Halo 3: ODST is the fourth game in the series developed by Bungie and has promised to take Halo in a new direction, offering new game play mechanics and weapons that will take the player on a journey through the eyes of a new hero.  The ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers also known as Hell Jumpers) are an elite group of soldiers that love to drop into combat by means of an orbital drop pod similar to what you would imagine a futuristic parachute to be.  The ODSTs do not have the cybernetic enhancements that Spartans like the Master Chief would have, so there have been some game play changes that limit the player to make them feel more human.  You are physically weaker so your melee damage has been reduced.  Your jumping ability has been stunted and you can no longer dual wield weapons and you don’t have the recharging shields.  But ODSTs do have their own exclusive toys to play with such as a visor mode that enhances your vision in dark places, reveals enemies, weapons, and key items:  two new suppressed weapons (an SMG and another attempt to resurrect the Halo 1 pistol).

This new installment into the Halo series takes place in New Mombasa. After your squad is dispatched, you find yourself separated from the group, lost in an unfamiliar city.  You need to locate your teammates and you have an entire open world environment to explore.  Along the way you will find equipment left behind by your comrades rewarding you by revealing their presence in certain locations.  After finding one of these items the player is given the opportunity to play a small segment telling the story of that particular soldier.  New Mombasa offers a rich and immersive environment to explore and the main campaign can be played cooperatively so that you can explore the ruins of New Mombasa with a friend.

Halo 3 ODST also includes a firefight mode where you and three other friends can take on countless waves of enemies racking up points with every kill.  All of the famous skulls from Halo 3 also come into play and with each wave of enemies changes the round with things like giving enemies extra health or resistance to certain weapons.

If value is your concern Halo 3: ODST comes bundled with a Halo 3 multiplayer disk that gives you full access to Halo 3’s multiplayer with every map from all of the available down-loadable content and three new maps that are exclusive to the Halo 3 multiplayer disk.  Halo 3’s multiplayer community is still going strong and you can still play with friends who don’t have the Halo 3 multiplayer disk as long as you only play the maps that shipped with Halo 3 or the available down-loadable content.  Along with full access to multiplayer, you also have Halo 3’s forge function to play with.  The forge function allows you to edit and build your own maps and game types to share with friends.  The overall value of the game rests on whether or  not you own a copy of Halo 3 and how much money you have already spent on downloadable content, but if this is your first Halo game than this is definitely a good deal.

I would give it a 7 out of 10 rating