ODSTs to return in Halo: Reach?

By Tom Bramwell Published 8 December, 2009

"Would be a shame" if not in some form.

Bungie is still keeping quiet about plans for Halo: Reach, but has hinted that Halo 3: ODST's Orbital Drop Shock Troopers may return.

"It would be a shame if we made a game about the planet Reach - a place where Buck, the ODST's squad leader, was known to be - and not have him appear in some way, shape or form," Halo 3: ODST's writer and creative director Joseph Staten told G4.

Elsewhere in the same interview, Staten also said that there are still "smaller treats" that people haven't uncovered in ODST itself. "Folks looking forward to Halo: Reach would be wise to pay particular attention to the licence plates on New Mombasa's 'Genet' coupes," he noted.

So far all we really know about Halo: Reach is that it takes place around the time the colony Reach is attacked by Covenant, a period during which a number of Spartan-IIs - i.e. Master Chief-style supersoldiers - are active on the planet.

We also know to expect some form of beta next year prior to release, to which Halo 3: ODST buyers are guaranteed access. Bungie has yet to say what kind of beta that will be, however, despite occasional murmurings that Firefight may return.

For more analysis and speculation about what to expect from Reach, check out Digital Foundry's Halo 3: ODST tech analysis.

Or, if you've not bothered with ODST yet, you could always check out our Halo 3: ODST review.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eraysor #1 2 years ago

    If it's as good as the book, it'll be good.

  • AHiFi #2 2 years ago

    Hadn't something like this already been quoted a few months back?

  • muscleblade #3 2 years ago

    Halo Reach will easily become GOTY 2010.

  • bad09 #4 2 years ago

    I don't think I'll bother with Reach. Finally played ODST recently and I found it boring and uninteresting, I didn't get very far in at all I was that bored - and I loved H3!

    Edit - Oh dear it appears my view on a games series I like is upsetting the wildlife already :)

    Edited by bad09 at 08/12/09 @ 08:46

  • altitude2k #5 2 years ago

    Nathan Fillion as Buck made a fairly big selling point of ODST, so it stands to reason he would return. Maybe they're prepping Buck to be the replacement for Master Chief in the new 343 games, until Bungie revisits the MC's story.

  • Dizzy #6 2 years ago

    "a period during which a number of Spartan-IIs - i.e. Master Chief-style supersoldiers - are active on the planet."

    Including MC ofc.

    There are a hell of a lot of space ship battles in Fall of Reach, I hope we will have something like that in the game.

  • matrim83 #7 2 years ago

    I want Bladwin's ODST (Dutch?) to return. He was way cooler than Buck.

    Or Romeo. He was awesome too.
    Edited by matrim83 at 08/12/09 @ 08:45

  • altitude2k #8 2 years ago

    @matrim83

    Dutch was my favourite of the four.

  • Stifler #9 2 years ago

    @bad09:

    H3 was an over bloated space opera which focused too much attention on grandiose set pieces and not enough on player experience.

    ODST stripped all the cr@p away, dropped you in with a pistol with low ammo and no shields and let you get on with it how best you felt. Iit was for me, a much better experience and something more akin to the original Halo. Which imho was by far and away the best.

  • bad09 #10 2 years ago

    @Stifler

    Possibly, but I did enjoy H1. In fact ODST is the 1st Halo game I've not completed. I honestly don't know, it is was just disappointing. I didn't put H3 on to compare but the graphics seemed just awful, the enemies didn't seem as "active" as H3 (even on legendary), looking for health points was tedious, and what I saw of the setting seemed so...boring. Even the opening people were hyping up was "meh".

    It could be I have rose tinted glasses on for Halo 3, but either way I do think I'm done until Halo 4.

  • metalangel #11 2 years ago

    Haven't ODSTs been in pretty much every Halo game anyway, in some form or other? What we really want to know is whether Maddie will finally put in an appearance!
    Edited by metalangel at 08/12/09 @ 09:28

  • Ignatius_Cheese #12 2 years ago

    Not long 'til the Spike VGAs!! :D

  • Xerx3s #13 2 years ago

    Bah, it will probably be a CGI. Or some announcement trailer for the beta. Or a combination of both. As for the Spike VGA themselves, the only reason to watch is for the trailers because the awards themselves are a travesty. Only allowing to pick games that they want you to pick? Just another paid for marketing move.

