Halo 5: Guardians

 Xbox One
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3713 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,945 out of 3713
  2. Mixed: 747 out of 3713
  3. Negative: 1,021 out of 3713
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  1. LoverofjesusMK2
    Nov 9, 2015
    9
    Excellent game.
    While the overarching story falls short, everything else within the game, from the gameplay and level design, to the soundtrack and multiplayer more than make up for it. And the campaign is not at all without it's memorable moments, including the end of a particular story arc that has been a long time coming. The end while a massive cliffhanger, but despite what all of the    Excellent game.
    While the overarching story falls short, everything else within the game, from the gameplay and level design, to the soundtrack and multiplayer more than make up for it. And the campaign is not at all without it's memorable moments, including the end of a particular story arc that has been a long time coming. The end while a massive cliffhanger, but despite what all of the angry trolls giving the game 0s and 1s will tell you, it's no worse than Halo 2, which this game has many similar problems to, particularly involving the advertising and story. And despite what aforementioned trolls keep bringing up about the time spent as both Master Chief and Agent Locke (Chief having 3 dedicated missions to Locke's 12) Chief's missions are about three times as long as those of Locke, and since 3 of Locke's missions essentially boil down to interactive custscenes that can be competed in under a minute, the playtime actually evens out.

    On the other hand Multiplayer is better than ever. Halo's classic with a solid mix of both competitive and casual modes with more of each on the way (Shotty Snipers was last week's "weekend social playlist" and Big Team Battle is being added this week, along with another Weekend social playlist") The online netcode is stellar, and dedicated servers for all playlists and custom games is an absolute blessing on console. A few flaws with multiplayer do come to mind. Several playlists (particularly Free For All, SWAT and Warzone) have horrible spawns. And Warzone, while a great concept still needs some tweaking, since even the slightest bit of momentum from one team often turns the game horrifically one-sided, And warzone assault in it's current state is just bad. These maps were not designed for invasion scenarios. That being said the vast majority of multiplayer is still excellent and provide tons of replayablility.

    Lastly a topic of note are the micro transactions, They are not invasive at all, You can earn even gold rec packs in only a few games making buying them with cash hardly worth it.    … Expand
  2. rubinberrypie
    Nov 9, 2015
    10
    A zookeeper's responsibilities usually include feeding, maintaining and cleaning the animals, diet preparation, behavioral observation, record keeping, exhibit maintenance and providing environmental enrichment for the animals in their care.[3] Some also conduct behavioral or reproductive research on a species and participate in public education through talks, programs or shows. They areA zookeeper's responsibilities usually include feeding, maintaining and cleaning the animals, diet preparation, behavioral observation, record keeping, exhibit maintenance and providing environmental enrichment for the animals in their care.[3] Some also conduct behavioral or reproductive research on a species and participate in public education through talks, programs or shows. They are expected to clean enclosures every day. They look for any signs of injuries or illness in the animals, and in the case of sickness or injury, the keeper is responsible for contacting a veterinarian, and sometimes a zookeeper will assist a veterinarian in a medical procedure.

    Some zookeepers train the animals to make caring for them easier. For example, a zookeeper can train an elephant to lift their feet so that a veterinarian can check them more easily.[4] Some zookeepers are responsible for informing an audience, in an exhibit or presentation, about certain types of animals and their behavioral characteristics. They also talk about experiences with the animal, and answer questions. The keeper is also responsible for lecturing the visiting public on how to behave responsibly toward the exhibited animals.

    Depending on the zoo structure, keepers may be assigned to work with a broad group of animals, such as mammals, birds, or reptiles, or they may work with a limited collection of animals such as primates, large cats, or small mammals.    … Expand
  3. warren-trouble
    Nov 9, 2015
    5
    Disclaimer: I'm not one of those people who hate 343 or love Bungie for biased reasons. I think 343 has been doing an excellent job managing the franchise across various media. This game is just bad.

    Don't buy unless you're a Halo fan and you need it, or if campaign doesn't matter to you and you just want another PVP for some reason? I am the biggest Halo fan I know and even with    Disclaimer: I'm not one of those people who hate 343 or love Bungie for biased reasons. I think 343 has been doing an excellent job managing the franchise across various media. This game is just bad.

    Don't buy unless you're a Halo fan and you need it, or if campaign doesn't matter to you and you just want another PVP for some reason?

    I am the biggest Halo fan I know and even with Halo green tinted glasses on this was the worst Halo ever, right up there with Spartan Assault! How they can vow to do better then Halo 4 (which I enjoyed playing), but perhaps at 343 they view Halo as a Call of Duty and its PVP first then tack on a **** campaign to justify the $60 price tag and the vow to be better was only referring to the PVP?

    1) the loss of split screen was a disappointment and probably, especially considering the games history with it. But I also understand the business decision that statistically most gamers don't use it or use it often, and even most modern games don't have it anymore. But Xbox used to be a company that knew what the gamers wanted (kind of like Sony nowadays) and gave us split-screen instead of being the company that tells us what's best.
    2) The story was the weakest I've seen in the franchise, I felt it often didn't make since and didn't seem to follow 4. I was hoping to know at least how blue team got back together, why they suddenly trust Halsey, what was going on with Palmer's Spartans, where's that dickhead that's in charge of the infinity, is the Didact dead, what's going on with the librarian, is the other Didact dead, you know without reading a bunch of novels.
    3) it did really need more aggression between Locke and Chief leading to a fight (like the ads suggested), and a guardian boss battle, and probably could have used a halo and some flood. The ending was just awful.
    4) The levels felt the smallest and most guided in the franchise. Even the vehicular levels didn't feel large enough to accommodate them. And game has zero replayability!
    5) The player AI was terrible, and 343 gloated in a viddoc about how useful they would be!
    6) The audio and visuals were amazing, even the controls and feel of the game were excellent!
    7) I haven't bother playing the PVP because I just couldn't look at the game when I was done, which is a shame because i hear its the best part.
    8) the req system, maybe it need to be tweaked to feel more rewarding and less grindy and i agree that it has potential to be abused in future titles but we should really worry about that when that time comes and fight that battle then, cause currently its not bad and if it keeps the maps free I'm happy    … Expand
  4. usuario_OS
    Nov 9, 2015
    1
    weak story , short game , more of the same! so goes for anyone who is a big fan himself, another generic shooter. wait wait wait for sale! dont buy!
  5. XboxWeb
    Nov 9, 2015
    9
    Even though Halo 5 has a few technical mistakes and the campaign could have been longer, this is propably one of the best Halo games ever thanks to the really amazing multiplayer! Whole review: http://xboxweb.cz/recenze/recenze-halo-5-guardians-pro-xbox-one/
  6. Neonvirtu
    Nov 9, 2015
    10
    Very, very good halo, the campaign is a little short but packed with action. The multiplayer is the best halo 5 multiplayer experience I have had since halo 3. Warzone is SOOOOOOOO good, love it soooo much.
  7. SkyeMatrix
    Nov 9, 2015
    9
    Halo 5: Guardians is one of the best games this year. The multiplayer has come out to perfection and a great continuation of the epic saga they are telling. The new mechanics have made for some of the most interesting changes in Halo combat through the series. 343 Has taken the story that Bungie has started and really helped make it a deeper story. 343 has started to expand on some of theHalo 5: Guardians is one of the best games this year. The multiplayer has come out to perfection and a great continuation of the epic saga they are telling. The new mechanics have made for some of the most interesting changes in Halo combat through the series. 343 Has taken the story that Bungie has started and really helped make it a deeper story. 343 has started to expand on some of the lore that has been in the book and made a much richer story then the games of past. This is a must play for anyone who owns an Xbox and even if you don’t you should buy one for this game.

    The game came around a large advertising campaign that painted a story of Locke vs Master Chief. This leads into the intro of the game pretty well after you play the first mission as Master Chief you start chasing him down with Locke. Around the mid to late part of the campaign you really get to see the first and really last confrontation between Locke and Chief. After this point you really start to see the game focus on the true story of halo.

    The story was great. It was a great continuation of the forerunner saga. Halo 4 was a high point in the halo story line and this game decided to take that to another level. This game told a great story and a villain that threw me for a loop. The story mainly follows Fireteam Osiris as you play 80% of the mission through Locke’s eyes. I found Locke was a bit lackluster in comparison to some of his team. Each person on Osiris has something special about them. I think however the story would have been stronger if the Locke and Fireteam Osiris was introduced in a non-numbered Halo as there was a lot of story we glanced over as the main meat of the games story was about the guardians. I do feel that the game bringing in Fireteam Osiris will actually improve the game moving forward as the addition of the Arbiter did back in Halo 2.

    We did see the usually flow of Halo missions sniper, warthog, scorpion, and flight. It seemed even though we played the majority of the game in Locke’s shoes, the game truly felt like Halo in the end. With the normal three sided war we always see in Halo you never get bored with the fight. This game has taken that to the next level. The story has one of the most unexpected twisted that even left me at the end torn with how it all went down. The main villain had depth as the story was already built with the character other than the usual bad covenant leader.

    The new suits made for some of the most fun I have in a shooter for some time. It never seemed overpowered by any means. I never felt as though I needed to use it. That said the moment you charge an elite off the side of a platform to his death you will be trying over and over. Some of the functions seemed more useful than others. The ground pound was so fun to use yet took way too long to execute the move. The charge was amazing. So useful and easy to execute that I found myself using it all the time. The quick strafe was a perfect way to wait for turret fire to get close and still get away just in time.

    The modeling was great and the texturing was awesome. During the game we see many places in the Halo universe and have quite a varied set of environments to play in. The maps were so great as I played through them. The worlds were so dense with action from finding a hidden passage or enemies. It seemed like I could always find a spot to duck out of action to charge my shields. Yet I never felt that the action was ever far from me.

    Now speaking of the multiplayer all I need to say is “I LOVE WARZONE!” This might seem a little off at first but it is super well balanced. You can save your points and get something big that will make a huge difference late game or spend early and get a major jump early. There were so many strategies and I have seen them all work and fail in my time playing. The maps felt great as there was always something to do with whatever you wanted to do.

    Multiplayer has not felt this good since Halo 2. I can see this really being a large staple in the multiplayer community. The battles all seemed balance and fast. Levels all seemed great as they added in verticality to halo with the new suits. The running and climbing up ledges seems to make a huge difference in moving through the level. I found myself not wanting to stop as I started multiplayer and can’t wait to get my old crew back together from the old Halo 2 days.

    Halo 5: Guardians is a must play. The game has the best multiplayer of any of the Halo games and probably any other shooter I have played. The story Halo tells is far ahead of any other shooter you today. When most shooters focus on a multiplayer platform this one focuses on an epic saga. This is a cornerstone game in the Xbox One library and needs to be played by anyone who has an Xbox One.    … Expand
  8. frankwild
    Nov 8, 2015
    6
    Positives:
    1. Graphics are amazing
    2. A full movie of cutscenes 3. Brought back all the guns we love 5. The ability to hop in a handful of different vehicles is satisfying Negatives: 1. Only 3 missions as Master Chief 2. Getting downed then getting revived = Less Badass 3. The story is a pointless, nothing was accomplished during this whole game. The master Chief was in the end    Positives:
    1. Graphics are amazing
    2. A full movie of cutscenes
    3. Brought back all the guns we love
    5. The ability to hop in a handful of different vehicles is satisfying

    Negatives:
    1. Only 3 missions as Master Chief
    2. Getting downed then getting revived = Less Badass
    3. The story is a pointless, nothing was accomplished during this whole game. The master Chief was in the end actually not successful in this game.
    4. Can't stick hunters on their backs anymore!?
    5. Cheif vs Locke? I think this rivalry is just plain awful, how can any spartan compete with 117?
    6. Full fireteams now, reminds me of reach and everyone knows how that game went.    … Expand
  9. writetyper
    Nov 8, 2015
    6
    Decent to good campaign (really fills out the lore of the Halo universe) and one of the first (console) games I've played that implements Aim Down Sights mechanics in a non-obnoxious way. Looks very pretty.

    However, there's a lot of drawbacks - crap ending, the Warden fight gets old real quick and later on the campaign is fairly repetitive, I was mostly just grinding through the    Decent to good campaign (really fills out the lore of the Halo universe) and one of the first (console) games I've played that implements Aim Down Sights mechanics in a non-obnoxious way. Looks very pretty.

    However, there's a lot of drawbacks - crap ending, the Warden fight gets old real quick and later on the campaign is fairly repetitive, I was mostly just grinding through the Prometheans to get to the cool story elements. No splitscreen is a massive drawback. Multiplayer having MICROTRANSACTIONS is taking the rating down a fair few notches - I already paid for your game, don't make me pay for it again. Also Multiplayer seems very unpolished - no forge, very few gamemodes, etc.    … Expand
  10. punkzu
    Nov 8, 2015
    7
    Been a big Halo fan since I picked up CE in early 2004. Halo 4 was a disappointment for me and I saw this as 343s shot at redemption.

    CAMPAIGN -The campaign is not as advertised. The whole epic Locke hunting Chief around the galaxy and having a stand-off campaign as shown in the commercials (even suggested on the cover art!!) simply isn't the storyline. -In fact, there's barely a    Been a big Halo fan since I picked up CE in early 2004. Halo 4 was a disappointment for me and I saw this as 343s shot at redemption.

