As one of the few silver bullets in Microsoft’s exclusive armoury Halo 5 is every bit as crucial as the first of its name, but can 343 Industries deliver the goods?
The story follows Masterchief as he finds himself drawn towards the echoes of his old AI Cortana, it soon becomes apparent all is not as it seems and Spartan Locke is sent with his team to reach Masterchief before it’s too late. Tracking the two teams of Spartans through various large and hectic battlefields the missions certainly feel cosmic!
While there are a few quiet moments to enjoy the scenery and culture of Halo for the most part the action keeps you too busy perched on the edge of your seat. The Promethean soldiers at the higher frame rate and graphics suddenly feel so believable and offer a considerable challenge on the higher difficulty levels. The Grunts can be witnessed and overheard at their ridiculous best and up close The Arbiter and the elites look more menacing than ever before.
Halo 5: Guardians was created by 343 Industries.
With the new AI fire-team at your disposal it does make co-op less essential, the ability to be revived by other characters, Fred or Linda does make the battles more forgiving, however they will blindly follow you into the arms of a hunter should you wish to end it all.
Locked in at a silky smooth sixty frames per second this new incarnation feels at its best yet. Setting aside the pension planning download time the update seemed to do its job, not one graphical or matchmaking error on launch day is an impressive standard (fans of the Assassin’s Creed franchise will be well aware of the perils of first day glitches). This feel of quality is ingrained throughout the game, even in the hectic warzone modes, with so much going on it all feels effortless.
Warzone is a good example of just how much attention to detail 343 have applied, with a perk system that allows one to bring a tank to a sword fight – it could have gone horribly wrong, however the matches have been surprisingly evenly balanced. The unpredictability and need to adapt to the other team’s moves brought something new and that can be applauded.
One thing that has been lost for the cost of the new frame-rate is split screen. Time will tell just how much this has wrenched the souls of Halo fans, but I have a feeling the wounds will heal as this game creates its own place for itself in the series. The online multiplayer is very strong and while people will miss the physical human contact it does seem more in line with the direction the consoles seem to be taking. With the Masterchief collection still available on next-gen the classics are still available so co-op gamers are not left completely high and dry.
Halo 5 is an old dog that has a new look, new tricks and some physiotherapy to get it moving like an eight month old cocker spaniel on skittles. It has its faults but for me it is a pleasure to see the series back looking and feeling on top of the universe.
Author – Joe, Bath store
