Humorously, the crossover also changes the meaning of ODST from its original Orbital Drop Shock Troopers to Obedient Democracy Support Troopers. The new Warbond itself brings a host of new gear for players to use throughout their Helldivers 2 missions.

Along with this, there are also new Halo-based weapons, like the M6 sidearm, the M7S SMG, and the iconic Halo assault rifle and shotgun – the MA5C and the M90A respectively. The Warbond offers two distinct armour sets: the A-9 Helljumper set and the A-35 Recon set. The former is a heavier set while the latter is a light set, both offering the new Feet First passive boost. It grants immunity to leg injuries, quieter movement, and 30 percent additional range when finding points of interest.

When it comes to cosmetics, the Warbond also offers two new capes – the Eye of the Clandestine and the Honored Heirloom – as well as a new Player Title, “Rookie.” There are also new vehicle patterns for the FRV, the Exo-Suit, the Shuttle, and the Hellpod. The new patterns are dubbed Mean Green.

The Helldivers 2 x Halo: ODST is slated for release on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on August 26 – the same day as its launch on Microsoft’s console. It will cost 1,500 Super Credits, which is more expensive than the usual Warbonds (and you can’t use the new Premium Warbond Tokens to purchase it).

The Helldivers 2 x Halo: ODST crossover comes after several days of teasing from Arrowhead Game Studios. The teasers first began earlier this month when a trailer for Helldivers 2 featured music from Halo 3: ODST, along with visuals alluding to the Halo title’s setting of New Mombasa.

The teases became stronger shortly afterwards, thanks to the official Xbox account responding to excited fans’ comments about the trailer featuring Halo 3: ODST’s music. The official Helldivers Discord also teases the Galactic Warning System bot sharing an “unknown signal” recording, discovered by players to be a reference to Halo 3: ODST AI Vergil.

Helldivers 2 was announced for release on Xbox Series X/S back in July. The earlier this month, Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Shams Jorjani told thankful fans that they should be directing their appreciation for the Xbox release to PlayStation. For more details about Helldivers 2’s Xbox Series X/S release, here’s everything you need to know.

A comment on the video exclaiming “HOLY S*** HALO ODST 1:15 LETS GO ODSTS ARE DEPLPYING [sic]” had several replies, including one by Xbox itself that said “Yeah, buddy!” Again, while this is far from official confirmation, there have also been other hints about this collaboration. The official Discord server for Helldivers also featured one such reference; the Galactic Warning System bot recently shared an “unknown signal” recording, which was then deciphered by players to be a reference to the AI Vergil from Halo 3: ODST.

The implication that a Halo 3: ODST collaboration is coming to Helldivers 2 is due to the presence of a musical sting in the latest trailer. Towards the end, a couple of notes from the classic Halo title’s soundtrack play, which is then followed by the landing of a drop pod. While Helldivers 2 also features drop pods for every time a player lands in a mission, it could also be considered a reference to Halo 3: ODST, where ODST stands for Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.

Halo 3: ODST was a standalone spin-off title released back in 2009. Making use of the Halo 3 engine, the game focused on the smaller story of the defense of New Mombasa by the UNSC marines and the local police against the Covenant forces. The title takes place around the same time that Halo protagonist Master Chief hitched a ride with the Covenant flagship to an unknown location, while war has broken out on Earth itself. Players take on the role of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper that was separated from their squad by a failed drop.

If a Halo 3: ODST crossover event in Helldivers 2 were to happen, it will likely coincide with the co-op shooter’s Xbox Series X/S launch on August 26. Earlier this month, Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani had spoken about how players should thank PlayStation for the ultimate decision to bring Helldivers 2 to Xbox.

“It was all PlayStation,” wrote Jorjani on the official Discord server in response to another player praising the studio for working on an Xbox Series X/S port of Helldivers 2. “Send them your thanks! We were all in support of course.” In a later comment, Jorjani also said that it was incredibly cool of PlayStation to make the decision, referring to it as “one of the coolest things they’ve done. They’re killing it.”

Helldivers 2 is available for pre-order on Xbox Series X/S, and is priced at $39.99 for the standard edition, and $59.99 for the Super Citizen Edition.

Halo 3: ODST

The Halo games have continued to be system sellers for Microsoft for generations at this point, but Halo 3: ODST always ends up being one of the more under-appreciated games in the franchise. And that’s a shame really, because ODST had some really interesting ideas that were executed reasonably well – including but not limited to large open environments and a setting that didn’t rely on Master Chief or Cortana. It’s a unique game that has a lot to say, and fans should definitely give it a try.