    CAMPAIGN
    -The campaign is not as advertised. The whole epic Locke hunting Chief around the galaxy and having a stand-off campaign as shown in the commercials (even suggested on the cover art!!) simply isn't the storyline.
    -In fact, there's barely a storyline to admire and of what there is, like with Halo 4, it requires a knowledge of the EU to understand the background/characters which is a bad decision imo (this hampered Halo 4 too).
    -Playing as Locke for 80% of the time is also something I wasn't invested in. The Master Chief IS Halo. -Ultimately it's forgettable, the first Halo campaign imo to be so. I didn't like Halo 4's campaign but at least it was quite memorable. Makes me wonder what the hell 343 have been doing for 3 years.
    -Level designs, like the story, are also pretty boring/repetitive, no major set pieces to enjoy like the double scarab takedown level in Halo 3 for example. Again this is was a similar problem in 4.
    -Didn't care for the squads who were pretty unintelligent AI with 0 character investment.
    -(I read about all of the above before playing so I was at least prepared for the disappointment and was conscious of it as a consolation).
    -Also very short, 6 hours ish, for being 15 levels long.
    -It does look great visually however, very slick. Prometheans are more enjoyable to face than in Halo 4. That's honestly all I can say is good about it.

    MULTIPLAYER
    -Multiplayer is much better than in 4. The Spartan abilities are a welcome addition to the series (campaign too I should add), nice and fresh idea. Good way to solve the unbalanced armour abilities in Reach and 4. -343 have separated old from new too: Old style Halo is back - balanced, same loadout, weapons around the map type gameplay in Arena. And indeed it generally does feel like the old Halo days thank goodness with the new feature of Spartan abilities fitting in nicely.
    -And then Halo 4 style unbalanced craziness in Warzone, taken to the next level with REQ packs, different gun sights as an example etc. This works in Warzone because the maps are huge, AI plays a part and it's 24 players hence the in-your-face, skill based competitiveness of Arena doesn't really come into it - it's more of a social experience so I think things being unbalanced actually helps the vastness of the maps become more hectic, more varied and hence more enjoyable on a casual level. Put simply, I like it.
    -I'm pretty neutral on REQ packs
    -Lobbies are horrible, no gamertags visible. I didn't think lobby design could get worse than 4 but 343 somehow managed to top it.
    -Maps are visually very samey, hence boring and repetitive to look at. And a mere 3 Warzone maps. Some decent layouts however, particularly to suit the new abilities.
    -Armour customisation aesthetically looks slightly better than in 4, again pretty bad though compared to Reach and 3's artistic approach.
    - Very few gametypes - why on earth so few I don't know.
    - Overall I like but don't love halo 5's multiplayer. I did not like 4's.

    SUMMARY
    -Ultimately with 4 and now definitely 5, Halo has become an odd parody of its past self.
    -Terribly disappointing campaign - I honestly have no interest in what's to come in Halo 6. None at all.
    -Multiplayer is a decent outing which I will certainly play again and more than 4 but not religiously like I did with 3 and Reach (didn't have Live for 2), it's just not polished enough overall like the latter 2.
    -I truly don't think I will buy Halo 6 until at least a year or so after it comes out when it's half price and then it will only be to see what has come of the franchise, not because I really want it as a fan anymore which really saddens me.

    I never did a 4 review, would probably give that 5/10 for reference. The other main series games (CE, 2, 3, Reach either a 9 or more likely a 10). For this, I'd say 5/10 for campaign, 8/10 for multiplayer (7 overall is me being generous I'd say).    … Expand
  11. aa3IRAQI
    Nov 8, 2015
    9
    This game is a masterpiece! As a Halo fan for years I absolutely think this game is a perfect installment in the evolution of the series. I waited a while to review this game because I wanted to see whether it holds its entertainment value and surprisingly it not only maintains it but increases it.

    The campaign mode is fun and the story isn't as good as Halo 2 but just as good as Halo 3    This game is a masterpiece! As a Halo fan for years I absolutely think this game is a perfect installment in the evolution of the series. I waited a while to review this game because I wanted to see whether it holds its entertainment value and surprisingly it not only maintains it but increases it.

    The campaign mode is fun and the story isn't as good as Halo 2 but just as good as Halo 3 and superior to Halo 4. They are going in a different direction and it does take some getting use to for the different POV the story takes on. The story does maintain interest and has a descent ending. I give the story an 8/10.

    The multiplayer is absolutely amazing and is the only thing that keeps me logging in a couple hours a day. They aren't having any of the matchmaking issues that the Master Chief collection had. The upgrade system is just perfect and easy to understand unlike the abomination they're running in Black Ops 3. I give the Multiplayer 10/10.

    The only thing this game is missing is Forge mode which I expect for them to include in an upcoming update. That's the only reason this game doesn't get 10/10.

    All things accounted for, this game gets a 9/10.

    P.S. don't waste your money on Call of Duty BO3!    … Expand
  12. eonkid99999
    Nov 8, 2015
    9
    Awesome campaign, great multiplayer - fast, awesome game, great fun to play. Story is awesome and leaves you excited for the next installment But the lack of split screen, unskilled friendly AI and overfocus on co-op leaves people wanting more.
  13. SeanGamerDays
    Nov 8, 2015
    9
    Halo 5 dosen't stand from it's previous multiplayer, of course because of it's Split-Screen removal. Obviously, I like the campaign better, and the shooting' fo'sho! And i think this should beat Bungie with their Destiny, but sometimes, I kinda miss Split-screen so much...

    I hope there will be Split-Screen soon, without 60fps holding Split-screen fans from it's attention...
  14. Quantiumviceroy
    Nov 8, 2015
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First off the multiplayer:
    -The gameplay is so fast it is pretty much on par with destiny speed and almost titanfall speed.
    -The beeping noises that play every time you do pretty much anything are basically ear cancer.
    -There is no split screen even for campaign (sorry, you dont get to play with your friends who come over or your siblings anymore)
    -Once again you can't play as elites
    -The smart scope is basically just ads in disguise
    -The spartan abilities are literally carbon copies of mechanics from other games
    -The maps are pretty much all garbage
    -In warzone, you start off with power weapons from packs instead of actually finding them on the battlefield like normal halo games
    -rocket launcher, battle rifle and sniper rifle skins are literally eye cancer
    -The countdown to when power weapons are going to spawn is just a noob magnet and makes everyone wait at the spawn location
    -the amount of hits you can take when your shields are down is about 1/3 of previous halo games

    Campaign
    -Story is so flat and stale i wouldn't even call it 2D but 1.5D
    -The entire plot is something out of a fanfiction website
    -Cortana suddenly has a "I WANT TO BE AN OVERLORD" complex
    -Cortana is physical being now which makes no sense
    -Cortana has clothing
    -Cortana looks ugly and is not even hot anymore
    -Cortana is the antagonist for some reason
    -Locke is a try hard angsty person
    -highest number of missions in a halo game, shortest campaign
    -WALK AND TALK MISSIONS
    -it would have been cool is you could shoot allies in the walk and talk missions making them turn on you like in the command center in halo ce, but no, you are forced to keep your gun down. WTF
    -Enjoyed how halo was unique in the way you are a bada$$ lone wolf fighting an entire army of aliens? well guess what? Now you get a fireteam like in call of duty, battlefield and every other generic shooter.
    -instead of dying, you now get downed and have to get a teammate to pick you up, otherwise you have to wait a whole minute to respawn
    -because the coop campaign is now online, you get inconsistencies with your teammates. what you see on your screen is not what is happening on your teammates screen. If you are teabagging an elite, you friend will see you teabagging the air instead.
    -The music is out of place most of the time and is a failed attempt to remake the original soundtrack
    -The arbiter appears for a few missions but now sounds like a crazy cultist revolutionist instead of the awesome bada$$ we all used to love
    -There are no good memorable lines in the dialog. Remember quoting halo and sounding cool? well not anymore.
    -The voice acting is awkward and lines are cheesy
    -everything is really clunky like in halo 4
    -all the battles feel the same with similar room geometry
    -enemies kill you pretty much instantly with your shields down
    -now you can get beaten to death by a grunt
    -jackels sound like something an 80s cartoon bird character
    -you cant stick hunters for some reason
    -"boss fights" with warden eternal every hour or so
    -the game assumes you know all of halo's expanded lore
    -you cant pick up the skulls and hit people with them anymore. now if you pick them up, they just disappear
    -Locke, not Master Chief, is the evident main character. Master Chief levels were just thrown in the game to try to satisfy people who wanted to play as their favourite green super soldier, but there are only 3 of them.
    -    … Expand
  15. gab19
    Nov 8, 2015
    10
    Huge improvement over the disaster of Halo 4 , multiplayer finally feels like old school halo no more of the cod cloning, halo finally feels like a halo game. The game runs amazingly at 60 fps with no frame drops graphics are stunning, Only letdown is the campaign you only play master chief in 3 mission which is abit disappointing and the story isn't that great overall this is definitelyHuge improvement over the disaster of Halo 4 , multiplayer finally feels like old school halo no more of the cod cloning, halo finally feels like a halo game. The game runs amazingly at 60 fps with no frame drops graphics are stunning, Only letdown is the campaign you only play master chief in 3 mission which is abit disappointing and the story isn't that great overall this is definitely a game of the year contender.… Expand
  16. Juggalo
    Nov 8, 2015
    1
    worst game ever, campaign doesn't make sense, multiplayer is unfair , every single of it is flawed. They should reboot it in every way. i mean come on they ruined the whole entire halo franchise.
  17. y0gurtm4
    Nov 8, 2015
    10
    Super game! very nice graphics. play every day in multiplayer!
    all my friends liked it. not enough companion to IOS, so that you can communicate with the clan.
    good Russian localization! shooter number 1 this year! Thank you, 343.
  18. Pelikan94
    Nov 8, 2015
    10
    Halo 5 is a really good game it deserves much better reviews.Multiplayer is so fun the best Halo multiplayer I have ever played.Campaing is Awesome but the story is complexed because you can't really get into it if you haven't read comics and books.
  19. edison400
    Nov 7, 2015
    4
    Feels like a below average campaign. Too short. online co-op wouldn't work for me and a friend when using the same router in the same building. Also feel a bit cheated that hunt the truth, spartan ops, and the added cut-scenes to Halo 2 for the anniversary, doesn't connect to story either at all or just not very well.
  20. noscoperaiders
    Nov 7, 2015
    9
    Between being and Xbox exclusive, a different studio working on halo,a divided ,and at times nit-picky, fan base, and this halo making more changes than any other game in the series, there will be people that will say "this sucks", "343 ruined halo",or "its a garbage game". While I respect peoples opinion, that doesn't mean I don't recognize blind hate. Halo 5 may not be the best halo butBetween being and Xbox exclusive, a different studio working on halo,a divided ,and at times nit-picky, fan base, and this halo making more changes than any other game in the series, there will be people that will say "this sucks", "343 ruined halo",or "its a garbage game". While I respect peoples opinion, that doesn't mean I don't recognize blind hate. Halo 5 may not be the best halo but it still manages to be a great one. Halo 5 has been re imagined from designs, visuals, and most notably the game play. Since Halo 3, I've always wanted spartans to play like their portrait in the cut scenes and novels instead of slow weak bullet magnets and now with sprint, thrusters, clamber, ground pounds, smart scope, and spartan charge, halo 5 is not only fast and intense but makes me not wanna go back to other halos. It's game play improves both campaign with larger/more packed levels and smarter/larger scale of enemies to multiplayer with balanced/flushed out maps and competitive/all-out war game modes. In fact its multiplayer is my favorite in the series with csr ranking system returning, arena with classic and new competitive modes and the all new warzone with large scale combat against spartans and ai. Both complement each other too. Halo 5's the first halo where I've really taken the competitive playing serious since many of my games have ended close and have made me already show many emotions (anger, happiness, frustration, relief, empowerment, weak, etc) and when I got tried of screaming and calling out from arena, I would switch to war zone where variety of unlockable weapons and vehicles joined with 24 players/ai made for chaotic and over the top explosive battles and craziness. And as before, if I started not taking it seriously over felt to loose I would jump back into arena for more focused and competitive games. Which ever you choose, you earn points towards req packs which give you random weapons, vehicles, armor, boosts, etc. that most you can use for war zone and some non game changing things like armor for arena. You can also purchase these but what makes this fare versus other micro-transactions is not only do you have the option to use in game money but to use a lot of these, you need to get kills/points to build a meter to use them so if your not good it doesn't matter how much you buy if you cant reach the level to use it. And it makes the progression more rewarding. As for campaign, the story follows both master chief/blue team and the new agent locke/fire team Osiris as chief and blue team have become AWOL and lockes team has been sent to bring him home until devastating events caused by forerunner beings called the guardians risked humanities destruction. For one I did enjoy playing the campaign as the levels are large with more routes/hidden passages, larger scale of enemies, incredible set pieces/visuals, many hidden collectibles/Easter eggs/special weapons, and 4 player coop online. Its a blast to play alone or with friends. The story however is a little mixed. The main plot and the so called "greatest hunt in gaming history" really doesn't live to the name with rushed events, lack of blue team, and a mix of both 3 missions just made to "take a break from the action" to a cliff hanger that make it story feel short and underwhelming. That said, its not just another mediocre shooter story as it has some good moments from the dialogue between character and Intel to jaw dropping moments like chief fighting locke or the first time you see a guardian rise. Recommend playing with friends on heroic or harder for a true lengthy experience. My main complaint though about this halo is its cut back of features for its launch. While some cuts like forge and big team battle are temporary, other things have been cut including split-screen, voting in matchmaking, customizing chest/shoulder/wrist/& leg pieces are now just one armor piece, file share, screenshots/video making in theater that still just goes for pvp and not campaign, and social playlists. Now while these do seem like little nitpicks as well as the fact 343 will be adding loads of content through its launch (as we speak shotty snipers has just been added with more reqs, patches, free maps, forge, and big team battles being planned to be added soon) I still can't help this has been one of the smallest launches content wise for a halo game in a while. That said, it still has plenty to keep you busy from its addicting multiplayer and game play, its great progression system, and a solid campaign. It might not be as beloved as say halo 1-3 but it is for sure NOT A BAD GAME and way better than halo 4 as well as my favorite multiplayer in the series.… Expand
  21. awesomepianoman
    Nov 7, 2015
    0
    No splitscreen, the game play feels like a cartoon, the cut scenes are made for little kids. Not for players who grew up with Halo. 343 has swindled all existing Halo fans into buying a game that is not Halo. It would be a good game if it was named something else and not associated with the Halo series.
  22. Maximale
    Nov 7, 2015
    4
    From the Beginning, before the game would come out, I knew it would be bad. How? an exclusive to the XBONE. Games w/ their corporations exclusive to a singular console always are bad, ignore them. In short, this game has a lot of flaws in both the campaign and multiplayer. Campaign has a confusing plot and some enemy types that either have one of the following: Bullet SpongeFrom the Beginning, before the game would come out, I knew it would be bad. How? an exclusive to the XBONE. Games w/ their corporations exclusive to a singular console always are bad, ignore them. In short, this game has a lot of flaws in both the campaign and multiplayer. Campaign has a confusing plot and some enemy types that either have one of the following: Bullet Sponge Technology, Stupid AI, and quite frankly, not the best gameplay. Multiplayer has a lack of modes and you will get killed instantly. I have found plenty of people hacking and things of the sort. if you want a semi comporable shooter for the next gen, get Black Ops III.… Expand
  23. BrunoAvila
    Nov 7, 2015
    10
    graphic and music is excellent, best in the series. the story coherency and consistency is the best in the series. multiplayer mode is the best in the series. enemies are also more fun to kill. no more flood semi-zombies. enemies move fast. my only complaint is that some missions are ridiculously short, there are few but luckily there are 15 missions and there are some missions that aregraphic and music is excellent, best in the series. the story coherency and consistency is the best in the series. multiplayer mode is the best in the series. enemies are also more fun to kill. no more flood semi-zombies. enemies move fast. my only complaint is that some missions are ridiculously short, there are few but luckily there are 15 missions and there are some missions that are absolute joy. excellent work… Expand
  24. desa0510
    Nov 7, 2015
    10
    This is just the best Halo multiplayer ive ever played, the campaign left me hanging after tha cliffhanger like in helo 2, but i enjoyed every moment of it.
  25. Silentwalker
    Nov 7, 2015
    3
    Here I was hoping for an amazing campaign and awesome multiplayer yet here I am giving the game a 3/10. Why? Because it didn't live up to the hype or expectations and what we got was a half-baked campaign at best and a multiplayer where aiming feels like you're shooting at ghosts that aren’t there and connecting to servers outside your region results in many missed kills because hitsHere I was hoping for an amazing campaign and awesome multiplayer yet here I am giving the game a 3/10. Why? Because it didn't live up to the hype or expectations and what we got was a half-baked campaign at best and a multiplayer where aiming feels like you're shooting at ghosts that aren’t there and connecting to servers outside your region results in many missed kills because hits wouldn't register.

