Halo 3: ODST’s Campaign Arrives on PC
The major addition of this update is Halo 3: ODST’s release on PC. ODST’s campaign casts aside Master Chief’s more epic tale for a more focused and grounded story revolving around a rookie ODST soldier. After a rough landing in his drop pod, the rookie has to piece together what happened to his different squadmates in a dark and foreboding city.
If it’s your first time playing ODST you may notice some minor changes from the traditional Halo formula, such as the lack of regenerating shields. Who needs shields though when you have the sweet sounds of rain and saxophone-centric blues? It’s the mix of those sounds and the darker setting that makes the game’s atmosphere so memorable.
The lack of a traditional multiplayer mode and the shift from playing as a Spartan to an ODST has definitely made the game a bit of a dark horse compared to the rest of the mainline entries. Give it a shot (or replay) though and you might just come to the light and see why it is the best Halo campaign ever made. This now leaves Halo 4 as the next (and final) game set to be added to the Master Chief Collection on PC.
Halo 3: ODST’s Firefight Mode Is Finally Added
When ODST was added to the Master Chief Collection on Xbox One originally, the beloved Firefight mode was nowhere to be seen. It was even odder when Halo Reach was added last December and actually did include the mode. At last, 343 Industries has made things right by adding ODST’s version of Firefight to the MCC on both PC and the Xbox One family of consoles.
This isn’t the same mode you might remember from the Xbox 360 though, as 343 has taken some notes from Reach as far as customization goes. Now you can change things like the starting weapons, enable infinite ammo or set a limit to how long the fight lasts as opposed to endless waves.
The new options allow you to tailor each fight to how you want them, adding even more to the replayability of the mode. Firefight got its start in ODST and you’ll probably notice it’s just a bit harder than Reach’s take on the mode. The increased difficulty only makes those final moments of holding out with no more lives all the more exhilarating.
Season 3 Content Brings Even More Customization
With the update comes even more options for players to make their Spartans as stylish as can be thanks to the new Season 3 content. Much like the prior two seasons, the system works like a traditional battlepass though instead of gaining XP for unlocking tiers, you instead use tokens gained from leveling up and completing challenges. Always having a piece of armor to work towards makes the incentive to keep playing much more enticing.
Season 3’s content expands upon what was available in the original games by offering skins for Halo 3 weapons and new visor colors for your Halo 3 Spartan. More in theme with ODST are the different characters that can be unlocked to play as for Firefight, such as the fan-favorite Sgt. Buck. Because who doesn’t want to kill endless waves of aliens as a character voiced by Nathan Fillion?
Deeper Halo 2 Armor Customization
A minor-yet-appreciated feature is the ability to mix and match armor pieces for both Spartans and Elites in Halo 2. There isn’t much else to add, but it is great to see 343 paying attention to what the fans want no matter how small. Hopefully we can finally get that Arbiter and Arbys crossover next.
New Weapons in Halo 3’s Forge Mode
Rounding out the update is the addition of three new weapons from Halo 3: ODST to Halo 3’s multiplayer. The new weapons include the brute plasma rifle, the silenced SMG and the automag pistol. Since they were originally only used against AI opponents, the developers have reassured that they have been slightly tuned to be more balanced for multiplayer.
The fact that new weapons are being added to a nearly 13-year-old game is crazy to think about. Overall the update is another great step for the Master Chief Collection as a whole and goes to show just how much life these games still have in them.
Full details on the update can be found here.
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