Halo 3: ODST new Firefight mutliplayer mode like Gears' Horde, says 1UP

1UP got some hands-on time with Bungie's Halo 3:ODST's new 'Firefight' multiplayer mode and likened to it Gears of War's 'Horde'.

I find myself in a Firefight, which seems to be Halo-speak for "Horde mode from Gears of War 2." Me and the rest of my four-man team simply defend against five waves of Covenant. What sort of Covenant forces? ... "Sometimes it's just a few Grunts, other times it's a whole gaggle of Grunts, Jackals, and Brutes." Well, the first four waves are; the fifth wave is always going to be "a couple of Brute Chieftains and their friends." The scoring system works just like campaign scoring, so taking out Covenant in cool ways racks up points. Finally, for variety's sake, players can choose to incorporate skulls into the matches, which will add effects such as "enemies love to throw grenades" or "enemies evade fire extremely well."

It if it's half as fun as Horde, we're in.

ODST releases September 22.