The Ultimate Halo 3: ODST Critique
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
- Halo 3: ODST may not have been created by as large a development team at Bungie or with as big a budget as the trilogy which precedes it, but it still packs one hell of a punch regardless.
Telling the fragmented tale of the Rookie and the rest of Alpha Nine following their botched drop into New Mombasa during The Covenant’s invasion of Earth, Halo 3: ODST is an engaging side story featuring plenty of its own twists and turns.
This video is a supercut of my work covering Halo 3: ODST, a level-by-level examination of Bungie's incredible campaign plus a few extra thoughts regarding New Mombasa itself which can only be heard here.
If you enjoy the video, do consider subscribing, and thanks for watching!
#halo #halo3 #bungie
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Contents:
00:00 - Intro
00:36 - Tayari Plaza
09:05 - Uplift Reserve
17:19 - Mombasa Streets
22:21 - Kizingo Boulevard
30:08 - ONI Alpha Site
38:03 - NMPD HQ
45:25 - Kikowani Station
55:53 - Data Hive
01:06:52 - Costal Highway - เกม
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Similar videos on the rest of Bungie's Halo games can be found in this playlist: th-cam.com/video/8ategIIFlN4/w-d-xo.html&pp=gAQBiAQB
Babe, wake up. New Halo 3: ODST critique dropped
alright
alright
Alright just what I needed
alright
Be right there. Need to finish the fight first.
For the Superintendent Dialog "Final Notice: Bill Past Due", first it's important to note that the Super can only speak in pre-recorded snipits of dialog. Other quotes include things like "BRIDGE TOLL ACCEPTED. HAVE A PLEASANT TRIP" and "LOST-AND-FOUND ITEM! DISABLING SECURITY SHUTTER!". This means that all of his dialog can be expected to have double meanings that are often a little stretched. For instance I believe he refers to the ODSTs themselves as "Lost and found items". In this case I think "bill past due" is basically him saying the elites got what was coming to them. His people were enslaved by the covenant, so seeing this infighting is probably some kind of cathartic. Plus, with all of the Dante's Inferno themes, this is also possibly referencing the overdue punishment of the treacherous, the most reviled sinners in the Inferno.
i absolutely LOVE Superintendent and how they made it such a small yet critical part of the story!
"A small development team" meanwhile, now, the full Halo team can't pull together a new complete game anywhere near the level of interest generated by this game.
Fun fact about the start of NMPD HQ, if you trade weapons with Buck, his AR will also be partially loaded following his spray at the banshees in the cutscene
Finding all of those computer terminals in the over world, even with a guide, is a nightmare.
Your Halo review videos are a fun way of re-enjoying them. Thanks!
Pleasure's all mine dude!
Should we ever get a sequel I'd love them to lean more into the actual odst side of gameplay. For as great as the game is it still feels like you're playing just a slightly weaker spartan. Give us a wider range of equipment and weapons that force players to be a little more cunning to deal with enemy squads. They could go the republic commando route and really lean into squad mechanics in general, I mean the cast of Alpha 9 already have a varied skillset. We got 2 silenced weapons but stealth is not really a mechanic at all, they could build upon that too.
Ya that was always the funny thing, I remember them talking about it like your just a human not a spartan, so like no shields! But you have a stamina system...which is just totally shields without the shields sounds.
Well realistically, and judging from the information of the original novels, one hit to the chest from a regular plasma pistol shot would melt your torso. So I don't see any feasible way of making any sort of Halo game where you play as a regular human actually fun. Like one hit and it's back to checkpoint. Sometimes you gotta just accept that yes it still feels like you're a spartan even though you're supposed to just be a soldier, but you gotta have fun while you play too.
