![]() ![]() But the soundtrack to Halo 3: ODST is arguably an even better showcase of O'Donnell's work, alongside composing partner Michael Salvatori. His instantly recognizable Gregorian chants became a classical-rock crossover masterpiece for the original Halo trilogy, accompanied by evocative flair pieces like the quite amazing and moving "Unforgotten" from Halo 2. Those of us who have played Destiny to death can probably tell which music cues are made by Marty O' Donnell before he and Bungie parted ways. The result is some of the best atmosphere you'll ever experience in the first-person shooter genre, atmosphere underpinned by a truly scintillating score. And the very making of the game is a product of these ingredients-actors, environments, enemies, guns, gameplay, and story-coming together beautifully. The design of these stages plays an essential role in developing each character's personality, helping the player know them better. ![]() It presents meaningful and well-designed levels, and set pieces that highlight each character's strengths, weaknesses, and history perfectly. ODST doesn't simply explain its story through playable flashback sequences. The acting really did lift ODST above its peers of the time, and it's got the beating of many of today's new-gen games, too. ![]() Add in Romeo, played by Nolan North of Uncharted's Nathan Drake fame ( and so much more), and the cagy ONI agent Veronica Dare, played by Battlestar Galactica's Tricia Helfer, and you've got some real science-fiction and gaming gravitas going on. Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, and Nathan Fillion, who were regulars of the sci-fi series, appear in ODST as Mickey, Dutch, and gunnery sergeant Edward Buck respectively. Thankfully, they're fleshed into reality most excellently, with several voiced by Firefly actors. The ODST cast is made up of marines that you've only previously heard of in other Halo games. Your search for hints of the recent past takes you through the darker territories of the burning New Mombasa, like a pulp fiction detective shrouding himself in the shadows. Once you've escaped the pod the dark, Covenant-infested city becomes the unnerving setting for this detective noir, sending you on several quests to not only find your colleagues but also unravel the events that occurred while you were unconscious-guns, tools, helmets, and various other things scattered around the place trigger flashbacks. It's here you enter as the Rookie, marooned in a destroyed metropolis filled with enemies at every turn, trying to track down your team and follow the signals of possible rescue. The game begins halfway though the events of Halo 2, just as the Prophet of Regret obliterates the African city of New Mombasa by entering Slipspace above it. From the basic controls to the feel of the gameplay, ODST is as recognizable as any other Halo release but everything else makes it a very different game, and all the more enjoyable because of it. The game featured more contemporary weapons and tech, such as silenced magnums, no shields, and a rather useful night-vision VISOR mode. ODST's story would revolve around a team of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers-Staten calls them "the mysterious soldiers with the untold tale"-and a familiar, singular world provided the playground for the player to explore. A new cast of characters would replace the iconic Master Chief and other regulars who were indisposed courtesy of Halo 3's plot. The lead writer on the game, Joseph Staten, envisioned a complete departure from the style of the series' previous installments. But it evolved into something far more substantial than filler and is, in my opinion, the best game of the entire franchise. ODST was originally intended to be DLC itself, to plug the gap between Halo 3 and Halo Reach. This is the Rookie's opening sequence from 2009's Halo 3: ODST, which has just been re-released on Xbox One as DLC for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. ![]() Those of you with short memories might be thinking I'm describing the beginning of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. ![]()
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