User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1697 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Mar 1, 2011
    4
    One of the biggest disappointments I've ever had to suffer. I'm a long time Halo fan, and while I don't exactly love Bungie, I trusted them to deliver a great experience. I'd already given up hope for a great campaign since Halo 2, and all I really cared about was playing survival Halo. I was initially taken aback that a game Bungie themselves had dubbed an "expansion to Halo 3", with anOne of the biggest disappointments I've ever had to suffer. I'm a long time Halo fan, and while I don't exactly love Bungie, I trusted them to deliver a great experience. I'd already given up hope for a great campaign since Halo 2, and all I really cared about was playing survival Halo. I was initially taken aback that a game Bungie themselves had dubbed an "expansion to Halo 3", with an estimated price for $40 was now being marketed as a full game (thankfully Amazon gave me $10 back soon afterwards). Loading up into the campaign, I was almost immediately struck at how.. well.. bad it was. The cutscene animations are laughably poor, and the characters are all bland stereotypes. The storytelling was rather annoying, as between levels you'd have to "explore" an extremely repetitive New Mombasa while fighting outposts of Brutes (more like driving past them with a ghost you steal) and then searching for 10 minutes to find the next "clue". Somehow this piece of garbage reveals an extremely complicated story to your "rookie". Honestly, this is probably the worst Halo campaign in existence. Besides that, two things stuck out to me:
    1. Where in the hell are the elites? I personally hate fighting brutes; they're dumb, slow, and boring. Obviously since this game takes place about 2 seconds after the Master Chief fights with about a MILLION elites, you'd think there would be.. I don't know.. some elites left over. Well you'd be wrong. I'm not sure what the canon explanation is, but basically the H3 engine didn't have enemy AI coded into the elite characters, so we're stuck fighting Halo 3 elites before they even existed.
    2. You're supposed to feel different. You're supposed to feel like a smaller soldier, without super shields, who can't take on 50 brutes by himself. You don't. You still feel like a spartan, but you can see your hands this time. You still run and gun as you kill dozens of grunts and elites with superior firepower to your own. Yeah, you have to find healthpacks from time to time. Big woop. You definitely do NOT feel like a small fragile soldier, and there is no more strategy than previous Halo games offer.

    On to firefight.. boy what a disappointment. There is no defense strategy, there is no teamwork involved. Playing with 4 friends, we just got into a game and found the best strategy was to run our separate ways and kill as many enemies as possible. What makes this incoherent mess even worse is that you're forced to deal with these stupid skulls that turn on after a couple waves. These skulls force you to melee enemies to regain shields, to constantly dodge enemy grenades while yours are rendered ineffective, to deal with a terribly low supply of ammo. Do any of these things sound fun to you? They sure aren't. I knew they would offer the skulls for those looking for additional challenge, but to force them on you? Ridiculous. It ends up playing like a 4-player co-op campaign, except there's only one tiny level, and there's no story... and it's not even remotely fun.

