Halo 5: Guardians (2015)

This was the first time I’ve experienced a negative side-effect of playing all these Halo games back-to-back like I have been. I’ll of course avoid spoilers, but to me, jumping to Halo 5 immediately after 4 made me feel like the game negated a big chunk of the emotional impact the previous story had had on me. In a way, it almost seemed like a far fetched cop out, a way to undo supposedly permanent events with permanent consequences. No matter how I try to cut or explain it away it just didn’t sit well with me, and it’s a big reason why I ended up not regarding Guardians as highly as any of the past games.

This wasn’t the only issue I had with this entry (though it was the biggest): I also didn’t like the over reliance on showing you the action rather than giving you the action. Gameplay was often interrupted by drawn-out cutscenes that weren’t all that interesting to go through (in my opinion nowhere near the level of Halo 2’s for example), an the oft-present downtime between missions noticeably affected mission pacing (in a few of them you literally do nothing but walk around the ‘camp’ talking to NPCs); I didn’t like that the much wider nature of levels often made them harder to read and forced me to rely on markers to understand where I needed to go; I didn’t like what felt to me like some serious balancing issues when it came to segments, weapons and even rules (getting obliterated from behind cover, something I had never experienced with any of the first 6 Halo games, wasn’t fun); I didn’t like all the unnecessary platforming I had to worry about on some of the levels, which diverted my attention from all the shooting goodness; I didn’t like some of the art design choices (I wasn’t crazy about the Spartan Suit designs which gave off this Marvel vibe that was hard to shake off); I didn’t like the almost incomprehensible downgrade in the checkpoint system, often making you waste precious time; I didn’t like that the next level in-game cinematic flair didn’t exactly translate to higher excitement; and I didn’t like that the visible potential for truly engaging character development was poorly utilised in more ways than one.

So yeah, there were a lot of things about Guardians I wasn’t crazy about. Yet I’d like to make it clear that all of these have a slightly different weight for me, and my overall appreciation for a game is based on what it does poorly weighed against what it does well. And for all its flaws, Halo 5 also comes with some significant improvements and truly enjoyable additions. One of the main ones for me was the team assistance function. The amount of time you spend with each of the teams you get to play as might ruffle some feathers, but to me, what I liked about this was the team assistance function which now allows you to heal and be healed by your squadmates. This was such a great, unexpected touch that really added a feeling of belonging to a squad and fuelled a bigger desire to bond with them. I didn’t see it coming, but I loved it. Aside from this, the game also boasts some absolutely phenomenal environments. The art style may put some people off on occasion, but to me it is undeniable that Halo 5’s settings look incredible and varied from start to finish, which is something that truly helps you immerse in that universe. From the great horror-like vibes in early game to the ancient ruins of Sanghelios or the neonscapes of Sunaion, I often felt in awe of how visually impressive these places came across, and this made my playthrough all the more enjoyable.

There were other things about Guardians I welcomed. For my critiques of some level platforming or mission pacing, the game also features real cool shooting arenas and super intense gunplay sequences that frequently left me glued to the screen until the action had subsided. This isn’t unique to Halo 5 but it was certainly noticeable here regardless. I also liked that melee, to me at least, felt better and more useful than in any of the previous games, which made me look at it as a de facto weapon rather than a side thought, and consequently use it a lot more this time around. I also welcomed the several QoL implementations (with indefinite sprinting being the most valuable one) and the nice throwback to ODST in the form of a character return.

So summing up: my thoughts on Halo 5: Guardians are a bit complicated, multilayered, and internally conflicting. On the whole, I ended up up not resonating with it as much as the previous titles. For all intents and purposes, it felt to me like Halo 5 tried too hard to deliver a lot of different things, yet most of those things didn’t land as well as intended. This, however, doesn’t make it a bad game by any stretch, at least in my eyes. Guardians does some things remarkably well, a few of which better than any of the titles that came before it. I do think it does move away a bit from the Halo identity, and it was frustrating to see the potential it had squandered away by poor decisions and execution, but still, I enjoyed it. Seems this series can do no real wrong in my book. 7.5/10

9/10

Full review: http://wp.me/p55m9h-10I

I kinda dug how Halo 5's story is a little more personal than the first 3 (much like 4 was). I have never thought of Master Chief as the most interesting main character, anyway. But I agree with people who say the way its told is a little sloppy. Outside of that, gorgeous visuals and music, fun gunplay. I lament the lack of split-screen immensely. The increase in mobility is welcome.

Multiplayer is still awesome. Old game modes are still fun, Warzone uses AI well to make intense, exciting 30-minute (or so) matches. They're gone back to the old ways so loadouts are non-existent, though the Requisition system allows weapon, vechicles, etc drops in Warzone, providing you can get to the right level during the match to use them. It's a nice touch.