‘Halo 3: ODST’ Pre-Order Bonus Exclusive to Gamestop

You’ve spent probably hundreds of hours since Halo came out with the original XBox in 2001 fighting as Master Chief against the Covenant and Flood forces and battling your friends online in Halo 2 and 3. And as much as we all love Master Chief, a change of pace doesn’t hurt every now and then.

With the upcoming September 22nd release of Halo 3: ODST, you will be able to step in the shoes of different UNSC soldiers for the first time as you play through the events that take place right before the start of Halo 3 as various Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST’s) in their defense of the city of New Mombasa. Also for the first time for those who preorder the game, you’ll have the opportunity to step in to the shoes of one of the most recognizable supporting characters in the Halo universe in the game’s new Firefight cooperative multiplayer mode, Sergeant Avery Johnson.

Longtime players will recognize Sgt. Johnson as the gruff, trucker mouth, cigar smoking UNSC commander who plays a pivotal role throughout the Halo game franchise, often interacting with Master Chief during missions. Fans of the Halo novel series will also know Sgt. Johnson as the main character of Contact Harvest, where he was one of the characters present for the first contact between the UNSC forces and the Covenant. Obviously, we all know how that turned out.

Sgt. Johnson has been used in the past as an incentive for the more elite of the Halo player-base as he was featured in the extended Legendary difficulty cinematic for completing Halo 2. Much like the gold lancer from the Gears of War 2 limited edition, players using Sgt. Avery online will be showing off their pride in just how dedicated they are to the Halo series.

In addition to its campaign story and Firefight mode, Halo 3: ODST will also include the full Halo 3 multiplayer experience also found on the Halo 3 game disk, including all three sets of downloadable multiplayer maps bringing the game to a total of 24 maps. As an added incentive, keys will be included for all players purchasing the game to take park in the multiplayer Beta for Halo: Reach. Halo 3: ODST will be available for $59.99 with preorder bonuses only available for those ordering from Gamestop. There will also be a $99.99 collectors version of the game which will include an exclusive USNC themed wireless XBox 360 controller.