    Turns out 343 decided to remove the region restrictions, matching Aussies with Americans. And as someone living in Australia if you're connecting to a server in America you're not going to have a good time with a ping over 200ms.

    The single player story sucked, it left you with a Halo 2 style ending and left many players thinking, wait *Spoilers* *Spoilers*
    Cortana is the bad guy now? What? *Spoilers* *Spoilers*

    Locke is just as strong as chief when the chief should have been beat down in less than 5 seconds. Hmm. The campaign felt linear and very repetitive too. You fight the same boss over 6 times! Amazing.

    And why am I only playing as the Chief for 2 levels? Wow that sucks. At least it's a long campaign... Oh wait, I finished it in less than 6 hours. /sigh

    The multiplayer levels feel very poorly designed where jumping off accidentally happens a lot, and spawning at the edge of the level facing the outside boundaries don't help. And don't get me started on the broken spawning. Just hope that you don't spawn in the same location more than twice or you're going to give the enemy team an easy win.

    The aiming as I said is terrible, the removed all the auto aim from the previous halo games and implemented their own bullet magnetism. So if you aim near then you're going to hit them anyway regardless if you're reticule isn't actually on your target.

    Warzone feels like Pay to Win, I've opened over 20 packs and yet to see any heavy drops like scorpions or wraiths. All I've got are Mongoose and Ghosts. Where if you decide do drop your hard earnt money you're more likely to get these heavy armored vehicles.

    But one you use them they're gone forever so the cycle continues! I guess they need to feed their children some way right?

    After Halo 5 all I can say is give up 343, you had your chance at Halo and it's time to pass the torch to a better developer    … Expand
  26. maximumgame
    Nov 7, 2015
    5
    Mediocre. Campaign was half-assed, the story overall is just a setup for the next game. Not much of anything happened and should be a $20 prequel/teaser for halo 6. This game was a tech demo, you get 60 fps almost always thanks to their dynamic resolution but I paid for a game, not a tech demo. The requisition system is there for money grabbing, you get far too little for the amount ofMediocre. Campaign was half-assed, the story overall is just a setup for the next game. Not much of anything happened and should be a $20 prequel/teaser for halo 6. This game was a tech demo, you get 60 fps almost always thanks to their dynamic resolution but I paid for a game, not a tech demo. The requisition system is there for money grabbing, you get far too little for the amount of hours you put into the game to unlock packs. This is to be expected so that you can be squeezed for cash once you get fed up with the grind for req points.… Expand
  27. Chadleeozz
    Nov 7, 2015
    10
    This game is a masterpiece from start to finish. The visual beauty and musical score alone make this game a real treasure for us Xbox owners to have. Multiplayer is finally back to form in this game!! the new game modes take Halo to an entirely new level. The gameplay is fluid,responsive, balanced and rewards skilled players. Ignore some reviews in here( I seen one guy give a bad ratinThis game is a masterpiece from start to finish. The visual beauty and musical score alone make this game a real treasure for us Xbox owners to have. Multiplayer is finally back to form in this game!! the new game modes take Halo to an entirely new level. The gameplay is fluid,responsive, balanced and rewards skilled players. Ignore some reviews in here( I seen one guy give a bad ratin saying he has to pay for dlc for more modes when 343i has already announced all dlc is free lmao try harder Sony troll.… Expand
  28. Sir_Harris
    Nov 7, 2015
    8
    THIS REVIEW COMES FROM AN EXPERIENCED HALO FRANCHISE PLAYER

    Advantages: - Beautiful graphics and level designs - Amazing amounts of armor customization in multiplayer - New game modes that may entertain some - Entertaining to play (regardless of the poor story) - Cool cut scenes Disadvantages: - MICRO-TRANSACTION IN MULTIPLAYER WTF 343. THE **** YOU DOING - Poor story - You    THIS REVIEW COMES FROM AN EXPERIENCED HALO FRANCHISE PLAYER

    Advantages:
    - Beautiful graphics and level designs
    - Amazing amounts of armor customization in multiplayer
    - New game modes that may entertain some
    - Entertaining to play (regardless of the poor story)
    - Cool cut scenes

    Disadvantages:
    - MICRO-TRANSACTION IN MULTIPLAYER WTF 343. THE **** YOU DOING
    - Poor story
    - You play more Locke then the main protagonist himself
    - From where you are with a set of 3 other characters in the campaign, you get lower health thus get taken down easier, and when the other Spartans AI are as poor as the grunts suicidal run it is abysmal.
    - Small story, think it was around 16 missions? (I did not check for specific)

    Overall, I would say the game is a good buy if you are in it for the multiplayer, as, like all Halos, it is fun and entertaining to play. However, if you want to play the single player only avid Halo fans should find it interesting (like myself) as it is quite dull and I think new members to the franchise should defiantly start their halo experience with a different Halo campaign.    … Expand
  29. viperbooman
    Nov 7, 2015
    9
    Beat campaign on solo-heroic, and about 16 hours into multiplayer
    Pros
    -Excellent level design -Varied encounters -Graphics -Frame rate -Online stability -Immaculate gunplay (probably the best gameplay in series) Cons -Short campaign -Lackluster story (never care about characters or whats going on, feels like its all a teaser for halo 6) -Online ranking system (too luck based)    Beat campaign on solo-heroic, and about 16 hours into multiplayer
    Pros
    -Excellent level design
    -Varied encounters
    -Graphics
    -Frame rate
    -Online stability
    -Immaculate gunplay (probably the best gameplay in series)
    Cons
    -Short campaign
    -Lackluster story (never care about characters or whats going on, feels like its all a teaser for halo 6)
    -Online ranking system (too luck based)
    -Not enough multiplayer maps
    -Not enough game modes (although they do have bonus modes on weekends and are adding more)
    -No split screen Co-op or multiplayer
    Overall:
    About an 8.5/10. If you don't plan playing online wait for a price drop, if you will play online it deff will be worth it. If 343 provides a better and longer campaign, and provide more maps/game modes halo 6 can be the best in the series.    … Expand
  30. darrenb1988
    Nov 7, 2015
    8
    Campaign was great, but shorter than id like, game play is brilliant, Multiplayer is fantastic, the only problem i have is the ending, it felt like a Halo 2 style ending, didnt really enjoy the cliffhanger ending, other than that, its a great game
  31. Browning1918
    Nov 6, 2015
    4
    The campaign was ok but I'm already bored with the multiplayer. You progress so slowly and there was no split screen. I really wanted to like it but I just couldn't get into it.
  32. StUnNeR_H2K
    Nov 6, 2015
    8
    Story is a disappointment, but the game-play & multi-player are some of the best in the Halo series. Highly recommend this for anyone who has loved Halo game-play, and more specifically the Halo 2 multi-player days. With a plan to support the game with free DLC maps Halo 5 will have some legs!
  33. Rommelrs
    Nov 6, 2015
    10
    I´ve been having a blast so far,the campaign is Halo 2 level,which is average and multiplayer is very good,although i would prefer the Gold REQ costed a little less
  34. xabbott
    Nov 6, 2015
    8
    I played the entire campaign on heroic co-op. It was very enjoyable but it is short. The story is just ok but I've never been crazy about Halo's story to begin with. I would say the campaign is the low point of the entire game and if you have no interest in multiplayer then this wouldn't be worth the price.

    The multiplayer has been awesome and this is coming from someone who rarely    I played the entire campaign on heroic co-op. It was very enjoyable but it is short. The story is just ok but I've never been crazy about Halo's story to begin with. I would say the campaign is the low point of the entire game and if you have no interest in multiplayer then this wouldn't be worth the price.

    The multiplayer has been awesome and this is coming from someone who rarely plays multiplayer modes. Arena is very balanced (aside from FFA), fun, and fast paced. Warzone is a very welcomed new mode of multiplayer. You have objectives, bosses, and points. It reminds me of a WoW battleground. Its been a very refreshing new mode that I hope other FPS games look into as well.    … Expand
  35. Luis_Caban22
    Nov 6, 2015
    0
    Same old game play, boring story (worst halo ever regarding to story), no split screen, micro-transactions. little to no innovation. Don't explain anyting for those who are new to the series. MS expect new gamers to buy all halo games to keep up with the series.
  36. Skarwind
    Nov 6, 2015
    8
    Halo 5: Guardians is neither amazing or a colossal failure. Where it does not excel in any particular way it does improve on many things that people did not like about Halo 4. The addition of the thruster pack adds a new style of fluid movement for players and the new game mode Warzone is very fun to play, assuming you have friends to tag along for the ride or other players are usingHalo 5: Guardians is neither amazing or a colossal failure. Where it does not excel in any particular way it does improve on many things that people did not like about Halo 4. The addition of the thruster pack adds a new style of fluid movement for players and the new game mode Warzone is very fun to play, assuming you have friends to tag along for the ride or other players are using headsets. Arena is fun but the map rotations feel off and could use some tweaking. The campaign is nothing amazing but it does offer four to seven hours of game play depending on the difficulty you choose.

    Multiplayer:

    The thruster pack makes the game seem similar, as far as movement is concerned, to games like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare or in a smaller aspect, TitanFall. Fans of Unreal Tournament will also enjoy the addition of the new movement style for Halo as it allows players to have the ability to dodge attacks, move quickly around the map, and even allow for some flashy vehicle kills. Destiny players will feel at home if they play as a Titan as well as the ground pound, and dash melee are replicas of the Titans arc super and shoulder smash ability.

