Halo 3: ODST

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1697 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,112 out of 1697
  2. Mixed: 354 out of 1697
  3. Negative: 231 out of 1697
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. AlexK.
    Sep 22, 2009
    10
    Campaign 10/10 FireFight 10/10 its all awesome
  2. JoradT
    Sep 23, 2009
    6
    When are people going to realise that this is just the SAME game from two years ago just with a couple of new maps in multiplayer and a different (shorter campaign). It's ridiculous that Bungie are charging $60 for this. There are a few very good aspects (such as firefight which is AWESOME) but apart from that it's really not worth it at all. Worst value package ever.
  3. xboxkid
    Dec 23, 2016
    7
    The rookie parts are a bit boring, the gameplay has changed and not only do we have no shields (life regeneration) if we can not use 2 plasma rifles at once, the good thing is that the brute plasma rifle returned, Has a bug if you start the campaign in normal so it is better to start it in easy. It's not very nice to be the scent dog, I'm not a fan of firefight mode but it does, it bringsThe rookie parts are a bit boring, the gameplay has changed and not only do we have no shields (life regeneration) if we can not use 2 plasma rifles at once, the good thing is that the brute plasma rifle returned, Has a bug if you start the campaign in normal so it is better to start it in easy. It's not very nice to be the scent dog, I'm not a fan of firefight mode but it does, it brings more multiplayer maps, very good like sandbox or heretic.… Expand
  4. michaelk
    Jan 8, 2010
    10
    this is another fantastic game that just seems to be getting loads of negative feedback but it really is a fantastic shooter the story is great with a real sense of depth plus the secret story that you descover by downloading all the audio files really adds a sense of depth. firefight is awesome fun with the only real setback being that its friends only i'd really of liked it to be this is another fantastic game that just seems to be getting loads of negative feedback but it really is a fantastic shooter the story is great with a real sense of depth plus the secret story that you descover by downloading all the audio files really adds a sense of depth. firefight is awesome fun with the only real setback being that its friends only i'd really of liked it to be open to everyone but i'm lucky to have friends to play with and if none of them are about i have the classic halo 3 multi player plus every dlc map to play on against one of the largest communities of players thats still going strong even after 3 years as one of the most played games online i really honestly dont understand all the negativity ?????? this game is awesome on every level… Expand
  5. dupplawt
    Apr 22, 2011
    6
    Halo 3 ODST is a decent game on it's own, but with the full Halo 3 multi-player experience packaged with it, it makes this an awesome deal. The campaign is interesting, with varied locations and classic Halo battles with the Covenant; although you don't play as Master Cheif, it doesn't detract from the experience. Firefight is a good addition, but the ability to go on Xbox LIVE would haveHalo 3 ODST is a decent game on it's own, but with the full Halo 3 multi-player experience packaged with it, it makes this an awesome deal. The campaign is interesting, with varied locations and classic Halo battles with the Covenant; although you don't play as Master Cheif, it doesn't detract from the experience. Firefight is a good addition, but the ability to go on Xbox LIVE would have made it much more interesting. Nonetheless, it is fun whether you go it alone or with some friends.… Expand
  6. Watermelon789
    Apr 27, 2011
    9
    Not the best Halo but at least like a lost episode , very nice. Actually it added cool features the game, just like the DLC and the firefight mode apart from the short campaign . The campaign was nice, playing as an a ODST felt like a challenge against the covenants and that was a great feature in difference about Master chief that is (obviously) a spartan (easy) . A littleNot the best Halo but at least like a lost episode , very nice. Actually it added cool features the game, just like the DLC and the firefight mode apart from the short campaign . The campaign was nice, playing as an a ODST felt like a challenge against the covenants and that was a great feature in difference about Master chief that is (obviously) a spartan (easy) . A little disappointed in the campaign , I mean it needed the battle rifle, and mostly in all the level you used the silenced m7s , the levels vastly appeared the assault rifle and come on the protagonist never talked it just felt like another master chief only human. But anyway is full entertaining and you get a good use for your money .… Expand
  7. CarsonRGB
    Oct 8, 2011
    9
    Story: 9
    Characters: 7
    Graphics: 9
    Setting: 7
    Multiplayer: 10
    Technical: 10
    Audio: 10
    Gameplay: 10
    Re-Playability Value: 8
    Fun Factor: 8

    Score: 8.8/10 = A
  8. cish
    Oct 20, 2015
    7
    This had great potential that was not taken advantage of. Felt like more of an add on for halo 3 than its own game. The open world aspect could have been cool but was too dark, too empty, and too lonely to be much fun
  9. gom123
    Nov 13, 2010
    8
    I normally really enjoy playing halo games and I enjoyed this one as well... just not as much.