Quantum Break

Quantum Break was an ambitious project from Remedy Entertainment, and it sought to combine elements of a TV show with a game. Sure, some of its concepts didn’t really stick the landing – but Quantum Break is an extremely fast and frenetic shooter that features some interesting time-based abilities and a story that’s about as weird as one would expect from the developer. It’s easily one of the more underrated Microsoft exclusives, but one worth trying out nevertheless.

Sunset Overdrive

Sunset Overdrive comes from the now Sony-owned Insomniac Games. It’s a post-apocalyptic adventure game where you grind on rails, jump on bouncy surfaces, and use a vast array of weapons to gun down waves upon waves of enemies. It features a colorful open world with likable characters and quality writing, but the game wasn’t really able to make an impact in the end. Sunset Overdrive is emblematic of the developer’s biggest strengths, which makes it a really underrated game that deserves a lot more love and credit than it gets.

Mafia 1

The original Mafia was a game that was well ahead of its time. In a market where every developer was trying to copy Rockstar’s formula of an open world, Mafia provided its own take with a more realistic world that operated on brutal rules and a story that was a complex tale with plenty of loyalties and conspiracies. It was a special game that unfortunately never got the audience it deserved, most likely due to its demanding gameplay – which is honestly a shame.

The Saboteur

Developed by Pandemic Studios, The Saboteur thrusts players into a beautifully realized rendition of 1940s Paris. You play as a racer-turned-rebel who embarks on a quest to prevent evil schemes from happening, and that story remains engaging from start to finish. But what’s more impressive is the set of mechanics that beautifully combines social stealth elements with action gameplay in an open-world setting, and it’s honestly a surprise as to why such a special game went unnoticed by the masses.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is developer Ninja Theory’s take on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, and it tells the story of two people who must work together to ensure each other’s survival. The game uses a simple but fun combat loop for its gameplay, but what makes it special is the interesting scenarios it keeps on creating at every turn – which makes it such an engaging experience.

Vampyr

Vampyr is all about a doctor juggling his personal life at a hospital and his struggles with turning into a bloodthirsty vampire. The combat is all about balancing stamina and dishing out damage to your opponents, and the game does a great job of creating a well-knit set of systems that beautifully interact with one another to create a fully realized world. There are a few rough edges here and there, but it is a game that’s worth trying out.

As Dusk Falls

As Dusk Falls is a narrative adventure that starts out simply with a family embarking on a road trip, but that soon evolves into something greater. The art style here is fantastic, and the story is pretty engaging from start to finish. It’s a simple game that does just enough to keep you entertained for its runtime, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Gears of War Judgment

The Gears of War series has continued to be one of the most valuable first-party games for the Xbox platform, and almost every mainline entry has been showered with great critical and commercial reception. Gears of War Judgment stands out as an exception, not because it suffered from bad reviews – but that not many people actually played it. And this is a shame because this prequel provides a ton of context to the events of later entries – and that information will be highly appreciated by fans of the franchise.

Killer Instinct

Killer Instinct attempted a shot at revival in 2014, which ended up receiving a rather tepid reception from fans. While it wasn’t on par with contemporaries like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, Killer Instinct was certainly a quality first-party game from Microsoft that never really got the love and attention it deserves.

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is widely considered to be one of the best games in the long-running series, and a lot of that praise can be attributed to the game’s excellently crafted story. Crimes and Punishments never fails to keep you guessing, and the writing is also quality stuff. The gameplay revolves around carefully assessing clues and deducting solutions to these cases, and that provides a very distinct fantasy of being a great detective.

Gears Tactics

Gears Tactics does a great job of translating the series’ signature third-person shooting to a top-down tactical game without losing the game’s identity in that transition. The resulting product is a game that shouldn’t work but somehow feels like a natural evolution of the franchise. It constantly ramps things up with new kinds of obstacles and more complex levels, and that keeps you engaged for a long time.

Wanted: Dead

Wanted: Dead takes inspiration from multiple action adventure classics like Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive, and crafts an experience that feels equal parts a glorious homage and a fresh experience. Wanted: Dead features a solid combat loop where you can effortlessly switch between slashing your foes with a sword and gunning them down with weapons – and that foundation of ideas rarely gets stale.

State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition

State of Decay 2 didn’t launch in the best of states, but over the course of multiple major updates – the developers were able to not only fix the game’s technical issues but also realize its potential with new content changes and mechanic overhaul. But for many fans, the boat had already sailed by then – and State of Decay 2 became an underrated game only appreciated by a small group of people. If you are one of those who gave up on the game, give it another try – and you might be surprised.

