I actually was bought this when it was first released, and it's been gathering dust ever since. I can't explain why, one of those 'list of shame' things. I really enjoy the Halo games, despite a) not really understanding what the hell is going on and b) not touching multiplayer at any time since spending hundreds of hours on Halo 3. GREAT days. So - thought I'd give this a whirl, and also spend a bit of time online with it.
Campaign first - seriously, what the fuck is going on? Who are these people? Am I supposed to know who they all are? Why are some Covenant bad, and others good? The cutscenes all look very pretty and all that, but they're essentially pointless and serve as a nice breather between levels so I can fill up my glass with wine/beer depending on my mood.
But I always like to look at the positives. Halo 5 is a sexy game. The vistas are beautiful, the levels appear to be far more interesting than previous games, and the cool little hidden rooms are a nice touch. I always prefer the outdoor levels in these games and I thought some of them were as good as any in previous titles.
I was pleasantly surprised by the good balance of fun gunplay and variety of weapons, which help to promote different approaches, particularly when playing in co-op. I didn't get chance to play with friends as often as I'd like but the levels I did do it co-op were tremendous fun.
To a certain extent the absolute headfuck that is the story isn't a game breaking issue when the gameplay is solid enough, and I thought it held up very well - that's more important IMO (in some ways it's the polar opposite of the campaign in Star Wars Battlefront 2 which was cool story-wise but played like a damp sponge).
My first Halo multiplayer binge in well over a decade was tremendous, what an improvement and I feel incessantly smug coming away with a positive k/d ratio considering I wasn't even a parent last time I delved in (my eldest is now in year 7...!) A really good variety of game modes - the Warzone mode was my favourite, but even a quick blast on Slayer when I had a spare 10 minutes was well worth some time. I think I'll stay with this for my online fix for a little while in readiness for Infinite.
Overall, polished if incredibly confusing, Halo 5 is great fun, pretty to look at, with the addition of bombastic sounds and impressive set pieces that we've come to love and expect from the franchise - topped off with a brilliant multiplayer mode than begs to be revisited. Better than I expected.
Campaign first - seriously, what the fuck is going on? Who are these people? Am I supposed to know who they all are? Why are some Covenant bad, and others good? The cutscenes all look very pretty and all that, but they're essentially pointless and serve as a nice breather between levels so I can fill up my glass with wine/beer depending on my mood.
But I always like to look at the positives. Halo 5 is a sexy game. The vistas are beautiful, the levels appear to be far more interesting than previous games, and the cool little hidden rooms are a nice touch. I always prefer the outdoor levels in these games and I thought some of them were as good as any in previous titles.
I was pleasantly surprised by the good balance of fun gunplay and variety of weapons, which help to promote different approaches, particularly when playing in co-op. I didn't get chance to play with friends as often as I'd like but the levels I did do it co-op were tremendous fun.
To a certain extent the absolute headfuck that is the story isn't a game breaking issue when the gameplay is solid enough, and I thought it held up very well - that's more important IMO (in some ways it's the polar opposite of the campaign in Star Wars Battlefront 2 which was cool story-wise but played like a damp sponge).
My first Halo multiplayer binge in well over a decade was tremendous, what an improvement and I feel incessantly smug coming away with a positive k/d ratio considering I wasn't even a parent last time I delved in (my eldest is now in year 7...!) A really good variety of game modes - the Warzone mode was my favourite, but even a quick blast on Slayer when I had a spare 10 minutes was well worth some time. I think I'll stay with this for my online fix for a little while in readiness for Infinite.
Overall, polished if incredibly confusing, Halo 5 is great fun, pretty to look at, with the addition of bombastic sounds and impressive set pieces that we've come to love and expect from the franchise - topped off with a brilliant multiplayer mode than begs to be revisited. Better than I expected.