy convoy, and together the UNSC troops make their way towards Kizingo Boulevard, battling more Covenant troops along the way. Finally, they reach Kizingo Boulevard, just in time for a Wraith to destroy a Gauss turret (later to be found by the Rookie). Blowing the remaining defenses, Mickey runs into Dutch, and together, the two of them make their way towards the center of the Boulevard. There, they help the UNSC forces hold their position against the Covenant onslaught, and succeed. In the aftermath of the battle, Mickey suggests holding their position and awaiting backup, when a NMPD officer opens the gate, asking for someone proficient in explosives (which just happens to be, ironically, Mickey). The two of them follow the officer inside the tunnel.
Back to the present, the Rookie continues his search again, tracing the path Mickey and Dutch took, even through the tunnel. There, he finds the destroyed, flaming ruins of ONI Alpha Site, as well as the crumbled, now destroyed, bridge that led to it across the water. It is there that he finds one of the explosive detonators used to destroy the bridge, and fiddles with it.

Another flashback begins; two hours after the slipspace event. A massive battle is taking place; the bridge, still standing at this time, is currently being swarmed by Covenant forces who are trying to gain access to ONI Alpha Site, which the ODSTs, NMPD and a few UNSC marines are trying to defend. Mickey sets the detonators with Dutch's help, and both retreat across the bridge. After an argument with the Superintendent, Dutch finally gains access to the detonator, and he blows the bridge, destroying it and annihilating the Covenant forces trying to cross it. However, this only slows them down, and they quickly utilize phantom dropships to deploy forces on the opposite side. The defenders retreat to their secondary positions, and fight against the Covenant assault, but when Hunters, Brute Chieftains and Wraiths begin to deploy, the defenders are quickly overwhelmed, and forced to fall back into the structure.

Inside, they are setting up their tertiary position, the NMPD Sergeant orders his men to check the charges, revealing his plan to destroy the base and deny the Covenant access to its databases. They manage to hold off the Covenant assault in time for the charges to be set, and after battling a swarm of drones, retreat to the rooftop. There, they manage to catch an evac Pelican. There, one of the officers informs Dutch and Mickey that their sergeant, Buck, is trying to contact them. Opening a link, they manage to set up a RV point at the NMPD Headquarters building. After, the survivors watch as the charges detonate, and the ONI base erupts in a giant pillar of flame.

Back to the present, the Rookie retreats from the area and heads towards NMPD HQ. There, he finds a sniper rifle, twisted and mangled, hanging from a piece of wiring. Grabbing a pole, he manages to poke it out and catches it, trying to bend it back, but finds it too well done and simply looks up, trying to see where it came from.

Another flashback begins; three hours after the slipspace event. Buck and Romeo arrive on the rooftop of the NMPD HQ, where they argue over whether or not the Rookie could be alive or not. The argument ends with no winner as the NMPD Pelican arrives, only for it to be ambushed by two Banshees and shot down. The Pelican spins out of control, and proceeds to crash ontop of another building. Buck and Romeo quickly begin fighting their way through the building, trying to find a way to reach the one the Pelican crashed ontop of. Finally, they reach another landing pad, where Mickey and Dutch have used a crane as a bridge to help them cross. Moving over, they proceed to assist Mickey and Dutch in holding off enemy forces, including multiple waves of Banshees and Phantoms. Finally however, one final Phantom deploys a Brute Chieftain, who kills a few officers and destroys Romeo's sniper rifle, tossing it over the edge

    (where the Rookie will later find it) before using the opposite end of his hammer to slam into Romeo's chest, puncturing a lung and mortally wounding him. Buck, Mickey and Dutch gang up on the Chieftain and kill it, and then check to see if Romeo is okay. With the Pelican gone, Buck announces his plan to find another way out of the city.

Back to the present, the Rookie continues his search, tracing the group's path to Kikowani Station. There, he finds a discarded biofoam cannister, tossed carelessly across the ground. Picking it up, he examines it.

