The life of ODST has been an interesting one so far. From it’s early days as a mere expansion pack to it’s full-priced retail, release this week the concept of ODST has changed and grown enough that it seems most people are confused to what ODST actually is.  I, unfortunately, haven’t played it yet so I’m unable to speak on the matter. The few reviews I’ve read seem to like it enough though, and that’s usually good enough for me. The moves performed in this week’s comic doesn’t actually work in the game, by the way. So please don’t go around trying to kill each other on my account.

What I’m most excited about though is that ODST marks (at least in my books) the official start of the 2009 gaming season. And yes, it’s a little sparse as compared to some previous years but we’re still getting some amazing experiences with games like Forza 3, Dragon Age, Borderlands, DJ Hero, Assassins Creed 2, Brutal Legend, and Modern Warfare 2. Before taxes, that’s still almost FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS worth of games. I can tell you that even with this “lessened” calendar I will not be purchasing all the games I’m interested in this holiday season. While I’ve never asked them, I’m pretty sure my children don’t want me canceling Christmas so daddy can play video games. Oh, the sacrifices a father has to make!

EDIT: I almost forgot to mention that we’ve uploaded a final look at the print we’ll be bringing to X09 to our Facebook page.

Just in case you haven’t heard, X09 Canada will be taking place September 29th in Toronto. While it’s primarily a media event, there is a community portion in the evening that you can try to get into. I say try because spots are VERY limited and you essentially have to apply to get in. You can read all the details in the official Xbox Canada forum thread about it.

For the past three years I’ve been at the event meeting gamers, giving away prints and signing autographs and this year will be no different (hopefully). I’ve got an all new print featuring Halo ODST that I’m hoping you’ll like. I decided that I wanted to try something different this year and instead of a comic I took a shot at making a Photoshop render/illustration. I think it turned out pretty well but I’m curious as to what you guys think. Would you rather have had a more traditional comic instead? It’s obviously too late this year, but at least I’ll know for next time.

In addition, I am also looking into an option for people who would like a print but are not able to attend the event. Every year people ask me this and I’ve always had to decline them. I’ll be talking about this more later, but be aware that the non-event version will a) not be exactly the same as the limited edition b) have a cost associated with it. Well, *if* it happens at all that is.

Hit the jump to get a preview of this year’s print…

At it’s core, Halo Wars is a simplified RTS game designed around what can be done on a controller.  I say simplified, but make no mistake, this game will kick your ass on the harder difficulty settings.  You know how Halo 3 got easier the more players you added? Well, Halo Wars is kind of the opposite.  The AI just pounds you with more units that you think you can manage.  Maranda and I have barely squeaked through the last few missions (we’re just over half way through the 15 campaign missions as of this writing) and I’m not sure we’ll manage the later ones at all.

It’s a fun game though, and I am enjoying it quite a bit.  It’s almost amazing that it’s taken this long for someone to really nail down RTS controls on a console and believe me when I say that the late Ensemble Studios has really done an incredible job.  I’ve heard the complaints about unit grouping and let me tell you that, with a little bit of practice and brain re-training, you can manage multiple armies with ease (just press down on the d-pad).

I’ve also rocked the Mythic map pack, although not enough to give any intelligent feedback.  I can say that I’m very impressed with Sandbox and I can’t wait to see what people do to that map! If you’re looking for more, visit ReadyUpLive for a solid write-up.

The other game we’ve been playing is Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 2 on PC.  Maranda is stalwart in her opinion that it’s the better game of the two (they’re both on par for my money).  What’s interesting to me though, is that Dawn of War 2 is the kind of game that, with a few tweaks, would do really well on a console. The combat is simplified thanks to a maximum of four small squads at any given time and there is a significantly expanded focus on combat and special abilities.  The entire campaign is playable in co-op, and the versus modes play out more like EA’s Battlefield series than a typical RTS match (like the ones found in Halo Wars).

Oh, and if you ever meet Jake who works for Xbox Canada, be sure to tell him he’s a jerk.