Random Video Game Series Review - Halo (ODST-5: Guardians)

Last week I did a review of the original trilogy of the Halo series and though I wanted to review all the games I played at the time, unfortunately time was against me so I decided to review the other games today. So I don't think there is any need to explain the series as I did that last week so let's once again dive into this great sci-fi shooter series:

Also just to clarify once again that this is a review only of the games I have played in the series which isn't all of them, but most of them which is still pretty good I must say.

ODST

So this one is probably one of the most infamous in the series. Infamous because its one of the most hated games in the series by fans on its initial release and one that at the time was the first game to not have Master Chief and/or Arbiter in it. So the story revolves around the titular ODST team who go on a mission to save their friends in the midst of an alien invasion set during and after the events of Halo 2. Although gameplay is largely reminiscent of the other games, there are of course some varying differences which would make any one of the ODST team inferior to that of Master Chief which can lead to a few obstacles and other things along the way. But I do like the open world setting of New Mombasa which is cool I guess. So as you may remember in previous games each one had something so unique about it that it would stand out. I don't get that with ODST as the gameplay is very familiar with very little innovation going for it. Nevertheless, its an enjoyable game that may not have been what we were expecting and because it came out at a time where the next big game in the series was being made, I guess it must have served as a good time waster even though its not as good as the rest of the series. 7/10

Reach

From the weakest to the best game, we now look at Reach which is said to be one of the best games in the series as well as the last game for Bungie who have made the games up to this point and would hand over the helm to 343 Industries. Serving as a prequel to the series, humanity is at war with the Covenant (presumably at its beginnings) who have started to invade the human world known as Reach and Noble Six (voiced either by Philip Anthony-Rodriguez or Amanda Philipson depending on which gender you go for) must help a team try and stop the invasion even when the odds are against them. Gameplay is largely very similar to the very first game albeit with some minor and major upgrades to give us a great experience overall. The armour disposal system introduced in Halo 3 is replaced with a system where characters won't need to dispose of it and the armour remains consistent and usable until replaced. Again, although a considerably much better experience than in ODST, there isn't that great deal of innovation. But it is a better experience than the last game and worthy of being among the best games in the series even if Master Chief is once again not in it. 9/10

4

Its never easy to continue a well received series from another developer and most of us would very much have reservations on the idea of another developer creating the game going forward. So in this game which brings back Master Chief (voiced in all games by Steve Downes, not that I needed to remind you all or anything) and the AI construct Cortana (voiced by Jen Taylor in all games), the pair continue to fight the antagonistic Covenant aliens while also taking on a new threat in the form of Promethians all while learning a thing or two about the Forerunners and the existence of another Halo and some other things too. Gameplay introduces some new enemy types as well as some more ways to use weapons and abilities. There is also the Spartan Ops mode which explores the events that occur following the main story campaign. As the first game for 343 Industries, its a good one. It brings the game back to its roots in terms of gameplay and manages to reinvent the series with new enemies and some other new things that I'm sure will keep us amused going forward. 9/10

5: Guardians

So now we are on the last game (for now) and well let's get to it. Eight months have passed since the events of the previous game and the game focuses on two teams. One team known as Blue is led by Master Chief while the other known as Osiris is led by a former assassin and acquisitions agent called Jameson Locke (voiced by Ike Amadi). When both teams are on separate missions, the Chief receives a cryptic message from Cortana and goes against orders to find her which causes team Osiris to go and recover him and his team who have been branded as having gone AWOL. Gameplay is largely the same as before with again some improvements over weapons and abilities including abilities that were restricted to only certain weapons and other things too. At various points in the game, NPCs get to be controlled each with their own unique skills and such. With all of that, it looks like it would be another great entry. However while previous games have always had the option to play with another player locally or online, this time around its online only which is a departure from previous games and mighty inconvenient for those wanting to play in the same room. But despite that and problems with the story in terms of length and writing, its an OK game. Not the best mind you, but not too bad for the most part. 8/10

And that my friends is the end of my Halo reviews. At least until I start playing the next game that is. I think overall it is a great series that helped bring the Xbox brand into being as successful as it can be. Of course it will all be on PC eventually, but its where it started is what matters most.