    I don't know what happened but this was not even close to how good I thought halo 3 was and this game is good just the worst fps halo in the series.
  10. kloborgg
    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.    … Expand
  11. chrisanderson36
    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 !
  12. 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.
  13. Jagkid007
    Aug 29, 2010
    7
    i played through the campaign once, never played that again. Not because it was bad, it was just that there was really no reason to go back and play it again. The firefight mode is a very good mode where you fight waves and waves of enemies until you run out of lives. The downside is that there is no matchmaking for firefight. You are stuck playing either locally with 2 people or 4 playersi played through the campaign once, never played that again. Not because it was bad, it was just that there was really no reason to go back and play it again. The firefight mode is a very good mode where you fight waves and waves of enemies until you run out of lives. The downside is that there is no matchmaking for firefight. You are stuck playing either locally with 2 people or 4 players online. it is still fun but should have been tweaked before release.… Expand
  14. bighead6000
    Jul 24, 2011
    6
    This is the worst Halo game in the series yet. To me most of the things are recycled content, and that's probably because the guys at Bungie are to lazy to add new content. The multiplayer is totally recycled, and that pissed me off. The campaign is not that good also, and I was especially much more pissed when a glitch in the game made me start all over again. The only good thing in thisThis is the worst Halo game in the series yet. To me most of the things are recycled content, and that's probably because the guys at Bungie are to lazy to add new content. The multiplayer is totally recycled, and that pissed me off. The campaign is not that good also, and I was especially much more pissed when a glitch in the game made me start all over again. The only good thing in this game, i would say, is the firefight mode. Besides that, not really a game worth getting.… Expand
  15. ArkonBlade
    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
  16. KP
    Oct 3, 2009
    5
    I'm pretty disappointed in this one. I disagree with some of the other comments. To me it feels obvious that Bungie cut corners on this game....from the game play to the graphics to the voice acting. I think the voice acting is terrible on this one. My biggest complaint is the lighting. When it's dark out and you are forced to used your VD vision or whatever it's I'm pretty disappointed in this one. I disagree with some of the other comments. To me it feels obvious that Bungie cut corners on this game....from the game play to the graphics to the voice acting. I think the voice acting is terrible on this one. My biggest complaint is the lighting. When it's dark out and you are forced to used your VD vision or whatever it's called...it just makes it an unpleasant gaming experience. I found myself constantly messing with the brightness adjustments to no avail. No matter what I did to adjust I found the game either too dark or too bright. Granted I haven't gotten into Firefight mode, but as far as the campaign, I'd rather replay any Halo game than play this. A Halo game this is not.… Expand
  17. GavinM
    Jan 2, 2010
    6
    Halo 3 :ODST is a serviceable game, it doesn't do anything new or isn't exactly memorable, but is an enjoyable game when you don't take in the Halo name or the hype buildup. If it wasn't a Halo game though, it would wash away in the sea of better games that came in the fourth quarter of this year.
  18. thedude
    Mar 23, 2010
    5
    Hugely disappointing. Most of the content is content that most Halo fans have already paid for, since the main multiplayer is Halo 3's multiplayer. Tacked on you get Firefight mode which will get old fairly fast. The only other new content is the super-short campaign(around 6 hours long). There were a lot of great games last year(mw2, l4d2, gh5, borderlands, arkham asylum). Compared Hugely disappointing. Most of the content is content that most Halo fans have already paid for, since the main multiplayer is Halo 3's multiplayer. Tacked on you get Firefight mode which will get old fairly fast. The only other new content is the super-short campaign(around 6 hours long). There were a lot of great games last year(mw2, l4d2, gh5, borderlands, arkham asylum). Compared to those, this game was a terrible waste of money.… Expand
  19. jesseR
    Oct 20, 2009
    10
    this is my favorite halo game ever! when i played as chief i felt no strategy but odst is strategic and has those big climax battles like at the end of the game. also the audiofiles make the game more interesting and i enjoy that is open world, offers alternitives an opens a big window in the halo universe
  20. MarkM
    Oct 4, 2009
    10
    ODST was a great game in my opinion. the campaign was very fun and it had a good story. The new health system makes the game a bit more challenging and the controls are easy for nearly any one to learn almost right away. the new firefight mode has been hours of fun for me and the H3 multiplayer is most like the most fun I've ever had in a game. Even if you own the normal halo 3 disc, ODST was a great game in my opinion. the campaign was very fun and it had a good story. The new health system makes the game a bit more challenging and the controls are easy for nearly any one to learn almost right away. the new firefight mode has been hours of fun for me and the H3 multiplayer is most like the most fun I've ever had in a game. Even if you own the normal halo 3 disc, ODST brings 3 new fun and exiting maps and it would be good if one of your friends doesnt't have halo 3 or ODST you can let them barrow your halo 3 and be able to play online with them. Overall I believe ODST is a great buy and that if you are new to halo it is even a greater deal.… Expand
  21. 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.