Metro 2033

The Metro series came into the limelight with Metro: Last Light and recent entries such as Exodus are widely praised for their brand of survival gameplay. As a result, Metro 2033 ends up being a rather underrated game in the series – which is a shame because many of the ideas that we have come to associate so dearly with the series were actually founded in Metro 2033. It’s a really well-made game, and more people should give it a shot.

In 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved graced our Xboxs as what would quickly be known as one of the best launch titles of all time. Seeing that the Xbox’s chief competitor, the PlayStation 2, was somewhat underpowered compared to Microsoft’s behemoth console, Halo was the perfect excuse for Bungie and Microsoft to really show off the power and capability of the Xbox – and that they did. Not only was the first game in the series a more than competent shooter that featured vehicles, a wide array of fun weapons, and a compelling multiplayer mode, but it was also a graphical showcase for the Xbox. With the PS2 being somewhat underpowered and the GameCube not really utilizing its potential with most of its games, this game really made the Xbox ecosystem stand out with its highly detailed character models and environments. Real-time reflections and shadows were rudimentary, and often mixed with fake ones, but they were convincing for the time among the lush, expansive environments and compelling aesthetic created by Bungie’s lead artists. The different alien factions all differed greatly in their general look as well as the technology they used, so that was reflected in their visual presentation to a huge degree. The game ran well, played well, and looked great, so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that it was remastered and re-released on the 360 and PC ten years later with some enhanced graphics and improved lighting and textures. This remastered “anniversary” version of Halo would allow players to switch back and forth between the old graphics and the new ones at any time, which was a nice touch, and also included support for the Kinect (remember that?). All in all, either version still looks good today by all reasonable standards, mostly thanks to the original artistic direction.

3 short years after the first game was released, we got Halo 2 on the same console. While the Xbox’s limits had been on full display for a while by this point, Bungie still had more than enough know-how and experience with the platform by then to really make a game that looked noticeably better than its predecessor. Halo 2 would serve as the pinnacle Halo experience up to that point, as it had basically everything that made the first game great but now with the extra 3 years, Bungie was able to iron out many of the original’s rough edges, as well as provide a robust multiplayer mode that looked indistinguishably as good as the campaign. Halo 2 would not merely be more of the same with some refinement though. The physics and graphics engine were both overhauled which allowed for several new techniques including “shadow volume” that would quickly become a mainstream way of casting real-time shadows from in-game environments. Doom 3 would also implement the same technique to an even greater effect, but that was after Halo 2 popularized it. Real-time reflections on armor and metal surfaces were also more pronounced as a result of the overhaul and it ultimately added up to one of the better looking games of its time as a result.

Halo 3 was sure to follow, and follow it did. This game would have the enormous benefit of being a game on new hardware, but also not quite needing to be a launch title, so Bungie had a bit more time to really crank out as much goodness as they could from the Xbox 360. Here we see yet again, a complete overhaul of the graphics engine. Bungie went with their own in-house development toolset and it really paid off with better lighting, depth of field effects, and a subtle motion blur that added a heightened sense of realism. While some of the techniques under the hood did require the game to render at an odd 1152×640 resolution, that was technically upscaled to a stable 1080pby the 360, making it a very sharp-looking game.

Halo ODST was an interesting game. It started out as a rather beefy expansion to Halo 3, but ultimately ended up being its own standalone release given the sheer amount of content that it contained. Given that this was only a couple years since Halo 3 launched, graphically it had more in common with it’d predecessor than not, making it the first game in the series that didn’t look like a massive improvement from the previous one. Which isn’t to say it was underwhelming in that department, just nothing to write home about in 2009. Outside of some interesting visual flair thrown in for flashback sequences, it was largely just a slightly more refined version of the look of 3.

The final Halo game to be developed by Bungie was Halo: Reach. The game had a lot of callback visual cues that more than successfully elicited plenty of nostalgia for long-time Halo fans despite Master Chief not even being the main character. The graphics were largely unchanged from 3. Much like ODST, Reach already had a solid foundation on which to build a great looking game, and it didn’t disappoint. The large battles, lush backdrops, and nice variety of locations does feel a bit limited by the 360 at times in Reach, but the occasional framerate stutter was not much more than a minor flaw in an otherwise gorgeous game.