    Warzone is very fun and a great addition to the series. Similar to Big team Battle as far as map size and the idea of two large teams going head to head, it adds objectives around the map as well as bases to capture and a larger home base to destroy for each team. Players can also choose to play in the other version of Warzone which just pits the teams together without the AI changing things up. The new Req system, although obnoxious as it is to add microtransactions in a AAA title, are not overbearing and are subtle at best. They add a new element to multiplayer and the system allows for players to experiment with different play styles while enjoying Warzone. Thankfully, they are on a tier system, similar to MOBA upgrades, so you can't just unlock a scorpion or a banshee right away or use an energy sword from the get go.

    Arena feels very balanced and well designed and although I spend most of my time in Warzone, have enjoyed it for the relatively small amount of time that I have spent in it, about 8 hours or so. The power weapons are displayed on your HUD alongside their timers, allowing players to spot them easily and contest them for map domination. Teamwork is essential, as it has always been in the series and lone wolves should steer clear of their habits as the health system is punishing, should you decide to go alone against the entire enemy team. Shields replenish only when moving at normal speed. Any kind of boosting, sprinting, or even charging the thrusters for a ground pound will hold the yellow bar in place until you cease these actions and allow your shields to recharge. For me personally, this system is great because it encourages players to stick with their team and play intelligently.

    Campaign:

    The campaign is lackluster. The marketing campaign did a very good job of making players think one thing and the developers delivered another. The hunt for truth by itself was an amazing idea but the game gives a different experience. I won't go into too much detail about the campaign's story but the gameplay is what saves this game for the most part. You will forget the characters, your play time with Chief will be short, and Locke is not a note worthy character in my opinion. He feels very shallow and the voice actor did not go to great lengths to deliver an outstanding performance, however, Halo is an FPS first, and a great sci fi epic second and I do not expect to be given a novel worthy story in this style of video game, but it is appreciated when developers do deliver a great story experience because not every gamer is in it for the multiplayer.

    The story will also require some reading and back story searching to fully understand who the characters are and why certain events have happened. The animated series, The Fall of Reach is helpful in this aspect, as well as having read the Forerunner saga of novels. One can also simply google the characters and read their small biographies that players have posted online.

    The game is beautiful and extremely fun to play online. The campaign will last you a day at most depending on your schedule and is something that is best played with friends, sadly there is no couch co-op so players should be warned before buying if that is a feature they expect to have. The story isn't great but it is also not terrible but the multiplayer has re-earned my faith in this series and I look forward to playing it for a long time.    … Expand
  37. moviecritic9001
    Nov 6, 2015
    0
    Easily has the worst story and campaign of all Halo games. The multiplayer is good however, i bought halo for forge, split-screen and the campaign all of which are nonexistent.
  38. Yogi77
    Nov 6, 2015
    9
    After trading in the junk that is Black Ops III, this is defintely refreshing. From a multiplayer-only point of view, this has the potential to be above and beyond the best Halo of our time: Halo 3. People complaining about the lack of game modes: go play custom games! They've always been around, they'll always be around! I think the inclusion of Breakout Halo's version of Search andAfter trading in the junk that is Black Ops III, this is defintely refreshing. From a multiplayer-only point of view, this has the potential to be above and beyond the best Halo of our time: Halo 3. People complaining about the lack of game modes: go play custom games! They've always been around, they'll always be around! I think the inclusion of Breakout Halo's version of Search and Destroy) is awesome. I like that even if you're a noob, the first shot (unless in the face with a Sniper or Rocket) typically doesn't kill you, so you can back out and re strategize what you're doing, how are you going to get behind that guy....is he coming to get you or not? Even the noobest of noobs will get kills and have fun. Clearly the better of the two franchises this time around (and like it's been since Reach), Halo is the better game to have for all these snowy months coming up inside gaming. :)

    Plus Halo's DLC isn't going to cost me 56 dollars.    … Expand
  39. liquidy
    Nov 6, 2015
    6
    Let me start off by saying I have owned every Halo game. I have preordered every halo game since halo 3 including this one. I am about as big as a Halo fan as one can get. Now let me review this game the way it should have been reviewed.
    The story is weak. I think 343 went the wrong direction by making the forerunners the main threat in the Halo series now. To me even in Halo 4, which I    Let me start off by saying I have owned every Halo game. I have preordered every halo game since halo 3 including this one. I am about as big as a Halo fan as one can get. Now let me review this game the way it should have been reviewed.
    The story is weak. I think 343 went the wrong direction by making the forerunners the main threat in the Halo series now. To me even in Halo 4, which I enjoyed until the end when you didn't get to fight the boss; don't get me started on that, the forerunner AI knights and whatnot just get boring to kill and the later missions are basically just wave after wave of the exact same enemies. Let's put aside the story. Let's look at the actual gameplay and level design of the story missions. This campaign doesn't play like any other halo, and I mean that in a not so good way. There are missions with vehicles yes, but, 343 is pretty much try to show off their new addition of wall smashing that gives you the advantage of flanking enemies. It's a nice new feature, but not at the expense of not being able to drive around like a maniac in a warthog. There is basically no time at any point in the game you can use your Spartan abilities to commandeer enemy vehicles. If I hadn't played previous Halo’s I would have no idea that you can jump on enemy vehicles and smash them, blow them up, steal them, etc. There just isn't enough vehicles for that to even happen.
    I was expecting this game to be like Halo Reach; I thought Halo Reach campaign was one of it not the best in the series. I wasn't even expecting Master Chief. I had initially thought that 343 would go the route of every other year would be Master Chief. That didn't happen and it hurt the game. Master Chief is seen as a lone wolf throughout the entire series. He works with some people on and off, but, basically they are all fodder and he does everything alone. He is seen as someone quiet and mysterious and suits his character. In this game he is commanding fellow Spartans and constantly talking. He gets downed and he’s like help me up and then he’s like I’m up. His entire unit takes off their helmet and is talking and he just sits there like an idiot with his on. It works when you are lone wolf it doesn’t work when you’re with your peers or as they say in the game “Chiefs family”.
    This game unlike any of the Halo games is designed purely for co-op. Playing this game alone on legendary is extremely difficult. Not because the game is so much harder than other series but because you have to get behind a lot of mobs and flank them which is extremely hard to do when the AI dies nonstop, and if you get downed they all rush to revive you which usually ends with them all dead or them all dragging the mobs onto you. The AI is glitchy. I get that there is a lot for this AI to do. They need to fly, they need to jump, they need to climb etc. but if you’re going to make a game that is so dependent on the AI you better make the AI much stronger and smarter. They are basically the same as you they get hit a few times and they drop like flies. There are bosses called wardens that you need to shoot in the back and as the game progresses you need to fight the same guy over and over with more and more of him at once. You can’t get behind him if the AI is dead; they die with one hit of his sword and they don’t dodge so if you go down they run, at least try to, through him and end up getting downed and you wipe. One great example of the AI being totally idiotic is near the beginning of the game there is a part of the game you need to fly around in banshees and blow up cooling rods and I get hit bad in my banshee so I bail and get downed on a top of a platform. I call for help knowing that I will likely die but it was worth a shot. There is an AI flying around in a banshee and when I call for help she’s like I’m coming Chief and just bails out of her banshee and I watch her fall to her death. Although this is hilarious these types of things happen way too often to find funny as the game progresses.
    The game is glitchy. I encountered many glitches throughout the game. The most I have ever seen in any Halo. One really annoying glitch was near the end one of the missions the screen would go almost all black in the middle of a fight and I would have to push the Xbox button bring up the menu and open Halo in order to fix it, which would result in my dying most times.

    The multiplayer is just as bad as the story. I liked the direction Halo 4 went. They were going more towards a COD style, and I think that's exactly what Halo needed in order to survive. They just needed to take another step towards that in this game but instead they stepped back. They listened to what a small minority, that will never allow this game to be great, and reverted back to a Halo 3 style of MP. Bungie did one thing right and made their "halo" Destiny much more like COD and look how successful that has been, even after **** over their players.

    Out of characters, game =average    … Expand
  40. jentario
    Nov 6, 2015
    9
    I'll premise this review by saying that it's very optimistic. Halo 5, as is, is incomplete. The multiplayer lacks most (almost all) its game modes- even Halo classics like Oddball, Big Team Battle, Griffball and Infection. And an even greater sin- the game launched without Forge. I'm willing to forgive all that with the assumption that, sooner rather than later, these modes will be broughtI'll premise this review by saying that it's very optimistic. Halo 5, as is, is incomplete. The multiplayer lacks most (almost all) its game modes- even Halo classics like Oddball, Big Team Battle, Griffball and Infection. And an even greater sin- the game launched without Forge. I'm willing to forgive all that with the assumption that, sooner rather than later, these modes will be brought into the game. And in a way, that will give me more reason to return to the game and extend its life. As is, the game has an unprecedented lack of content on the multiplayer side (for a Halo game). I will come back and change this 9 into a 7 if these features don't eventually become available. Another caveat is that Halo 5 has no splitscreen, and while that deffinitely sours my experience (I'm one of those constant screen splitters)- I haven't let that affect my review.

    So...! What can I say about Halo 5: Guardians? Well, it's certainly the most refreshing, new entry in the series since Halo 2. The gameplay is crisper, smoother than ever before. The new mechanics fit perfectly within the Halo sandbox- and I know that years from now when I return to the Master Chief Collection and try to Spartan Charge, it'll feel extremely outdated. The weapon sandbox is probably the best in the series, though it's a little disappointing that there are only two or three new weapons (though in their defense, most of the Forerunner weapons have been changed entirely and feel much more unique), and the vehicles are just as good as ever (though time will tell if they're any good in multiplayer- we'll have to wait for BTB since Warzone isn't the same on that front). The enemies are without a doubt the best in the series- somehow, 343i has managed to make the Prometheans exceed even the Covenant in the fun factor, challenge and uniqueness which is just fantastic. Aside from the overused Warden enemy. The Campaign features some amazing battles and scenes that take Halo 3's Scarab to a whole new level, and the level design in each mission is just amazing- full of choices and replayability. I haven't had this much fun with a Campaign since Halo 3. The multiplayer has to be the funnest, most competitive in the series as well and as soon as it gets more content it'll easily surpass every previous entry in the series.

    Storywise, I came into this game expecting pure crap (which is what the reviews were saying) and was pleasantly surprised. Maybe that was because I already read the books and already know Blue Team and Halsey's backstory- but nothing about the story felt jarring until the ending. It's safe to say there's a whole big element in the story that 343i hid away in the promos that just doesn't make sense with what we saw before- one character here is so different, and you don't even get a hint at the explanation of why and what changed. It also feels a little like the new Spartan team Osyris was shoehorned, or that the original aim for the story missed its mark. The whole Master Chief vs Locke rivalry is almost nonexistent- so don't come with big expectations on that front... But as I said I was pleasantly surprised by many things. I loved how 343i handled Halsey, the Infinity crew and the Elites. I loved how 343i handled the short arcs on Meridian and Sanghelios- each feeling like a separate act in the game and above all I love where the story is headed- even if the way 343i took us there could have been better (especially pertaining to a certain character which I won't mention for spoiler reasons). One more thing about the story: the whole game is a first act of a larger storyline which will hopefully conclude in Halo 6. That means it ends in a massive cliffhanger. I personally don't mind cliffhangers, and sometimes even like them, but I know others will be angry at this.

    Another thing I'd like to touch is thr graphics. They're by far the best in the series, and that's especially easy to see in the Sanghelios missions- which are downright beautiful. This is the first Halo game where I feel like I'm stepping into an actually alien world since CE- the environments are just weird and awesome and don't look at all like something you'll find on Earth, which in a way fulfills a promise Halo games have been failing at for years. The new art direction is great- from enemy designs to vehicle designs to armors you unlock in multiplayer. The game just looks much better than Halo 4, and it's a refreshing take on the Halo Universe in a good way. Some scenes and explosions will still look a bit underwhelming graphically, though.

