Stephaniecalman

Halo 5: Guardians Review

As someone who has dabbled in the Halo franchise but never actually got into the games, I can say Halo 5: Guardians is a great game. It's campaign is thoroughly enjoyable and it has one of the best multiplayer experiences I've ever played. 343 has definitely delivered an exceptional first person shooter and a solid entry into the Halo franchise. In the midst of a super crowded holiday season, Halo 5 is a clear stand out from Microsoft and shouldn't be missed.

Halo 5's campaign is a 15 mission story that takes you to many different locations and offers some good looking cut scenes. Unfortunately though the actual story is a hit or miss. Some missions feel like they have purpose and add to the story, while others simply don't. I feel like 343 could have told a very personal story through the manhunt between Locke and Master Chief, but they severely missed that opportunity. The story then becomes something much to hard to follow than it needs to be. Something dealing with Guardians and Cortona. I honestly couldn't tell you and I was already at a disadvantage with the story not having played the previous titles in full. I can say my enjoyment of the campaign wasn't hindered by the mediocre story, but it sure would have made it better.

The best part about Halo 5's campaign is playing it. We get a wide variety of maps and levels. Every mission felt new and refreshing. Areas in the game were pretty big and allowed for some huge fights. I personally liked how they handled vehicles in the game. Some missions had them and some didn't, but it all felt intentional. They really nailed the gameplay. You also use a variety of guns, which also makes the play through more enjoyable. But overall Halo 5's campaign isn't anything to marvel over and is quite normal.

Where Halo 5: Guardians does deliver, is in it's multiplayer. Arena boasts a unique set of playlist and a wide variety of maps that are sure to keep you entertained for months. The arena type of matches are something I never experience before now and I must say it's very refreshing. There are no loadouts or customization, instead you focus on core skill and your ability to perform well. I like that there are power weapons on maps that teams can fight for, but they never give a team a huge advantage. Matches play very quickly, especially with the new movement improvements to the franchise. Halo 5 definitely has the best core multiplayer experience I have played this year.

Halo 5 also introduces a warzone multiplayer game mode. It's very reminiscent of Titanfall and I didn't really enjoy it all that much. There's 12 versus 12, friendly and enemy AI, events, and objectives. Sadly it never feels good or fun to play. Requisition cards are earned by just playing any type of multiplayer and can be used to equip certain weapons or spawn vehicles. While it certainly adds more variety to the game mode, it doesn't save it from feeling very lousy. I'll stick with arena.

Overall Halo 5: Guardians is a fun game and walks the line of being truly great. Unfortunately the game features a very short and mundane campaign and a failed new multiplayer gamemode that has been very hyped up. But arena is an absolute blast and very addicting, it should please any competitive shooter fan game mode.