By Master Chief
Ok, you’ve had a little over a week to play some Halo 3: ODST. Given that a lot of Halo 3 gamers were disappointed with the length of the single player storyline, some of you might already be done with your ODST stint.
After traversing a few game review sites, I’ve been quite surprised with the reactions. The game is a review success in terms of video game sites. The surprise has been from the fans who have been critical of ODST. Most of the criticism has been about the campaign, or lack thereof.
Halo 3 ODST retails for $59.99, and a lot of fans believe that the price tag is too much for the campaign which can take anywhere from 5-8 hours. While there is a lot more packed in with the title, the story campaign leaves much to be desired.
It’s funny that on every review site I’ve been to, the user review score is drastically lower than the site’s score. Which for a game like Halo 3: ODST is the exact opposite.
Chalk it up to a bad economy where people want more bang for their buck, or this game might just be an anomaly in the Halo 3 universe. Whatever the reason, people just aren’t vibing with the game as much as the past titles. Of course, there as many lovers out there as haters.
By Master Chief
It’s nearly here, can you smell it. Your copy of Halo 3: ODST is sitting somewhere in a warehouse, or could be in production. If you happen to live in the surrounding Seattle, WA area you could get get to join in on the ODST launch party.
The first thing you should know is that if you’re one of the first 200 people in line you get a limited edition Halo 3: ODST T-Shirt. There will be free swag given away, and on top of that there will be a Firefight Tournament.
The launch event will be held at 325 5th Ave, Seattle WA. Aslong as you’re 17 or older, or accompanied by an adult then you can participate. The tournament will be limited to 12 teams. So, register in advance to gurantee a spot. Here are a list of rules and guidelines for the event:
1. Each team will need 4 people who will ALL be present and available at the ODST launch party by 6:00 PM on Monday, 9/21. All 4 people must be present.
2. Everyone on the team must be at least 17 years in age OR have parent/guardian with them. This is an important rule as ODST is a mature game and the launch party is only open to people of age or with an adult.
3. Twelve total teams will be selected to participate. Teams will be loosely chosen based on a first come basis – the earlier you register your team, the better your chances of making the roster. Advance registration is available starting right now. (keep reading!)
4. If we don’t fill up 12 team spots, we will sign up additional teams on the fly starting at 6pm on 9/21 at the event itself. First come first serve.
5. Teams which aren’t there or are missing members of their team and haven’t fully checked in by 6:15PM on 9/21 will be disqualified and their spot will be given up to another team.
By Master Chief
If you are a frequenter of Bungie.net, then you should know that everyone’s favorite game company is upgrading the site. The update looks to be pretty significant, and we’ll be seeing more than just a face lift.
To see what the new front page will look like, have a peak here. The significant aesthetic changes look to be up top. Just a quick view, and you can tell Bungie is going for a less cluttered and more image based look. The right side of the main content looks so bunched together right now. It’s hard to differentiate the content. The next significant change is found in the communications department. Gone is the Bungie Blog, and now comes Comm Chatter. Here is will Halo players will be able to show off content as they were able to with Bungie Blog. Also, there’s an identity bar which will be your place for bragging about all of your accomplishments.
Last, and maybe most importantly is the update for Recon armor. Here’s the vague words presented in the update regarding everyone’s favorite armor set:
“It’s been a long time coming and this is where the answer to “Can I Haz?” becomes “yes you can.” But we’re not just giving Recon away. You’re going to have to earn it.
Once you’ve completed each and every Vidmaster found in Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST, you’ll be able to visit your profile page on Bungie.net and flip the switch yourself. We figured after all this time, it was only fitting that you did the honors. Take a few seconds to think about the journey before you make Recon happen for yourself. Good times, eh? Consider our cryptic Halo 3 riddle a relic of the past. Go ahead and pull the trigger yourself.”
By Master Chief
Halo 3: ODST has less than month to go before release. I can already hear the explosions in New Mombasa,Nathan Fillion’s voice, and hopefully what will be the sounds of people cursing at me when I sticky them.
This latest video conducted by Machinima, shows off a bit of the cinematic aspect of Halo 3 ODST. The video is from Gamescom, and during the interview we learn about some of the story behind the game. Halo 3 ODST takes place during the middle of Halo 2. It involves the Prophet of Regret, and is linked to it’s involvement in Halo 2.
