Halo 3: ODST -- Everything We Know So Far
Get up to date with all things ODST.
April 10, 2009 - Though we finished the fight in Halo 3 and Bungie officially split from Microsoft back in 2007, the saga of Halo is far from over. Bungie is once again turning to the sci-fi universe that made Master Chief a household name to deliver Halo 3: ODST. Since its formal announcement at the Tokyo Game Show in 2008, there has been much speculation, fanboy tears of joy/infinite sadness, and message board discussion. What there hasn't been is a whole lot of concrete information. That's why we've gathered everything we know so far and collected it in one place. Now you can get up to speed on all things ODST before the major marketing push kicks into full gear later this year. First, the vitals:
| Halo 3: ODST Release Date: Fall 2009 Only on Xbox 360 |
Halo 3: ODST is a stand-alone expansion of Halo 3 releasing in Fall 2009 for Xbox 360. From the original Halo creators, Bungie, this disc will offer all-new campaign levels played from the perspective of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. This first-person shooter offers all of the same social features as Halo 3, including saved films, four-player on and offline co-op play, and adversarial multiplayer modes. Additionally, it will offer all previously released Halo 3 maps as well as several new ones.
What's In a Name?
It's no exaggeration to say that Halo 3: ODST stumbled out of the gates. The first public teasing of its existence came during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in July of 2008. Bungie's official website began displaying a teaser that asked visitors to remain calm. In the lower corner sat a countdown clock. Before the timer could reach zero, though, the countdown was aborted and Bungie shortly thereafter posted an apology with the promise to unveil the new project at the "right time."
That time turned out to be the Tokyo Game Show. After another countdown on Bungie's webpage in late September -- this time allowed to reach its conclusion -- the first teaser trailer was released. Dubbed "Keep it Clean," this brief video let us know the game would be related to Halo 3 and little else. The juicy details wouldn't be revealed until the formal announcement a short while later.
In early October 2008, Bungie and Microsoft finally offered some concrete facts on its next first-person Halo game. The name was Halo 3: Recon and it would be a full, retail disc expansion to Halo 3. The name, along with the press release stating that the game would "require players to employ more elements of stealth and cunning than ever before" quickly led to confusion and misinformation. It wasn't long before Microsoft did an about face and changed the official name to Halo 3: ODST in an effort to focus the attention on the game's new hero.
Wait, What's an ODST?
The acronym ODST stands for "Orbital Drop Shock Trooper." Any fan of the Halo lore -- or anybody that has been playing the recently released Halo Wars -- will instantly recognize these hardened United Nations Space Command special forces, sometimes lovingly referred to as "Helljumpers." They excel at unconventional warfare such as counter-terrorism and personnel recovery, and as their name implies, they oftentimes drop into battle from the sky. The preferred mode of transportation? The Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle. These little pods -- which almost look like falling meteors as seen in the Halo 3: ODST trailers -- allow them to be deployed to sections of the battlefield unreachable by normal means.
Though each ODST might not be the equal of a Spartan like the Master Chief, they are no slouches. Each ODST is already a veteran of another Spec-ops unit and they generally operate as members of a small combat team.
They're also the stars of Halo 3: ODST.
Master Chief won't be the hero leaping into battle and deploying a bubble shield just in time to avert total annihaliation in ODST. Cortana will not be at your beck and call. You won't have the luxury of the Spartan II MJOLNIR armor.
(If you'd like to catch up on more of what it means to be an ODST, head over to Bungie's ODST profile.)
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/970/970595p1.html