    Some people loved the "storytelling" and "style" of this game, but ultimately, as a Halo fan, it was a huge disappointment. I played ODST for about a week before stopping altogether. Do I regret buying it? Not entirely. For one, I now have all the H3 maps on a single disk and my HDD has much more space. Two, I was able to complete the achievements towards getting Recon armor in H3. And finally, I was able to participate in the Reach beta. All that aside, I found this game terrible. I'm a HUGE Halo CE to Halo Reach fan, and I found this game TERRIBLE. Take from this what you will.
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  2. Oct 9, 2010
    0
    SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO boring its exactly the same as every single other halo and its just a overrated piece of rubbish, i cant actually believe i pre ordrered it. Biggest waste of money in my life !
  3. MikeW
    Jan 2, 2010
    4
    The story is very non flowing, even if it is good I couldn't tell because it's so choppy. The ruined Mombasa that you play for most of the game as the rookie is very dull and lifeless. It has it's moments and I was entertained but it really doesn't hold a candle to what the halo name has set itself to be.
  4. Aug 13, 2010
    1
    wow if by deffinition you mean a game company crapping out a turd into a box marketing it for $60 then this is the true deffinition of that . so first this was suppose to be a expansion pack which probubly woulda went for 1600 points if marked reasonably ... yeah right like bunjie would do that they have to rape you for every thing you are worth because they are greedy and know halo fanswow if by deffinition you mean a game company crapping out a turd into a box marketing it for $60 then this is the true deffinition of that . so first this was suppose to be a expansion pack which probubly woulda went for 1600 points if marked reasonably ... yeah right like bunjie would do that they have to rape you for every thing you are worth because they are greedy and know halo fans will pay any thing to get it no matter how bad it is. if this was atleast a 1600 point expansion like it was intended to be i could atleast give it a 6/10 . as is its a $60 overpriced expansion that took me all if 4 hours to beat and i didnt enjoy any of it . outdated graphics ... oh and you dont get to play as the master chief you get to play as some bozoo who just runs around living out what other people have done. then theres the gears 2 horde mode rip off fire fight which wasvately fun for a hour . playing this game felt like i was banished to hell . The halo series is beyond repair in my book . only positive note is i only borowed this game and didnt pay for it . if i did pay for it man id have been really pissed. Expand
  5. JayC.
    Sep 22, 2009
    0
    I pretty much paid $60 for a worthless expansion for the multiplayer maps... waste of my time Just another Halo from desperate Micro$oft.
  6. esp
    Sep 6, 2010
    4
    Perhaps Halo just isn't my thing, but this game is just dumb. The annoying childlike aliens, the (very) weak attempts at humor, the vague and contradictory mission objectives -- I played the first two missions and sold it back to the shop where I'd gotten it. There are many ways to get one's FPS fix, and this just didn't do it for me.
  7. Oct 16, 2010
    4
    Halo 3 ODST is by far the worst Halo game. The story is boring, there isnt really anything new about the game, exept the firefight mode,the game is short, the characters are stupid and the campaign totally sucks.This game should have been just a DLC for Halo 3, nothing more.
  8. Oct 27, 2010
    2
    The storyline was very short and ruined mombasa was a dissapointment. As well as that the storyline wasnt that good. If you want a better game at half the price just buy halo 3. dont buy this game
  9. Apr 30, 2013
    4
    This review in a word AWFUL
    Okay so Halo fans are likely to love this game but it really is nothing new. there is no new ground covered in this game and it simply feels like a cash in. The Game is a side story to the plot of Halo 3. This time instead of being the Master Chief you are a band of UNSC soldiers who crash and lose one another. The game is then about finding one another. Often
    This review in a word AWFUL
    Okay so Halo fans are likely to love this game but it really is nothing new. there is no new ground covered in this game and it simply feels like a cash in. The Game is a side story to the plot of Halo 3. This time instead of being the Master Chief you are a band of UNSC soldiers who crash and lose one another. The game is then about finding one another. Often you end a story arch by finding something of a team mates at the end of the level. Then you switch to that person and play their story. the thing is that I did not care. I never felt any form of bond with the characters or really care what they are going through. There was just nothing that made me feel this was worthy of a retail release. If this had been an expansion of Halo 3 it may just have been passable. Bungie just feel lazy. They have the same enemies in the same linear environments where you walk from A to B and then back to A. I breezed through the game on Legendary mainly due to indestructible team mates (AI) who are unbelievably good on turrets. I kept seeing my team mate run into a horde of Elites and be battered to hell and still be there 5 minutes later taking the beating. It was incredible and not in a good way. If you are a fan of the series then you will play this for that reason. If you are not that much of a fan and really still want to look at it then get it VERY VERY cheap else you will feel ripped off.
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  10. Jan 1, 2016
    2
    I can't believe how they sold this 69,99$ when it first came out, me and my friend finished the campaign in 4 hours in legendary, this is ridiculous, to me this is the worst halo in the series and it was a complete rip off...It should have stayed a DLC like it was planned at first! I'm giving 1 more point because it had the Halo 3 multiplayer with everymap... 1 + 1 = 2.
  11. Jun 27, 2011
    3
    when i was in the store with my money at hand just enough for a new game i was at walmart at the time when i saw halo 3 the game i always wanted after halo 2 came out i wanted more but somthing else caught my eye halo 3 odst i immedietly bought it today i regret that descicion for poor story line and even worse gameplay it is not a good choice at all
  12. Aug 9, 2011
    1
    Avoid this game at all cost total wast of time and money. If you've already bought this game I'm very sorry. Game play was terrible campaing was full of glitches and bugs. This game was a waste of time and money.
  13. Sep 28, 2011
    1
    Story is awful. I still couldn't complete the game because to unlock data hive (seond to last level) I had to do all the levels again. Not worth it- especially since it's not exciting, the gameplay is terrible, health system sucks compared to Reach and it's really dark. It's a badly made game.
  14. Sep 28, 2011
    4
    Halo ODST was a massive missed opportunity for Bungie. They could've actually crafted a game that broke from their previous efforts. They could've actually shown us what combat was like from a vulnerable human's point of view, instead of from a power armored supersoldier's point of view. Instead of walking around like some sort of shielded tank, maybe we'd be able to go prone and takeHalo ODST was a massive missed opportunity for Bungie. They could've actually crafted a game that broke from their previous efforts. They could've actually shown us what combat was like from a vulnerable human's point of view, instead of from a power armored supersoldier's point of view. Instead of walking around like some sort of shielded tank, maybe we'd be able to go prone and take cover and do interesting stuff. But they squandered it all, they just didn't give a damn.

