Halo 3: ODST Firefight has finally made its way to The Master Chief Collection via the Halo insider program. I was lucky enough to get an early invite into the program and get a first look at the mode.
Prepare to drop. Halo 3: ODST Flighting kicks off now for both PC and Xbox One! Check https://t.co/SPefehh2zu to see if you've been invited and for instructions. For info on the flight, current known issues, ticket submissions, and more, head over to https://t.co/RNoYlRa8Gy! pic.twitter.com/dKkPLYpgip
— Halo Support (@HaloSupport) August 17, 2020
I am happy to report that Firefight is as great as you remember, and that it has seamlessly made its way to The Master Chief Collection. Firefight has appeared in other Halo games like Reach and Halo 5, but none have quite captured the magic of ODST’s incarnation.
Firefight is Halo’s version of a wave based mode where you fight continuous waves of enemies that grow in strength as the game progresses. The original Firefight mode gives you 10 lives, and a single life is added at the end of each round which can take up to 30 minutes to complete. You will need each and every one of those lives, as the game gets incredibly challenging as new enemies are introduced. You will start out facing your typical grunt and jackal and will eventually face Hunters and enemies in vehicles.
The game is about endurance, and you can go on for hours and hours if you are good enough to withstand increasingly difficult waves of enemies. With each new round, the enemy will gain a new perk that makes them more difficult to fight. An example of a perk would be one that makes enemies prone to throw grenades, meaning you will have to move quickly to avoid spike and plasma grenades.
What makes ODST’s Firefight so special is that it truly feels like a test of endurance. You of course play an ODST, meaning you are not a fully equipped Spartan. ODST’S do not have as much health as Spartan’s. They also cannot jump as high or throw grenades as far as a Spartan. They cannot thrust or groundpound or sprint like Spartan’s can in Halo 5’s Firefight.
In ODST Firefight, You truly feel like you are outmatched and are hanging on by a thread, which makes surviving each wave of enemies incredibly satisfying. When you play as the Master Chief, you feel like a super soldier who has no equal. Running through enemies with very little challenge is expected. As an ODST, you do not traverse the battlefield with the same ease. It truly feels like you are barely surviving, which makes the game incredibly tense, engaging, and thrilling to play.
ODST Firefight is still a great mode, and when it makes its way to The Master Chief Collection later this year it will finally complete the game as a full collection of the Halo series.