Halo 4 was a landmark game in the series for myriad reasons, but most notably was the fact that Bungie would have basically nothing to do with it. By this time, the former Halo developer had split from Microsoft and gone multiplatform and were working on their upcoming original shooter Destiny. The Halo series would finally change hands with 343 Industries at the helm. While the game was primarily designed for the aging Xbox 360, it was also 2012, which means Microsoft’s next console was also kept in mind for a future enhanced release. While the slight tick up from Halo 3 was noticeable, the biggest changes seemed to come from a totally different artistic vision rather than technical improvements. Halo 4 was a game that still “felt” like Halo ultimately, but it also had a slightly darker tone to its visuals. Master Chief looks more weathered, his armor seems bulkier, and he’s just more imposing overall. Other characters’ facial expressions were brimming with subtle movements and emotive performances, which made them some of the best in the generation – across all platforms. 343 were handed such a finely-tuned playbook on how to make a Halo game, that they were able to really stretch beyond what most thought was doable on an Xbox 360 with global illumination, ambient occlusion, and image-based lighting that all basically added up to a very impressive illumination and shadow system that made some environments look positively next gen. As impressive as it was, it was really just a preamble to what the next game had in store. Halo 4 would also get that very logical Xbox One release a couple years later with some minor enhancements and a smoother frame-rate. This was in 2014, which was a perfect time to whet the appetites of Halo fans as they were eagerly awaiting the 5th mainline installment.

By this time Halo had done almost everything it could do. It had maxed out the capabilities of two console generations and seen enhanced PC and next gen versions get released. Even though many still considered the series the best its genre had to offer, it still had to share much more of the stage with Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Bungie’s new game Destiny. Among the things Halo 5 tried to stand out was its aiming to be the best looking first-person shooter to date, and while it didn’t slam dunk that goal as hard as it did with past entries, it certainly satisfied the eyeballs of those who played it. Gone were the vast majority of the baked in fake lighting effects of the past two generations, and gone were the majority of other tricks Bungie had to implement to make the previous games look better than they actually were. Halo 5 backed off a tad from the slightly drearier look of 4, and somewhat tiptoed back into the look of the older games with more green, lush, outdoor locations, and highly realistic water. Halo 5 did hang on to all the advancements in detail of character models that show wear and tear on various pieces of armor, though. 343 also wisely chose to continue valuing the frame-rate over resolution, and with the seamless dynamic resolution of Halo 5 in place, the game could go from 1080p while you’re walking around and taking in the atmosphere, to 720p during an intense firefight, and right back up without you ever even noticing a thing. The PC version would need to do this less of course, depending on the rig, but both the Xbox One and PC version of the game looked great.

Now, all of these games are playable on PC, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X in their ultimate forms. The most drastic improvements can be found in the Halo: Master Chief Collection which contains all of the games we’ve mentioned here before Halo 5. Depending on the game and the hardware you’re using, the games vary in how much of an upgrade they are, but even the most conservative version of the Master Chief Collection on the Xbox One is a sight to behold with much higher resolutions and rock-solid frame rates. While the collection launched in a somewhat rocky state, and that rightly impacted its reputation for a while, playing it today with all of the current updates and patches is far and away the best way to experience these games.

With Halo Infinite on the way, and 343 surely understanding that we’ll be paying close attention to its graphics, we are likely in for yet another visual stunner from the flashy, science fiction franchise that reinvented its genre all those years ago.

#9. HALO WARS

Halo Wars definitely had some good ideas, and it was by no means a bad game. Its campaign was solid enough in its own right, online play was fun, and it was surprising how well developer Ensemble Studios managed to make a real time strategy game work on a console controller- but there just wasn’t enough here for anyone to really latch on to. For Halo fans, it was a nice distraction, but not exactly what you’d expect from a Halo game, while for RTS fans, it was far too simplified and shallow to be anything more than a decent yet largely forgettable game.

#8. HALO 5: GUARDIANS

The absolute lowest point of the Halo franchise’s numbered entries, Halo 5: Guardians represented a series that just didn’t know what to do with itself anymore. Ask any Halo fan what their least favourite campaign in the series is, and the overwhelming majority will name Halo 5, which for some reason decided to focus on Fireteam Osiris, and Master Chief receding into the background. That could have been forgiven if it at least told a good story- but of course, that was definitely not the case here. Thankfully, Halo 5: Guardians had a great multiplayer component, one that made some smart changes and improvements to the series’ formula. Aggressive monetization was a letdown here as well, but by and large, there was a lot to love in the game’s multiplayer offerings.