    So to sum it up:
    Gameplay/Level Design- easy 10
    Graphics/Art Direction- 9
    Story- 7
    Features- TBD, as is it's a 5 but we already know Forge is coming alongside at least some multiplayer game modes    … Expand
  41. Bernadet
    Nov 6, 2015
    0
    the game sucks its cinematic scenes are the worst, the game play is also the worst. the graphics are also the worst, do your self a favor and stay away from this title I really do not like the online game play of it either its broken.
  42. Vampero
    Nov 6, 2015
    8
    Greatest Halo MP in the series so far ! Graphics and gameplay is at a smooth 1080p/60FPS.I did not care for the story at all. It had a very weak story line. I will enjoy playing this game for a long time.
  43. Steve117
    Nov 6, 2015
    0
    the game its bad, the history is too short 4 hours in legendary, you play like Master chief 3 missions, and you can´t play split screen with your friends, the multiplayer its Destiny with Halo skin, good job microsoft, good job
  44. venom1371
    Nov 6, 2015
    9
    Great game, imo. Taking off a point because I think they should have had more time as 117. The game, told through the perspective of two different teams, shows where the Halo universe is heading. An individual that is going to play this and is actually interested in the story should review the story as it exists up til the start of the game via Halo fan sites and video clips that highlightGreat game, imo. Taking off a point because I think they should have had more time as 117. The game, told through the perspective of two different teams, shows where the Halo universe is heading. An individual that is going to play this and is actually interested in the story should review the story as it exists up til the start of the game via Halo fan sites and video clips that highlight important points of the fiction.… Expand
  45. Videogames
    Nov 6, 2015
    5
    Sorry, I hit the character limit

    CAMPAIGN: Halo 5 tries to bring in a greater sense of verticality and team based combat to the campaign, but what follows is a series of shocking blunders. Given the greater emphasis on team based combat, one would assume that the game would support a variety of methods for cooperation, but you’d be wrong. There is no native LAN support in the game nor    Sorry, I hit the character limit

    CAMPAIGN:
    Halo 5 tries to bring in a greater sense of verticality and team based combat to the campaign, but what follows is a series of shocking blunders. Given the greater emphasis on team based combat, one would assume that the game would support a variety of methods for cooperation, but you’d be wrong. There is no native LAN support in the game nor is there split screen. This is shocking, even without this change in focus. Split screen being such an added value as well as one of the key pillars of a Halo game makes the omission of the feature laughably mind boggling. Unless you are a teenager or younger, you probably won’t be playing this game with a friend. This means you’ll have to deal with the atrocious AI partners who consistently get caught behind walls, ignore both you and enemies and get themselves killed. A problem that is only compounded by a change in the respawn system. When you lose all of your health you will be downed and your fire-team will be responsible for reviving you. The implementation of the cooperative elements are shaky at best and broken at worst, removing any real sense of tension from encounters as you and your team can just have one person camp and berate enemies without risk of failure. Thanks to the sound, animation and responsiveness of the controls the game at least FEELS good to play (though mantling can be a bit wonky and there is a strange dead zone in the right stick that makes aiming feel slightly staggered).

    Barely clocking in at 5 hours, the game has no real momentum. You will not be introduced to new gameplay ideas as you move forward or encounter any substantial challenges. For the most part, the game is a random string of set pieces; where you start is where you’ll be until the end. The pacing also suffers from the strange inclusion of…walking (?) missions. You have no control over how these play out, so they are basically glorified cutscenes. I feel that this is emblematic of the key difference between Bungie and 343i as studios. The Bungie games DID have this element to them; you could walk around, listen in on conversations and find easter eggs during the calm moments of a mission, but it was optional. Bungie fleshed out the feel of the world by including details that you could miss. They had confidence in the player that they’d want to explore and take in the world, so they fed that curiosity - encouraged it. 343i seems a bit more insecure in this regard, grabbing the player by the arm and pointing at all of their hard work - leaving nothing to find for yourself. This element of game was a real asset in the way it was implemented by Bungie, but in Halo 5 it only stifles progression. The situation isn’t helped by the fact that there are a few repeat levels that are simply played in reverse the second time through and repeat boss fights that do nothing to change up your approach. All in all the campaign feels flat and thoughtless.

    The plot is a one-note symphony, over almost as soon as it begins. Characters are devoid of personality, motivation or growth. This is Star-Wars-prequels bad. Dialogue is horrid and easily swappable amongst anyone in any context of the story. Gems like, “Are we fighting a losing battle? - Only if we intend on losing.” are riddled throughout the campaign. It doesn’t get much more shallow than what you see here.

    From a technical standpoint, Halo 5 locks down what it needs to...for the most part. There are rare instances of the game spawning you inside of the level geometry or over nothing; this is as bad as it gets within the campaign and is really the only instance of technical mishaps having an effect on gameplay. Other issues are noticeable, but do not affect how you play: The most noticeable of which is jittering in the geometry - similar to what you’d see commonly on a PS1. Eyes shake in a characters head, hands tremble and level details quake. It’s strange. Pop-in is also a common problem regardless of draw distance, even within in-engine cutscenes. Sometimes enemy animations will fall to staggeringly low frame rates. Shadows are also missing in some scenes where god rays are rampant. When there is a large amount of action on screen, the resolution will fall. etc etc etc

    The atmosphere of this game is solid. The sound quality is wonderful, with more variation in design than Halo 4. The score is a great reimagining of past themes, giving new life to what we all know and love. The visual design is still about as convoluted as Halo 4. Colors are muddy - textures are plastic'y with overly complex geometry that fails to direct your eye (this can and does have an affect on gameplay). But in all, the atmosphere is on point.

    MULTIPLAYER:
    - Only 14 unique maps (A-11/ W- 3) making the rotation grow stale
    - Maps are corridor heavy and too similar
    - REQ system is frivolous - does not scale adequately to performance (1.5 hrs = Gold pack)
    - XP system's front heavy
    - Randomized reward=inconsequential    … Expand
  46. boumboQC
    Nov 6, 2015
    1
    Well, in few words : deception, deception and deception.

    A game without local multiplayer and with microtransactions...

    Don't buy this game..........
  47. Agrippa86
    Nov 6, 2015
    10
    Locke is a let down but all around the game is very fun with awesome addictive multi player. Most of these negative reviews are apparently fan boys from certain desperate camps.
  48. buzzkiller
    Nov 6, 2015
    10
    This game fixed what was clunky in halo 4. If you know a lot of the background of halo the story will be an amazing experience. i feel they should have gone into more detail in the story for the people who did not watch any of the short movies.
  49. cmclellan
    Nov 6, 2015
    10
    Halo 5 does the impossible: Made me love Multiplayer again. The campaign is story driven and leads to somewhere, and it leads directly into Halo 6 without cutting off with a cliff hanger. The advertisements really only told the first 1/3 of the story, and once you get passed mission 5 the story moves away from Master Chief vs Locke and into a more overall universe story.

    The multplayer    Halo 5 does the impossible: Made me love Multiplayer again. The campaign is story driven and leads to somewhere, and it leads directly into Halo 6 without cutting off with a cliff hanger. The advertisements really only told the first 1/3 of the story, and once you get passed mission 5 the story moves away from Master Chief vs Locke and into a more overall universe story.

    The multplayer is fantastic, and with the addition of the free map packs this game should last for awhile.    … Expand
  50. Molloy12
    Nov 6, 2015
    8
    Halo 5 marks the first instalment of the popular franchise on the xbox one. The series which has captivated players with its continuing story and its competitive multiplayer doesn't stop short this time, but it may not be so great for all player styles.

    The story tells a new, different story but with the same game play, many of our favorite past enemies, and a few new ones. Game play on    Halo 5 marks the first instalment of the popular franchise on the xbox one. The series which has captivated players with its continuing story and its competitive multiplayer doesn't stop short this time, but it may not be so great for all player styles.

    The story tells a new, different story but with the same game play, many of our favorite past enemies, and a few new ones. Game play on single player has the player controlling a single character with a back up team of 3, allowing for simple seamless exchange into the multiplayer campaign where you can team up with up to 3 buddies for a 4 way co-op play. Without ruining the story, some serious Halo fans may be unhappy with the way it plays out. But never the less, the story is great, fun, and has all you would normally expect from a Halo game.

    The online multiplayer, one of the more popular modes among most players, and the main selling point of the series features our standard modes along with a few new ones. The lobby menus are bland, lacking even in design and information. The rotation of maps is random, and can make for the same map being played twice, three even four times in a row. The maps them self, although nice in design, feel small and cluttered, allowing for easy spawn killing, and overtaking of an opposing team, specially in the SWAT game mode. Some of the weapons seem mildly over powered. Some games you will notice most players running around wielding their secondary weapon over the assault riffle, and even some power weapons. But in the end, as usual, your success will come down to how familiar you are with the area, your ability to move, and how accurate you are with whatever gun you use.

    Add those 2 features in, with the expected forge mode, spartan customization, game customization, req packs and theatre, and this game should satisfy any Halo fan.

    Story Mode: 9/10
    Multiplayer: 7/10
    Forge: N/A at this time
    Other Features: 9/10

    Total: 25/30 (8.3 on 10)    … Expand
  51. Dicky
    Nov 6, 2015
    9
    Visuals: 10 One of the most visually stunning games I've ever played.
    Audio: 10 Some of the best I've ever experienced in film/games. The 7.1 sound mix is truly amazing
    Music: 9 Remixes of the familiar and some lovely new themes Gameplay: 9 Plays beautifully, but aiming still feels just slightly off. 3 levels are a joke just walking in a circle. Story: 9 Enjoyed as much as any previous    Visuals: 10 One of the most visually stunning games I've ever played.
    Audio: 10 Some of the best I've ever experienced in film/games. The 7.1 sound mix is truly amazing
    Music: 9 Remixes of the familiar and some lovely new themes
    Gameplay: 9 Plays beautifully, but aiming still feels just slightly off. 3 levels are a joke just walking in a circle.
    Story: 9 Enjoyed as much as any previous installments.

    Multiplayer: 7 Warzone is superb, but is woefully lacking in content. All matches follow the same set timings and 3 maps just isn't sufficient to keep players around for longer than a couple of weeks. Feels rushed in this respect.

    Overall a 9. One of my favourite in the series, a wonderful game by 343. Obvious signs it was rushed to make the pre 2015 Xmas window, and luckily this just limited content, and what is there is polished shinier than Master Chief's visor.    … Expand
  52. HaloFan4218
    Nov 5, 2015
    3
    Single player review! I don't do multi.

    Love Halo but not this one. The worst video games have tedious, 'gotta shoot 'em many times to kill 'em' repetitive, boring action, and unfortunately this tedious facet is central in nearly every segment. Especially the Prometheans, and that's something that was so annoying in Halo4. Even the visuals, while crisp and clear, fall short of the    Single player review! I don't do multi.

    Love Halo but not this one. The worst video games have tedious, 'gotta shoot 'em many times to kill 'em' repetitive, boring action, and unfortunately this tedious facet is central in nearly every segment. Especially the Prometheans, and that's something that was so annoying in Halo4. Even the visuals, while crisp and clear, fall short of the creativity of Halo4, and even 3. Disappointed. But will still buy 6. ; )    … Expand
  53. kimgungoo
    Nov 5, 2015
    10
    개인적으로 멀티가 너무 맘에 듬. 기존작중에 4가 그나마 괜찮았었는데, 4보다 훨씬 더 재미있음. 특히 레이더 범위가 줄어서 뛰어다니며 스파르탄 태클로 뒷통수 때리는 맛이 있음. 점프 후 땅집고 오르는 기능도 매우 좋다고 보고... 싱글의 경우는 말이 많은데, 스토리는 좀 이상하지만 즐길거리는 충분히 있음.개인적으로 멀티가 너무 맘에 듬. 기존작중에 4가 그나마 괜찮았었는데, 4보다 훨씬 더 재미있음. 특히 레이더 범위가 줄어서 뛰어다니며 스파르탄 태클로 뒷통수 때리는 맛이 있음. 점프 후 땅집고 오르는 기능도 매우 좋다고 보고... 싱글의 경우는 말이 많은데, 스토리는 좀 이상하지만 즐길거리는 충분히 있음.
  54. TruthInCritique
    Nov 5, 2015
    2
    I can sumarize my experience of Halo 5 in one word: Disappointment. It was so clearly lacklustre it was downright shameful. The multi player is absolute trash. TRASH. Warzone is downright BORING, and they took out so many awesome game modes. Like infection. INFECTION!! INFECTION WAS SO **** FUN!! But without a doubt the worst thing they have done to Halo 5 is..... the micro payments. 343I can sumarize my experience of Halo 5 in one word: Disappointment. It was so clearly lacklustre it was downright shameful. The multi player is absolute trash. TRASH. Warzone is downright BORING, and they took out so many awesome game modes. Like infection. INFECTION!! INFECTION WAS SO **** FUN!! But without a doubt the worst thing they have done to Halo 5 is..... the micro payments. 343 Industries, you **** **** i already paid 75 **** dollars for your **** game and you still want me to pay for more **** YOU LITERALLY HAVE MICRO PAYMENTS FOR GUNS AND ARMOUR. THINGS THAT WERE FREE IN EVERY OTHER HALO 3, THINGS THAT MAKE THE GAME. The req system..... utter. ****. trash. I seriously want my money back, i **** hate Halo 5, and i hate 343. **** YOU 343 YOU BUNCH OF COCKSUCKING **** I HOPE YOU ALL DIE OF AIDS.… Expand
  55. pu3r360
    Nov 5, 2015
    9
    fun and probably one of the best looking games on console. 60fps is as smooth as butter even tho the ai and story needed more attention the multiplayer sells the game ignore many ps4 fans giving fake reviews this game is golden and one of the best exclusives this gen
  56. BigBoss99
    Nov 5, 2015
    7
    This game looks awful and has a bad campaign +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Online is good
  57. Gloudemans
    Nov 5, 2015
    6
    Gameplay is solid as usual. Maps are huge compared to past Halos. But Story is just awful and ultimately nonsensical.