One final flashback occurs; five hours after the slipspace event. The squad arrives at Kikowani Station, where it is now nighttime in the city, and  Romeo is having trouble breathing. Putting him down, Buck pumps the wound full of biofoam, helping him breathe. Buck asks if he should carry Romeo, but his only answer is Romeo standing up to walk inside. Smiling, he tosses the used cannister away (where the Rookie will later find it) and they quickly retreat inside, where Mickey is currently observing the flooded railway tunnels. Instead, Buck hatches a plan to hijack a Phantom. Overwhelming the forces protecting it, Mickey assumes control of the vehicle, and Dutch and Romeo move inside, while Buck confiscates a Banshee as escort. Together, they move through the city ruins, fighting through Covenant AA batteries and troops, until they reach the exit, where a Scarab is blocking it. Buck manages to destroy it, and together they escape the city, Buck ditching his Banshee to leap into the

    Phantom's gravity lift. However, before they can leave, Buck orders them to turn back, realizing that he now knows that Dare is alive, and where to find her.
Back to the present, the Rookie investigates the area, where the Superintendent shows him to an access elevator to the city's data center, where the Superintendent's core is located. Jumping inside, the Rookie soon arrives within the data center, where he intercepts numerous attempted transmissions from Dare to Buck, with her lamenting over her inability to tell him what the mission really was. Fighting back numerous Covenant forces with the help of the Superintendent, as well as briefly aided by a NMPD officer who, if all 29 Audio Logs were collected, will be shown to be corrupt, and try to kill you if you follow him where you're not supposed to. Otherwise, if you collected

    none of the Audio Logs or fell short of the required number, he will be ambushed and killed by drones. Either way, you will soon reach Dare, who will tell you that her true mission was to extract the Superintendent from the city. However, her job was made impossible when the events of the Battle of Alpha Site and the destruction of the building woke up the entire Drone Hive within the data center. Forced into pushing, Dare and the Rookie creep through the data center, but are eventually forced to fight their way through. They do eventually reach the Superintendent's core, where it is revealed that the AI had been dead for quite some time; having been commandeered by a terrified, and defecting, Engineer named Vergil. Dare reveals that the Engineer has defected from the Covenant, and wishes to help them. Not long after, Buck arrives, and with his help, they all manage to escape the data center to the surface.

There, Dare and Buck reunite before proceeding to escort Vergil, with the help of the Rookie, towards the Waterfront Highway. They soon arrive to find Truth's fleet already arriving, moving towards the center of the city. Buck announces that he knew this was happening, but was too busy trying to find Dare to care much about it. After a heated argument, Vergil interrupts it by discovering that he has found a working Olifant, and Dare quickly enters it, ordering Buck and the Rookie to protect them. Together, they fight through Covenant forces as they move along the highway towards the phantom's landing zone. In the distance, they watch as Truth's fleet begin to glass the city; a sight which makes Buck distraught. They carry on until Scarabs begin exiting the water and entering the city, one of which fires upon the Olifant and immobilizes it completely. Unharmed, Vergil and Dare exit the vehicle, rejoin the Rookie and Buck, and enter the atrium of Uplift Reserve, where they hold position until the phantom arrives. Eventually, they manage to get Vergil onto the Phantom just as

    a third CAS-Class Assault Carrier arrives. They escape just as it fires its energy projector, glassing the atrium.

Watching from the phantom, they watch as Truth's fleet glasses the city, revealing that New Mombasa had been sitting ontop of the portal the entire time. Buck asks if there's a chance that he and Dare could be together again, and she responds with, "Win this war, then ask me that again." Vergil enters the cockpit, and the Phantom continues to ascend into the atmosphere as the credits roll. The game then ends.

Later, in a scene after the credits, in a station at the top of the Quito Space Tether, Dare is seen escorting Johnson to Vergil, telling him that the interrogation will go her way, and Johnson agrees, understanding her position. Entering, they find the whole of Alpha-Nine waiting, save Romeo, and the Rookie, who is asleep in a corner. Johnson addresses Vergil,

     telling it that he wants to stop the Brutes as much as he does. To show its understanding, Vergil takes the offered firelighter and lights Johnson's cigar, who simply grins at Vergil as the scene ends.

In a legendary ending of the game, the Prophet of Truth is shown in the data center, watching the unveiling of the portal. He turns to the screen, grins, and then heads toward an awaiting Phantom, likely to return to his ship. Presumably, this is where the events of Tsavo Highway in *Halo 3* take place.

### Campaign

On average, a player will take 7 hours and 11 minutes, and 11 hours if playing leisurely, to complete *Halo 3 ODST'*s campaign mode. In the game, there are a total of ten levels, including one which is purely open-world, and many others that serve as 'flashback levels.' Only three levels are non-flashback levels, and only one is open-world. The player no longer plays as John-117 or Thel 'Vadam (as a matter of fact, neither appear in the game, or are even mentioned), and instead share perspectives with other ODSTs within the Alpha-Nine unit. Playable characters are: The Rookie (main), Buck, Dutch, Mickey and Romeo.

