Where’s Our Halo 5: Guardians Review?

If you don’t know who Spartan Locke is, you definitely will by the end of the game.

What I’m trying to say is that, environment big or small, Halo 5 feels like a proper battle. Instead, Halo 5 focuses more on being a fun, but campy romp through space, with more of a focus on “wow out loud” set pieces than emotional resonance.

If they see that their “Halo 5: Guardians” game size less than 40 GB, then they have the incorrect stub file and should reinstall the game.

The problems in the single-player story may not matter.

Warzone is what 343 envisions the future of Halo to be, and while it doesn’t fully justify this opinion, it does seem to offer a fun and unique take on the franchise.

In order to play Halo 5 with your friends you’re restricted to playing it online.

Whereas all other Halo titles hit their climax early and continued to push the envelope until the end, Guardians only hits its peak towards the conclusion.

The one issue I had with squad commands is that sometimes teammates just didn’t listen.

Although the campaign didn’t do much to impress me, the multiplayer has been all but perfected as the franchise finally makes its way to the Xbox One. Dr Halsey makes a welcome addition to the main cast, but her colourful history with the Spartan program and questionable allegiances are entirely glossed over. During that mission, Locke has to come to terms with the fact that he is hunting down humanity’s greatest hero. It follows two teams, Blue Team with Master Chief, and Team Osiris with Spartan Locke.

Even better is the way movement and Spartan abilities have been streamlined.

Master Chief using his armour’s boosters, a new addition which is always satisfying to use. This could have been alleviated had Chief and Locke’s time been better balanced, or if the “hunt” theme was developed better.

The reason this context is important is because, in many ways, Halo 5 is the biggest game the series has ever seen.

Osiris’s pursuit of Blue Team leads to a grander story reminiscent of other recent science fiction games, but handled just as well – if not better.

What Halo 5 does have going for it, however, is scale. They were established in 2002 a…

Sound quality is also at the highest. Guardians ranks as my least favourite campaign in the series, at least as far as the story and level design is concerned. Stay tuned to IGN for our final verdict on Halo 5: Guardians, coming within two days of launch. The run and gun gameplay cannot be faulted, nor can the intensity of facing waves of Covenant and Promethean enemies be undersold.

One great thing about this new story is that, after spending so much one-on-one time with Cortana in previous games, it’s refreshing to hear new voices share their stories about Halo’s universe. The AI is a few of the most resilient and coordinated that I’ve seen in any Halo. I completed the game in 9 hours, playing solo on Heroic difficulty. As the game progresses the thrill comes from the level design, which thankfully – after the relatively confining Halo 4 – is much more open.

Halo 5 is ideally aimed at 4-player co-op, and the game is far more entertaining with friends by your side. I’d often find members of my fireteam crouching in a corner, staring at a wall while the rest of us were fighting for our lives. Like the visuals and soundtrack, a solid Halo story can also elevate its best moments – and here Guardians succeeds.

The strength of the servers notwithstanding, I have played through the campaign in both single and four-player cooperative modes. This means you can play through the entire campaign without ever going online, but you probably shouldn’t.

Halo immediately established itself as not only a great multiplayer shooter, but one with a memorable story to tell.

But Halo 5’s multiplayer also diverts into unexplored territory with a brand new mode.

The Arena mode is something altogether different. Nearly anything you choose to do contributes to your team’s efforts, and the sprawling maps encourage multiple avenues of approach.

Spartans can execute a raft of new manoeuvres, like a quick boost in any direction or a ground pound. Another feature, sprinting, is useful for escaping the enemy, but it sacrifices your shield’s ability to recharge. That’s why I urge you to skip the initial malaise and begin Halo 5 outside of your comfort zone. Arena mode is all about highly skilled, precision combat. Thankfully, maps don’t suffer based on a particular game mode.

Mainstays like Slayer (team deathmatch) and Capture the Flag remain, but now players will be treated to new modes like the 24-player Warzone in which battles can last up to 30 minutes.

In essence, the time I have spent in Halo 5’s arena multiplayer feels like a suitable modernisation with the implementation of new features such as smart-scope. But for those that want a totally new experience, 343 threw in their own take on the Halo formula. During our pre-release testing, we were able to connect to multiplayer matches easily. However, a few fans became hopeful that the game may come to Windows 10 following a previous comment from 343 Industries. For what is on the surface a monumental change, this feels a lot more like the old co-op modes where a replica Master Chief magically appeared to help along the way. Eventually the player is tasked with bringing one down in a moment which deliberately evokes the classic Scarab fight from Halo 3. Two different victory conditions – either earning 1,000 points before the other team, or by destroying the enemy team’s base – make it risky to get complacent when you’re way ahead in either race.