My ODST Ventures

I succumbed! I'll admit, I did view Halo 3: ODST as a bit of a cheeky money draw for Halo fans, but that didn't stop me from purchasing it today. I did plan to make use of the shop's 7-day free return policy, so it wasn't really that big of a deal however. I won't write too much now as I've only begun playing, but already I have a few opinions about Bungie's new Halo entry - some good, some bad.

New plot aside, ODST is frying my mind in regard to navigation. I'll admit it was almost as though being spoon-fed, but I'm longing for the closed worlds of Halo 3 in this strange, partially open-world of Halo 3: ODST. If it wasn't so dark, I'd be okay, but I find the majority of gameplay is through my night-vision and walking around in circles. For someone trying to find all clues and audio files, it poses a real pain in the neck. In addition, I can't stay in my VISR database for very long to check the map because it doesn't stop the gameplay, often leading to me being shot half to death while I mindlessly search for the next checkpoint.

Other than some hiccups with the navigation and objective system, the gameplay, scenery, weapons and enemies are good. I will say that as of yet, the plot hasn't been that inspiring or difficult and the whole flashback schtick seems a bit gimmicky, but with trepidation I will soldier on. I'm hoping that firefight will lighten my spirits - it's good see that they have included skulls and several other features to distinguish the game mode from numerous others in Gears Of War or Left 4 Dead. So bear with me - my view may wax and wane as I go along, and I'm really hoping that ODST won't have to be returned.