Your mission in ODST involves you searching for your lost teammates. Unlike other Halo games, ODST is going to be non-linear. Meaning, that you can search for your squad in any order that you wish. These little nuances is what is really going to differentiate ODST from the rest of the pack.
If you’re into pre-ordering, then you should know there’s an awesome deal going down if you pre-order from Amazon.com. Let’s just say it involves Sgt. Johnson, the word playable, and Firefight.
Less than a month can’t finish up quick enough.
By Master Chief
Find yourself desperate for some Halo 3 ODST information? Are your hands shaking in anticipation for it’s release? If you answered yes to both of those quesitons, then Bungie has thrown you a bone with this past Bungie update. In it we get to learn about one of the mission maps, Alpha Site.
Here are a few keypoints of the update, and what you can expect to see in the mission:
– The ominous onyx building ONI calls home in New Mombasa’s Alpha Site sits perched atop a space you should already be familiar with. You got a good look at the climb in our Security Zone layout some time back. But what you didn’t see was what was just beyond the walls of Security Zone’s swank lobby load out. In fact, when you first set boots inside of Alpha Site you begin in that exact same hallway, only now a security gate blocks the way back, leaving only one place to go: dead ahead.
– The Oni Interior game flow actually went through a couple of incredibly different iterations before we settled on the current setting. What we finally decided upon was using the center part of the interior as a cross-roads choke point and allowing the Covenant to enter into the space on one side of the map and have the player spawn on the opposite side. This gives some flexibility to players so they don’t feel completely cornered or trapped.
– (Asked about camping in Alpha Site): Yeah, that originally was a bit of a concern that players would be able to just camp the two known spaces, but we put some surprises in to make sure that won’t be a problem. 
You can be as aggressive as you want to be. I’ve found I survive longer if I let the enemies come to me.
So, there you have it. Some vital information about the upcoming Alpha Site in Halo 3: ODST. With not too much longer remaining, I’m as anxious as ever. Here’s hoping Bungie keeps bringing it with the updates.
By Master Chief
We have a little under two months before the release of Halo 3: ODST. We know quite a bit about the game, but there’s one aspect that has seen very little information. The crew that will be the focal point of the story. Bungie has released a video doc that highlights the ODST team that will be featured in the game.
Nathan Fillion will voice the role of Sgt. Buck and we get to hear his voice acting skills. I’m pretty impressed considering this is just voice work for the vid doc. What’s pretty cool is that along with Fillion’s voice, his character looks like the actor as well.
Here’s a quote from Bungie’s post concerning the character of Sgt. Buck, “Gunnery Sergeant Eddie Buck has witnessed more war than any Marine should. He fought alongside Cole at Harvest—somehow managed to make it off of Reach alive. The fact that Buck is still on his feet says more about his mettle than his military dossier ever could. Now the Covenant have found Earth. Devastated her defenses. Anyone who could have stopped the invasion is dead or gone. But Buck and his squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers aren’t going to let Earth fall without a fight. These ODSTs may be headed feet first into hell, but they’re going to make damn sure it’s crowded with Covenant when they get there.”
If you’d like to watch the video in it’s entirety, click here. The ViDoc is called “Desperate Measures, and lasts a good 3 and a half minutes.
As a sidenote, if you’ve ever wondered what a real life Warthog would look like you can check out some amazing photos of this display. If you’re in Australia, the vehicle will be available for viewing on Cockatoo Island.
By Master Chief
Before going into San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), I would have said that Halo and anime are two exclusive ideas that should never be combined together. After the announcement of Halo Legends, I’m beginning to come around to the idea.
Halo Legends will be a series of seven short films that will have the traditional anime style attached to them. There are five production houses in Japan that will be handling the creation of the movies. At the end of the day though Microsoft will have the final word in all of the creative decisions. Which is definitely a good idea, because I’ve seen anime really go off into some weird places.
Frank O’Connor, Halo director had this to say about the project, “We’ve seen the world through Master Chief’s eyes, and we’ve experienced facets of the universe through a variety of literary prisms, but now we get to watch new tales unfold in really rich, visually dynamic ways. I think anime fans and Halo fans alike are in for a real treat.”
There have been very few story details come about as of yet. We know that there will be one story that provides us a history of the Spartans. There’s also a story that will fit into two segments and will tell the entire history of the Halo universe. Quite a feat indeed.
Halo Legends will release on DVD, Blu-Ray early 2010. I’m guessing there will be some kind of deal that will mesh with Halo Reach which is also scheduled for 2010.
