Microsoft sure know how to put on a good show, and how to make their guests happy with an overload of good food. On Thursday August 6th, XBox Australia hosted a VIP event on Sydney's Cockatoo Island in preparation for the release of Halo 3: ODST. An expansion which has evolved into stand-alone product, it marks a departure from previous Halo titles by introducing non-linear gameplay and a new less heavily armed playable character - the Orbital Drop Shock Trooper.
After barely making it to the ferry that was to take us to Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour, I was greeted by by a boat full of geeks eagerly playing with their iPhones and ignoring the beautiful harbour in front of them. Upon arrival at the dilapidated industrial island that was at various times an imperial prison, industrial school, jail and shipyard, we were led through a 150 m long tunnel in darkness, save for the distant rat-tat-tat of gunfire and Nathan Fillion's (who voices "Buck" in the game) distinctive tones. Eventually we arrived at the presentation site: large flat screens under a green fluorescent glow fronted by the life-size replica of a Warthog built by the WETA Workshop in New Zealand (of Lord of the Rings fame).
WETA general manager Tim Launder was in attendance and gave the first presentation describing the "cool shit" (TM) his company is responsible for. Originally built for the proposed Halo movie to be produced by Peter Jackson, the Warthog is a fully functioning four-wheel-drive multi-terrain vehicle and the star of the live-action Halo short films floating around on the net. A custom WETA design from the Bungie brief, it is fitted with a turbocharger, roll cage and has the ability to withstand a fall of 20 feet. It can switch between two wheel and four wheel drive, and has a special "crab" mode where it is able to drive sideways and diagonally. Reportedly it drives in real life much like it does in the game, which means it's a tricky, slidey little sucker (as anyone who's seen the You Tube video of the low speed crash into the of side of a warehouse would attest). Unfortunately, the event was at night and we were not able to see the machine in action.
After Tim, Bungie's Curtis Creamer took to the stage and made a presentation much the same as the one given at E3, demonstrating the early stages of the game's campaign. Halo 3: ODST finds you as "The Rookie", a UNSC soldier in New Mombasa. Unlike Master Chief, ODSTs more lightly armoured and players hence have to be more cautious about engaging multiple enemies at once - health and shields, for one, do not automatically regenerate though you do posses more advanced navigation systems. Dropped into the city, you become separated from your teammates. As you find evidence of their whereabouts, you control their characters in flashback. This gives the player the power to let the narrative unfold in an order they see fit. This branching structure and the open planned city makes the game much less linear than its forbearers.
Aside from these two elements and the addition of new weapons including a powerful pistol reminiscent of the original, the gameplay remains largely the same as earlier Halos. The AI seemed predictable - sure, they jump away from grenades and take advantage of rudimentary cover (diving behind walls, etc.) - but exhibited little in the way of autonomy. An extensive map system aids players in navigating the open world environment and is especially useful in the cooperative mode to set waypoints for teammates.
Following the brief presentation attendees were allowed to test out this cooperative "firefight" mode. Played with up to 4 teammates through a system link, players face endless ways of random enemies of increasing difficulty. With no defined endpoint, players can continue until they exhaust their allocated number of lives. While most of the attendees seemed impressed, many were more interested in snapping pictures of friends in the Warthog and indulging in the culinary treats on offer. After a mere 45 minutes or so of gameplay, the night had come to an end and we were ushered back towards the ferry.
While the original Halo was undoubtedly a landmark, I confess to never really been much of a fan of the series, and this new incarnation which draws upon the sandbox style of shooter done so well in Farcry 2, does little to change that. Nonetheless, while ODST could hardly be considered innovative it at least appears like a polished product that should offer fans more content than just a mere expansion pack.
Halo 3: ODST will be released on September 22, 2009.
Halo 3: ODST Press Junket
