Halo 5 Guardians Review - Chief Gone Rogue.

By Sam Coles:

So after the train crash that was Halo The Master Chief Collection does Halo 5 Guardians save the series after that? Most yes it has refined multiplayer in terms of its movement and it has big wide open battles in its campaign which puts  modern shooter to shame that are on the market

Halo 5’s story takes place after the events of Halo 4 where Chief in the previous game woke up an ancient Forerunner who wanted to enslave the human race. Chief managed to stop him and save Earth, but lost the only thing that he was close to when he was out on missions and that was Cortana. Chief continues to serve the UNSC and finds out that Cortana is not as dead after all, he wants to go and investigate but is told not to so he goes rogue.

So like Halo 2 you shift between two protagonists The Master Chief and Spartan Locke who is hunting down Chief. You’re also accompanied by three other Spartans  who can help you up when you’re down, but make sure you play with other players because the AI is a bit dumb. The campaign does ultimately fall as there are no high stakes, but it will keep you engaged because the cutscenes are well performed by everyone so it will keep you busy for a bit.

Gameplay has been changed from previous titles where they have given it some speed and I know I’m going to get crucified making this comparison, but it reminds me of Call of Duty Advanced Warfare. Let me explain before you lynch me. It has a fast pace coupled with the jet thrusters where you can dodge left or right or charge straight into your enemy to kill them. Plus you can perform a ridiculously powerful ground pound which never stops being funny when you get it right.

Graphically this game looks amazing with lush swamp areas to canyons with the extremely detailed character models perfectly motion captured. The game runs at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second which really works with the fast paced gameplay.

So the reason why people play Halo is the multiplayer and the first strike with this game is that it has no local split screen multiplayer at all, so what made the original so iconic has been ripped out and thrown out with the bath water. So you can no longer invite your friends round and play the campaign co-op or have a hectic free for all. So you have to play online instead and I must say this is where the multiplayer thrives, it includes the standard but fun modes like Slayer and Capture the Flag etc.

The new mode I like is Breakout, this a twist on Capture the Flag where it is split up into 5 rounds (depending how many you lose or win) and you have one life, so it’s a great pick and up play mode because they’re quick and tense. Your objective is to either to eliminate the other team or take the flag that is in the middle and take it back to home base. The standout mode in Halo 5 is Warzone which is big scale warfare which is 20 vs 20, however there are also AI controlled enemies on the battlefield sort of giving it a MOBA feel, but also feeling similar to Titanfall, it’s a good game mode besides the fact that it’s overrun with micro-transactions.

Halo 5 Guardians is a great game; yeah the campaign doesn’t hit the same heights like the other games, but it’s well performed that it will keep you engaged. The new movement and gunplay makes the game fun and fresh keeping the player on their toes. So if you want more Halo multiplayer fun then I would recommend it.