By Master Chief
If you have the time, money, and travel arrangements then you should have wonderful opportunities to play Halo 3: ODST. Here’s a list of all the places that Bungie will be at showing off demos, courtesy of Bungie.net…
* San Diego Comic-Con – I’ll be there along with ODST Design Director, Paul Bertone, offering hands-on Firefight play in the Microsoft booth all day on Thursday, 7/23. You can find us way in the back, booth #5225. Come by, check out the game, say hello and you may even get some swag out of us. Then on Saturday, 7/25, Paul will be participating in a Xbox 360 game development panel at 1:00 PM in room 6DE. He’ll be joined by a few other developers for some riveting discussion about making games for 360, moderated by world famous Major Nelson.
* Gamescon (Cologne, Germany) – This massive game show is open the public and takes place from 8/20 through 8/23. A few Bungie people, dozens of stations of hands-on Firefight, German beer… what could be better?
* Penny Arcade Expo (Seattle, WA) – PAX is back this year, running from 9/4 through 9/6, and should be bigger and better than ever. Sadly we won’t have our own booth but that doesn’t mean we won’t be representin’. There’s a very strong chance we’ll be hanging out in the Xbox booth and offering more hands-on ODST opportunities. In addition, members of the ODST development team will be part of a panel on Friday 9/4 from 3:30 to 4:30 where they will show off bits of the game, talk about development and field questions from the audience.
If you have everything in order, you have no excuse for not being able to give Halo 3: ODST a run through. If you’re going, be sure to share your experiences in the forum.
By Master Chief
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Bungie Day (07/07). If you didn’t take part in any of the events for the celebration, which included playing some of the Bungie staff, then you definitely missed out. Along with some Halo 3 action, Bungie unleased some new info on maps that will be included in Halo 3: ODST.
Along with words, there are pictures as well. So, if you haven’t seen them yet here are screenshots of the maps.
Here are summaries of the three maps, and how they’re built:
Heretic: Heretic returns players to familiar ground as the Halo 2 arena “Midship” makes its long-rumored debut in Halo 3. The stark interior of the Pious Inquisitor might appear austere on first glance, but Heretic’s symmetrical spaces require players to execute complex strategies in order to outplay their opponents.
Citadel: Citadel may be a long abandoned Forerunner stronghold, but its small, symmetrical confines are far from secure. Two opposing bases offer little safety for players looking for solace. Instead, Citadel forces small squads to stay in constant communication, keep their heads on a swivel, and be prepared to adjust combat tactics in close quarters.
Longshore: Longshore lacks the commercial ships that once made it a lucrative port for Old Mombasa, but it still bustles with activity. Designed for large scale combat and well suited for smaller affairs, Longshore’s multitude of industrial buildings, elevated walks, and open inlets conspire to create a complex battleground tailored for multiple combat scenarios
By Master Chief
Your favorite day of the year is approaching. No, I’m not talking about the 4th of July. Although it could be your favorite day, but Bungie Day is the holiday of which I speak. So, you’re not going to get any time off work for it but there’s still some cool stuff coming our way for the event.
Here is the latest information we have concerning Bungie Day, straight from the company itself…
“There’s gonna be tons of community maps on display (your maps!), dozens of Bungie employees rocking flames and stomping mud-holes in your soon to be thoroughly stomped and mud-holed faces, and of course, ridonkulous amounts of Recon armor on offer. We’re (as the kids are wont to say) gonna make it rain.
If you want your shot at extinguishing our flames on your own community turf, all you gotta do is fire up Halo 3 and enter into the Bungie vs. The World Playlist on the 7th of next month. Of course, you’ll still have to pull out a victory against one of our numerous four man squads and let’s be honest, we’ve seen your stats, son. Just like that ill wind that blew through the update three paragraphs up, you stink.
Still, it would be an absolute shame if you let your own sloppy online play prevent you from participating in the festivities. You won’t necessarily have to pull out a win against the Bungie gladiators to emerge with some sweet digital prizes. There’ll be rewards raining down from the Bungie skies all day for even the most unskilled players as we cut our brutal swathe through Halo 3’s matchmaking. No need to be intimidated. Hop on in and celebrate with us.
We’re also going to have some other goodies for you should you decide to stop by Bungie.net on the 7th and help us celebrate. Maybe even a screenshot. No promises. Stay Tuned.”