  22. zotune
    Sep 21, 2012
    5
    For me this game is not up to par with those that came before it. Running around trying to find beacons gets repetitive early on, as well as the level design being used over and over again - like earlier Halo games. The storyline change is what happens when the developer has finished and closed a trilogy, yet the fans want more - and so they had to come up with an alternate storyline. TheFor me this game is not up to par with those that came before it. Running around trying to find beacons gets repetitive early on, as well as the level design being used over and over again - like earlier Halo games. The storyline change is what happens when the developer has finished and closed a trilogy, yet the fans want more - and so they had to come up with an alternate storyline. The narrative certainly is, for the most part, what separates this game from the others - unfortunately though I didn't find it very engaging and otherwise the game doesn't add anything that wasn't already there in past titles. I also found the presentation to be too dark at times, and the hud takes up too much of the screen. In addition I found the gameplay to become too repetitive. Upon trying to play through the Halo games chronologically, I have hardly seen any new opponents or breakthrough gameplay elements since the original Halo. It was decent fun at certain moments, I'll give it that - though sadly my optimism for this game just isn't anything more than that.… Expand
  23. mariomaster
    Aug 12, 2010
    5
    I was extremely dissapointed in odst. Honestly i think that odst should have stayed as an expansion. I wasted 60 dollars on a 5 hour game. IT was a rundown version of halo 3. The only good thing about the game was that it came with the extra halo multiplayer disc. I was really excited for firefight and you cant even use it in matchmaking
    none of my friends had the game so i was stuck    I was extremely dissapointed in odst. Honestly i think that odst should have stayed as an expansion. I wasted 60 dollars on a 5 hour game. IT was a rundown version of halo 3. The only good thing about the game was that it came with the extra halo multiplayer disc. I was really excited for firefight and you cant even use it in matchmaking
    none of my friends had the game so i was stuck playing it by myself and its not fun. The free roam wasnt even free roam. It was run from point a to point b. The gameplay was exactly the same as original halo. The dificulty was not that hard at all. The game itself is ok but for 60 dollars its not worth it at all. Mabye for 40 but thats a mabye    … Expand
  24. 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.
  25. MySt1
    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.
  26. asylumspadez
    Nov 15, 2011
    5
    So heavily recycled from Halo 3 its like playing a modded version of it when you put in ODST. The only good things about ODST are the addition of firefight and the bonus disc that gives you all the halo 3 maps for free.
  27. samtheham56
    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
  28. matroycem
    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.    … Expand
  29. Super_Cloud
    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.
  30. VidsRule
    Feb 22, 2013
    10
    Copy/Paste to all Halo reviews after all these years: I didn't have a 360 for a few years (played 3 and ODST). In the meantime I played all sorts of fps- COD, BF, Killzone (which is awesome), Resistance, and every single other one. And coming back to Halo when I rebought a 360 was like the greatest homecoming ever. Unlike those other games, every Halo battle is like a chess match waitingCopy/Paste to all Halo reviews after all these years: I didn't have a 360 for a few years (played 3 and ODST). In the meantime I played all sorts of fps- COD, BF, Killzone (which is awesome), Resistance, and every single other one. And coming back to Halo when I rebought a 360 was like the greatest homecoming ever. Unlike those other games, every Halo battle is like a chess match waiting to happen. And once you truly know every enemy and every weapon, you fall into a sweet spot of gaming that is possibly the best of all action games ever made. It's just the best. Great now I have to copy and paste this 4 more times.… Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2009
2
#2 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2009
12
#12 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 94 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 94
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 94
  3. Negative: 1 out of 94
  1. Game Over Online
    85
    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.
    Read full review
  2. GamingXP
    88
    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!
    Read full review
  3. Extreme Gamer
    90
    Halo 3: ODST is an excellent add-on campaign for Halo 3, and one which all Halo fans should own.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »