In a new interview with GamePro, Halo 3: ODST writer and creative director Joseph Staten talks plot, gameplay and design choices for the upcoming Halo 3 expansion.

Among the many things the guy has to say, I’m most intrigued by the stuff about the Rookie’s place in the overall Halo story.

Halo 3: ODST is the first Halo game to not feature a playable Master Chief. Will The Rookie ever bump into the Chief? Or see evidence of his handiwork?

No, you won’t ever meet the Chief. Basically, Halo 3: ODST happens while the Chief is away from Earth — after he leaves for the “Delta Halo” in Halo 2 and before he crashes into the jungle at the start of Halo 3. ODST doesn’t cover all the Chief’s absence. But it does fill a very interesting part of that gap.

Is there a villain in this new storyline?

Yes, but like the Chief, the Rookie never meets him. Put that in your speculation pipe and smoke it, Halo fans!

So he never meets the Chief and never meets the villain. What exactly does this guy do for the whole game – and will there be a book on it?

Halo 3 ODST: Bungie’s Joseph Staten talks Halo 3 expansion [GamePro]

While you’re looking for them, the game is a little bit open-world. Once you find those clues, the game switches things up; you get a flashback of what happened to that soldier, and then you play that flashback.

In the latest issue of game magazine GamesTM, Bungie’s Joseph Staten states that each squad mate has a “very distinct personality” — i.e., they have names, faces, etc.

“The reason we decided to keep the rookie faceless and anonymous is to help smooth these clue-triggered transitions from one ODST to another,” says Staten. “[The game] is designed to put you in the boots of a bunch of fun, memorable characters so you can experience this awesome pocket of Halo fiction from as many points of view as possible.”

Interesting.

Thanks shaunomacx for the tip!

As of today, they say, Halo 3: Recon will now be known as Halo 3: ODST. I suppose that’s because Odie Estie rolls off the tongue much easier than Reee-KHAN! It’s also because the ODST, an acronym for Oribtal Drop Shock Trooper, is the central character of the upcoming title.

If you recall, this is our recently announced stand-alone extension to Halo 3 that features an all new campaign played from the perspective of an ODST in the heart of a Covenant occupied New Mombasa. In addition to sleuthing around the city and piecing together the details surrounding your squad’s whereabouts, the game will also include some new Halo 3 multiplayer content as well as one or two unrevealed surprises when it’s released next Fall.

This new title is a more straightforward account of the experience that awaits and the role you will assume as you explore the streets of New Mombasa. But don’t worry, you can still has Recon. (the armour that is, it’s still tied to the Vidmaster achievements and will be accessible via the final retail release next Fall).

“ODST” (literally pronounced “Oh-Dee-Ess-Tee” and not “ohdst”) is the acronym for “Orbital Drop Shock Trooper.” This special forces branch of the UNSC military force is called into action for highly specialised, small scale operations. ODST units were deployed during portions of the Halo 2 and Halo 3 campaign and have also been featured in some of the Halo novels. To learn more about this elite military operation, check out this recent interview with Bungie’s Halo fiction guru, Robt McLees.

Odie Estie is expected to hit stores next fall, and the Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack will be coming to Xbox LIVE Marketplace sometime early next year.

The upcoming Bungie project formerly known as “Halo 3 : Recon” will now be known as “Halo 3 : ODST.”

Game Informer December [via Halo.Bungie]

He, and the rest of the familiar Halo cast, won’t be popping up for cameos. They’re busy “relaxing” on the Delta Halo, saving the world and stuff. So what is Halo 3: Recon?

Halo 3: Recon is a first-person shooter, one that’s going to feel very much like a Halo game; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, basically. Instead of playing a super space marine, however, you’ll play an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST), one who’s not quite so burly or bad-ass.

That means you’ll have to pick and choose your battles a bit more carefully than one faceless Spartan would.

Recon is a standalone release, not part of a title update or downloadable content. It will come with new Achievements totaling 1000 Gamerscore and a new aesthetic. The single player campaign, in which your ODST will clean up a Covenant infested city in New Mombasa, will feature plenty of dark, nighttime play.

That said, Bungie says “We’re not viewing this as a full game.” How that affects Recon’s pricing, however, is still to be decided.

Should gamers view it as Bungie’s metaphorical Half-Life: Opposing Force, giving Halo fans an alternate look at the events of previous games or merely a contract obligating Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s?

“I would think of it as our Frozen Throne,” Luke Smith told us, pointing to Warcraft III’s expansion as the best comparison.

Recon’s multiplayer, however, is essentially Halo 3’s multiplayer. That means saved films, four-player coop and the map editor Forge will work seamlessly with the expansion. But outside of a new bundle of maps, expect the proven same-old, same-old online play that currently satisfies some 900,000 unique Halo 3 players a day.

And now for the bad news: it appears that there are no plans for a Legendary-style Orbital Drop Shock Trooper helmet that one can trick out their cat with. Shame. What will our nation’s retailers clog up their warehouses with, come Spring 2009?