So this is the week that expansion-turned-full-game Halo ODST comes out. Frankly my interest in the Halo franchise flickered and died after a couple of weeks with Halo 3, so my excitement level for ODST is pretty nonexistent. However, I will admit that there are a couple of points that have my curiosity peaked. If you’re wondering, they rhyme with “Mathan” and “Million”.

I applaud Bungie for attempting to tell a story in the universe that doesn’t rely on “ALL MASTER CHIEF, ALL THE TIME”, because it’s clearly a big risk. Master Chief is what players and consumers identify Halo with, so removing the star and offering up the B-string players has the potential to bomb. On the other hand, it has the potential to take the game to new places (although clearly with the exact same gameplay regardless of the narrative).

It will be interesting to see how the game fares outside of the Halo-story buffs who just have to have every little bit of canon. Though let’s be perfectly honest, shall we? They could have called it “MOAR HALO MULTIPLAYER” and still guaranteed sales, so I’m willing to bet the Halo brand is strong enough regardless.

Personally I think I could (and will) let this one pass right by and never look back. I couldn’t care less about the Halo story, and every Halo feels like the same gameplay since 2001, so there’s not a lot pulling me in. However, feel free to shoot me an email when you pick up your copy and let me know if Cap’n Mal is worth the price of admission alone.

I do love me some Fillion.