Halo3: ODST
So yesterday was a pretty good day for me. Went to school. Went to work. Oh, and i checked out Halo3: ODST.(Amazing live-action trailer)
ODST’s single player is a step up from the previous three. It is refreshing to play as someone besides Master Chief, or the Arbiter. ODSTs, Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, are more mortal than the Chief and you’ll notice that early on. In Halo 3 taking down a wave of Grunts and Brutes was child’s play. You had your battle rifle and favorite second weapon and went to town. In Halo3: ODST you hope you have enough ammo in your pistol; you pray that you have a sniper rifle; and you take things slow. If you can always keep a sniper rifle handy. From what i saw the story seems to have much to offer. I have hopes for plot, unlike the confounding Halo storyline.
People have talked about how big the free roaming section of the game is, but experiencing it is beyond words. There is nothing like walking down a desolate street and turning a corner to find Covenant ready to kill you. Another interesting thing is that scenarios don’t reset if you run away. After you retreat to get health packs and weapons don’t be surprised if the Covenant has moved on.
Halo3: ODST is a great game. I can’t wait to own it in a few days. Tommrow i should have some offscreen photos so check em out.
9 gets 6 for Substance 8 for Style
When I first saw the trailer for 9 I thought, “Wow! It’s Little Big Planet with Coheed & Cambria in the background!” Seeing little Sack Boys fighting robotic-animal-beast with Welcome Home in the background was more then enough to get me interested. Soon after the trailer I found Director Shane Ackes’s short film of the same name. The feature is based on his original short film of the same name.
The movie takes place in the near future, when machines have won the war against humans. Imagine the scenes from Meet the Robinson where the Helping Hat changed the future. Now imagine instead of the humans running and screaming they are all on the ground dead. That is the world of 9.
The movie starts with the hero of the film, #9 (voiced by Elijah Wood), awaking. Once he awakens 9 quickly gets a feel for the world. He meets another Sack Boy called #2 (voiced by Martin Landau). Soon after they meet #2 is captured by a Beast, robotic-animal monster. With #2 gone #9 is alone in the world again.
#9 rather quickly finds the resolve to rescue his new friend. Along the way he meets others like him. #1 (voiced by Christopher Plummer) the groups makeshift leader; #3 and #4 mute twins that specialize is archiving; #5 (voiced by John Reilly) cowardly medic; #6 (voiced by Crispin Glover) troubled artist; #7 (voiced by Jennifer Connelly) the lone warrior; and #8 (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) the muscle. The adventure to rescue #2 becomes much more. They discover the secrets of their creation and the key to a peaceful future.
The atmosphere of 9 dark and the animation fits it beautifully. Post-apocalyptic has been done over and over, but seeing it in 9 is a little different. There is scene where #8 nonchalantly sits on a dismembered hand, or when #9 simply walks by a corpse. The casual manner they have about the human carnage is eerie and interesting. The action sequences in 9 are a treat. You get to watch little Sack boys fighting robotic-animal monsters. Despite how good 9 looks it can’t make up for its lack of substance.
There is not much going on in 9 plot-wise. The plot is painfully straightforward, and the characters don’t have a chance to develop. The movie is only a bit over an hour so the characters don’t really change from their earlier descriptions. There are a few exceptions #5 does rise the occasion and help the team. #9 does change, but he takes a rapid route on generic sc-fi protagonist archetype. The plot is as straightforward as the characters. They set out to do something. They accomplish it. They get chased. They fight back. The movie ends.
If you have some free time I would recommend going to see 9. The movie may not do much, but it is a delight to watch. The battle scenes are epic, and almost make up for lack of story.
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