@GLARebel romeo takes a gravity hammer strike to the torso and lives. You don't need to add realism. You can still give the player a regular health bar that they could patch up with medkits, just make it a more in depth that what was there in odst. Make level design where the player can pick and choose their battles etc.
they killed the rookie off in a book :(
@@GLARebel Yes kinda like rainbow six but in halo universe, where you have to plan your attack to be flawless and rapidly executed instead of a regular shooter
Loved how the beginning of this one tied in with the end of the metropolis levels of Halo 2.
It's a really clever idea - love that they tied in the downed space elevator you can see during Tsavo Highway in 3 as well.
I have a feeling bungie wanted to compensate for the Halo 2 E3 demo with this game specifically
I had no idea about the dialogue in Kikowani Station when you fly to the limit, this is why I love your videos. You always find small details I’ve never seen before in each game despite multiple playthroughs! Thank you for the awesome reviews as always
For the price at the time it was outrageous due to halo 3 and what it brought but looking back, I think still think the price is ridiculous but still not as egregious as the modern gaming scene but for the style and vibe of the whole game and giving a more personal look into one of Halo’s more badass soldiers, I think it still stands as one of the more unique games bungie has put out
Coastal Highway being anyone's favorite mission in ODST is terrifyingly insane to me. How anyone can enjoy the highway escort on Legendary is beyond me. That section is by far the most difficult part of any LASO campaign as well. Either way, love your content!
I play the OST on a regular basis.
And when it's raining. No excuses.
If there's rain. I'm blasting this full volume.
Dude these get a criminally low amount of views they are actually so good
Yeah he does a great job.
He'll get there
1:04:40 Dare is the first to point her gun in the default cutscene, as seen at 1:03:45. It is a reflexive action because they just got out of a big firefight.
A shame ODST never showed the elites and brutes fighting, only the dead elites on the ground.
I actually liked that, we as players already know about the schism but at this time in the lore alot of humanity was in the dark. So we get to see the start of said war from the character's perspectives.
I think the elites and brutes were originally meant to fight. The elites are on the “covenant” team and the brutes are on the “prophets” team in the game code (same as Halo 3). Unlike Halo 3, the “covenant” team in ODST is not allied with the player. So if the elites were alive with functioning AI, they would’ve fought the brutes and the player. If the elites were always meant to be dead, then why would they remove the ally status?
My first Halo game and still my favourite.
The opening crawl and cutscenes did a great job telling me everything I needed to know as a newcomer to the series and looking back I enjoy how it's a fairly down to earth sci-fi war story, rather than the bombastic campaigns of the main games with stakes of galactic proportions. The music also slapped harder than in any other entry
FINALLY... ITS FUCKING HERE.. Been waiting for this. You do so much an amazing job understanding what gamers want. In my personal opinion The Act Man does the best job but you are a so very close second. However you don't make the jokes or pander. It's more pure and while he seems to have more enthusiasm; it's quite possible he has a similar outlook seeing as we were apparently the same age. Your work is timeless and is more easily accessible. Perhaps I've begun to ramble but I have a such powerful desire for your videos not matched by many. I'm so excited to watch this and will comment again when I'm finished. 🎉🎉. Tha k you so much for your hard work. I've tried making videos and editing is a witch with a capital B. Just know you do not go unappreciated.
actman is fine except he gets himself into unnecessary drama.
Halo 4 is better
@rm25088 indeed, he's willing to say things mote outlandish and in turn its bound to get him to some situations that are less than desirable. As I stated in the comment previously he does pander on occasion too. These two in unison, amongst other things can definitely rub people the wrong way.
I always figured the bill past due statement was an observation of the complete incompatibility of the elites and brutes as well as the eventuality of a violent confrontation between the two member races of the covenant.
In Boulevard kizingo at the start of the mission, if you wait around a minute without attacking the wraith a group of marines appear on the rooftop of one of the buildings next to the street you appear and destroy the wraith, my guess is that was a safe guard in case the player misses or ignores that wraith
I despise the drones in halo, but the hive is actually fun for me. Why? One simple reason: The drones you meet down there have less health than other drones. You can one shot them with the rifles you find down there. Normal non-hive drones take 2 shots. My guess is they are worker drones or just newly born with weaker exoskeletons or something. Either way it's a nice bit of gameplay tweaking to make the hive not only bearable, but actually fun.