#7. HALO WARS 2

Much like its predecessor, Halo Wars 2 deserves credit for translating the real time strategy experience to a console gamepad with surprising ease- but again, much like its predecessor, that came with some sacrifices. As a strategy game, Halo Wars 2 was far too simplified and pared back for genre fans to really be able to get much out of it, and it didn’t help that on the multiplayer side of things, the game was largely a step back from its predecessor. That said, Halo Wars 2 had a solid campaign, with excellent production values, cinematic and flashy cutscenes, and a surprisingly compelling story that explored some interesting parts of the Halo universe. Is it a must-play for Halo fans?Maybe not. But it’s still a solid enough game in its own right.

#6. HALO 4

343 Industries and Microsoft had a lot to live up to with Halo 4. Bungie redefined the entire genre and took the industry by storm with a number of stellar games released over the course of a decade, so of course, Halo 4 had to live up to impossibly high expectations. And maybe it didn’t exactly do that- it was definitely not nearly as good as its predecessors, but it was still an excellent way to start off the series’ next era. In spite of a convoluted story that made the ill-advised decision to focus way too much on extended universe plot elements, Halo 4’s campaign was a blast to play through, with 343 Industries proving beyond a doubt that at least where the core shooting and mechanics of the series were concerned, they were more than up to the task of carrying Bungie’s legacy forward. Multiplayer, though not perfect, and though not on the same level as its recent predecessors, was still a heck of a lot of fun, and laid down solid foundations for its successors.

#5. HALO 3: ODST

A shorter expansion-style game that had relatively sparse multiplayer offerings and didn’t feature series protagonist Master Chief whatsoever? Halo 3: ODST should have been a recipe for disaster- and yet it was a masterstroke by Bungie. No, it never touched the heights of other Halo games that came around it, but as series fans will tell you every chance they get, it still deserved more of the spotlight. It had an excellent campaign that brought a very different tone and style to the series than what we had come to expect from it in previous years, while on the multiplayer front, Firefight was an addictive, tense experience that fans seemed to just never got bored of. The fact that it shipped with Halo 3’s excellent multiplayer made it that much more of a compelling experience.

#4. HALO 2

How do you follow up on one of the best, most influential games ever made? That was the question that Bungie was faced with while developing Halo 2, and in retrospect, it’s safe to say that the answers they came up with were the right ones. The sandbox shooting of Combat Evolved was taken to new heights in Halo 2, which, crucially, introduced dual wielding, while the multiplayer offerings were a huge improvement over the first game, and pretty much set the standards that Halo as a series is still following to this day. Sure, development constraints meant that Halo 2 was not without its issues – the campaign, in particular, is far from perfect, not least because of its infamously abrupt ending – but by and large, it was a worthy follow-up to its spectacular predecessor.

#3. HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED

The one that started it all, and the one that, frankly, is in so many ways what the series is still aspiring to even now. Halo: Combat Evolved was an absolute revelation, delivering a brand of sandbox shooting against vibrant and deviously intelligent enemies the likes of which were had rarely been seen in games before. Its campaign was packed full of incredible, memorable moments that captured audience’s attention and are fondly looked back on two decades from its launch, and the fact that the series still largely abides by the gameplay foundations laid down by Combat Evolved should tell you how timeless they were. Seriously, even today, going back and playing this game is an absolute joy- and that, after all, is the true mark of an unabashed masterpiece.

#2. HALO: REACH

Halo: Reach was the game that Bungie signed off with, the game that would bring about the end of an era for this massive franchise and usher in a new age at the same time- and boy did it live up to expectations. Sure, at the time it ruffled a few feathers with the introduction of abilities that many felt had no place in Halo. But once people calmed down and actually played the game, they realized that Bungie had managed to find the perfect way to implement them without compromising the series’ identity. A stellar multiplayer component was backed up by what is probably the best ever campaign in a Halo game here, all of it coming together in a game where Bungie were at their absolute best.

#1. HALO 3

Think back to the months leading up to Halo 3, and try and come up with a game that demanded as much hype, anticipation, and expectation as Halo 3 did. There aren’t many. The series was on top of the world back then, and millions upon millions were chomping at the bit to “finish the fight” with Halo 3. And without the shadow of a doubt, the game somehow managed to live up to those impossibly high expectations- it was just such a well-rounded experience. An excellent campaign that closed off the trilogy’s story in satisfactory fashion and was full of excellent levels and firefights, and a brilliant multiplayer component that commanded the attention of a deluge of players who logged in every day for a long, long time to come- to this day, in fact. Halo 3 was an absolutely incredible game that took the biggest strengths of all its predecessors and took them to their absolute zenith, to deliver the perfect refinement of Halo formula.