Like previous games, the cutscenes are rendered using the in-game graphics engine. *Halo 3 ODST* also runs on the same engine used for *Halo 3*.

The ten levels of the game:

### Characters

* UNSC
* Covenant

### Main characters

* The Rookie
* Captain Veronica Dare
* Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck
* Corporal Taylor "Dutch" Miles
* Lance Corporal Kojo "Romeo" Agu
* Private First Class Michael "Mickey" Crespo
* Superintendent

### Minor characters

* Avery Johnson
* Unnamed Colonel
* Unnamed NMPD Sergeant
* Unnamed NMPD Officer
* Unnamed Corrupt NMPD Officer
* Sadie Endesha (Audio Logs only)
* Daniel Endesha (Audios Logs only) (If 29 audio logs are found, his body can be found on the level Data Hive, where the Corrupt Officer betrays you)
* Police Commissioner Kinsler (Audio Logs only) (If 29 audio logs are found, the Corrupt Officer will mention him on the level Data Hive)
* Mike Branley (Audio Logs only)
* Jonas (Audio Logs only)
* Crone (Audio Logs only)
* Tom Uberti (Audio Logs only)
* Marshall Glick (Audio Logs only)
* Jim Odingo (Audio Logs only)
* Unnamed NMPD Communications Duty Officer (Audio Logs only)
* Stephen (Audio Logs only)
* Marcus Stacker
* Reynolds
* Chips Dubbo
* Jessica Thompson

### Minor characters

* High Prophet of Regret (Mentioned only)
* High Prophet of Truth (Legendary ending only)
* Unnamed Brute Chieftain

## Features

### Summary

As an extension upon *Halo 3*, *Halo 3 ODST* uses the same game engine, and overall looks almost exactly the same as *Halo 3*. The main

     difference is the characters, story, locations and weapons. Some weapons are absent from the game, and some of the third person view is much more extended than in *Halo 3* (where in *Halo 3*, when in a vehicle or holding a torn-off weapon, you were looking right over his shoulder. In *Halo 3 ODST*, the camera is behind them). The game also utilizes flashbacks as a way to drive the story, meaning that the timeline of the game is largely out of conjunction, all based in the six hours taking place during the Rookie's unconsciousness. Lighting is greatly improved however (even more so in its *Halo: The Master Chief Collection* version), and new characters and story keep the plot moving and interesting.

*Halo 3 ODST* also possesses a form of role-playing not seen in further games, or even the ones before it. While relatively minor, if a player does certain things, then events will play out differently. This is mostly in regards to audio logs. If a player collects 29 of them by the time they reach the level Data Hive, the level plays differently; the Unnamed Corrupt NMPD Officer will survive the drone ambush and follow you, and later betray you, forcing you to kill him, and Dare will be the one to draw a gun on Vergil, not you, resulting in you stopping her, not vice versa. These are hardly noticable changes however.

* **Storyline Execution**: Not quite as linear as its predecessors, or the game of which its engine is based off of. Whether previous *Halo* games are linear and simplistic in their story, *Halo 3 ODST* largely consists of a set of flashbacks, many which are triggered by exploring the only open world level in the franchise: Mombasa Streets. The Rookie, with the help of the Superintendent, explores the city, engaging in 'detective' work to find his squad. He does this by locating beacons; these beacons will come in the form of broken helmets, drone optics, damaged turrets, etc. When interacted with, the Rookie will have a flashback related to that item, and thus begins an independent 'flashback level,' which drives the story forward. When the game is completed, and you go back to this level, all beacons will be available, allowing you to trigger individual levels at will. The first flashback level is Tayari Plaza, and the last is Kikowani Station.
* **Vehicular Incorporation**: All of the vehicles found in the game were in *Halo 3*, with a few from the game not present. The control scheme is the same, but the third-person view when in them or operating one of the turrets is different. Instead of just looking over the player's shoulder, the camera is now completely behind them. Otherwise, vehicle gameplay is exactly the same as *Halo 3*.
* **Weapon System**: All of the weapons found in the game were in *Halo 3*, with the odd one being from previous games, with a few from *Halo 3* not present. The control scheme is the same, but the first-person view (or third person, in the case of torn-off weapons or the flamethrower) when using them is different. Instead of the weapon being very close to the screen, the player seems to hold them further out, allowing you to see more of the weapon when using it. Also, when moving around with torn-off weapons or flamethrowers, the player can move alot faster than they could in *Halo 3*.
* **Artificial Intelligence**: Completely unchanged from *Halo 3*.