    So you're an ODST. Well, I guess that means you're really vulnerable, right? You can't rely on shields to save your bacon, this gameplay's probably going to be a lot more like Rainbow Six, and even grunts will pose a considerable challenge... oh wait. No, no they didn't do that. There's still a shield, it's just now called stamina and it's hidden from the HUD.

    Well, you're just a human. I guess that means you can't break off machine gun turrets and lug them around and... oh wait. Yeah, I guess you can still break off turrets and walk around with them. You've still got superhuman strength. You can still carry Spartan lasers as if they weighed nothing, even though they're huge weapons that would probably strain a normal human.

    But hey, you're way way weaker than a Spartan II, you've probably got a much much weaker melee attack now, right? You probably can't deliver a couple of punches to kill grunts and Brutes and stuff, right? After all, regular humans don't have the superhuman strength to do that. Oh wait... yeah, I guess your melee attacks still kill them quickly. Your punches are still superhuman for some reason.

    But without the finely tuned motor reflexes and stabilizers of the Mjolnir armor, your aim is probably going to be really bad when you move a lot, right? I mean, your reticle is probably going to expand if you're running or strafing a lot, right? That's what happens when a human being moves rapidly while carrying a gun, their aim suffers. So that's surely... oh wait. Oh wait, that's not... that not what we get. The crosshair just remains static and perfectly accurate. Boy, that's not right is it?

    If you just expected more of the same, I guess ODST might've been just peachy-keen for you.
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  15. Jul 11, 2013
    3
    a $20 game sold for $60

    very mediocre and short single player, not worth replaying at all. Firefight is a new mode where you basically play horde mode, but you litterally play the same waves of enemies in the same order and getting the achievements takes forever. it's mind numbing an tedious. doesn't have it's own multiplayer vs mode, just gives you halo 3 again, wow thanks I
    a $20 game sold for $60

    very mediocre and short single player, not worth replaying at all.

    Firefight is a new mode where you basically play horde mode, but you litterally play the same waves of enemies in the same order and getting the achievements takes forever. it's mind numbing an tedious.

    doesn't have it's own multiplayer vs mode, just gives you halo 3 again, wow thanks I have halo 3 and it's DLC like every other fan of the series.

