Halo 5 starts as the controversial Spartan Locke hunts down the imprisoned Doctor Halsey, as she is forced to erect a lasting connection with Forerunner artifacts. However, in a last attempt to retrieve her invaluable knowledge, Fire Team Osiris is deployed into a covenant inundated icy tundra, as players gain control of Locke and his range of new abilities.
Halo 5’s story is exhilarating and well thought out
Straying from its acclaimed predecessors, Halo 5 Guardians sees the debut of an array of new weapons and abilities, such as the jump pack, permitting players to create an array of ambushes and entrances, allowing unparalleled player choice when it comes to battles, both large scale and small scale.
Not only this, but the title will see the implementation of both Agent Locke’s Fire team Osiris, and Chief’s Blue team. Depending on which team players currently possess access, they are able to execute a range unique and exclusive attacks, and abilities
Halo 5: Guardians
Platforms: Xbox One
Developer: 343 Industries
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Halo 5 Guardians entails an array of issues and bugs pertaining to its newly employed movement system. These bugs and errors range from meagre damage defects to many more tedious issues that may exasperate situations drastically.
Unfortunately this is not my only query with the title, as co-op also possesses its fair share of defects, such as glitched allies which can take away from the titles often exhilarating experience.
Multiplayer elements harbour far greater potential than other titles
Thankfully, Halo 5 swiftly redeems its cooperative counterpart as players will encounter many new features such as multiple routes permitting seamless stealth options, as well as specified abilities and revives. It this new cooperative experience that encapsulates Halo 5’s goal of teamwork, and the rise of Chief’s previously fading humanity.
Halo 5 also hosts an extensive array of locations ranging from luscious and serene green pastures, to ice and covenant enveloped Tundras. This not only allows a wide range of landscapes but also sees the implementation of many new playstyles depending on which terrain the current battle resides within.
Enemy factions boast an extensive number of troops
Straying from the title’s campaign counterpart, Halo 5 sees the debut of a range of new multiplayer oriented modes such as Warzone in which players will be tasked with eliminating the encroaching enemy team, whilst also obtaining new equipment and weapons via n array of AI mobs that spawn throughout the map. Unfortunately for this mode, map variety is meagre and players are consistently thrown into the same map rather than a new one.
Finally the game sees the inclusion of many sparse co-op opportunities alongside its fleshed out ones,this includes the lack of drastically game altering options such as ability combinations and countless more routes.
This unfortunately makes for little reason to indulge in this newly implemented mode, other than group oriented gameplay sessions.
Conclusion 9/10
Despite its range of differences from prior titles in the Halo saga, Halo 5: Guardians compiles its own lore alongside an array of exhilarating new gameplay mechanics in order to create limitless possibilities for the ongoing Reclaimer Saga, making it a must buy for all sci-fi fans whether they are a new, or returning player.