VGChartz was invited along to the recent Halo 3 ODST press event in London where I had an opportunity to sit down with Bungie's Lars Bakken and Microsoft Game Studios Ryan Crosby to talk about the background to ODST and what it offers over previous installments in the Halo universe.

VGC: Hi guys, thanks for speaking with us today. Can you start by giving some background to the development of ODST?

Lars: Sure. ODST started life as a DLC project at Bungie. We wanted to offer a new campaign for Halo 3 players that lets you experience events leading up to the epic story told in Halo 3 through the eyes of an ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper), as you search for clues leading to the whereabouts of your scattered squad and the motivations behind the Covenant's invasion of New Mombasa. Development started around a year ago by a small team at Bungie but over the course of development it got a lot bigger than we were anticipating. We thought of it more as an expansion and then it grew well beyond that. We didn't really talk about it until E3 this year, and it's something internally that Microsoft saw and said "What are you talking about - this is a full game."

Ryan: The scope changed significantly as we went along, and every time we saw it the game got longer, the spaces got bigger, new things were added. Certainly when you sit down with it, it's a lot more than just an expansion pack.

VGC: So what makes ODST unique, why should people go out and buy it?

Lars: With ODST we wanted to offer a different feel to previous Halo games, the campaign is far more story-driven with the player spending the majority of the campaign finding out what happened to his team through a series of flashbacks. We also tried to make the gameplay markedly different to a Spartan - for a start you can't jump quite as high, there's no motion tracker, and the health system has been altered, so that you cannot regain it like the Master Chief could. In addition, there's a new VISR mode, which you activate by pressing X. This acts as a sort of night-vision mode, where enemies appear with a red outline, while friendlies appear with a green outline. So it will still feel like a Halo game but different to previous installments. Plus we have Firefight!

VGC: Will hardcore Halo fans like the new approach with ODST?

Lars: We hope so! Only time will tell I guess! We wanted to offer something different with ODST but there is enough of the core Halo gameplay to appeal to Halo fans.

VGC: Does ODST reveal any plot details or link in with the main Halo storyline?

We have put in a lot of references to the overall Halo story throughout ODST although we only expect the really keen Halo fans to pick up on most of them - they're quite subtle! But yes there are things that you will learn playing ODST that you didn't know before...

VGC: I wanted to ask about Firefight, we've had a blast playing today. I'm sure you are used to the comparisons with Horde in Gears of War 2 - what makes Firefight unique?

Lars: I think the main thing that sets Firefight apart is the seven lives system. You are in a team of four with unlimited time but only seven lives between you. This puts a lot of focus on teamwork, communication is really emphasised! I think the really cool thing about Firefight is that there's a set of skills people have been honing for, what, nine years or something like that at this point. Firefight allows people to not actually jump into the online arena and play against strangers in a competitive way. It allows you to play with your buddies. You're sitting together on the couch, or you're sitting together on Live, playing split-screen or whatever, and it allows you to play in kind of a non-confrontational way, and I think that's going to be cool for a lot of people that aren't really interested in competitive multiplayer side.

VGC: Any new weapons in ODST?

Lars: Yes we have a beefed-up SMG complete with silencer and optical zoom and the Automag, which is similar to the pistol from Halo 1, you can fire it as fast as you can pull the trigger. It's a completely awesome new weapon. Another cool thing is that with the ODST not being as strong as a Spartan you feel the recoil more, especially from the SMG.

VGC: Do you feel that the game is worth $60? A lot of people have been complaining that if they've already downloaded all the multiplayer maps then it doesn't look like good value for money for what is essentially some DLC?

Ryan: Halo 3 ODST is a full game, make no mistake about that. Disc one will be ODST and disc 2 will be the complete Halo 3 multiplayer experience on one disc along with some new competitive multiplayer maps you won't be able to get anywhere else.

VGC: How long is the campaign in ODST compared to Halo 3?

Lars: That's such a difficult question to answer as it really depends on the skill level of the player and how you chose to play the game. I'd say that just rushing through the game and blasting everything it will be slightly shorter than Halo 3 but this game is much more story driven and players will be rewarded for exploring. The main map of New Mombasa is the largest ever created for a Halo game.

VGC: Obviously Halo Reach is on the way next from Bungie but what are your plans after that?

Lars: Reach will be our last Halo game. We are currently working on a new IP but obviously can't reveal anything at this stage. Reach is it for us.

VGC: Is the Halo Movie still in the works?

Ryan: I believe it is still being talked about but nothing beyond that

VGC: Do you have any plans with Natal?

Lars: We just got dev kits in last week. The technology is really cool but I can't reveal anything about our plans at this stage.

VGC: What sales expectations do you have for ODST?

Ryan: Microsoft Game Studios has internal sales expectations for the game which unfortunately I can't reveal but it's going to be BIG!"

VGC: And finally, is there room for Halo in Microsoft's vision of the console's future?

Ryan: I think that the Halo franchise is intrinsically tied to the Xbox identity, I don't think that you can separate those two - the approach to broadening is a good one and a smart one, but I think that there is still going to be core fans who want to play the shooters, and we intend to give them the best games we could possibly give them.

Thanks to Lars and Ryan for taking the time to talk to us. Halo 3 ODST is down for worldwide release on 22nd September.