Finished my playthrough of ODST. Gah, the more I play that game, the more I love it. Yes, it does have it's issues; it's too short (especially given the $70 price tag), and the whole "detective" aspect of it isn't really handled the best (honestly, how does the Rookie piece all that together from the little scraps that he found?), but it's still a very solid game. The story is great, the characters are fantastic (if a wee bit cliché). The strongest aspect by far, though, is that f**king atmosphere. Practically oozes out of the screen. The jazzy music, the moody shadows, the fantastic stealthy aspect, they all add up to making Mombasa Streets one of the best setpieces in the entire series. I really hope 343 decides to do more games like this; little side stories following a small cast of characters. Hopefully they'll bring back the squad for a sequel.
Started up again in Halo 2 now. Just finished "The Arbiter" and "The Oracle." Gah, so much tedium! This is by far the most difficult Halo game. By far. It's also one of the most engrossing. I'm loving all of these Covenant levels, getting insight into their politics and religion, and I am saddened in retrospect that Halo 3 completely removed those aspects, and that 4 will not be bringing them back. The Arbiter is a much better character than the Chief, with a very interesting arc and backstory. It's a shame his role was significantly axed in the sequel.
The Flood's introduction into this game was absolutely terrible, though. Just showing up for no reason on the gas mine. Honestly, they had no purpose in this level. Their role could've been saved for later.