2nd best Halo game behind CE. The best soundtrack, best atomosphere and no really awful parts. Mombassa Streets as a hub was ambitious and incredible. Still hoping we eventually get another similar game, one day.
ODST is probably my favorite title in the Halo franchise. It and Halo: Reach are probably the ones I go back and play the most.
The best way to handle the Warthog in Uplift Reserve is to drive it yourself, have a Marine as gunner, and give the passenger Marine your Spartan Laser (you can find another one later on in the mission). While the AI isn't the best when it comes to pathing when driving, it is still pretty solid at shooting, especially on higher difficulties. Giving the Spartan Laser to your passenger allows you to focus more on traversing the map while your allies deal with the surrounding vehicles/enemies.
I will doggedly sit in the turret seat losing my mind every time I play it haha. Master Chief driving instead of shooting is outrageous!
Yup, even though the characters suck except for (silent) Rookie. The Dare and Romeo relationship is just terrible.
@@BenPlaysGames Fair enough XD It's just something I've learned from playing the campaigns on Solo Legendary, especially with Halo 3 and ODST. It's that the difficulty setting doesn't just effect the enemy AI but the friendly AI too. Giving them power weapons (especially when they never ran out of ammo in earlier titles) was a pretty great way to make some areas a bit more easy to get through because your allies can be just as deadly with their weapons as the enemies on Legendary. Especially when it comes to something like a Gauss Hog. You're allies can be downright deadly on the turret with near pinpoint accuracy.
So there is that, and I know that if I'm driving the vehicle, I'm less likely to go over a cliff or get wedged against some parts of the map like the AI does to me more often than not LOL.
Hear me out... 6-part mini series following an ODST squad during the events of Reach
Ben, I've casually watched your Halo analyses for a little while now and I must say, you are a hidden gem of a TH-camr. You do a great job of being positive and not being too negative with your constructive criticisms, while doing a great job of understanding what makes games good or bad and how to achieve that. Even though I haven't retained much interest in video games into my adulthood, I must say that I will nonetheless enjoy continuing to watch your content. Keep on keeping on; wishing you all the best.
Thanks mate, I really appreciate that. And best wishes to you too!
-In reference to the "Data Hive" section (--56:10--) there is no limit to how influential James Cameron & the movie "Aliens" were to the whole Halo series. -and in the very best ways. Artists always source their creativity to inspirations in their life, in their past- Bungie is no different. Imho I think they did so in the very best ways- and we are all benefitting from it.
I know you really only examine and critique the games but I love the way you see and understand the games. I would love more than anything to see what a rewrite would look like in your perspective and story telling.
Virgil is one of my favorite characters in this game
Dropped as my shift started, great way to start the day, thankyou Ben
The fact that odst had a tiny budget and is still a better game that halo 4 and 5 says so much about bungies ability to tell a good story and make a great game. It still felt like halo even though it took a massive shift in its story focus. And same with reach. I will admit i absolutely love infinate though. I think infinate is a great sign that 343 may finally be taking a step in a direction that could bring halo back into the spotlight
Love these full game videos! Hoping Halo Wars 1 is in your future for these level analysis!!
Nice one Woodsy! I will at some point for sure. Unfortunately, I lost all the footage for that and a few other games due to a HD malfunction, so have to replay a load of stuff whenever I can find the time.
ODST is honestly my 3rd favorite campaign behind CE and 2
It comes in as Bungie's lowest ranked game for me, but that's only because of its scale (which part and parcel of the limited resources available). Longer missions and a more involved open world, and there's definitely a world where this could have been my second fav.
