Halo 3: ODST (formerly known as Halo 3: Recon)
Halo 3: ODST's tale focuses on the legendary ODSTs or "Orbital Drop Shock Troopers" as they drop into the ruined city of New Mombasa, looking for clues behind the Covenant's catastrophic attack on the city.
The new campaign chapter predates the events that unfold in "Halo 3" and gives players a new perspective through the eyes of a new hero in the "Halo" universe. New multiplayer maps ensure that the award-winning Xbox LIVE experience of "Halo 3" continues to thrive.
General Features
- All-new campaign content. The "Halo 3: Recon" campaign is an intriguing side story that takes place during the terrifying events leading up to the Master Chief's return to New Mombasa in "Halo 3." Experience the fate of Earth from the brand-new perspective of a special forces ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper), adding a unique outlook and new gameplay elements to the events that unfold in the trilogy's finale. While the feel of this new chapter will greatly resemble that of previous "Halo" experiences, "Halo 3: Recon" will require players to employ more elements of stealth and cunning than ever before.
- A new hero: Prepare to drop. Known for their courage, valor and, at times, insanity, ODSTs are among the fiercest UNSC soldiers, priding themselves on being the first unit deployed into hostile situations. While not as large or supernaturally gifted as their Spartan comrades, these "Hell Jumpers" more than compensate with their ferocious attitudes and unwavering nerve.
- Expanded multiplayer collection. No "Halo" experience would be complete without groundbreaking multiplayer content,* and "Halo 3: Recon" gives fans more of what they love. With exclusive new maps and full Forge options, players will find more multiplayer content than ever before with "Halo 3: Recon."
- Ever-growing community options. Players will continue to enjoy all the great "Halo 3" technological innovations, including Saved Films, screenshots, Campaign Scoring and four-player co-op. All of the new multiplayer maps fully support the Forge editor, offering endless gameplay customization possibilities for fans.
Halo 3: Recon Name Changed
Bungie's upcoming Halo project, announced as Halo 3: Recon has undergone an official name change. Now the title will be known as Halo 3: ODST. The ODST acronym stands for "Orbital Drop Shock Troopers." These elite soldiers will be the focus on the upcoming game and the tale will be told from their perspective rather than Master Chief's.
Trailer of the name changed from Halo 3: Recon to Halo 3: ODST
TGS 2008: Halo 3 Recon First Details
When Bungie teased the "Keep it Clean" trailer a few weeks ago, Halo fans went wild with speculation about what form the upcoming expansion to Halo 3 would likely take. Would it be a squad-based tactical shooter? Would Master Chief make an appearance at all? Would it be (horror of horrors) third-person?
We sat down with Brian Jarrard and Luke Smith from Bungie to get all the details at the Tokyo Game Show, and franchise fanatics will be happy to know that Recon won't be a radical departure from the classic Halo gameplay they've come to know and love.
First, the basics: Halo 3 Recon takes place in Covenant-occupied New Mombasa, which was damaged when the Prophet of Regret's ship jumps into a Slipspace portal during the events of Halo 2. But while Master Chief heads off to fight Regret, a lone UNSC Orbital Shock Drop Trooper lands on the recently-leveled surface of New Mombasa. So while Chief is working his way through the events of Halo 2, this new hero is all alone surrounded by Covenant forces in a devastated urban landscape.
If you're playing by yourself, that means you'll be a lone soldier without the powerful armor and abilities of Master Chief. You're more vulnerable to enemy fire and we're guessing you won't be able to leap 30 feet in the air. But that doesn't mean you have to go completely solo. All the features in Halo 3 will be available in Recon, which means four-player online co-op will be included. We're not sure what form your co-op partners may take, but we're assuming they'll be fellow OSDTs.
Because Recon is based on the Halo 3 engine (likely modified slightly), the basic gameplay mechanics of the expansion will mirror those of the main game. That means it's first-person and not squad-based, contrary to some guesses by Halo fans. To clear up another misconception, the Bungie reps we spoke to said Halo 3: Recon is not a "stealth game," although it will have some stealth elements at points.
A recent Microsoft press release about the game said Recon "will require players to employ more elements of stealth and cunning than ever before." That may be true, but only because the Halo games have never really included those elements in the past. So a little stealth and cunning could go a long way toward making Recon an entirely new Halo experience.
There's still a ton we don't know about Halo 3: Recon. Who is the main character? What will his mission be? What new weapons, vehicles and enemies will be included? So far, Bungie isn't answering those questions, and there's a long wait before Fall 2009. What we do know is that Recon is "less of a galactic romp" (Bungie's words) than Halo 3, meaning you'll likely be limited to a smaller area of play than the parent game.
While Bungie stopped short of saying the game would take place entirely in New Mombasa, they indicated that the environment seen in the Keep It Clean trailer is typical of what you'll see throughout the experience.
Halo fans are used to hearing the guiding words of the Cortana AI in their ear as they battle the Covenant forces, and Recon promises to introduce another computerized helper that's quite different from what Halo fans are used to. Dubbed the Superintendent, this virtual character is an urban infrastructure AI on New Mombasa. How he'll play into the story is still unknown.
We asked Bungie's Jarrard if the company views Recon as a possible new franchise in the Halo universe that could split off and become its own product in the future (a la Halo Wars, which Microsoft plans to expand). But Jarrard said the team has no plans to do another Recon game and that the expansion is more of a labor of love for the company.
"This is our answer back for our fans," who have supported Halo 3 to the tune of 9.5 million unique players since the game launched.
When Halo 3: Recon launches, it will come bundled with two map packs that will be released as DLC beforehand. One is titled the Mythic Map Pack (coming early 2009) and another is still unnamed. Not only will Recon include a full 1,000 Achievement points, but the Mythic pack will have new Achievements of its own.
That's about all we know about Halo 3: Recon so far, but we'll be bringing you updates on this standalone retail expansion (sorry, no downloadable version) in the months to come.
Halo Recon not Full Price
Campaign to weigh in at 3 to 5 hours.
Halo 3: Recon, the standalone expansion pack that finally broke cover at this year's TGS, will not be a $60 game, with the campaign running to some three to five hours in length.
Teased for an eternity and controversially missing this year's E3, Halo 3: Recon takes a different perspective on Bungie's lauded Xbox 360 shooters. Details are still relatively scarce, but the latest issue of Game Informer – scrutinised by Joystiq – is suggesting that Halo Recon's campaign will be a brief affair that will see it retail at a budget price point.
Information or source information above provided by IGN.com
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