    (Why is that Cortana needs the master chief? No answer. Why is it Cortana's minions are fighting him when she wants him close? Nope, no answer. Why is it that its so important to rescue the Master Chief? Nope, no answer agai! Why do the soldiers keep saying that    Gameplay is solid as usual. Maps are huge compared to past Halos. But Story is just awful and ultimately nonsensical.

    (Why is that Cortana needs the master chief? No answer. Why is it Cortana's minions are fighting him when she wants him close? Nope, no answer. Why is it that its so important to rescue the Master Chief? Nope, no answer agai! Why do the soldiers keep saying that only the Master Chief can stop Cortana? Nope -- a bunch of useless suspense to make the game keep moving.)

    The game has also taken an unfortunate campy star treky turn with lots of odd references to characters and events that make no sense unless I suppose you read the comic books. Comic booky, or Japanese Manga really seems the goal of the producers here, replete with the inclusion of "samarai" soldiers wielding swords and Gundum wing style spaceships. I could do without both.    … Expand
  58. realfilthy
    Nov 5, 2015
    5
    This game is mediocre at best. The story line is meh as many people have stated. I know it's the second of a 3 part series but still. The multiplayer could be better. While warzone is kind of fun and pretty hectic, arena is pretty bad. The DMR is way too overpowered and the spawn system sucks. I can't tell you how many times I've spawned to getting shot in the back 2 seconds later. I'veThis game is mediocre at best. The story line is meh as many people have stated. I know it's the second of a 3 part series but still. The multiplayer could be better. While warzone is kind of fun and pretty hectic, arena is pretty bad. The DMR is way too overpowered and the spawn system sucks. I can't tell you how many times I've spawned to getting shot in the back 2 seconds later. I've even spawned right in the reticle of an opposing team member with a sniper rifle, I kid you not. The developers decided that the default weapon would be the assault rifle (which you can't change), a pretty useless gun. Plus, I don't understand how a grenade can go off right under the feet of someone that's one shot and it not kill them. Of course I've been killed by rockets that hit the wall 15 yards away but I can't kill someone with a railgun that hit them in the feet. I don't know if it's lag or what but all I got was a broken game. A broken mediocre game.… Expand
  59. Griffy
    Nov 5, 2015
    3
    What could of been a fantastic game, let down by very poor matchmaking, unless your in the USA.
    You cannot choose which datacenter you are matched to. Most Warzone games seem to connect from the UK to a USA data center, which means the latency gives the US players a huge advantage.
    I'm not expecting this to get fixed either, Josh at 343 thinks everything is working wonderfully so a lot    What could of been a fantastic game, let down by very poor matchmaking, unless your in the USA.
    You cannot choose which datacenter you are matched to. Most Warzone games seem to connect from the UK to a USA data center, which means the latency gives the US players a huge advantage.

    I'm not expecting this to get fixed either, Josh at 343 thinks everything is working wonderfully so a lot of EU players are now shafted with joke matchmaking.

    If the servers are region locked, then it would easily be an 8.5 for me, but with such poor quality games playing against US players with 'host advantage' its not much fun    … Expand
  60. Sakaniator
    Nov 5, 2015
    9
    This is an excellent game, really. Most negative comments I’ve read are addressing the campaign and the graphics. I think the campaign is fair enough. The main purpose of an FPS game is to offer a good multiplayer, so, I’m glad this game actually has a solid single player campaign with a lot of nice stuff and action, contrary to, for instance some other FPS games that bring you some veryThis is an excellent game, really. Most negative comments I’ve read are addressing the campaign and the graphics. I think the campaign is fair enough. The main purpose of an FPS game is to offer a good multiplayer, so, I’m glad this game actually has a solid single player campaign with a lot of nice stuff and action, contrary to, for instance some other FPS games that bring you some very short campaigns or even the lack of it. That being said, it is also noteworthy, Halo’s universe story is quite complex by now, there are even a few videos explaining the story. If the first Lord of the Rings movie you watch is actually the last, it is your fault you don’t get the story. Now, on the graphics, they are very good looking. If you are misinformed enough to think a youtube video has the same quality as the game itself on your screen and thrashes the game for it, you’re just a fanboy and fanboys are crazy anyway. But still, I agree, while there’s a lot of awesome look things, a few regions and maps look ugly (such as a capture the flag map I played today). Perhaps the only thing I’m still struggling is the time to kill in the multiplayer game, Jesus, this game is too hard for CoDders…… Expand
  61. SrSpock
    Nov 5, 2015
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 1 - Warden Eternal, repetitive choice for this character seems to have left a last minute idea box, someone left this part for last so after a storm of stupid ideas a stupid any decided that this was the solution to bridge the gap . And the stupid said "We repeat the Warden 5x Eternal" and how is not enough, let's close the game with his presence again. The game became boring, annoying repetitive with this opponent.
    2 - Whose idea was it to by Cortana against humans? It will be ridiculous if you evoke the Mendicant Bias or Flood to justify the support of cortana human again.
    3 - Cade chief? Where you stuck the Chief? Not evoke the Halo Reach to explain that Halo survive without the Chief because that work was exceptional to explain the gaps, with a colossal story to be explored, you decided to opt for a story where the Chief is not the protagonist, Chief was turned into a mere representative of his own existence, and not the face itself.
    4 Again, where is the Chief?
    5 - Please kill the Spartan Lock character in some comic book launched between any before the release of Halo 6, or cause him to die in some Roard Star, send it to look for a Criptum any forgotten. Nothing against the actor, all against Spartan Lock.
    6 - I have to say, the musical work is flawless, perfect.
    7 - Graphics great, but again I do not want Graphics want a solid history with the Master Chief.
    Summary: Disappointed.
    Sorry mistakes, English is not my native language.

    I play all Halo. I have many hours of play and story    … Expand
  62. ajkret
    Nov 5, 2015
    4
    The campaign is short and the story, shallow. There as issues with textures and the ragdoll system is lame.

    The multiplayer has several bugs, like Connection Drops, and the Arena has only 8 players. The Warzone, which was advertised as "fun", has micro-transactions, optional. It is really fun. However Warzone does not work for several regions, like South America, Africa, some parts    The campaign is short and the story, shallow. There as issues with textures and the ragdoll system is lame.

    The multiplayer has several bugs, like Connection Drops, and the Arena has only 8 players.

    The Warzone, which was advertised as "fun", has micro-transactions, optional. It is really fun. However Warzone does not work for several regions, like South America, Africa, some parts of Asia and Oceania. It is really hard to enter in a match (not enough players or some excuse like that).

    343 Industries didn't comment on the subject, but you can check by yourself at the Halowaipoint Forums.    … Expand
  63. b0rntohula
    Nov 5, 2015
    0
    its just not Halo anymore. 343 have ruined this once great game.
    The guns feel wrong.
    The AI terrible
    Story is stupid.
    Campaign is short and lacks the epic feel of the others.
    Multiplayer modes are dull(even warzone)
    Thanks 343 for taking my favourite game and doing a massive turd on it.
  64. Morbidlight
    Nov 5, 2015
    0
    This game is Halo 4, watered down with slightly better visuals. Short and forgettable campaign. No split-screen. The mechanics just feel all wrong. Looks like the magic departed with Bungie.
  65. Domvik
    Nov 5, 2015
    10
    I'm a huge fan of the series from the start. I don't really liked the 4th installment of Master Chief's journey, but with this episode I'm overly pleased. The story is a good prequel for the next game, the multiplayer was never so exciting. The hate just only comes from mindless people.
  66. Lilbutter
    Nov 5, 2015
    8
    My god, the multiplayer here is the most fun I've had with Halo in forever. The single player is really fun too, but the story is really bad! Its all a big setup for the inevitable Halo 6, nothing big happens and it feels like filler. But when the multiplayer is as fun as it is, its hard not to recommend Halo 5.
  67. GreyFawks
    Nov 5, 2015
    4
    I feel as if i need to write two reviews for this game. The campaign feels so copy paste at times that it really takes away from the already boring characters. The real villain in this game is the fact that there is NO SPLITSCREEN CO-OP STORY. What was once a staple in the franchise is now an afterthought for gamers that can't necessarily spring for a new xbox one but want to play withI feel as if i need to write two reviews for this game. The campaign feels so copy paste at times that it really takes away from the already boring characters. The real villain in this game is the fact that there is NO SPLITSCREEN CO-OP STORY. What was once a staple in the franchise is now an afterthought for gamers that can't necessarily spring for a new xbox one but want to play with their pals. Xbox, or Microsoft I should say further proves that they could care less about the recreational gamer. In their eyes, it's buy a console or GTFO. This in turn creates a more anti social society in which we can't even go to our friends house and play a damn game. So for story mode, HALO 5 gets a big fat goose egg zero out of 10. The multiplayer is okay but it feels chunky and slow and the aiming system is now call of duty so what's the point of having 2 different games?? Just merge the damn things at this point. There is replay value though so multiplayer gets 5 out of 10.… Expand
  68. sharkman265
    Nov 5, 2015
    2
    While not so bad , its still bad MP is the only redeeming quality halo 5 has ,sadly no forge mode that was promised and there are alot of cheaters in MP 343 are not doing anything about the boosters or afkers bewarned !!

    im not giving this a 0 because its got some pros ,campaign you dont play MC till later on and even then his time is short played sadly !! Also shame on the user    While not so bad , its still bad MP is the only redeeming quality halo 5 has ,sadly no forge mode that was promised and there are alot of cheaters in MP 343 are not doing anything about the boosters or afkers bewarned !!

    im not giving this a 0 because its got some pros ,campaign you dont play MC till later on and even then his time is short played sadly !!

    Also shame on the user review inflaters and deflaters !!!!!    … Expand
  69. brunogoncalves
    Nov 5, 2015
    8
    My previous experience of Halo goes back to Halo 3, in the Xbox 360. I played only for about 2 hours because I didn't appreciate it very much. (low strategy options, no stealth and no human enemies).

    With Halo 5, I decided to give halo another opportunity. The game is very well built, it's extremely smooth and there's no lag in multiplayer modes. Warzone maps are huge and beautiful.    My previous experience of Halo goes back to Halo 3, in the Xbox 360. I played only for about 2 hours because I didn't appreciate it very much. (low strategy options, no stealth and no human enemies).

    With Halo 5, I decided to give halo another opportunity. The game is very well built, it's extremely smooth and there's no lag in multiplayer modes. Warzone maps are huge and beautiful.

    However, it's still not my type of game. There's something about the aiming system that makes me miss Titanfall (zooming has no apparent effect), takes too much time to recover the shields when you survive a shootout (and there's no place to hide), Arena maps are too small and uninteresting.

    Contrary to many reviews I read online, the story is ok but the campaign mode is repetitive, always against the same type of enemies, in similar scenarios.

    So, why a 8 ? Because if I ignore my personal preferences and biases, I have to acknowledge that Halo 5 is a great shooter, extremely smooth. Warzone is hugely entertaining if you adapt to the aiming system and enjoy an on-line experience without any strategy or stealth options.    … Expand
  70. imfobk
    Nov 5, 2015
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The new online multiplayer feels like home to competitive and silly halo players alike. smooth spartan movement and the guns feel great. nothing too new or innovative. more like a car that finally got new tires and its brakes replaced to running condition. HOWEVER. the campaign is **** and the media associated with its release really hyped us up for some epic story about the master cheif origins etc. and we got none of it. and no locke VS mastercheif that we all expected. aside from some shiity 30 second fight that looks like it was a slow motion version of an assasins creed fighting cutscene. **** THIS **** and this crap developers keeping pissing out for sales. this isnt what we were hyped up for. the story is a ****ty cliff hangar. and none of us gamers are happy about this lackluster characters and vanilla storyline. please make your games better developed and worthy again. it was a good idea and step in the right direction in PVP. but this looks like a prettier version of halo 4 and the story sucked.… Expand
  71. Aralakh7
    Nov 4, 2015
    10
    Looks incredibly good - numerous Graphic Details. The story is very exciting and leads to different planets - very nice. For my taste, the story is a little too short, I would like to see much more of it.
    The multiplayer is very well done - but I lack Firefight (Halo Reach) and Spartan-OPS (Halo 4) because I like PvE games (Destiny). I can only recommend Halo 5 - an incredible experience.    Looks incredibly good - numerous Graphic Details. The story is very exciting and leads to different planets - very nice. For my taste, the story is a little too short, I would like to see much more of it.
    The multiplayer is very well done - but I lack Firefight (Halo Reach) and Spartan-OPS (Halo 4) because I like PvE games (Destiny). I can only recommend Halo 5 - an incredible experience.
    (from German translated)    … Expand
  72. kbm
    Nov 4, 2015
    4
    With an ad campaign which wasn't met, no split-screen for 'the sake of 60fps', a bland story and characters, and hardly any play time as the MC Master Chief - Halo 5 fails to deliver.
    The Halo series is the reason for my purchase of the new console with no other exclusives capturing my interest, and I can honestly say that as of right now I'm starting to regret the decision entirely.
    I    With an ad campaign which wasn't met, no split-screen for 'the sake of 60fps', a bland story and characters, and hardly any play time as the MC Master Chief - Halo 5 fails to deliver.
    The Halo series is the reason for my purchase of the new console with no other exclusives capturing my interest, and I can honestly say that as of right now I'm starting to regret the decision entirely.
    I can go on about my complaints of this game and series, and where that have been led to but that would just make me even more upset. A fun multiplayer doesn't make up for all the cons the rest of the game brings.
    Don't waste your time if you want a good story or a fun game to play on the couch next to your friends and siblings, Halo 5 is not that game.    … Expand
  73. PeterTheRock
    Nov 4, 2015
    9
    An overall great game. The mechanics are smooth and fun, the multiplayer caters to both hardcore and casual gamers, and it just looks awesome. The story itself is lacking when compared to its predecessors but the campaign in general is fun.
  74. JCLuvsU
    Nov 4, 2015
    10
    This game looks, sounds and plays AMAZING! Anyone who rated this as negative needs to go back and replay the campaign and attempt the online to see that this game is the best Halo PERIOD. Anyone give it a negative review either doesn't own the game or played it for one sitting like the "PRO" reviewers.
  75. lVlunk
    Nov 4, 2015
    8
    Halo 5 is a worthy entry into the Halo franchise, but a lack of a few components, especially in the campaign, that bring the score down a bit,. All in all, this is a great game and I will continue to play it for a long time.