Movement in *Halo 3 ODST* is relatively simple, and the same as every other shooter of its time period. The player can move backwards and forwards, left and right. They can look up and down, side to side, or in circles. On the Xbox 360, this is done through the use of the analogue sticks (left stick to move, right to look). Also, unlike *Halo 3*, *Halo 3 ODST* does have a fall damage system, which is demonstrated in the opening of the level Mombasa Streets when the Rookie leaps from his pod to the ground, and he suffers minor damage from doing so.

### Health System

*Halo 3 ODST* is effectively the first and last *Halo* game where the player possesses no energy shields (this is because the player is an ODST, not

     a Spartan, which, at the time, the latter were the only ones who had access to that technology on the UNSC side of things). Instead, the player only has a single health bar, which is located at the top of the screen, in the exact same place as the shield bar in *Halo 3*. Depending on the difficulty, this health bar will be depleted rapidly or slowly, which also depends on the amount of fire you are taking at the time. If the health bar is depleted, the player will start grunting and hissing in pain, and when your health is critical, the bar will turn red and start beeping, but with the same sound as the one the shield bar gave. To replenish health, the player must find Optican medical stations, which can be found around the map, and can be identified by the Superintendent's insignia. If you still do not recognize, the Superintendent will say *“Need immediate medical assistance? Choose Optican! Fast, accurate diagnosis, or your money back.”* If this is said, then you have found an Optican station, which will replenish your health fully once obtained. Usually two packs can be found at each station.

Health will replenish over time, but very slowly, and often with unnoticable changes.

### Difficulty

The four difficulty levels from the previous games return, and are largely unchanged.

There are four difficulties in *Halo 3 ODST*:

* Easy

*“Laugh as helpless victims flee in terror from their inevitable slaughter. The game basically plays itself.”*
* Normal

*“Face firm resistance from competent, determined enemies, but burn through enough ammo and you will eventually triumph.”*
* Heroic

*“Fight against formidable foes that will truly test your skill and wits; this is the way Halo is meant to be played.”*
* Legendary

*“Tremble as teeming hordes of invincible alien monsters punish the slightest error with instant death... again and again.”*
### The Covenant

Unlike other *Halo* games, the only enemy in the game is the Covenant. This is because the game is based completely on Earth, before the events of Floodgate and out of range of any Forerunner installations, meaning no Sentinels. This leaves the Covenant as the only, and primary, antagonists of the game. However, unlike previous games, there are no actual Covenant antagonist characters as such (Prophet of Regret is only mentioned, and Truth is seen in a legendary ending). Because of this, the Covenant are largely disconnected enemies in gameplay, leaving them, as it can be argued, 'faceless antagonists.'

In the game, there are seven species (only six of which are fought in gameplay), and all of them have been seen in previous *Halo* games. There are Grunts, Jackals, Brutes, Hunters, Drones and Engineers. Elites are also encountered on Tayari Plaza, but are never fought, as they are only seen as dead bodies. Engineers are also encountered for the first time in a FPS *Halo* game, and act as suicidal units that will explode if get too close. The Covenant also have a large array of weapons, vehicles and turrets.

### Allies

Unlike the enemy AI, the allied AI aid you in missions, fighting beside you and giving fire support. Although the AI isn't exactly the most intelligent (most of their actions are scripted), it still has its uses, especially on higher difficulties as a distraction or reinforcement.

* **UNSC Marines**: Just like in the previous games, you will have UNSC Marines fighting beside you on the field for the majority of the game. Marines appear in every level of the game except Mombasa Streets, NMPD HQ, Kikowani Station, Data Hive and Coastal Highway. While they can be useful during combat, especially when armed with rocket launchers, they become more and more useless on the higher difficulties. Like in *Halo 2*, they can also drive vehicles, but while they are better at it than in *Halo 2*, they are still considered 'poor drivers.'
* **New Mombasa Law Enforcement**: This is the first and only game in which NMPD Law Enforcement will be encountered during gameplay. They act exactly the same as standard UNSC marines, except with police uniforms and helmets. Otherwise, they will use the same weapons and have the same health and usefulness.

