Word on the street is that some folks are unhappy with Halo 3: ODST's price point being that of a full game, when initially it was hailed as a "standalone expansion." While I do agree the backpedal to a full-game price point, after statements were made that it would not be so, was a less than savory move, I'd have to say there's enough content to justify the switch.

For starters, let's discuss the biggest hype magnet on the two discs, Firefight mode. Similar in many ways to Gears Of War 2's Horde mode, this new multiplayer co-op experience pits you against wave after wave of Covenant with up to three friends, scoring you based on your kill count, what was killed, and in some cases, how you killed it. It's refreshing to see a more interesting, team-based experience than the "grab some dudes and play the story again" co-op that's been a staple in previous Halo games.



Firefight also comes with its own set of maps which, while not playable in Halo 3 proper (yet?), seem well-tailored to the experience. It's nice to see some new locales, especially ones that will be familiar to anyone who plays through the campaign mode, rather than relying on existing multiplayer maps which may have presented problems, even keeping within one size range. There have been some groans about the lack of a matchmaking mode in Firefight, but honestly? In a situation where I'm trusting three other people to watch my back and be complicit in mass murder of an alien onslaught, I would much sooner check my friends list and send some invites than put my life in the hands of some prepubescent with a penchant for calling everyone else a "fag" if things start turning hairy mid-wave.

Since we're already on the Gears comparison track, let's continue by comparing the campaign modes of these two games, with their similar themes and similarly rabid fanbases. Many of the complaints of overpricing stem from the fact that ODST's story nets you an experience from six to eight hours in length, depending on how much extra stuff you do. Reports say that this is about the same amount of game time in Gears 2 outside of multiplayer, and plenty people paid full price for that and Horde mode without complaining. Hmm.



Playing as an ODST in and of itself is refreshing without being too jarring for those who've already spent many an hour in a Mjolnir suit (or Sangheili battle armor, if that's what rubs your rhubarb). The stamina/life bar system is more reminiscent of the very first Halo's health setup, which is almost as nice a throwback for series oldbies as the return of the pistol's dominance. Still, being a mere man being pitted against some of the Covenant's heaviest hitters gives players incentive to rewrite their standard playbook.

The story itself is rewarding as well, especially for those prone to fanwanking over Halo's backstory and universe, and while there are still some holes left (what did Buck ask Dare that morning, anyway?) once things wrap up, and your teammates besides Buck are pretty much just there for flavor, the vignette as whole fleshes out what happened in New Mombassa rather nicely. Additionally, the description for the "meet the characters" vidoc mentions that Buck survived Reach, so I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see him show up, even briefly, in that forthcoming Halo title.

Then there's the second disc that comes with ODST. When they say you get the full multiplayer package, you get the full multiplayer package. All of the matchmaking capabilities, maps, game variants, filesharing, and Forge mode from the original Halo 3 are on the disc, as well as every single map pack available as downloadable content, and the last three whose achievements have been teasing players for quite some time. That's $40 worth of material, if you count both halves of the Mythic pack, three maps apiece, as costing $10.

Some players may feel cheated by this, having already downloaded the maps before, but such is the price of early adoption. Did you have fun playing those maps when they came out? If not, feel free to feel hosed, but otherwise, shush. Really, it's like yelling at any company that's released a GOTY edition of their game with extra content a year or more after the game's initial release. If anything, having all the maps on one disc frees up some room on your hard drive, which never hurts. That, and no worries of re-downloading things in the rare case of hard drive failure.

So to recap, what you're getting may have originally been dubbed an "expansion" and estimated to cost $40 rather than a full $60, but it comes with $40 of maps, and to top it off, a ticket to the Beta for Halo: Reach when the time comes. Even without the dulcet tones of Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, and Tricia Helfer gracing the player's ears, you'd be getting more than your money's worth.

So please, tell me what the problem is here.



...though I will concede that having nothing more than a pretty controller in the "Collector's Edition" is a slap in the face after all the sweeter Collector's versions of previous Halo games. Had the figure Toys R Us was offering been thrown into the bundle, with a sweeter box, I might have considered it.





...and If they're going to keep hiring Firefly people, can we please get the rest of the cast in on this? Jewel Staite and Morena Baccarin as more sexy AIs, or even just female Spartans in Reach, please.