    SINGLE PLAYER +Variety of environments and ways to go about finishing a mission +Xbox LIVE Co-Op is very fun with friends +Interesting twists and narrative    Halo 5 is a worthy entry into the Halo franchise, but a lack of a few components, especially in the campaign, that bring the score down a bit,. All in all, this is a great game and I will continue to play it for a long time.

    SINGLE PLAYER
    +Variety of environments and ways to go about finishing a mission
    +Xbox LIVE Co-Op is very fun with friends
    +Interesting twists and narrative
    +Extra content like intel and skulls to find

    -Campaign is about 4.5 hours long
    -No split-screen co-op
    -Some cutscenes feel like they end when they shouldn't
    -Only 3 Master Chief (Blue Team) missions, 12 Osiris missions
    -Locke is a shallow protagonist and therefore is hard to connect with emotionally like we do with the MC
    -Almost all of the other spartans have no character development unless you have read the books

    MULTIPLAYER
    +Variety of good maps, with free DLC on the way
    +Weapons have a good balance; no one is too dominant
    +Aiming is harder, which creates a bigger skill gap
    +Ranks are back and allow each match to be as competitive as possible relative to the players' skill
    +Warzone is a fun and welcome addition and is a good placeholder for BTB until that playlist is live
    +Spartan abilities add new depth to multiplayer, and they are balanced extremely well
    +/-Few playlists are live as of now, but more could go live as the game just launched

    -343 butchered emblem customization. I don't know what they were thinking. It's awful
    -You can't see your teammates' and enemies' ranks or gamertags in the pregame lobby, only their emblems
    -Spartan Appearance customization is dumbed down to only four pieces. I was hoping for something like Reach with a wide variety of armor pieces, making every spartan extremely unique
    -You unlock emblems and armor from REQ packs. You can pay for these with in-game currency or actual money (most expensive is $3). This money partly goes to a prize pool for the Halo World Championship. This is, as far as I know, the only way to unlock armor pieces. It's a tedious grind as the packs are all RNG. You won't always get the piece you want. I think this is a stupid way to unlock gear.

    All in all, Halo 5 is a good game, but it is, in no way, perfect. It has some flaws, but the competitiveness of the multiplayer is a breath of fresh air that hearkens back to the days of Halo 3. Multiplayer gameplay itself is very smooth and crisp and a blast to play. The only problem with multiplayer is the customization side of it.

    8/10 would recommend and play for a long time, but not perfect/masterpiece.    … Expand
  76. Haldir
    Nov 4, 2015
    4
    Campaign had potential, but fell short. AI is beyond retarded. So called rank system is a joke, in the way that people in Diamond and Onyx play similar to the AI; you'd think that as your rank is higher, you'd play with better people. Warzone is fun, but lacks any real motivation. Also, who's idea was it to have gear based on RNG? I enjoyed earning my gear. And I'd rather spend my moneyCampaign had potential, but fell short. AI is beyond retarded. So called rank system is a joke, in the way that people in Diamond and Onyx play similar to the AI; you'd think that as your rank is higher, you'd play with better people. Warzone is fun, but lacks any real motivation. Also, who's idea was it to have gear based on RNG? I enjoyed earning my gear. And I'd rather spend my money elsewhere rather than support some youtubers and the Championship.… Expand
  77. Angron
    Nov 4, 2015
    6
    I never really write reviews and I'm quite sure I will not say anything that hasn't already been said but here goes. This is easily the most disappointing release since Destiny, the campaign is a funless soul sucking slog of an event. Even as short as it is it just seems to drag on and on, fighting the same enemies over and over and the same boss 5 or 6 times. The AI went full retard,I never really write reviews and I'm quite sure I will not say anything that hasn't already been said but here goes. This is easily the most disappointing release since Destiny, the campaign is a funless soul sucking slog of an event. Even as short as it is it just seems to drag on and on, fighting the same enemies over and over and the same boss 5 or 6 times. The AI went full retard, there is far too much focus on Locke, and two entire missions are just "talk to this guy." The promised showdown between Locke and Chief? wait for it... of course there is no split screen or Forge, Arena pvp gets old very quickly and Warzone of course is pay to win. If this wasn't Halo no one would be reviewing this so highly, I give it a 6 rather than a completely average 5 because of the beautiful graphics and sound, the only bright spot in this game.… Expand
  78. Tetrarch
    Nov 4, 2015
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A truly disappointing game fashioned by 343 Industries who have officially sold out and lost their connection to their player base and their grasp of the Halo mythos and what made it so successful. Case in point: No split screen co-op, the brazen implementation of micro-transactions, and most of all a convoluted train wreck of a plot that tarnishes the unique story telling of the previous entries.

    For all its criticisms, I enjoyed Halo 4 and held a great deal of faith in 343 in crafting the next installment of the Halo saga. While the multiplayer is commendable, the writing and mechanics of the game-play are not. Squad based combat is underdeveloped, the AI is incompetent and the campaign can only truly be enjoyed cooperatively online. This is a hindrance to many fans who are drawn to Halo's storytelling instead of its multiplayer. I also can't help but feel as if this is some ploy in order to sell more Xbox Live gold memberships.

    The game borrows too much from the side material, and meekly introduces so much in its short campaign that it accomplishes very little. The campaign in its entirety feels like it was just setup for Halo 6.

    Look at everything 343 discarded for "higher frame rates", because the graphics certainly don't reach 1080p. Forge, split screen co-op, a satisfying campaign, popular MP game types from previous halo entries. And in return the only worthwhile addition we get is Warzone. Oh, and they put guns on the mongoose.

    Locke is a bland protagonist, and instead of Master Chief coming to terms with his humanity as we were led to believe at the end of Halo 4, nothing is explored, he just keeps on being the archetypical silent hero. As for that meaningful death, you know, Cortana's, well you can forget that too because an hour into the game we find out she's alive. No build up, no mystery or anything leading up to this revelation. And apparently everyone else knew this before Chief did. Every other spartan besides Buck has no personality or charm. Cortana and Halsey suddenly have these radical changes in character. Cortana wants to be the tyrannical overlord of the universe and Halsey finally expresses concern for her "children" soldiers. Its not like they've been embroiled in decades of perilous warfare in space all this time. And where's the Didact? The Librarian? The former died in the comics and the latter is on vacation.

    Final Thoughts:

    Jun should've been on fire team Osiris.

    Any single member of Blue Team could've probably wiped out fire team Osiris by themselves.

    No climactic battle between Chief and Locke like in the trailers.

    Cliffhanger ending to a deeply mediocre story.

    Why isn't dual wielding back?

    Why is Cortana wearing clothes?

    Hey, what's the domain and the mantle of responsibility? I shouldn't have to read the books to know what's going on in the story. Guardians should've been able to stand on its own.

    Don't allow yourself to be entranced by the pretty visuals and production quality. This entire game is style over substance. 343 was either too ambitious, or simply became to preoccupied with profits to make an enjoyable Halo title. I dare say the story has now become unsalvagable. In Halo 6 bring back split screen, the flood, the brute chieftains who charge you with gravity hammers, get creative and find ways to develop all of these characters, reintroduce dual wielding, maybe reunite the Chief with the Arbiter (long shot?), and get rid of the filthy micro-transactions and then I might consider checking it out.

    To everyone showering the game with praise and generous, undeserved scores you are pretty much telling 343 that its okay to churn out mediocre content. Objectively, this game is bad in many aspects. And seriously, if you collect all the skulls and mission intel you get ...nothing. Remember in Halo 3 when you got the vaunted Hayabusa armor for finding all the skulls and you could tell how good a player was by how cool looking and rare their armor was? When gaming was more of a meritocracy where skill was more important than deep pockets. Yeah, I miss those days too. Por que 343? Por Que?

    Oh, and remember that OP suit of power armor from Halo Legends? Do something with that.

    For a good squad based shooter with a more compelling story look to the retro title Star Wars: Republic Commando. Take notes 343.    … Expand
  79. SoulFaurzak
    Nov 4, 2015
    10
    Épico, mucho contenido, multijugador muy adictivo, una maravillosa campaña que hace de enlace entre Halo 4 y el próximo Halo 6.. Te hace desear saber que ocurre con la historia y esperar a una nueva entrega,. Detalles gráficos, con muy buen diseño artístico y sonoro
  80. ChazzRabble
    Nov 4, 2015
    5
    Halo has to be one of the most over rated games I've ever played. I own an xbone and really expected this to be really impressive. There are a few things I like, the solid frame rate, some of the graphics look impressive. But once you get into the meat of the game it just feels really uninspiring. Don't get me wrong, people will no doubt love this, but its absolutely not for me. ReallyHalo has to be one of the most over rated games I've ever played. I own an xbone and really expected this to be really impressive. There are a few things I like, the solid frame rate, some of the graphics look impressive. But once you get into the meat of the game it just feels really uninspiring. Don't get me wrong, people will no doubt love this, but its absolutely not for me. Really dislike the art style, the chunky space suits look ridiculous, some of the gun designs are so terrible too.… Expand
  81. Master_Ch1ef
    Nov 4, 2015
    10
    O melhor jogo da saga Halo já lançado até hoje, sentimos falta do split-screen, mas esperamos que a 343i cumpra a promessa de coloca-lo em Halo 6. A campanha tem um tempo bom e o multiplayer tira horas d sono de muitos jogadores, Halo tem grandes chances de ser o FPS do ano.
  82. Fru1t_Ninja_NZ
    Nov 4, 2015
    4
    Honestly, Can't say I was disappointed. I wasn't excited in the slightest after experiencing halo 4 and the master chief collection. There is just too much to complain about this game. It's clear that 343i cannot create a halo game.
  83. nakattack99
    Nov 4, 2015
    4
    Multiplayer: As the most important part of a Halo game the multiplayer should come first. My friend played the Halo 5 beta and him along with everybody who played the beta said that everything was basically perfect. From the beta until release 343 has taken it upon themselves to screw up the auto-aiming and aim acceleration, the graphics (which look horrible), and the maps (which are allMultiplayer: As the most important part of a Halo game the multiplayer should come first. My friend played the Halo 5 beta and him along with everybody who played the beta said that everything was basically perfect. From the beta until release 343 has taken it upon themselves to screw up the auto-aiming and aim acceleration, the graphics (which look horrible), and the maps (which are all basically bad and unmemorable). I couldn't believe when some of the maps loaded and the lines were jagged and the textures look unrendered. The Spartan armors are not shiny or aesthetic at all and look matte, the textures of each character look Xbox 360 era. Although there is a good variety of maps, each is divided into its own playlist so really you will be playing the same 3-4 maps over and over again. And let us not forget wonderful new micro-transactions!

    Forge: Nonexistent so the 343 can release its own DLC maps to preserve the longevity of the game rather than letting the community creating its own maps.

    Storyline: Campaign is incredibly short and dull. Played it solo normal in 5-6 hours and have no desire to play it again. The ads and opening cinematic are more epic than the entire campaign. If you haven't read the books or looked at any of the lore, Master Chief's Blue Team is unfamiliar and the player doesn't really seem to care about the members except for Chief. Locke and his team is boring so all the protagonists seem to be uninteresting. Also you ending up fighting the same boss throughout the game about 6 times. Literally any other Halo had a much more compelling story compared to this.

    Menu: Looks horrible and hard to navigate. Halo has always excelled with party systems and pre-game lobbies, this game throws it out the window and makes these two components horrible to look at. There is a separate screen to see who is in your party and when you back out of a multiplayer playlist it kicks you back to the main menu. Sometimes you and your friends' Spartans won't load when you are viewing them when you want toview or customize.