### Weapons

Weapons remain almost entirely unchanged from *Halo 3*, and are practically the same, but with a few removed, and a few from previous games

     added. However, the largely majority of the weapons are the same (untouched, aside from lighting effects) from *Halo 3*. However some abilities that were present in *Halo 3* have now been removed, with equipment and dual-wielding being among them. Dual-wielding is no longer possible by the player (this feature was removed because Spartans were capable of firing two weapons because of their augmented strength; ODSTs do not have this strength, and therefore cannot dual-wield). However, oddly enough, the player can still rip off turrets and use them like a Spartan could, and even more strangely is that ODSTs can move faster than Spartans while doing this (although this is likely a gameplay improvement, and not meant to be canon). However, if going by this logic, then it therefore makes no sense to have removed the dual-wielding ability. Nevertheless, it is no longer present in the game.

* UNSC
* Covenant

### Usable

* M6C/SOCOM Magnum
* MA5C Assault Rifle
* M7 Silenced SMG
* M90A Shotgun
* SRS 99D-S2 Sniper Rifle
* M41 Rocket Launcher
* M6 Spartan Laser
* Heavy Machine Gun mounted turret (Detachable)
* Missile Pod (Detachable)
* M7057 Flamethrower
* M9 Frag Grenade
* M41 Vulcan LAAG
* M68 Gauss Cannon
* Scorpion Main Gun
* Scorpion machine gun turret

### Usable

* Plasma Pistol
* Brute Plasma Rifle
* Needler
* Shade turret
* Fuel Rod Gun
* Plasma turret (Detachable)
* Particle Beam Rifle
* Covenant Carbine
* Spiker
* Mauler
* Brute Shot
* Gravity Hammer
* Plasma Grenade
* Spike Grenade
* Incendiary Grenade
* Ghost main guns
* Fuel Rod Cannon
* Wraith main gun
* Chopper main guns

### Unusable

* Scarab main gun
* Scarab AA gun
* Phantom autocannon
* Assault Cannon

### Vehicles

Vehicles remain almost entirely unchanged from *Halo 3*, and are practically the same, but with a few removed, and a few from previous games added. However, the large majority of the vehicles are the same (untouched, aside from lighting effects) from *Halo 3*. However some vehicles have been removed due to the gameplay not requiring their presence, and because of how vehicle gameplay in the game has been downplayed compared to its predecessors.

* UNSC
* Covenant
* Ships

### Drivable

* Warthog
* Gauss Warthog
* Troop Transport Warthog
* Mongoose
* Scorpion

### Undrivable

* Wombat
* Police Pelican
* Olifant
* 1500XLD Genet
	+ Police Genet
* HuCiv 1500
* ODST Pod
* Forklift

### Drivable

* Ghost
* Banshee
* Wraith
* Chopper

### Undrivable

* Scarab
* Phantom
* Anti-Air Wraith

### UNSC

* *Stalwart*-class light frigate
	+ UNSC *In Amber Clad*
* *Marathon*-class heavy cruiser
	+ UNSC *Say My Name*
* Prowler
	+ UNSC *Tokyo Rules*

### Covenant

* CAS-class assault carrier
	+ *Solemn Penance*

### Equipment

While still present in the game, equipment can no longer be used by the player. However, the AI will frequently use it, but only with Brutes. Oddly enough, Brutes will also use the Trip Mine equipment, even though that is strictly a UNSC equipment type.

### Environment

*Halo 3 ODST* is unique in terms of *Halo* games as it, along with *Halo Reach* and *Halo: Combat Evolved*, are the only *Halo* games to be based on a

     single planet (ships in orbit not counting). However, it is also centered solely within the wartorn streets of New Mombasa, a futuristic version of the real life city, Mombasa, in Kenya, North Africa. New Mombasa is a massive megapolis that is the urbanized and industrialized sector of the once impoverished city, now known as Old Mombasa, which is on the other side of the bridge (it is featured in *Halo 2*). Gigantic, tall skyscrapers surround the player, with either nighttime skies or the sun beating down on them.

Nighttime New Mombasa is littered with fires, destroyed vehicles and abandoned streets. NMPD car sirens are still going off, with the occasional Covenant patrol going past or being encountered. The city is seperated into many sectors that the player will access across the course of the game, including many different areas such as plazas, zoos and police buildings. Uplift Reserve, being the city's zoo, features luscious green environments with rocky formations, trees and dead animals. *ONI Alpha Site* features a large river. *Coastal Highway* is based on the Waterfront Highway, a highway in the city that runs along the perimeter of the African city.