If you’re playing ODST for the first time, you’re in for a treat. Chronologically, the game takes place during Halo 2. You play as The Rookie, the newest member of a squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. Like the Chief, The Rookie’s the strong silent type. Don’t worry, though; the rest of the squad more than makes up for his silence. It’s a fairly memorable set of characters voiced by an all-star cast that includes Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Nolan North, and Tricia Helfer and it’s fun watching a group of distinct characters play off of one another. Bungie tried the same thing in Reach, but it works better here just because you get to spend more time with your squad and their fates aren’t sealed before the game starts.

" Each clue leads to a new mission retelling the story of one or more squad members, allowing you to spend time with each one of them while piecing together the mystery of the game’s narrative, which is pretty engaging."

The squad is dropped into New Mombasa with orders to go after the Covenant supercarrier holding position over the city. Things quickly go sideways and The Rookie wakes up several hours later separated from the rest of his squad. As he navigates the city, he discovers clues that illuminate where they’ve been – and what happened while he was unconscious. Each clue leads to a new mission retelling the story of one or more squad members, allowing you to spend time with each one of them while piecing together the mystery of the game’s narrative, which is pretty engaging.

ODST’s story owes a great deal to detective stories and film noir and the game’s music and atmosphere reflect that. New Mombasa overflows with atmosphere, especially in The Rookie’s section, which takes place entirely at night. The city is deserted, and Covenant patrols roam the streets, hunting for survivors. Abandoned cars and ransacked kiosks dot the landscape, while signs flash messages for inhabitants that are no longer there. The game’s jazz-influenced score, heavy on saxophone, piano, and sounds of rain, compliments its sense of visual style to create the most atmospheric Halo title. It’s a joy to wander New Mombasa and appreciate the attention to detail that pervades the entire game.

This even extends to ODST’s use of audio logs, which tell a standalone story that compliments the narrative of the main game. Bungie manages to weave them into the game’s environmental narrative as the Superintendent, the AI that runs New Mombasa, uses car alarms, signs, and audio cues to guide The Rookie to the logs’ locations. Finding enough audio logs also unlocks Superintendent caches that contain weapons and vehicles hidden throughout the city, providing a reason to hunt the logs down even if you’re not interested in digging into ODST’s lore. The way the game guides you to them and the bonuses they offer make the city feel alive and reinforces the importance of an optional narrative that is surprisingly well told.

"Every encounter in ODST intense – which is good, because the game is more than content to let you go long period without fighting when you’re playing as The Rookie. "

New Mombasa is a fascinating environment, but it’s also a dangerous place to be, especially for someone who isn’t a Spartan. The differences between playing as the Chief and one of the ODSTs are subtle, but they make a big difference. ODSTs are slower than the Chief, don’t jump as high, can’t dual wield, and do less damage with melee attacks. They also don’t have access to energy shields. Instead, you rely on stamina, which acts much the same way, though it takes longer to recharge and doesn’t absorb as much punishment before going down. ODST also sees the return of a health bar, which begins to deplete once your stamina is exhausted. Unlike health, stamina doesn’t recover; the only way to heal is to pick up one of the health packs scattered around New Mombasa. The lack of a motion tracker and a weaker grenade throw that feels a bit less accurate complete the effect.

Encounters have a different flow as an ODST, and situations that wouldn’t give a Spartan trouble (like taking on a regular squad of Covenant) are much more deadly. Sometimes it’s best to just sneak by tougher encounters than spend valuable weapons and ammo on a fight you’re not certain you’ll win – especially if you see a pair of Hunters on the prowl. This makes every encounter in ODST intense – which is good, because the game is more than content to let you go long period without fighting when you’re playing as The Rookie. Some will likely take issue with this decision, but I liked having quite moments to explore and appreciate the game’s atmosphere.

ODST also makes small but significant additions to Halo’s sandbox. The addition of the Silenced SMG and the Automag sell the nature of ODST’s more grounded, stealthy approach. The latter is particularly handy as it combines a silencer with a zoom function, conjuring shades of CE’s absurdly powerful magum without being the game’s best weapon. The Brute Plasma Rifle, last seen in Halo 2, also makes a return.

"The port also brings a long-requested feature to both the console and PC versions of The Master Chief Collection: ODST’s version of Firefight."

By far the biggest addition, however, are the Engineers, a new type of Covenant enemy. Engineers dislike conflict and don’t attack you. Instead, they conjure energy fields around their allies, making them much harder to kill. They’re pretty tough themselves, so you’ll have to focus on one to take it down. The Covenant, jerks that they are, have rigged them with bombs, so killing one has the potential to cause collateral damage. Their bombs will also detonate if you get too close or kill all their allies, so there’s no way to save them. They add a bit of flavor and strategy to encounters and I enjoyed working around their presence, even if I did feel bad about killing them.

