Halo 3: ODST, the most divergent game in the series, has finally arrived on PC for the first time. You can pick it up separately or as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection now.
I only finished the first two Halos at release, so I've got a lot of catching up to do, and it's ODST that's piqued my interest the most. Instead of plonking you inside the armour of a Spartan super soldier, ODST follows the misadventures of a group of shock troopers sent into Covenant-occupied New Mombasa.
Though it ended up being a full-featured Halo romp, it originally started life as a smaller side project, so it wasn't quite as beholden to the previous games. This led to some significant changes in tone and gameplay, though it still kept many of the trappings of the first trilogy. It also serves as a follow-up to Halo 2, showing us what happened after the Covenant took over New Mombasa.
ODST comes with the co-op wave-based mode, Firefight, which has also been added to the Xbox version of The Master Chief Collection. While it's a separate mode, it's connected to the campaign via unlockable characters and maps, which you'll get by playing through the eight-hour story.
The arrival of ODST also means that a new season has kicked off, with new unlockables ranging from character skins to nameplates. Here's what you can get:
- 12 Halo 3 Weapon Skins
- 30 Halo 3 Visor Skins
- 10 ODST Character Skins
- 4 ODST Character Skins (Unlockable via Challenges)
- 30 Nameplates
Most of these can be snatched up by spending points earned through ranking up in multiplayer and completing challenges.
The PC version of ODST will let you shoot your way through New Mombasa in 4K at 60 fps if you've got the hardware, and also includes customisable controls, ultrawide support and other PC-specific enhancements.
You can get it now on the Microsoft Store and Steam.
There's a new update available, too, with tweaks and bug fixes for the entire Master Chief Collection. Check out the full patch notes.