    I know this review is years late but people are talking about it again since halo 4 was bad and considered the worst in the series, but many forget how bad ODST was. worst in the series, WORSE than halo 4.
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  16. May 14, 2012
    1
    Oh wow, $60 for this 5 hr campaign with dick for replay ability and a **** horde mode rip off. **** you Bungie. You managed to ruin the Halo name without help from anyone else
  17. Dec 26, 2011
    4
    AWFUL campaing, Just **** garbage. Why people would like to see a story in mixed order is beyond me, Yeah it's not gonna make no sense if you do the second last mission then the second, but it just feels like a way to pad the game play, "Oh we have a 4-5 hour campaing, but instead of just telling a story, were gonna force you to walk around for 10 mins before you get to the next part ofAWFUL campaing, Just **** garbage. Why people would like to see a story in mixed order is beyond me, Yeah it's not gonna make no sense if you do the second last mission then the second, but it just feels like a way to pad the game play, "Oh we have a 4-5 hour campaing, but instead of just telling a story, were gonna force you to walk around for 10 mins before you get to the next part of the story" Firefight isn't online and the multiplayer is halo 3. Do not buy unless you don't have halo 3 anymore. even then halo 3 is dead sooooooo Expand
  18. Apr 22, 2012
    4
    Give your Halo character little health and change absolutely NOTHING else, and you have ODST. The gameplay mechanics are exactly the same, except you have bugger all health (jumping from fairly low heights can hurt you), the story is boring and forgettable, levels are repetitive (I HATED the night time level in the city) and this game is obviously just a cash ploy made by Bungie. We canGive your Halo character little health and change absolutely NOTHING else, and you have ODST. The gameplay mechanics are exactly the same, except you have bugger all health (jumping from fairly low heights can hurt you), the story is boring and forgettable, levels are repetitive (I HATED the night time level in the city) and this game is obviously just a cash ploy made by Bungie. We can wait for Halo Reach without crappy sequels to fill the gap. Expand
  19. Jun 27, 2015
    3
    Out of all the Halo games I've played, this one has been the worst. Couldn't play it for more than 20 minutes unfortunately. Running and gunning through uninspired areas full of ennemies not necessarily fun to fight with minimalist controls and gameplay really didn't do it for me.
  20. BruceC
    Oct 15, 2009
    4
    I have all of the Halo series games and have been a Halo fan from day one. I was really excited when I heard this game was going to be released in September. I got the game and finished the game in a few hours. When I got to the end, I said to myself, "Huh? What happened? Did I miss something?" I don't care about the price of the game, It's the content and playability of the I have all of the Halo series games and have been a Halo fan from day one. I was really excited when I heard this game was going to be released in September. I got the game and finished the game in a few hours. When I got to the end, I said to myself, "Huh? What happened? Did I miss something?" I don't care about the price of the game, It's the content and playability of the game that matters. As others have said previously, the play in the dark, then play in blinding light was just unacceptable. I thought the music score was excellent. I hated the side story that was presented in the kiosks about the human inhabitants of Mombassa, third and fourth graders would like it. And what the heck happened to the humans? Were you suppossed to find them somewhere in the city? This game had sooo much potential with multi-level capabilitiy within the buildings, and street levels. Too many doors that could have been explored were locked, There was too much time spent wandering through empty streets. The overall maps were huge, but they were not used to their fullest capability. ODST was a big disappointment. Expand
  21. DavidM
    Mar 4, 2010
    3
    Halo 3 odst really had my hopes up i thought it was going to be a fantastic game! But i was one stupid person for thinking this game will be good. I can go on and on and on about ranting this game. But first let me start with the cost when the game came out. 60$ for a crap campaign that i beat in one night, the firefight gamemode and the Halo 3 multiplayer expierience. I mean when i got Halo 3 odst really had my hopes up i thought it was going to be a fantastic game! But i was one stupid person for thinking this game will be good. I can go on and on and on about ranting this game. But first let me start with the cost when the game came out. 60$ for a crap campaign that i beat in one night, the firefight gamemode and the Halo 3 multiplayer expierience. I mean when i got the game I was woah cool a halo 3 multi disc sence my halo 3 game disc broke. But for me the game is stupid unpolished