## Multiplayer

### Firefight

*Main Article: Firefight*
A new feature to the series is the addition of the Firefight mode. First announced at E3 2009, Firefight is a co-operative wave-after-wave defense mode (however, it can be done solo). Essentially, the player will choose a map, and defend themselves against numerous waves of Covenant

    forces, each increasing in verocity, strength and difficulty. Just like campaign, the player can choose a difficulty setting (Easy, Normal, Heroic, Legendary) and once on the map, it is up to the player to survive all rounds to win the match. The player can only die a set number of times (unless the settings are modified) before they die permanently and the game declares you defeated.

After every wave, the Covenant will become stronger either by bringing in new species, weapons or vehicles. The player, depending on the map, can also use their own vehicles when dropped in, and will be awarded such things, as well as ordnance and fresh weapons, when the round is over. They will be provided with fresh ammo, weapons and possibly vehicles; again, it depends on the map, and whether or not it supports vehicles. Many have compared Firefight to the Horde mode in *Gears of War*, and upon closer inspection, it shares many similiarities, but with its own unique look.

Due to technical issues, Firefight is not Xbox LIVE functional, meaning that it only features an 'invite only' feature, and does not support matchmaking. When asked, Bungie explained that such a feature would have required an additional six months to create before releasing the game, time which they could have spent developing the game further and preparing it for release.

Skulls, achievements and Campaign Scoring is all featured in Firefight, as Firefight can be considered a 'quasi-campaign' mode of itself.

You can choose from anyone of the characters (from Alpha-Nine) featured in the campaign to play as in Firefight. These are:

* The Rookie (Unlocked by default)
* Edward Buck (Complete Tayari Plaza on Normal difficulty)
* Taylor "Dutch" Miles (Complete Uplift Reserve on Normal difficulty)
* Kojo "Romeo" Agu (Complete NMPD HQ on Normal difficulty)
* Michael "Mickey" Crespo (Complete Kizingo Boulevard on Normal difficulty)
* Veronica Dare (Complete the entire campaign on Legendary difficulty)
* Avery Johnson (Unlocked for people who preordered the game)

### Map Packs

All map packs (*Heroic*, *Legendary*, *Mythic I and II as well as Cold Storage*) are available for those who haven't already purchased them over Xbox Live Marketplace. In addition to the other map packs, an additional map pack are featured in the *ODST* package. These maps are *Citadel*, *Heretic*, and *Longshore*.

While previously confirmed to only feature a Campaign element as the only gameplay mode, the second disc in the *ODST* box, Halo 3 Mythic, contains all of the maps, which you can play directly from there, without having to download the maps to your Hard Drive and starting *Halo 3*.

## Marketing Promotions and Release

### Viral Campaigns

#### Superintendent

*Main Article: Superintendent (Viral Campaign)*
On May 29, 2008, a viral campaign for *Halo 3: ODST* started which focused around the AI of the same name, New Mombasa's janitorial second generation dumb-A.I. construct that aids the Rookie and his squad in surviving the Covenant occupation of New Mombasa.

#### ONI Candidate Assessment Program V5.02A

*Main Article: ONI Candidate Assessment Program V5.02A*
On September 4, 2009, a second viral campaign was released on Xbox.com, letting fans watch interviews of the main characters of *ODST*. These videos go into the background of each character, with Buck and a various teammate talking about their past, military career, their education, and about the mission ahead. Clips directed by Rupert Sanders can be seen via a marker the Marines place on their right temple.

### Trailers

#### Announcement

*Main Article: Keep It Clean (Trailer)*
First, different screens of areas of New and Old Mombasa come on screen, followed by HEV pods entering the

    atmosphere. Here you can see the Prophet of Regret's carrier on the right, then it moves behind buildings. The pods come into view as a large explosion (Caused by the Prophet of Regret's carrier entering Slipspace) appears, sending the pods off-course. Then, the Superintendent appears, and shows warning signs and then reboots. All the screens from earlier flash onto the screen, but heavily damaged from the blast. Then, a single HEV pod falls through the sky, when the *Halo 3* logo appears. The pod then crashes into the camera and goes black, followed by the words 'Prepare to Drop'.

