Review - Halo 3: ODST

Platform: Xbox 306
Spoiler Danger Low

The Good
+ The score. Simply amazing, and it does exactly what it needs to do.
+ Best campaign in the history of the franchise.
+ Firefight!!!!
+ Scoped Pistol!
+ Silenced SMG!

The Bad
- No matchmaking in Firefight.
- Short campaign.
- Hands. The hands rendered with the Halo engine look awful.

Video Games of 2009

My last post was about movies that are coming out soon, today I'm talking video games. It looks to be a good year for the video games - heck, it already has been a great year with Resident Evil 5 still sitting in my 360. Let's take a look (in no particular order).

• Halo 3: ODST - It's Halo, what else do I need to say? Plus, unlike Halo Wars, it is being scored by Marty O'Donnell, the genius behind the soundtracks from the Halo Trilogy.
  
  
  
  
• Prototype - Sandbox world with a main character who can't remember his past and can run as fast as a car on the freeway. What's not to love?
• Wolfenstein - My personal favorite Nazi zombie shooter is back for the first time since the original XBox. That was a masterpiece, so I can't wait to see what this holds.
• Dragon Age: Origins - One of my favorite game developers of all time (BioWare) brings some fantasy RPG style to the 360. BioWare also made my until-recently-favorite game on the 360, Mass Effect, so I have nothing but lofty expectations for this game.
• Batman: Arkham Asylum - It's Batman, it's the Joker, it's intensity in a game. This is being touted as being a superhero game unlike any we've ever played, so it's a shoo-in for this list.
• Bioshock 2 - Bioshock ranks as the second best FPS on the 360. It had one hell of a twisted story and depraved characters, and it all built up to one of the most jaw-dropping revelations in video game history. I expect nothing less from Bioshock 2. 
  
  
  
  
• Mass Effect 2 - Though this isn't slated for release until early 2010 (which probably means Christmas 2010), it still makes the list. As the sequel to my second favorite 360 game, there is nothing that will come between me and owning this game on midnight whichever day it ends up coming out. Just from the teaser trailer, I guarantee you this game will be EPIC!!!
• Modern Warfare 2 - This game seems to be ditching the Call of Duty moniker for just Modern Warfare. That's fitting considering the less-than-cool direction CoD 5 took. Call of Duty 4 is the best FPS I have ever played - it included some of the most gripping cinematic moments (yes, better than Bioshock's) in the history of video games. The story was great, the action was heart pumping and white knuckled... but there were these moments in the game that dragged you to the edge of your seat with bug eyes and no conscious awareness of anything else going on around you that made the game something special. The level Shock and Awe will live forever in my memory as the single most startling and one of the most heart-wrenching scenes to cross the pixels of my TV. Can the sequel be better? This game is being developed by Infinity Ward, the same company behind CoD4 (though not the same one that brutalized CoD5), so I believe it can.
  
  
  
  
• I Am Alive - Very little is known about this game, but check out the coverage - it looks like it's got plenty of potential.
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction - This has been on Ubisoft's plate for quite a while. I wasn't the biggest fan of the previous Splinter Cell games, but this one looks entertaining. 
• Tekken 6 - My favorite fighting game franchise is no longer a PS exclusive, and I couldn't be happier. Thoughts of beating face with King in glorious HD have me all giddy in anticipation of this release.
• Assassin's Creed 2 - Yet another Ubisoft title, the original game made me love platforming like Prince of Persia just never could. The story was topsy-turvey, and the end left me scooping my jaw off the floor. I can not wait until the sequel to show me what happened after the earth-shattering end to the first one. 
• Borderlands - This looks to be an entertaining FPS RPG (two of my favorite genres, mixed!). There are a rumored 650,000 weapons in this game!! WOW! Plus, add in my new favorite video game feature - cooperative play - and you have the makings of a winner.
• Alpha Protocol - This game is loosely defined as an action espionage RPG. Seems to be in the same vein as Mass Effect, but the previews indicate there will be tougher choices with more impact. Seems like my kind of game.
  
  
  
  
• The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf - The Witcher, an action RPG, was a smash hit on the PC, and the developers are talking about a brand new combat engine specifically designed for the console. This could be really good.
• Alan Wake - I have a friend who's been hyping the crap outta this game since he first heard of it. He's convinced that this will finally be the game to justify that 360 purchase he made. To that, I say, "Play Resident Evil 5", but this looks pretty darned good too.
• Splatterhouse - The return of one of the most blood-tastic games ever made. This time it comes in splashy HD. Should be fun.
• Aliens: Colonial Marines - This game is based off the Alien movie franchise. That means it could be either really great or it could suck some major butt. 
• Halo 3: Mythic Map Pack - It's not a game, but it IS more maps for Halo 3. What more do I need?