Halo 3: ODST Event
Written By Gaetano Prestia
On Thursday, August 6th, Gaetano was able to attend a special Halo 3: ODST event on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour. Check out his special preview of Halo 3: ODST, as well as his photos of the real-life Halo Warthog that was on display at the event.
Halo 3: ODST Preview
While I got to see a real-life Halo Warthog first hand at the Halo 3: ODST event on Cockatoo island – the exact same vehicle that was meant to be used in the now dead-in-the-water Halo movie – as well as ODST in action, I was really disappointed that I didn’t see any cockatoo’s. Clearly the island is not a haven for the species of bird.
But lack of bird sightings aside, I was able to experience one of the most anticipated games of the year. Bungie’s very own Curtis Creamer gave us a great demonstration of a single-player aspect of the title, although it was the exact same demo that we were shown during Microsoft’s E3 press conference. While I was hoping to see something new, seeing the footage directly in front of me on a HD set added a whole new dimension to the demo. Simply put, ODST looks awesome. It’s been said that the development team (most of which worked on the original Halo) believe that this title is their best work to date. If you’re familiar with all other Halo titles, visually, you’d have to agree with them up to this point. It really does look gorgeous.
There’s an extra level of detail that at first glance is just really hard to nail down – when you look at the screen, you know it looks better than Halo 3, but you struggle to figure out why. But then after a few minutes, you realize it’s the presentation as a whole, from the weapon design, to the special ODST visor, to the environments and even the enemies.
The spectacular opening drop-down sequence looks even more amazing close up. It genuinely feels like a big budget Hollywood blockbuster, and it’s a scene like this that actually makes you wonder about what could have been had the Halo movie actually gone ahead. If there were any question as to whether this was a full-priced affair or simply just an expansion pack, the first 5-minutes alone should heavily convince you of the former, as no expansion pack has this much punch, action and suspense so early on into the experience.
As the drop down into enemy territory turns sour, our ODST rookie wakes to discover he is alone. We then join him as he tries to piece together the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his friends.
It was at this point that Creamer pointed out something quite interesting. Something that reminded the audience of how different this title is from every other Halo game.
“He isn’t as strong as a Spartan.”
You can forget about dual wielding, regenerating health and a big vertical jump. This soldier is normal, just like you and me. This is Halo, but not quite as we know it. Furthermore, ODST takes place in a dull yet heavily detailed urban environment, different from the lush and colourful alien landscapes of Halo 3.
As with any Halo title, Bungie uses heavily clichéd storytelling techniques, executing the narrative in such a way that is oh–so-familiar, yet still original and incredibly entertaining. Flashbacks will play a large part in ODST, as you search for clues to find your lost mates.
The first of these flashbacks (and only one to have been shown up to now) puts us into the shoes of explosives expert Dutch, throwing us straight into the deep end with plenty of big bangs. You learn a little about the character, why he came to be where he is and where he ended up. This non-linear storytelling technique is one of a few aspects that highlight how different ODST is from other Halo titles and why this is no longer just an expansion pack.
While no one got to play this opening sequence, it looks enticing, engaging, entertaining, suspenseful and gorgeous all at the same time.
The main game might have plenty of new stuff on offer, but the multiplayer component looks like much of the same. That’s fine though, as we all know how awesome Halo is online. There was one new mode on show though, called Firefight, which bares slight resemblance to Gears of War 2’s Horde mode. You team up with four of your buddies as you take out an endless stream of enemies. The aim is to survive the time limit and take out as many as possible. It’s incredibly enticing stuff, and a mode that got pretty heated up between the eight or so televisions they had hooked up in the tent.
Having seen ODST first-hand, can I say that it maintains the same level of quality of previous Halo games? Yes. Actually, it outdoes it. It’s visually impressive and the new multiplayer mode adds a whole new level to an already extensive online experience. It might have “Halo 3” in its name, but ODST is very much its own game. It’s only around the corner and if you’re not excited yet, we recommended you get primed – it’s going to rock!
The Event
The special VIP Halo 3: ODST event was held on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour. A fantastic location for an event like this, the night proved to be quite spectacular, as we were led through real war tunnels towards the real-life Halo Warthog that had been created by WETA studios in preparation for the Halo film (which is no longer happening).
Check out some of our images from the event below, as well as a video presentation from one of WETA's man men behind the Warthog. Sorry for the quality of the video - it was very dark and the entire venue was poorly lighted, including the Warthog.
Once we reached the final destination, we were greeted by a real-life Halo Warthog, which looks absolutely awesome!
It looks just as you imagined it would as seen in the Halo games.
The level of detail is quite spectacular, so kudos to the guys over at WETA Workshop for the final product.
Everyone was drooling as the prospect of getting behind the wheel of this bad boy!
As you can see, it has the grunt that made the actual vehicle so unique in the games.
As we said, the level of detail is quite superb. Have a look at the control panels on the inside!
We wonder how much those number plates cost!
Halo Warthog Presentation from WETA Workshop
Tags:
3
360
bungie
Chief
Halo
hog
Master
microsoft
odst
wart
warthog
weta
xbox
Halo 3 ODST News
Halo 3 ODST Discussions
Halo 3 ODST Guides
Halo 3 ODST Reviews
Halo 3 ODST Videos