The main aspect of this game is that you’re no longer playing as a powerful Spartan. Now you see the Human-Covenant war through the eyes of a regular soldier. This is emphasized by a more grounded story, a grittier atmosphere, and a beautiful noir-like soundtrack.
But the gameplay itself remains mostly the same as before. The only difference is that the player takes a lot more damage with each hit. Other than that, the game mechanics are the same and these troops can do everything Chief can; including meleeing enemies with bare hands, and using heavy brute artillery.
ODST has a unique take on the story structure. Unlike previous games, there’s a city area that the player can explore to find clues to unravel a mystery. Each clue triggers a new mission. The game is promoted to be non-linear, as in you can play the missions in any order depending on which clue you find first. BUT the storyline is written in a linear manner so if you go through missions in any other order, it would be difficult to understand.
The mission themselves are nothing unfamiliar. Neither are the enemy types. There’re some good ‘ol vehicle based missions that I always enjoy.
I didn’t get the same hyped up experience that most veteran fans had mentioned, but it was still fun. And for the current price of Master Chief Collection, it’s a great game to spend your money and 6 hours on.
RATE: 8.0/10.0