Halo 3: ODST ViDoc: Desperate Measures

This article is about the ViDoc. For the soundtrack, see Desperate Measures (music).

The Halo 3: ODST ViDoc: Desperate Measures focuses mainly on Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck and his squad. It is unique in the way that Buck is the narrator, and explains how and why he chose each soldier to be in his squad.

Transcript

(Shows the words, Halo 3: ODST with the Superintendent on the right-hand side, and the words "ViDoc: Desperate Measures" in the center)

(Cuts to Buck and Romeo, who are walking down a platform extending from a skyscraper, high above the cloud level. The sun is setting.)

Buck: (shouting to comm) "Hey, Rookie. You out there? Respond! That's an order!"

Romeo: (to Buck) "Give it up, Gunny."

Buck: "Oh, give up, huh? What if it were you down there?"

Romeo: "Just saying, (Shrugs) I ain't dead." (walks away)

Buck: (muttering) "Oh, you're a piece of work, Romeo."

(Shows Romeo standing with his armor and Sniper Rifle)

Buck (Narrator): "Lance Corporal Kojo Agu. Romeo."

Romeo: (waving a Sniper Rifle) "What the hell am I supposed to do with this inside a Covenant ship?"

(Shows Romeo sniping down several Jackals)

Buck (Narrator): "Real lucky with the ladies, to hear him tell it, but all I care about is his aim- his luck with targets at long range."

(Shows Dutch with a spartan laser)

Buck (Narrator): "Corporal Taylor Miles. Dutch."

(Cuts to the ODSTs, who are gearing up)

Dutch: (to Rookie) "Now's one of those times? Pays to be the strong, silent type." (hands the Rookie an M7S Caseless Submachine Gun)

(Shows Dutch fighting various enemies)

Buck (Narrator): "Death's head slapped right on his helmet. Heavy weapons specialist. Time on Mars tends to give a man...perspective."

Dutch: "Amen."

(Shows Mickey in his armor with a rocket launcher)

Buck (Narrator): "Private First Class Michael Crespo. Mickey."

(Shows Mickey and Dutch talking in front of the entrance to ONI Alpha Site, monitored by the Superintendent.)

Mickey: (to Dutch) "My vote? Hold up, wait for back up."

(Shows Mickey in a Pelican, and fighting a Wraith with a Banshee)

Buck (Narrator): "Smart enough to be a pilot, but trained to blow stuff up."

Mickey: (while arming an M165 Demolition Charge) "But this, ain't... (presses button) a job you wanna rush."

(Cuts to Mickey, who narrowly avoids an explosion)

Buck (Narrator): "He's never seen a planet get glassed. I hope he won't see it today."

(Shows the Rookie standing and then fighting the Covenant)

Buck (Narrator): "And the FNG. The Rookie. Not exactly green; no ODST is. If I didn't think he could do the job, I wouldn't have him on my six. He doesn't say much, but I don't care. I just need him to listen."

(Cuts to the meeting room, where all of the ODSTs are clustered. Lights begin to flash)

Buck (Narrator): "These are my men. And I'm dropping them straight into hell."

Buck: (to Dare) "Come on, Veronica! What could be more important than that carrier?"

Dare: (poking Buck in the chest) "My orders."

(Cuts to the Covenant ship, which jumps to Slipspace)

Buck (Narrator): "Naval Intelligence says we're taking down a Covenant carrier that's sitting pretty over New Mombasa. Not what I'd call a routine operation, but it doesn't matter. We know what we're up against because we've seen it all before: Harvest, the Outer Colonies...Reach."

(Shows Reach after being glassed)

Buck (Narrator): "The Covenant comes to kill us. And the ODSTs? We do our best to kill them first."

Buck (Narrator): "We're planning for a close-quarters fight, and Navy Special Weapons set us up real nice."

(Shows the M7 in various fields of combat)

Buck (Narrator): "The Suppressed M7. It can tear through armor and turn bad guys into chum."

(Shows ODSTs using the M6S)

Buck (Narrator): "The M6S. Whisper-quiet with Armor-Piercing Rounds. Brutes might see us coming...the only thing they're gonna hear is their asses hitting the ground."

(Shows the Rookie fighting Covenant in the nighttime New Mombasa, a Scorpion tank firing at a Phantom during the daytime, and the ODST squad fighting on Mongooses in the night. )

(Shows the Rookie accessing the Superintendent and viewing the city map)

Buck (Narrator): "Wasn't just our weapons systems, either. Navy eggheads knocked the dust off our electronics, too. VISR upgrades with uplinks to secure Metropolitan systems; clearance codes to access New Mombasa's Superintendent Artificial Intelligence. That means navigation data on the fly; instant Intel in the field."

(Cuts to the Rookie, who sticks a Brute and kills the Grunts next to him.)

(Cuts to the Superintendent's view of Lumumba, moments after the Slispace event. A lone Drop Pod is seen falling from the sky, hitting a building and crashing to the ground.)

Buck (Narrator): "Hell, we could commandeer the city's garbage trucks if we need to. Course, from what we can tell, the Super isn't exactly in fighting shape. Seems the Covenant have knocked a few screws loose. Won't be a problem. ODSTs are used to working in the dark."

(Cuts to Buck and Romeo on a platform, who are standing next to a New Mombasa Police Department Pelican, when two Banshees approach)

Buck: "Banshees! On your six! Hit the deck!"

(Both dive for the ground)

(The Banshees hit the Pelican. It begins to lose control, and flies out of view)

Dutch: "We're losing her! Watch out!"

Buck: "Raaarrgh!"

(Romeo and Buck get up, Buck yells as the two fire their weapons at the Banshees which lead to no effect.)

Buck: "Mickey! Dutch! Status!" (no reply)

Buck: (to Romeo) "Alive or dead, we're pulling them out! You hear me?! Make some noise, I got your back."

(Romeo bumps Buck's shoulder as he walks away, and the camera focuses on Buck)

Buck (Narrator): "The Covenant have found Earth. They own New Mombasa. Anyone that could've driven them off is dead, or gone. I'd say that makes for desperate times. Me and my team..."

Buck: (to camera) "...I guess we're the desperate measures."

(Screen cuts to the words 'Halo 3: ODST', and then 'Prepare to Drop', with 09.22.09 underneath it.)

Trivia

• The scene used for the beginning and end of the trailer is a modified version of the opening of the level NMPD HQ.
• The music at the end of the trailer is a segment of Skyline, entitled "Air Traffic Control".
• Buck refers to the M6C/SOCOM as the M6S.
• When Buck talks about the M7S, there is one section which shows the mission Tayari Plaza with the player starting with an M7S although in the actual game, the player starts with an Assault Rifle, this is possibly via multiplayer.
• When Buck is giving his description of the Rookie, a scene is shown from what appears to be Kizingo Boulevard, when the player plays as Mickey, despite the section of the video supposedly being for the Rookie.
• The clip of Reach being glassed is taken from the Reach Announcement Trailer.
• A ViDoc for Halo: Reach, named "A Spartan Will Rise" plays as a counterpart for the game, introducing its main protagonists of Noble Team.