For the Tayari plaza Super Dialog for :Final Notice, Bill Past Due: is to make the player so down, its an attention grabber, and as the dialog is said, you pass a door you can go through to the left, which unlocks a bonus dialog if you explore the area, if i'm not mistaken.
But like another user below @powernade, it can also mean that.
Ahhh, Halo3 ODST, if only they gave you the budget and development time of the major titles. Still, you hold your own and that's impressive
In the uplift reserve map you can cheese it if you grab a ghost immediately and just skip to the end.
Personally this is one of my favorite halo games (like maybe 2nd, but definitely top 3.) I just love the switch from playing as a super soldier whose mission is the most important to saving humanity. Compared to ODST where you’re a human who at points in the game is just trying to survive. I really wish we got more games like ODST I like the switch up.
Anytime anyone says you take to long to make videos, just say "You wanna do this? This aint a job you want to rush." 😂
As a Soldier myself now if i think about it hearing the Roocky "only" had served 5 Years is actually quite alot. Yes for a Civilian 5 years is not much wörking in a Company but considering being a Soldier in a long lasting War against Aliens without dieing is quite the Achivement. Maybe the Roocky wasnt always in a fight but imagine surviving 5 Years in such conditions. I mean our Veterans from WWI and WWII had similar expierience. Thats why i would count Roocky as a Veteran too. The fact that he is called "Roocky" maybe means he just recently joined the ODSTs and thats a name all get when joining.
Seeing Halo 3 ODST from the perspective of an Soldier is very fascinating.
It's funny that when oni alpha site is destroyed his symbol turns to an angry face.
I'd say the engineer/AI didn't enjoy the drone hive being woken up
Is the environmental story telling the best it’s ever been in the series with Mombasa streets?
Edit: Besides 343 guilty spark obviously
More Than His Share is fantastic
I agree wholheartedly.
Sorry, I'm a little late to the comments here. I just finished watching all of these individual episodes and now I'll rewatch them all again. I love your analytical views Ben! I would genuinely love to hear you talk about the Souls games so much. I don't know if you are care for them at all but I would enjoy you to if you ever have the interest.
When I get some some free time I'll have to play ODST again sometime.
ODST is one of my favorite halo games probably my number 1 but also love Reach
i am SO happy that you put this out. as someone who endorses the hell out of this after remembering G4's review on TV as a kid knocking this down ONLY because it wasn't our big green hero always gets a chuckle outta me. this may be the only halo that stands apart from the rest of it's family and wears its heart on it's sleave. the music being a total feast and delight and it is really a shame that 343 got rid of all Bungies loving messages and inclusions but i think the worst offence they did was not showing us the different cutscene when meeting Virgil. as someone who totally loves ODST i got all the logs and still didnt get that so i am very thankful you included it! For this being the first video of yours ive come across i very much look forward to all the other little things ive missed in the series.
Imagine how short ODST would be if everyone listened to the Superintendent from the start.
The Rookie is the only one that used his help if I'm correct I could be wrong though.
Great video! I loved it! But I do have a question: you mentioned the music (rightfully) as it enhances & helps drive the story & intensity of the story but why wasn't samples of this important element included in the video? As you pointed out- it is really important to the game, is there a reason it wasn't demonstrated in the critique?
Thank you for making these videos!
This is one of my favorite games of all time thanks for the great video
If you lay fire on the drones as they're coming out of their hives, Data Hive is not that bad. The level as a whole is one of the most underrated levels in any Halo game imo (although I also like the Library, so take that for what it's worth)
Oh man, if they implemented the ODST style of Story Telling into the open world of Halo: Infinite like you said, it would of been amazing. There were just so many cool stories to tell about the battles we were out of commission for.
Fuck, me and the boys wanted a second game so badly
Yessss, been waiting on this one!
the gravity lift pad that you talked about at around 16 minutes in I wonder if pad like that are why the gravity lift beam is on during halo 2 Mombasa missions
Just wow. Love that you didn't phone in the final stretch!