The port also brings a long-requested feature to both the console and PC versions of The Master Chief Collection: ODST’s version of Firefight. Both Reach and Halo 5 have their own versions of the mode, and the former’s has been in the MCC for ages. ODST’s, however, is widely regarded as the best version due its map selection and the tension of playing a more vulnerable character. The problem was that the original release didn’t feature matchmaking, so you had to have three friends join you if you wanted to play with a full squad. Thankfully, this release fixes that. ODST’s Firefight is as great now as it was in ’09. Firefight is Halo’s version of Horde mode, tasking you with clearing wave after waves of enemies while managing a limited number of lives.

More lives are added at the end of each round and each round is made up of several waves. You’ll start by facing simple enemies – Grunts, Jackals, a couple of Brutes – but as things go on, the difficulty ramps up, and you’ll eventually stare down Hunters, Brute Chieftains, and enemy vehicles. At the end of round, the game will switch on more and more of Halo’s signature skulls, which makes enemies tougher. There are also bonus rounds, which usually feature something silly, like an overwhelming number of grenade-happy Grunts, and reward you with lives for surviving and reaching a certain score. All told, it’s an incredibly engaging mode and I’m happy to have it back 11 years to the day since ODST’s original release. I know it’s something I’m going to sink a lot of time into, especially with the addition of matchmaking.

"The return of Firefight alone would have made ODST worth the price of admission alone, but 343 has gone above and beyond when it comes to adding features."

The return of Firefight alone would have made ODST worth the price of admission alone, but 343 has gone above and beyond when it comes to adding features. You can now customize and save your own Firefight variants, and the Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, Hornet, and Anti-Air Wraith are now available in the mode, too. In addition to a classic Firefight playlist, 343 has also added Arcade Firefight, which features an unlimited number of lives and more ridiculous weapons. So far I’ve only managed to play Splackets, a mode where each player starts with a Spartan Laser and a Rocket Launcher, both of which have unlimited ammo, but the mode is a blast, and I imagine more variants will come online as 343 irons out bugs and implements community feedback.

Speaking of bugs, there are a few. Most are pretty minor. Firefight has an issue where certain units and vehicles can get stuck on environments, which can block match progression (this is probably due to expanded game modes, which is why Arcade Firefight is more limited until these bugs are fixed). In campaign, shadows are darker than they should be, single-shot weapon recoil is too aggressive, there’s the odd sound error and combat voice lines repeat too often. The only major error I encountered outside of Firefight was that the game loses track of your audio log collection when you die, which is a pain when you’re trying to get all 30 of them. It’s definitely irritating, but I never encountered anything gamebreaking.

In fact, I’m happy to report that the game ran exceptionally well. Like every game in the collection, ODST features an FOV slider, enhanced graphics options – which, like Halo 3, mostly seem to affect draw distance – and mouse and keyboard controls. As a Halo veteran, I was most comfortable playing with a controller, but the mouse and keyboard controls work fine – even if they don’t benefit from Halo’s generous auto-aim. I did, however, make liberal use of the enhanced graphics option and the expanded FOV, which in addition to making things easier to see, lets you appreciate just how fast Halo is.

"ODST is still the most stylish and unique Halo game and being able to play it, and its incredible version of Firefight again, is wonderful.  More than a decade later, there’s still nothing quite like it."

I ran ODST on a 2060 Super with 8 GB of VRAM, an i5 6600k at 3.5 GHz, and 16 GB of DDR4 RAM. I’m admittedly quite a bit over the game’s minimum and recommended requirements, but as anyone who plays on PC will tell you, that’s not a guarantee that a port will run well. I ran ODST at 1080p and a locked 60 fps, and the game never had any trouble – even in Arcade Firefight with rockets and Spartan Lasers going everywhere. Considering how infamously finicky Halo’s engine is, and how troubled some of the other ports in the MCC were at release, what 343 has accomplished with ODST is impressive. Like Halo 3 before it, the game really benefits from the enhanced resolution, which highlights Bungie’s knack for visual design. ODST doesn’t look modern, but it does look good, and several of Halo 3’s weakest visual elements – like the character models and faces – are significantly improved here.