and super boring to me. I barley even touch the game the only reason why i am keeping it is because the multiplayer disc. Reason 2 The campaign: The campaign is a kind of open world thing when your the rookie but all he does (said in gameinformer) is that he just finds out about his squad mates awesome moments. the campaign was about 5 hours to me and the legendary difficulty is 1 whole clip to kill one brute! I beat legendary on the orginal but the legendary on halo 3 odst is just down right ridiculous. It just seems like bungie is bribeing the famous game companys to vote high on there game. Reason 3 Plays like original halo 3: Ok so you think there will be some cool new feature to the gameplay like lets say like sprinting? no its the exact same thing from halo 3 i know most of you will be like why is he whining about that... Well first of all halo 3 has been out forever! and you think if you play halo 3 alot it will get boring and yes it did. There is only 2 new weapons as well i mean a 60$ expansion with no new gameplay features besides the VISR... Come on bungie so greedy. Reason 4 Firefight: For me on halo 3 odst firefight was the best thing in there (Besides the multiplayer expierience) But i have a few proplems with it. What if i want to play with my friends at my house? No i cant i can only play with one of them sence its only 2 player Split-screen so no 3 or 4 player matches. Pretty stupid a 4 player survivor mode that 2 people can only play locally... And the last proplem in firefight there is no good maps. My favorite map on the campaign to hold off was the rooftops but that map was not on there. Expand
  22. EdmárcioS.
    Sep 22, 2009
    4
    It's not a new Halo game.
  23. Matthew
    Sep 23, 2009
    0
    I Cant Believe Bungie Made This. It part 3 Just wit a Shorter Story Mode It has All The Same maps of part 3 it only has 3new maps so Bungie charge everyone 60dollars for 3maps and a Pathetic 4hour story mode they should be arrested for robbing us i wud not give this game away. yet again Microsoft mess up another game just like Gears Of War 2 by forcing bungie making this that why haloI Cant Believe Bungie Made This. It part 3 Just wit a Shorter Story Mode It has All The Same maps of part 3 it only has 3new maps so Bungie charge everyone 60dollars for 3maps and a Pathetic 4hour story mode they should be arrested for robbing us i wud not give this game away. yet again Microsoft mess up another game just like Gears Of War 2 by forcing bungie making this that why halo reach will suck cuz bungie wont make it cause they didnt want to make this crap Expand
  24. SamM.
    Sep 26, 2009
    4
    Well it has a decent five hour campaign that fizzles out towards the end. Recycled Halo 3 multiplayer with the only new addition being Firefight. Sadly Firefight doesn't include matchmaking, which was one of the stupidest decisions Bungie could have made in my opinion. If you own Halo 3, and have already downloaded the new maps when they were released months ago, this game is not Well it has a decent five hour campaign that fizzles out towards the end. Recycled Halo 3 multiplayer with the only new addition being Firefight. Sadly Firefight doesn't include matchmaking, which was one of the stupidest decisions Bungie could have made in my opinion. If you own Halo 3, and have already downloaded the new maps when they were released months ago, this game is not worth buying. Had this game been $30 cheaper it would almost certainly have been a day one buy. Instead, I can only recommend renting it, or try your very hardest to find it under $35. Expand
  25. CraigT.
    Sep 26, 2009
    4
    Basically v.poor DLC for halo 3. A short and forgettable 5 hour long single player campaign and no new multiplayer content. The AI is rediculously inept at any sort of simple task and should not be allowed to drive at any time. Halo is the new cash cow in town and its already dry on milk. Developers like Bungie and publishers like MS just make Valve look even more like the idillic Basically v.poor DLC for halo 3. A short and forgettable 5 hour long single player campaign and no new multiplayer content. The AI is rediculously inept at any sort of simple task and should not be allowed to drive at any time. Halo is the new cash cow in town and its already dry on milk. Developers like Bungie and publishers like MS just make Valve look even more like the idillic buisness model and the saviours of gaming. Expand
  26. TroyL.
    Sep 29, 2009
    0
    This game was a huge disappointment and let down considering all the hype. the campaign needed a huge twist which it just doesn't have, and the campaign also gets hard to understand. the multiplayer the only reason to get this. oh and you will need to pay $100 AUD for the privilege of this EXPANSION.
  27. TiaV
    Jan 7, 2010
    0
