What exactly is Halo 3: ODST?

A lot have people have been asking me exactly that question, so here I am with all your answers. Just read the facts below and you'll be all caught up to speed on Bungie's latest project.

THE BASICS

For those of you familiar with PC games, Halo 3: ODST is essentially the same thing as an expansion pack, only its stand-alone and doesn't require the original Halo 3 disc to play. It will be cheaper than a normal 360 game and features a new short campaign that reportedly lasts about 6 hours. In addition, the multiplayer mode is exactly the same as Halo 3. That means people with Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST can play against each other and all your stats will work on both.

NEW CAMPAIGN, NEW HERO

As mentioned above, the main attraction is a new 6-hour-ish campaign to play through. The difference is that this time, you won't be playing as Master Chief. This story takes place during the events of Halo 2 in the ruins of New Mombasa after Master Chief has already left to go fight on another halo ring. Instead, you'll be put in the role of "The Rookie", an ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) soldier, which is basically an elite class of marine that is the UNSC's best soldiers other than the Spartans. You will also play as some of The Rookie's squadmates in flash back sequences. The new hero also means that you won't have the benefits that you've grown accustomed to being a Spartan super soldier in the past, perhaps most importantly shields. While the core gameplay will be the same, Bungie has stated that you'll definitely have to be more careful because you are a lot more vulnerable than the Chief. To balance this out, there will more than likely be new weapons, and Bungie has already shown off a silencer-equiped version of the SMG, pictured below. In case you're wondering, the new gameplay mechanics will not transfer to the multiplayer arena, which still features the same Spartans and Elites as before.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED

For the multiplayer component of this "expansion" disc, Bungie has really come through. Shipping on the disc will be every single map thusfar released for Halo 3, including all the maps on the original disc, the Heroic Map Pack, Legendary Map Pack, Cold Storage, and the Mythic Map Pack. In addition, there will be another 3 new maps on disc as well. In essence, this is the total package, and Bungie has gone on record saying that ODST will be the "final exclamation point" on Halo 3 and ruled out additional map packs afterward. Hey, 2 years is a pretty good 

stretch of solid support for a game. As for gamers who opt not to pick up ODST, I presume that Bungie will release the 3 new maps as a pack for download on Live so that people can still participate in the fun.

PREPARE TO DROP THIS FALL

Halo 3: ODST is slated for release in "Fall 2009". My bet is on September, the same month as the original Halo 3 and right at the beginning of the chaotic holiday release period. More details are sure to come out of E3 in June. For more information on the game, visit Bungie's website or the game's page on 1up or IGN.