
neo_genesis067
- September 22nd, 22:58
this entire nature of this post will be apologetic, with regards to mr. nathan fillion.
today, bungie studios released HALO: ODST, a sort-of expansion pack to Halo 3 that chronicles events mainly glossed over in the end of Halo 2/beginning of Halo 3.
at the end of halo 2, the covenant (nasty alien race who thinks that all humans are vermin and must be exterminated) have just found the Ark in the deserts of Africa and jump into slipspace, causing a massive rupture that hugely damages the city of New Mombosa, where they had been searching/killing every human in sight. the master chief, kick ass protagonist of the halo franchise, follows them into slipspace because this shit will not be allowed to stand (also for many other reasons) and the games, namely halo 3, follow him. but this game is about the marines left behind, who must clear the city of the remaining covenant troops and protect civilians and each other.
i actually like it a lot, because you're playing a normal human. the master chief is human in that he has double helixed dna and human genes and what not, but is genetically and mentally modified to be a machine. he never stops, he never sleeps, he needs no one but cortana and sgt. johnson, and even then he doesn't shed any tears. he has one job: killing the people who threaten the interests of the unsc, and brother, business is good.
but in this game you play odsts, orbital drop shock troopers, who act like paratroopers except that they jump from space instead of a few thousand feet. they're shit hot and tough as nails, but at their core, they're human. no stronger or more stable than any of us could aspire to be, unlike the chief, who embodies "strong and silent" so hard he should get a paycheck for it.
and you play this game alone. you're the Rookie, unnamed and never speaking; you search through the rubble of the city at night for clues as to what happened to your squad. you were all separated when the slipspace rupture occured. you've been unconcious for hours and have no clue where your teammates (or for that matter, ANY allies) are. as you recover a piece of equipment or personal belonging from each teammates last known or suspected location, you as a player flashback into that soldier's thoughts and experiences when he/she first landed. it's amazing, it's spooky, it's haunting, and it's got just the right amount of smoky sax.
anyway, the squad leader, Buck, is voiced by nathan fillion. i knew he was in firefly and such but never really cared about him. even when he appeared on the bungie podcast to talk about how awesome it is to be Buck, i didn't really care. BUT HOLY JESUS I'M PERVING OVER HIS BREATHING.
see, unlike the other games, these characters can get hurt. they get winded, they squeal when they take damage, and it's kinda hot. REALLY HOT. as the rookie, i accidentally stepped in front of some Brutes firing a spiker rifle: he whimpered. the character whimpered in pain and it was disturbingly hot. he makes these little sounds, you guys, and don't judge me till you play it.
and BUCK. nathan does an excellent job delivering what are, at times, perhaps not the sharpest of lines. Buck and the Rookie are my favorites, and i wishwishwish there was fanfiction for this, as lame as that sounds.