    Let's say that you are on the far left corner of the map....your objective would be on the farthest possible point away from you. The first 5 minutes were captivating. It involved fighting aliens at night. I said 'that was fun' and the game said, 'really? then let's do it another 5000 times for the rest of the game.' Apparently, if most of the gameplay is Let's say that you are on the far left corner of the map....your objective would be on the farthest possible point away from you. The first 5 minutes were captivating. It involved fighting aliens at night. I said 'that was fun' and the game said, 'really? then let's do it another 5000 times for the rest of the game.' Apparently, if most of the gameplay is done at night, then not too much effort will be needed on the graphics. And one more thing, my favorite. HARDER difficulties does not mean SMARTER enemies. It means healthier and faster ones. Meaning, the bad guys are just as stupid, but on steroids. What a waste of time. It's a fricking expansion pack that costs 6 times as much as it should. And after you're finally done with that pain-in-the-ass legendary difficulty, you put the game aside, and NEVER play it again. Seriously. There are better things in life to play with, and ODST is far from one of them. Expand
  28. SamD
    Nov 15, 2009
    0
    Terrible addition to the Halo series, the campaign is terribly boring and the new roaming around mombasa feels tedious and just adds extra play time to an already stale experience, I think the biggest joke was the no matchmaking in firefight mode a ridiculous move on bungies part and they have no plans to add it in the future. The graphics are poor especially on the characters faces and Terrible addition to the Halo series, the campaign is terribly boring and the new roaming around mombasa feels tedious and just adds extra play time to an already stale experience, I think the biggest joke was the no matchmaking in firefight mode a ridiculous move on bungies part and they have no plans to add it in the future. The graphics are poor especially on the characters faces and background scenery and uses the same old engine from Halo 3. Let's hope Reach is actually half decent. Expand
  29. LuckyWolf
    Nov 5, 2009
    0
    Halo fanboy since day 1. I can't believe I wasted $60 on this garbage. It doesn't even compare to past Halo games. Bungie is so fond of the number 7, here are 7 reasons this is overpriced garbage... 1. Terribly short campaign 2. Copy and pasted levels 3. No matchmaking for firefight 4. Same theater but with less options (can't record movie clips anymore) 5. Only 2 player Halo fanboy since day 1. I can't believe I wasted $60 on this garbage. It doesn't even compare to past Halo games. Bungie is so fond of the number 7, here are 7 reasons this is overpriced garbage... 1. Terribly short campaign 2. Copy and pasted levels 3. No matchmaking for firefight 4. Same theater but with less options (can't record movie clips anymore) 5. Only 2 player split screen vs 4 player 6. Repackaged halo 3 disc I've already paid for. 7. Easy achievements which lack replayability. You can easily get 1000/1000g in less than a day. Expand
  30. MichaelC
    Oct 20, 2009
    4
    Some of my friends bought this, a couple of whom are halo fan boys. At first they said it was awesome but after a few days one of them changed their mind. I decided I would try it myself and paid £35 for it. Waist of money if you ask me. I found the new campaign, in one word: poor. The missions where you are the rookie are brainlessly unchallenging and boring to a sleeping level. Some of my friends bought this, a couple of whom are halo fan boys. At first they said it was awesome but after a few days one of them changed their mind. I decided I would try it myself and paid £35 for it. Waist of money if you ask me. I found the new campaign, in one word: poor. The missions where you are the rookie are brainlessly unchallenging and boring to a sleeping level. When you are in a flashback mission it is usually difficult to see where you are supposed to go next and cut scenes are dull and unintreging. Overall you can't get to grips with the characters or really the storyline as a new character is thrown at you over and over again. Firefight adds a great element to Halo as it now has a defensive game mode like the other main shooters. It introduces intelligent game play that you could go on for hours at a time. The only thing it lacks is a host system that doesn't end the game if a person disconnects or a search for other random players to play with. The new multiplayer maps are also very good. Expand
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 94 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 94
  2. Negative: 1 out of 94
  1. The bottom line here is that this is a nice little piece of Halo, and that anyone who has ever enjoyed Halo will probably enjoy this too. The only question is how much it is worth to you. As a full priced stand-alone game, its value is somewhat dubious.
  2. Not only an add-on! This is better than many of the main games! Next to the single player, you also get a great multiplayer mode. You just cannot do wrong if you buy this game!
  3. Halo 3: ODST is an excellent add-on campaign for Halo 3, and one which all Halo fans should own.