The second part to the trailer, released on the 8th of October, followed on from this - the Superintendent reinitialized itself, attempting to assess the catastrophic devastation and tries to identify the object that survived. Later, after a Covenant Phantom dropship has passed by, the object opens to reveal The Rookie climbing out, wielding a modified M7S/Caseless Submachine Gun. The ODST narrowly avoids a Jiralhanae patrol, before encountering messages from the Superintendent, presumably leading him to safety.

Elements from this trailer have dramatically altered from announcement to the present day.

#### E3 2009

*Main Article: Halo 3 ODST E3 2009 Gameplay Trailer*
Shown to the press at Microsoft's E3 '09 Media Briefing, the first gameplay trailer showcased the events surrounding the campaign and the new Firefight mode. It focuses mostly on the Rookie wandering around the streets of the city and looking for his lost squadmates, along with Dutch who fights during the Battle of ONI Alpha Site.

This trailer also shows the very first glimpse of Firefight, the brand new cooperative game mode designed specifically for *ODST*.

#### ViDoc: Desperate Measures

*Main Article: ViDoc: Desperate Measures*
The first ViDoc of *Halo 3: ODST*, *Desperate Measures* takes a look inside the squad that consists of the main characters in the game. It summarizes the skills that each Marine has, along with what equipment they'll be using in-game.

Also shown are little clips of the flashback missions, namely, featuring Gunnery Sergeant Buck and Lance Corporal Agu on a landing platform at NMPD Headquarters, where a police Pelican dropship was extracting the two Marines, before getting chased off by two Banshees.

#### ViDoc: Bip. Bap. Bam

*Main Article: ViDoc: Bip. Bap. Bam*
The second ViDoc, which is more of an advertisement, for *ODST*, first shown at the 2009 Games Convention in Cologne, Germany. *Bip. Bap. Bam.* shows off the new *Firefight* mode, which was announced earlier at E3 2009.

Avery Johnson is the narrator of the ViDoc, making a stylish entrance in a Drop Pod over the Security Zone map. During the video, Johnson explains the details of this new gametype in *ODST*, along with explaining how players can play as him by pre-ordering *Halo 3: ODST* at a number of participating retailers.

#### ViDoc: Terra Incognita

*Main Article: ViDoc: Terra Incognita*
The third ViDoc for *ODST* released on Bungie's website, focuses on the development of Halo 3: ODST.

The game developers at Bungie were entering unfamiliar territory, making the largest environment they ever created as the freely-explorable level of New Mombasa. It also says the differences and similarities of the ODSTs and the SPARTAN-II soldiers, such as jumping height and the fact that no motion tracker is present in *ODST.*

#### ViDoc: Dramatis Personae

*Main Article: ViDoc: Dramatis Personae*
The fourth ViDoc for *ODST* released on Bungie's website, focuses on the cast of the characters featured in *ODST.*

Originally intended as an 'Extra' for people who played through the game, the ViDoc was posted on the Bungie website and on the Xbox Live Marketplace. It introduces the viewer to the cast behind *ODST* and Sadie's Story and explains how the voice actors helped to bring life to their characters in the game.

#### We Are ODST

*Main Article: We Are ODST*
A 2-minute live-action short made exclusively for the launch of *Halo 3: ODST* was released on September 7, 2009 on Spike TV with a run-time of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. This short is directed by Rupert Sanders, who previously directed the *Halo 3: Believe* series.

This short showcases the 19th Shock Troops Battalion during their operations in the Human-Covenant war.

#### ODST Tour

To promote the release of the game, Bungie and Microsoft started an "ODST Tour," showcasing the game's Firefight mode to fans all across the United States. Beginning August 22 in Redmond, Washington, this tour lasted for nearly a month, coinciding with the release of the game.

## Reception

On release, ODST became the top-selling Xbox 360 game worldwide. The title received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the atmosphere, music, and story approach. Critics were divided on whether the relatively short campaign and included extras were enough to justify the full-game price tag.

IGN noted that playing on co-op during the campaign ruined the atmosphere of the game, and that the campaign went into "simple shooting galleries" too often. However, they praised the Firefight addition. Gamepro called it the "best Halo game yet," but mentioned that if the flashbacks were played in a random order, the story did not transition as smoothly. They also stated that the marine A.I. had "major issues" in the game.

Team Xbox stated that it was the "same game at heart, and Firefight mode is an enhanced version of a game type that others have done before." Others mentioned that other games, such as Call of Duty and Gears of War, had much better graphics than ODST, which was based on the older Halo 3 engine.

