Back in 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved was something new and huge. When it was released it broke not only sales records, but also the misconception that first person shooters couldn't be done right on a console. Its enormous marketing budget has arguably allowed Halo to move gaming further into the mainstream, as well. Several successful sequels later and the series is still going strong. The problem is that I can't figure out why.

Recently released, Halo 3: ODST (which stands for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, by the way) is the latest title in the series. Instead of placing players in control of Master Chief, the protagonist from previous Halo games, you play the part of a much more mundane soldier who's on the same side in the conflict. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but with ODST's weak story and bland level design there isn't anything to give this nameless, faceless rookie any real character. Much of the game is spent discovering the fates of the rookie's fellow squad members, and while I never really felt much attachment to them, these characters do have a bit more flavor.

Another problem is that ODST's world never really drew me in. Having somewhat of an open world that lets players wander around as they wish is something new to Halo, but I don't understand the point in including an open world if you're not going to do anything with it. Aside from your current mission objective, there's really not much to go do in this "open" world. Many of the levels feel drab and boring, beyond the point of being explained by the game's devastated setting. Things get so repetitive that often times I found myself getting lost in endless city streets and corridors that all looked the same. An in-game map is included but is only marginally useful in situations like these due to a clumsy interface and maps that don't show any interior detail when you're inside a building. When I finally stumbled across some of the things that developer Bungie placed into the world to make it feel more alive, they felt more like set pieces placed there to convey a mood as opposed to something you'd naturally find lying around the city.

The rest of the game is much of the same story. The weapons are pretty much direct clones of the ones from previous Halo games with nothing more than a few tweaks to balance them a bit. Even the new weapons are thinly veiled remakes of old material. Not only are the vehicles the same old stuff, but their controls haven't evolved any either. Maybe it's just me, but I had an incredibly frustrating time controlling the Warthog on one early mission in particular. Not even the visuals are fresh or invigorating, and I felt like I might have to blow the aging Halo engine's cobwebs off when I first opened the game's case.

ODST's multiplayer is one of the few places you'll find anything new. A meager handful of new maps and the new Firefight mode don't come close to justifying the game's price tag, though. Firefight pits players against ever increasing waves of incoming enemies, and it borrows heavily from the Horde mode found in Gears of War 2. There's enough of a twist here to make Firefight stand on its own, but I wish the rest of the title had been more of a foundation for it to prop itself up on. Also included is Forge, Bungie's map editor. It's cool to see console gamers getting their hands on the sort of map editing tools that PC gamers have taken for granted for a long time, so major props to the developers for putting it out.

Originally slated to be a downloadable add-on for Halo 3, it was later announced that ODST would be its own stand alone, full-price game. With so much recycled content, such a short campaign and so few additions to the multiplayer, I'm at a complete loss as to how any gamer can justify picking it up at the full sixty dollar price tag. I suppose it might be an attractive option for long time Halo fans who are just looking for more of the same thing. But for those of us who have seen first-person shooters come a long way in the past decade and wish a talented studio like Bungie would try a little harder to break new ground, ODST is a major disappointment.

Title: Halo 3: ODST
Price: $59.99
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Score: C-