Halo 5: Guardians Reviews
Halo 5: Guardians is a masterpiece, and quite possibly the best Halo game so far. The campaign is top-notch, even as Master Chief shares the spotlight, and the multiplayer is largely a return to everything that has made the franchise so beloved to begin with.
Halo 5 proves that 343 is a worthy team for taking over the Mantle of Responsibility for the Halo series from Bungie.
Halo 5: Guardians is an exciting Halo package, marred only by some questionable design decisions, like microtransactions and some shoddy friendly-AI in the campaign. It's not a classic Halo, but 343 is moving in a good direction with the franchise.
Halo 5: Guardians proves that 343 Industries are up for the challenge. With solid combat, weapons, worlds and a killer story, the only thing needing more attention is multiplayer. Though solid with good framerate, online felt as though it borrowed more from past Halo games instead of evolving from them, never showing anything new. But online is still really fun!
In the days of third party sales supremacy and value added services, the impact of a singular title or franchise doesn't leave the same mark as it did two or three generations ago. But for 343's efforts, they made an excellent FPS that should earn them a good portion of credit they so urgently need from the fanbase.
I believe that they'll win a few battles with Halo 5 on the front line.
But at the end of the day, there just isn't that much here for me, even as a casual-sometimes-hardcore Halo fan. If you think Destiny could scratch the itch you have for Halo, pick it up over this game. If not, buckle in for an underwhelming mechanical retread with a so-so story framing the whole experience.
If from Halo 5: Guardians you were expecting an incredible qualitative leap of the campaign and the storyline, we are sorry to disappoint you, but in the work of 343 you will find only a one-off adventure that is predictable and repetitive. The courage that the developers did not have here, however, magically appeared when it was time to touch gameplay and multiplayer, and the latest in the series has therefore been revolutionized in both aspects, with dry improvements. on both sides. Let go of the attachment to the past for a moment and enjoy the new Halo. If it's multiplayer that you wait for it foaming at the mouth every time, there is great news for you.
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It discards series tropes with confidence and stands tall as a testament to what can happen when a series embraces the new without detracting from the best of the old.
Considering there's very little sandboxing in the campaign, 343 really needs to provide some sort of way for players to get their actual Halo gameplay fix. As it stands at launch, it's not there in Halo 5: Guardians.
Halo 5: Guardians' story and structure will likely be divisive among fans of the franchise, but I absolutely loved it. It breathes new life into a franchise whose traditional structure was beginning to get stale. 343 Industries has made some bold changes to the franchise in attempt to evolve Halo into a more modern-feeling game, and most of these changes have been for the better so far.
In the end, Halo 5 Guardians is a great start on the Xbox One that boasts decent gameplay, amazing graphics and audio to really immerse you into this futuristic warzone.
A superb campaign, particularly in its level design, coupled with the all-new Warzone mode and the return of arena multiplayer makes Halo 5 the best FPS game of this generation and possibly the best Halo title ever.
Overall, Halo 5 delivers well on everything it does. From the groundbreaking graphics to the adrenaline pumping campaign and the online component, this game is a must-own for any shooter fan that is looking to see what the 'true' next-gen gaming experience should be like. If you have an Xbox One (with Xbox Live) and love competitive shooters, Halo 5: Guardians is a must-own.
For fans of the franchise, I'd say it's worth your time, but it could be a tough entry point for newcomers. As for fans of Halo's multiplayer, I think there's more than enough to sink your teeth into, and at this point all I can say is that Halo 6's campaign can't come soon enough - but I'm sure Warzone will tide me over until then.
The continuation of a new Master Chief saga, the refinement and additions to multiplayer for casual and pros alike, plus a gorgeous presentation made possible by current generation technology—all add up to the makings of a FPS worthy of the Halo series' best iterations.
Compelling multiplayer bolsters a series low-point
From the moment you set foot in Halo 5: Guardians, it's obvious that the game has been given the attention it deserves. Everything about it, from the way you move across the terrain, to the way you beat down a helpless grunt, feels finely tuned. There's a tactile sensation of weight behind every step, and the crunch of your actions is as visually pleasing as it is satisfying.
Somewhere exists a thing which explains the basic tenants of Halo 5's story, but it's not Halo 5. Then, once vaunted multplayer is bogged down by microtransactions. For shame.
How the state of Halo 5 multiplayer online is now after a years worth of updates