MS defends full-price for Halo: ODST

360 News | Microsoft cites increasingly ambitious scope of project for price hike.

Despite Bungie originally promising gamers that the short campaign which would make up Halo ODST would be offset with a lower price, Microsoft's E3 announcment to sell the game at a premium price point is leaving many gamers up in arms at the situation.

Microsoft has defended the move, stating in comments with Joystiq that at "the time of those statements, the overall scope of Halo 3 ODST was not yet finalised, and since then the project has grown increasingly more ambitious. We believe this standalone experience is much more than just an expansion. Halo 3 ODST provides a new campaign from the point of view of an entirely new character. Combine that with three new multiplayer maps, the entirely new cooperative mode called Firefight, and the complete Halo 3 multiplayer collection on a standalone disc, we feel this is a good value and tremendous addition to the Halo franchise."

Although Microsoft have been quick to defend the move, developer Bungie has kept tight lipped on the situation, with no official comment yet received from the development house.

Halo 3 ODST looks set to exclusively storm onto Xbox 360s everywhere this September.

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20 Comments

Jedi.Jell

2 years ago

So we get (things already available in bold):

Halo 3 ODST Campaign
3 New Maps
Halo 3 Multiplayer
Legendary Map Pack
Heroic Map Pack
Mythic Map Pack

If there's no version without all that extra stuff, I call rip-off.

PS. Being the world's biggest Halo Fanboy (well perhaps not the biggest, but I'm definately a fanboy) I'll still be buying it (and the collectors edition if there is one available in Australia).

Tom101007

2 years ago

i figure jb or someone will offer a cheaper price anyway, so no big deal for me, just gotta shop around a bit, and theres nothing wrong with that

Baad Woolf

2 years ago

Fully agree with you there, pricing sucks for peeps who have got all the map packs.

And there is a collectors edition, Microsoft says it is available in regions other than USA, but hasnt specified.
Its a simple collectors edition, it comes with the game +

notsofat

2 years ago

Baad Woolf wrote

it comes with the game +

I WANT IT.

G3ck0

2 years ago

I'll probably hold off buying a second controller, and try to get the game with that one instead.

unlachs

2 years ago

microsoft could've just said, "we're hiking the price because you suckers will pay anything for halo". that would've made sense.

heatseeker

2 years ago

unlachs wrote

microsoft could've just said, "we're hiking the price because you suckers will pay anything for halo". that would've made sense.

Agreed. I'll be definitely buying the collectors edition even though i have 2 controllers.

Just curious, buying this means ill have no use for halo 3 right?

el_rezzo

2 years ago

I'll pick it up for $40. I've already got 2 controllers and this sounds like little more than a Horde mode for Halo 3. The singleplayer for halo 3 was without a doubt the most disappointing campaign this generation. Can't believe I left the Brownlow for the crap I was given.

So far it doesn't sound much better. But if you own an xbox you need to own Halo so I will buy it eventually, too bad I'm more excited for Reach which could be amazing if it is a squad based Halo melding GRAW with Brothers In Arms. Pure joy.

kaerlis

2 years ago

other than the campaign mode which was pretty good, seems so.

Lord Haart

2 years ago

I have 4 controllers, damn. Will just have to waste one. :P

Now my friends and I will fight over who gets it though.

As for pricing, fact is, firefight alone adds heaps to the game (assuming it's available in 4-way splitscreen - as of yet, no reason to assume otherwise).

Baad Woolf

2 years ago

^i donno bout 4 player split screen firefight. i think on some interview they mentioned something like "As always firefight will have splitscreen ... 2 players will be able to play on the same console"

I hope i heard wrong but, coz in matchmaking 4 people can play on the same console so it would be stupid.
unless in campaign its 2 ppl per console, then it might make sense.

fingers crossed though

heatseeker424 wrote

Just curious, buying this means ill have no use for halo 3 right?

The only thing halo 3 has that odst doesn't is the campaign.

G3ck0

2 years ago

So buying all the Halo 3 map packs seems like a waste. Oh well, I will still buy them.

heatseeker

2 years ago

I hope they add some new armour and stuff for the online multi. I enjoy making my character unique in games.

G3ck0

2 years ago

You need to buy ODST to get the Recon armour.

tbenton

2 years ago

Lord Haart wrote

As for pricing, fact is, firefight alone adds heaps to the game (assuming it's available in 4-way splitscreen - as of yet, no reason to assume otherwise).

If OSDT has 4-player firefight with a heap of maps I havent got yet, I'll pay full price.

ObsoletE

2 years ago

Baad Woolf wrote

EB have it on there website - $150. which isn't too bad, considering a standard wireless controller is $80 RRP.
i can't find this bundle anywhere else, but the EB website isn't advertising as "Exclusive to EB Games" like they do for Arkham Asylum CE, or Assassin's Creed 2 Black Edition, so who knows that the deal is there?

as for cheaper prices for the standard edition - JB have it for preorder for $79 - which is good.

Cyph

2 years ago

I'll be purchasing the standard edition, none of the extra stuff matters to me. I barely play Halo 3 any more, and only purchased the first map pack, so I'm not getting as burnt as others who purchased all the map packs. This package realises one of the down sides of DLC; paying twice for what you already have.

TheAnswer

2 years ago

ObsoletE wrote

but the EB website isn't advertising as "Exclusive to EB Games" like they do for Arkham Asylum CE

The interesting thing is that the Arkham Asylum CE is not exclusive to EB anyway, you might be referring to the download code for some batman suit and a comic book that is EB exclusive.

matrix-cat

2 years ago

All they need to say is they need the extra money to pay for Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin and Alan Tudyk. That's the biggest selling point for the game, as far as I can see.

Jellyfish

2 years ago

matrix-cat wrote

All they need to say is they need the extra money to pay for Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin and Alan Tudyk. That's the biggest selling point for the game, as far as I can see.

They were in Halo 2 and 3 as well you know. Halo 2/3 voice actor credits read like a blockbuster Hollywood film. Not only that most of the cast did it because they like the game not because (if they did or not) they get a big wad of cash.

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