* IGN: 9/10
* GameSpot: 9/10
* GameTrailers: 8.9/10
* GamesRadar: 3.5/5
* 1UP: A-
* Joystiq: 3.5/5
* Polygon: N/A
* Official Xbox Magazine: 9/10
* GameInformer: 9.25/10
* GameRankings: 84.77%
* Metacritic: 83/100

## Halo 3 ODST Original Soundtrack

The Halo 3 ODST Original Soundtrack was composed for

     the game, *Halo 3 ODST*, and was composed by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori. Altogether, there are 17 tracks on the soundtrack.

Most of the music from *Halo 3 ODST* is present on the CDs, but some tracks are missing entirely, and some are only remixes of the actual tracks played in-game or shortened versions. It officially released alongside the game on September 22, 2009.

## Trivia

* In the beginning of *Halo 3 ODST*, as the Rookie's drop pod is plummeting towards Earth, it is possible to see the UNSC In Amber Clad going through slipspace with Regret's carrier, therefore providing a different viewpoint on the *Halo 2* event.
* A teaser trailer for *Halo 3 ODST* called Keep It Clean was released on September 25, 2008, at 07:07:07 am PST, which coincided with the one year anniversary of the launch of Halo 3. The trailer was viewed through the many security cameras around New Mombasa. The time at which this trailer was revealed is a reference to seven.
* The "Road to Recon" challenge, as named by Bungie, gives players the chance to unlock the MJOLNIR Mk.VI Recon for use in Halo 3 multiplayer. This challenge requires unlocking the current Vidmaster Challenges from *Halo 3* and three more Vidmaster Challenges only available through purchasing *Halo 3 ODST.*
* On November 25, 2008, Bungie LLC. renamed the in-development *Halo 3 Recon* to *Halo 3 ODST*.
* Marketing for *Halo 3 ODST* encompassed a broad range of mediums, including print ads in magazines, with television spots taking center stage "with multiple ads prepared and sponsorship of key shows arranged." Advertisements were shown up to Christmas 2009 and into early 2010. Such ads could already been seen in the American version of the Official Xbox Magazine and even here on Halo Nation. GameStop had already began their advertisements, showing off both UNSC and Covenant in the Firefight mode dancing to SgtMaj Johnson, a bonus unlock item for those who pre-order the game. Spike TV has designated September as the "Halo Month," with five programs lined up over the course of sixteen days.[26] One such show marked the debut of a live-action ODST short and a preview of *Halo Legends's* ODST-centric film The Babysitter.
* Copies of *Halo 3 ODST* were sold early in France, to which Microsoft responded by investigating and threatening to ban any players on Xbox Live playing ODST before its official release of September 22. Head of Xbox Live Enforcement Stephen Toulouse later stated that they would not ban legitimate buyers of the game.
* In an interview with Microsoft Game Studios' Ryan Crosby on Joystiq.com, a sequel to *Halo 3 ODST* would be considered if fan and media reception exceeds expectations, and the need arises for a follow-up.
* As a bonus feature for those who pre-ordered ODST at select retailers (including such stores as GameStop and Amazon.com), a token to play as Sergeant Major Avery Johnson in Firefight was included.
* If you've played on this game with your current LIVE account, you will unlock the *Halo 3 ODST* nameplate in *Halo Reach.*

## Gallery

Halo 3 ODST Promotional PosterHalo 3 ODST WallpaperHalo 3 ODST Promotional MaterialMickey (middle), Dutch (right) and an NMPD officer (left) on the NMPD HQHalo 3 ODST Title Art
## Links

### Internal Links

* *Halo 3*
* Halo 3 ODST Credits
* *Halo: Helljumper*
* New Mombasa, Kenya, East African Protectorate
* Orbital Drop Shock Troopers
* Battle of Mombasa
* ONI Candidate Assessment Program V5.02A

### External Links

* Official *Halo 3: ODST* page at Bungie.net
* *Halo 3: ODST* Field Guide at Bungie.net
* *Meet Our New Game* - Bungie.net
* *The Guide to the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers* - Bungie Weekly Update 11/21/2008
* *Halo 3: ODST Concept Art Blowout* - Bungie Weekly Update 12/26/2008
* *Meet the Squad* - Bungie.net
* *Feet First* - Bungie.net
* *Drop Into Firefight* - Bungie.net
* ONI Candidate Assessment Program V5.02A