Thanks dude! And never, go hard or go home.
@@BenPlaysGames omg hi Ben! Love ur videos! :)
I beat this one on legendary a month or so ago and it was definitely up there with one of the hardest. When is the ODST Legendary live stream?
I found it a lot easier than 2! 😂
@@sandman8920 Yeah it definitely was lol. Sniper jackals are ridiculous.
I personally find NMPD HQ to be a really weak level. As you said, the early parts of the level have very little variation between locations. I also find the lighting of the mission terrible, less from an artistic perspective and more from a gameplay perspective. If you play with recommended brightness settings then the skybox turns the set and enemies into silhouettes abs they become very difficult to see. Using the VISR mode to enhance the brightness not only make the skybox even brighter but also reveals a yellow haze thrift the level that washes out and obscures whatever you're looking at. The final section with the rooftop standoff where you and the rest of the squad have a lot of powerful weapons can be fun but I find often to be more tedious than anything, especially on higher difficulties. The turrets get broken when you get shot quite easily drastically reducing your available ammo, the number of phantoms that come in to deliver troops feels like it won't end, and taking out the banshees with rockets feels up to luck, especially because the rocket launcher, like in Halo 3, does not have any ability to track vehicles.
Please, never stop making youtube videos.
Ha I'll do my best!
Data Hive kinda gives The Library vibes. I cannot elaborate further.
Ok so great video but there are 3 wombats in Dutch's intro, 5 if you count the two that go overhead once you switch to a first person perspective. I guess 2 if you only count the first person. I don't know why this bothered me so much but it kinda did haha. Still as I said, great video.
As for the "Bill past due" it could be a reference to the trouble brewing in the Covenant, the idea that this tension that's now starting to explode has been building up for a long time. It's not exactly clear how much information the Superintendent has on the Covenant/ when it merges with the engineer. Of course the reference could be more meta, the player knows about the tensions that have been brewing, even if Superintendent doesn't. So it could be a nod to that in that sense.
OR it could just simply be the "Final notice" part of the message that is really what's important. A reference to the death of the Elites, and the other part of the message is fluff, without there being much more to dig into.
Finally found out how to cut diamonds I see, this is going to be great😂(obligatory comment for the algorithm)
Appreciate it dude!
YES
NMPD HQ is my favorite out of all the missions on ODST, specially the last sequence, the chieftain falls and Buck screams scatter to avoid getting the whole group slayed, the brute gets the officer first, since he is the closest to him, with a powerful swing of his hammer which he later transitions into a wild spiral slash with the bladed end of the hammer against Romeo since he has the strongest weapon, that being the sniper and he is behind him. Romeo dodges the slash and counters with a shot of the sniper to the chieftain's head who also dodges it by bending his knees a little while resting the hammer on the ground prepping it for a crushing blow, Romeo sees this so he starts to back away while the chieftain is rushing him then he takes a second shot, removing the armor on the chieftain's shoulder. However the chieftain being the beast he is shrugs off that massive blow and slams down the hammer pinning Romeo into the tube-like structure, followed by a rotation of the hammer so as to assure a killing blow against the ODST, as he is swinging the bladed end of the hammer Romeo notices it and tries to shield himself with his sniper rifle but receives a devastating blow on his chest, puncturing his right lung and effectively leaving him out of comission. The chieftain noticing that Romeo is still alive, removes the damaged sniper rifle from his hammer and strikes again against Romeo's head (more like neck IDK) which is interrupted by Buck who climbs on the chieftain's back making him miss his killing blow.
It's a really cool choreographed scene once you realize that Romeo and the chieftain are actually playing 4D chess with each other.
There is definetly a potential challange beating halo missions under the time you need to analyse them.
Odst is always gonna be my favorite legendary campaign
He has the exaggerated swagger of a Rookie.