  • Stifler #14 2 years ago

    Fair enough bad09, different strokes for different folks 'n all that :)

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #15 2 years ago

    ODST was my favourite game of 09, and Firefight one of the best MPs ever, so I seriously can't wait for Reach. I'd love for Buck to be back. Wasn't Dare involved in Reach too? Wasn't that one of the reasons they split up?

  • Ace_McCloud #16 2 years ago

    @EarlBassett: In terms of continuity it's a prequel.

    But judging from leaked screens the engine is new or has been beefed up and it has new weapons. So if that's how you define a sequel, then yes it is a full blown sequel.

  • altitude2k #17 2 years ago

    @metalangel

    They changed "Maddie" to "Sadie" - the girl there's a story about in ODST's audio logs.

  • The-Bodybuilder #18 2 years ago

    >"Nathan Fillion as Buck made a fairly big selling point of ODS"

    Nathan Who?

  • Negotiator #19 2 years ago

    The VGA Reach trailer will be realtime in-game graphics engine, of the opening cinematic of the game. What we see will be in the final release, it's not just a trailer made for the show.

  • sneetch #20 2 years ago

    @The Bodybuilder

    Try google.

  • harzo #21 2 years ago

    @Bad09

    I totally agree. ODST bored the life out of me! And I LOVED Halo 3... ODST just lacked something and it is the only Halo FPS I have never completed

  • Eraysor #22 2 years ago

    +1 for space battles!

    Although I imagine they're being made for Halo Wars 2.

  • muscleblade #23 2 years ago

    @bad09

    Halo reach will be nothing like Halo ODST.
    Its more like Halo 4 only set in a different time on the planet Reach. The game will probably be better than Halo 3 ever was and the best game this gen. Wait and see.

  • JonFE #24 2 years ago

    Well, I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoyed ODST a bit more than Halo 3; as a matter of fact I'm replaying it at the moment on Legendary. Also, I cannot wait for Halo: Reach!

  • Pastici #25 2 years ago

    ODST got more of a ote for me. The health bar is what made it fun for me. :)

  • miiiguel #26 2 years ago

    @Earl: yes, Reach is "Halo 4", bad09 is not correct when he says he's not "bothering with Reach" and "wants Halo 4". Both sentences don't work together.
    I also enjoyed ODST even more than H3, as a matter of fact ODST is, for me, the best Halo , up there with Combat Evolved. Firefight is also, for me, the best MP experinece since playing RE5 coop from start to end. It's a briliant cooperative... fight.
    Edited by miiiguel at 08/12/09 @ 14:42

  • LeD #27 2 years ago

    No, Halo Reach is what it is: Halo Reach. It will probably involve Spartans of some description, not necessarily 117 although if my memory is correct he's involved in that story. I'm sure Halo Reach will be more focused on humans, as in ODST.

    Halo 4 will be the continuation of the Master Chief story.

  • Stifler #28 2 years ago

    If they continue that story....

    I'm hoping that in Reach you are a spartan but a super early model with somewhat downgraded abilities. As it is pre CE im hoping for a similar health system to CE, I enjoyed that system the most, which ODST aped to some extent.

  • IMD1_Pk #29 2 years ago

    [link url=http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/License_Plate_Eggs
    ]http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/License_Plate...[/link]
    If we do relive the fall of reach book in the game, I think the people who were disapointed with the previous few games will feel a lot more satisfied with the story. But then again you can't make fanboys posing to be 360 owners admit that the game is good no matter how good it is.
    People waiting for a Halo 4 might as well stop waiting. Reach is likely to be Bungie's last Halo project and if that comes true the multiplayer magic of the Halo series will have to be created by another developer. Reach is gonna be the next major step of the Halo franchise. It's not going to be another spinoff title like ODST or Wars. Bungie has already stated this in their blog.

    Now we must just wait for those VGA awards to see if it can live up to our expectations. They had 3 years so this new engine is definitely gonna make Uncharted 2 look like Pong and also cure cancer.