ODST’s arrival also changes the MCC as a whole, bringing several fixes – including the long-promised fix to the BR’s hit detection in Halo 3 – and a new season of content to unlock, all of which is for Halo 3 or ODST, including new visual customizations for your multiplayer characters, nameplates, and characters for Firefight. As before, you can unlock content in a section in any order, but you’ll have to unlock an entire section before you can proceed to the next one. There isn’t as much to unlock here as in past seasons – there are only 50 unlockable over 5 sections, whereas previous seasons featured 100 spread out over 10 – largely due to Halo 3’s already extensive customization options, but it’s nice to see season content that matches up with the most recently released game.

Like all releases in the Master Chief Collection, Halo 3: ODST isn’t a perfect port. It has flaws, particularly in Firefight and with regard to the game’s audio logs. That said, the fact that 343 continues to make these games run as well as they do on a platform they were never designed for so long after their original releases is nothing short of a minor miracle. The MCC continues to improve with each patch and I have no doubt that the problems here will eventually be fixed. In the meantime, we can enjoy ODST in all of its glory. It’s still the most stylish and unique Halo game and being able to play it, and its incredible version of Firefight again, is wonderful. I’m happy to return to New Mombasa, to wander its ruined streets and let the sounds of rain and smooth jazz wash over me. More than a decade later, there’s still nothing quite like it. You know the music. Time to dance.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection owners on PC can now play through Halo 3: ODST. It’s available today for Steam, Xbox Game Pass for PC and the Microsoft Store. Along with including the campaign, which sees the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers investigating the Covenant that have invaded New Mombasa.

The PC version features support for 60 FPS or higher along with 4K resolution and Ultra-Wide display support. Along with updated textures, improved shadow quality, an FOV slider and variable framerate, it also support rebindable controls. Of course, native support for keyboard and mouse is also included.

Perhaps the most appealing part of the package is Firefight which now has online matchmaking, dedicated servers and new custom game modes. As for remaining titles, only Halo 4 is yet to be released for the Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC. It’s still slated for 2020 so so stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

There aren’t many deals as good as Xbox Game Pass right now. Extending to the Xbox One, PC and now even to mobile via Xbox Cloud Gaming, it offers a pretty unprecedented amount of games for you to play. September has already seen quite a few games added, but Microsoft isn’t done yet, as a lot more is still slated to come.

The company announced a new slate of September titles to look forward to starting this week. First and foremost, on the 17th, you can get the RTS title Company of Heroes 2 on the PC version of Game Pass. On the 22nd is a double whammy of the shooter kind as you’ll be able to get access to Destiny 2: Shadowkeep and Forsaken on Xbox One and Android as well as Halo 3: ODST on PC and Android. On the 24th, you’ll get access to the indie sensation Night in the Woods across all three versions of Game Pass as well as the 4-player co-op action title Warhammer: Vermintide 2 for Xbox One and Android.

You’ll be able to have access to those title listed above soon, and you can read more about them as well as a list of most recent additions as well as soon to leave titles through the official website here.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC gets even bigger when Halo 3: ODST arrives next week. 343 Industries has confirmed that the title will release on September 22nd. A new trailer has also been released, teasing the ordeals that the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers or ODST will have to go through.

As a sort-of spin-off from Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST focuses on a squad of ODST troops that land in New Mombasa. It’s not the smoothest of entrances, however, as the squad is split up. As the Rookie, the player must reconnect with their squad-mates while battling the Covenant. Of course, it’s not just the campaign that Halo: The Master Chief Collection owners have to look forward to on PC.

Firefight is also coming and serves as the original wave-based survival mode. With numerous maps, modifiers and tough enemies to fight, Firefight still ranks as one of the best Horde modes in a first person shooter. Stay tuned for more details when Halo 3: ODST arrives next week on PC

While we all patiently wait for Halo Infinite, we call always go back to play the classics in the series with Halo: The Master Chief Collection. While the game was already an impressive collection of titles when it first released (despite the multiple technical issues at launch), it has since become the definitive place for all mainline Halo titles, eventually adding Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. Now, more Halo is coming, and this time it’s to complete ODST.

As announced via the official Twitter, Firefight from the original Halo 3: ODST will be coming to the collection at some point this summer. The multiplayer mode was always absent when ODST was originally added. It was a non-traditional multiplayer mode where you had to work together with teammates to survive with shared lives against endless waves of enemies, and had a heavy focus on combos and ‘big kills.’

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available now for both Xbox One and PC. It’s unclear if Firefight is planned for both version at the same time when it launches this summer.

Prepare to drop. pic.twitter.com/lgjL97S0Th

— Halo (@Halo) June 10, 2020