Halo 5: Guardians Review

Developer 343 Industries and publisher Microsoft have finally released the latest title in the Halo series… Halo 5: Guardians, which comes in as an exclusive on the Xbox One console – and will officially release on the 27th of October, 2015.

Halo 5: guardians ventures back into the traditional gameplay and storytelling style of Halo 2, which essentially alternated between the storylines of two main protagonists. This time around, however, players will have the opportunity to step back into the shoes of the Master Chief, who has been reunited with his long time squad mates – Blue Team.

Master Chief and Blue Team have essentially gone AWOL (Absent Without Leave) after various colony worlds are unexpectedly attacked by a mysterious force. With Blue Team missing in action and Master Chief’s loyalty being questioned… “Legendary Manhunter” Spartan Jamerson Locke, who is accompanied by Fireteam Osiris, begin to hunt down Blue Team and the Chief.

The hunt begins as an exciting opportunity to experience two very different sides of the coin; however, the initial conflict between Locke and the Chief essentially fades away into the distance once a much larger threat is revealed. While this is not entirely a bad thing, I was however expecting to see Locke and the Chief clash far more frequently than the initial storyline allowed. To avoid spoilers, I will not reveal this threat.

Overall, when it comes to storyline, Halo 5: Guardians features a solid storyline that will keep just about any Halo fan at the edge of their seat.

When it comes to gameplay, one of my biggest issues with past Halo titles was the fact that the player could neither aim down the sight nor could they sprint. This essentially made previous titles feel sluggish at times. Thankfully, the developers have finally kicked things up a notch by adding these mechanics in.

In addition to sprinting and aiming down the sight, with new and old weapons, players can now charge through walls, slide, dash back and forth and side to side… as well as grab ledges. To add to the overall gameplay experience Spartans can now hover, for a few seconds, when the player aims down the sight in mid-air. This offers better accuracy when targeting an enemy… especially if that target is sprinting across the map. To add to the faster play style, players can also dash through the air and perform a rather devastating ground pound attack.

By adding in all of these movement improvements, Spartans don’t feel like machines anymore, but rather actual nimble soldiers on the battlefield.  Essentially this allows Halo 5: Guardians to become a much faster, smoother and more intense experience than any other Halo title in the franchise.

Apart from movement and speed, Halo 5: Guardians also allows for up to 4-player co-op. This means that you won’t have to play the campaign on your own anymore. Alternatively, you can play on your own; however, you will be accompanied by A.I bots. Surprisingly the bots do a great job throughout the campaign; however, they do tend to fail to revive you at times, which can lead to a fair amount of frustration.

When it comes to visuals, Halo has never looked better. Characters are visually striking and so is every single set piece and environment featured throughout the game. 343 Industries and its team should be applauded for the visual masterpiece that they have created. While the visuals are impressive, Halo 5: Guardians also features a riveting musical score as well as a voice cast that delivered each line perfectly, time and time again.

Multiplayer
Halo 5: Guardians would be simply incomplete without a multiplayer counter-part. While we are still waiting for the servers to be at full capacity, here is what you can expect.

Requisition System
Halo 5: Guardians introduces players to the Requisition System (REQ System). Players will earn REQ Points after each match in the Arena or Warzone multiplayer mode, which can then be redeemed for REQ Packs. Each pack contains a variety of requisitions (REQs) in the form of unlockable weapons and armors, skins, assassination animations, and more. In addition, players will receive REQ Packs as rewards when they level up their Spartan Rank (SR) and complete Commendations across multiplayer.

According to 343 Industries, the REQ System is designed to generously reward players with a steady stream of content to keep gameplay fresh.

Maps & Modes
Multiplayer in Halo 5: Guardians is split into two main play styles: the classic Arena experience, and the new 24-player game, Warzone.

Arena features more of the traditional 4v4 Halo multiplayer modes, which include: Breakout, Strongholds, Slayer, and Capture the Flag. These modes are great and allow players to quite literally destroy each other across a plethora of maps. Additionally, the new movement system really increases the overall intensity of the action.

Warzone is where things become interesting. Warzone is essentially a MOBA-inspired mode that allows 24-players, two teams of 12, face off against not only each other but also enemy A.I. The aim of the game is essentially to earn a certain number of points by defeating hostile opposing players as well as the game’s A.I. Additionally, teams earn points by capturing bases spread out across each map. Alternatively one side can win the match by simply destroying the other team’s core.

While most of the Arena matches last up 15 minutes or so, Warzone matches can last up to 30 minutes. This is where those all important REQ Packs will come in handy, as your team will need to strategise. While some teams may go in guns blazing, others may hang back.

Granted, you could use every weapon and vehicle at your disposal at the beginning of a Warzone match, in order to gain the the lead, but once they are gone they are gone. And to be honest, a machine gun won’t do much to the enemy if they are spawning tanks left right and center. Overall, the entire strategy element featured throughout Warzone makes it one of the best multiplayer modes ever to grace the Halo series.

Conclusion:
Halo 5: Guardians is just what the Halo series needed. The game features a solid single player experience as well as an unforgettable multiplayer experience. Halo 5: Guardians is also visually striking and also introduces players to a much faster, sleeker, and more nimble Spartan – which ultimately makes it one of the best games in the series to date.

Halo 5: Guardians was reviewed by Darryl Linington on the Xbox One