For me I feel like HALO 3 ODST is a game that gives you a back story for Halo 3. Halo 3 ODST has a lot of Highs and lows for the games there are a lot of things that are great and there are some things that could've been better with the campaign each level has its own mission Orbital drop is basically just a cutscene Mombasa streets Is one level split into multiple sections where you have to explore the night streets to find your team but the disappointing part with Mombasa streets is the fact that you are just going around and around with the only thing that changes on each version is the doors some are locked on other levels they will be unlocked. Tayari plaza is a level that I feel is a level that helps you get a better understanding of the game. Uplift Reserve Is a level that feels like you are roaming around a desert taking on covenant and vehicles your objective starts with you having to secure the covenant carriers old Landing Zone then once the space elevator collapses your objective changes to escape any way you can. Kizingo Boulevard Is a level that has similarity's to Assault on the control room from halo CE. you spend most of the level blasting your way through the city and then your run in a tank comes to an end then you help Dutch fight of a bunch of skirmishers then the level is complete. ONI Alpha site is one level that has some great fire fight vibes throughout the level the only disappointment of the level is treats the gameplay as a bit of a running race where you don't get much time to actually fight the covenant once you arm the charges on the bridge and activate the detonators you are told instantly to move to the next area then you get to the next area and you start shooting the covenant after a couple of minutes you are told to move to the top of the hill then a minute or so later you are then told to move inside the ONI building so you can fend of more intruders until you move to the top for extraction it would of been a bit more fun where it gave you the mission like in other halo levels where you need to secure the area before moving on. NMPD HQ is a level that gives you a great feeling of target practice where you play as Romeo to shoot covenant with a sniper rifle which is fun but the only disappointing part is you are told to take the first shot the ne you do all hell breaks lose and the battle begins well it would've made it a bit better if they made it like the level Truth and reconciliation you start the level shooting everyone in site then once there all dead then the covenant start to react the same thing could've happen on halo 3 the ark you have the opportunity to take out all the covenant before fellow marines move in anyway after that you are moving through multiple sections until you reach the bridge then you start fight phantoms and banshees. Kikowani station Is a level that has a few similarity's to New Alexandria you spend the level flying around in a banshee for the entire level destroying as much as you can before moving into the next area you have a brief scarab battle that i feel is to easy regardless of what difficulty your on then the level comes to an end. Data hive is a level that you explore of structure killing everyone sight there isn't really much to say about it really. Coastal Highway is a level that I love based on all the scenery covenant ships appearing out of no where and glassing the entire city you spend the first half of the level driving across of a very long bridge in a mixture of different vehicles then you have to spend the remaining moments defending against covenant until extraction then you finally see the destruction of New Mombasa. There are a few disappointments in the game like the longevity of each individual level the lack of enemies in certain areas The choice of vehicles but at the same time Halo 3 ODST is a great game
love this game
1:13:18 more evidence that the entire game took place over one night.
Even the inital landing took place in the afternoon of the previous day. So yup, 12 hours of almost continuous combat for most of alpha 9, minimum.
I have tried 4 different times to play odst and I can not find my way out of the maze of the streets. The first part. Maybe im just trash at halo, idk...
YEESSS!!!! My favorite Halo😆!!!
I hated this game when it came out. I don't know if I even beat it, because I hated the roaming around at night in circles. 43:40
Oh yes.
🥳🥳🥳🥳
Commenting for engagement
Ben do you wanna play sometime?
That's why you don't let the AI drive!
Idk why idk how but my nostalgia kicks in whenever I see new videos of Halo during its BETTER days
Unfortunately now we have garbage like H: Infinite 😒
Actually the best game in the series
it's a cute game
Love it.
the main thing odst did wrong, is that the was never more
nice vid, but if you disable adblocker and put 2min+ ads in an upload again then I’m unsubbing.
that's youtube not him
Dimbass you realize people have zero control over TH-cam ads right? Cut away ads get forcefully spliced in even channels with no viewers of videos will have ads on a video idiot
HALO 4 was better
3hrs ago