    Hopefully through updates and DLC this will be a decent Halo game but as of right now, at launch, it is one of the worst. On a brighter note, Warzone and Warzone Assault are two very fun gametypes.    … Expand
  84. fortegoonsav
    Nov 4, 2015
    9
    The single player is in no way bad, as it provides an exciting and dramatic Halo story, and any perceived faults are completely made up for by the near-perfect multiplayer. 343 has completely overhauled the lackluster Halo 4 multiplayer experience, and has outdone itself with a multiplayer experience that is on par with Halo 2, 3, and Reach. You don't need to worry about class building,The single player is in no way bad, as it provides an exciting and dramatic Halo story, and any perceived faults are completely made up for by the near-perfect multiplayer. 343 has completely overhauled the lackluster Halo 4 multiplayer experience, and has outdone itself with a multiplayer experience that is on par with Halo 2, 3, and Reach. You don't need to worry about class building, and this makes the multiplayer a fun, challenging, and balanced experience, without losing any depth.… Expand
  85. WildFire15
    Nov 4, 2015
    6
    Halo's recent history is curious to me. The series' greatness is undoubtable, but with both 4 and 5 I start seeing stretch marks and cracks in strange places that have little to do with the Halo series.

    Things start with the gameplay, which is by no stretch of the imagination bad. While out of place in the franchise, the smart link/iron sight aiming fits fairly well while the booster    Halo's recent history is curious to me. The series' greatness is undoubtable, but with both 4 and 5 I start seeing stretch marks and cracks in strange places that have little to do with the Halo series.

    Things start with the gameplay, which is by no stretch of the imagination bad. While out of place in the franchise, the smart link/iron sight aiming fits fairly well while the booster adds an extra level of useful speed to make fights more intense, but many of Halo's unique weapons have been cast aside and replaced with forgettable alternatives (I rather miss the Brute weapons and vehicles).

    The plot's a bit of a disappointment as well, despite quite a lot of potential. It assumes you're up to date on the vast majority of Halo lore which isn't necessarily bad but doesn't help anything, it certainly raised more questions for me as I've only read a handful of the books (such as how Blue Team's there). On the whole though, plot and characters are handled badly, shying away from interesting moments that could use exploring. Blue Team aren't exactly complicated, but they're far less interesting here and even Buck and the Arbiter have stepped away from what made them awesome. I've no issue with playing as Locke (and I find the people who complain about it to be rather foolish), but he's not offering much of an alternative view point on the world, he's just another numpty blundering through the game's events.

    Still, the game plays well and has good multiplayer. The lack of Forge at launch is annoying but I'm looking forwards to getting my hands on it. The aesthetic (ie look) of the game isn't quite as appealing as previous entries somehow and there's bizarre pop ins/textures changing at times to keep the game at a smooth frame rate, which is at least appreciated but doesn't help it's overall presentation.

    Overall, it's a solid game that's well worth looking into. Just don't expect it to be the next coming or to remember much of it by January.    … Expand
  86. Hellome7
    Nov 4, 2015
    0
    Wtf? Are you serious? I finished the game in 4 hours! No co-op? Why do I only get to play with the masterchief 3 **** missions!? Are you serious? It's unacceptable.
  87. RumThief
    Nov 4, 2015
    9
    I've played all the Halo games released so far and this is a pretty great addition to the franchise. The story was a little stretched in the campaign and I understand why some were put off by it. Plot direction aside, I still had a ton of fun playing the campaign and the multiplayer is a great balance between Halo's roots under Bungie and some of the more extreme changes implemented inI've played all the Halo games released so far and this is a pretty great addition to the franchise. The story was a little stretched in the campaign and I understand why some were put off by it. Plot direction aside, I still had a ton of fun playing the campaign and the multiplayer is a great balance between Halo's roots under Bungie and some of the more extreme changes implemented in Halo 4 that brought it a little too close to other FPS games. They have struck a harmonious chord here.
    On a side note I'll mention I was greatly looking forward to playing Doubles with my old 2's partner in split screen. I was disappointed to see this feature wasn't included, but it certainly doesn't warrant some of these negative scores. Even the most cynical person could rate this title 5-7, but this game getting a 0-4 smacks of childish ranting.    … Expand
  88. mrw0lfe
    Nov 4, 2015
    5
    Cons
    Forge mode still didn't came on launch.
    No split-screen(given the excuse that "people don't have time"...ye spencer,right...) Campaign a little bit short.The shortest of the whole saga. Campaign will be confusing to newcomers and/or people who haven't read the books/watched the animated series. Some textures seems a little low quality,comparing to the majority. Hard to enter in    Cons
    Forge mode still didn't came on launch.
    No split-screen(given the excuse that "people don't have time"...ye spencer,right...)
    Campaign a little bit short.The shortest of the whole saga.
    Campaign will be confusing to newcomers and/or people who haven't read the books/watched the animated series.
    Some textures seems a little low quality,comparing to the majority.
    Hard to enter in warzone

    Pros

    Visually beautiful
    Warzone    … Expand
  89. Gamemonster
    Nov 4, 2015
    0
    Lan parties is what i love about Halo. Well loved, since Halo guardians doesn't support system link. Why 343?? Can you fathom how annoying it is gathering a couple of friends and xbox live is down??
    Now you can't have guests over to play that doesn't have live.
    You just killed Halo for me and my friends!!!
  90. sajuu
    Nov 4, 2015
    0
    I'm not sure why this game got a 85 from major critics but at best this game is a 70 or maybe a 75. FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, ADVERTISEMENT ON THE STORY LINE CAMPAIGN. Play it for one day and return it the next day. Nothing in the CAMPAIGN what Microsoft advertise on there trailers for this game.
  91. faradinh
    Nov 4, 2015
    0
    I've been a Halo fan for a very long time and I cant find the words to express my disappointment. Halo 4 was a very flawed game for sure, but I thought 343 was going to pull themselves together and make a good Halo. Turns out this is a much bigger disaster than the previous game was. This isn't Halo anymore. It's some random shooter with some ties to the Halo universe. Graphics areI've been a Halo fan for a very long time and I cant find the words to express my disappointment. Halo 4 was a very flawed game for sure, but I thought 343 was going to pull themselves together and make a good Halo. Turns out this is a much bigger disaster than the previous game was. This isn't Halo anymore. It's some random shooter with some ties to the Halo universe. Graphics are dreadful, everything looks plastic, the story is a joke, characters have zero depth, and the gameplay is so awful I can only play in 10-minute bursts. It's sad to see such an awesome franchise fall into mediocracy… Expand
  92. Arsiboy
    Nov 4, 2015
    10
    Not sure where the low ratings on here are coming from but 343 did a great job on the multiplayer Warzone of this game, really love it. Campaign gameplay is also fun but I don't like the story. I think the story was huge let down of this game but all other aspects of this game 343 nailed it.
  93. Typharius
    Nov 4, 2015
    0
    I've been a die hard halo fan since combat evolved which I bought my first Xbox for, 1-3 and Reach still represent the pinnacle of fps perfection to me. Halo 4 I thought was average, I didn't like the textures which I think we're abysmal compared to Reach's graphics, the story was a bit boring, and the game was short and linear but I thought "it's 343's first game, not too bad for a firstI've been a die hard halo fan since combat evolved which I bought my first Xbox for, 1-3 and Reach still represent the pinnacle of fps perfection to me. Halo 4 I thought was average, I didn't like the textures which I think we're abysmal compared to Reach's graphics, the story was a bit boring, and the game was short and linear but I thought "it's 343's first game, not too bad for a first effort" I genuinely had faith that Halo 5 would address all of these issues and bring the beloved series back on top. So I got halo 5 deluxe edition pre ordered, got the game and... I'm absolutely devastated at what 343 have made. It doesn't feel at all like Halo anymore, the graphics are blurry and jaggy, the draw range for resolution is appalling with heavy pixelation to boot. Level design is poor and cramped/linear, firefights are unintelligent and repetitive, team AI is ridiculously bad, some "missions" are basically extended interactive cut scenes, the story is dubious at best.. I've never gotten halfway through a Halo and literally lost all desire to continue before this, I had to force myself to continue. And then the multiplayer customisation is another huge step back from Reach, low res armour with very poor colour modifications and choices, basic emblem design.. Halo Reach looked better and played better than Halo 5. I don't think 343 are capable of carrying the Halo franchise. The multiplayer is also very bad, serious issues with aiming and weapon balance, really lazy map design, pay to win REQ or " Wreck" system. I'm not against innovation either but most of the changes have been poorly initialised (squad mechanics, pointless Spartan abilities, being broken out of iron sights when hit, missions that are basically interactive cut-scenes with no shooting!) they even went backwards imo by removing Armour abilities. 343i are not worthy of the mantle of responsibility they owe to Halo fans (pun intended). These aren't thoughtless complaints either, there are many issues with the campaign and design of 343i Halo titles and they aren't addressing them. Honestly do any of you think the very limited AI, personality bereft, bullet sponge, dull as dishwater prometheans or equally poor squad AI/dull as a stone characters (not including blue team members or Buck though their AI sucks bad) improves the Halo genus? Or the many contradicting nonsense plot devices? The story is just poor. Aside to the awful storyline let's take a closer look at the characters, compare Osiris to NOBLE team who were incredibly interesting, varied, and unique; Locke and his team excluding Buck are boring and clichéd, Commander Sarah Palmer is outright irritating. Spartan IV's? How the heck does Locke fight the Chief on an even keel?? How is Osiris shown to equal Blue team?? Spartan II's are superior in every way not to mention the experience gulf here. Someone put a nail in the coffin above by saying the campaign is designed for co-op. That is so wrong! They shouldn't ever take away from the solo experience, some people don't like playing online and besides that it should work just as well in solo as a point of good design. For me my adventures with the Master Chief are over. I couldn't be more disappointed.… Expand
  94. Harrylaw
    Nov 4, 2015
    10
    Amazing entry of the Halo series. The multiplayer is top notch and the arena gameplay feels simply amazing and satisfying. The warzone mode adds a unique MOBA twist to it and it just feels satisfying pulling a come from behind victory. It really is a game mode for everyone. Attack bases, defend bases, go after AI, vehicles, on foot . . a game mode with everything.
  95. niel1000000
    Nov 4, 2015
    0
    not so good story, devs wasted time on micro transactions instead of making the story longer, no split screen but but but my bro cant play with me, nor the kids, corporate **** i say, whole purpose to buy this was to play with frnds and family on couch and have quality time this is theft no more splity :(
  96. GAMER01
    Nov 4, 2015
    6
    Disapointing,not badass at all,not good multiplayer,good graphics.Sometimes stupid AI.In a nutsell D-I-S-A-P-O-I-N-T-I-N-G OK XBOX fanboys so shut your mouth up!!!!!! Haters gonna hate !
  97. pmart4
    Nov 4, 2015
    8
    A lot of the User Reviews on here are very harsh. Voting 0 because there is no co-op doesn't really help anyone or giving a 2 because the campaign. Yes, Halo 5 is not perfect, but it's still the best FPS on the XBone by a mile.

    Yes, no co-op and a short campaign (with a weak story line in comparison to its predecessors) sucks. It does, but the multi-player makes up for it in bunches!    A lot of the User Reviews on here are very harsh. Voting 0 because there is no co-op doesn't really help anyone or giving a 2 because the campaign. Yes, Halo 5 is not perfect, but it's still the best FPS on the XBone by a mile.

    Yes, no co-op and a short campaign (with a weak story line in comparison to its predecessors) sucks. It does, but the multi-player makes up for it in bunches!

    In particular, the Warzone & Breakout modes in multi-player are incredible. The map sizes are just right, the graphics are great, the frame-rate is stable, the length of each game is perfect and the action is exciting from start to finish. Currently there are only three Warzone maps (despite us being promised 6 - 8) BUT 343 have promised 15 'free' DLC over the coming months, where I'm sure we will see more. This DLC could bump the game from an 8/10 to a 9 out of 10.

    It's a shame about the story - especially as we waited so long for it, but if (like me) you're Halo experiences and expectations are geared around multi-player then you will not be disappointed.

    No ragrets and definately worth a buy!    … Expand
  98. rsccrplyr
    Nov 4, 2015
    5
    *Story was crap
    - Master Chief has straight up ignored orders before, but this time they have to send a special Spartan after him? Also Fred, who is an officer and technically the highest ranking Spartan, follows Chief around along with his other friends from the Spartan II program. Does no one else care what they do, and only care that the chief is ignoring the orders? Won't go    *Story was crap
    - Master Chief has straight up ignored orders before, but this time they have to send a special Spartan after him? Also Fred, who is an officer and technically the highest ranking Spartan, follows Chief around along with his other friends from the Spartan II program. Does no one else care what they do, and only care that the chief is ignoring the orders? Won't go further on here to avoid spoilers.

    *Cutscene transition
    - Older Halo games would be badass with a cutscene with black borders around the T.V. like a movie and would slyly transition to fullscreen where you enter the game. This kept you immersed into the game. This one does have badass cutscenes, but how they come about totally take you out of your immersion. They make it Call of Duty-esk where you do some stuff and then you go to a location and stand there for a couple seconds while a fade to black just happens and you're like oh, ok i guess that's it for that level.

    *Guns and characters were not remotely close to previous games
    - Yeah, as a Halo player I know that Halo varies in how guns look or act (duel wielding and not) and so on, but... The needler does not sound anything like how the needler used to sound (Which is the coolest sounding gun ever) The plasma pistol is not near as good as it used to be. The boltshot can't be charged up to shoot like a shotgun like Halo 4, and it doesn't shoot like a pistol anymore more like a pistol/kinda needler hybrid. Lastly, the rocket launcher. What the hell was that thing? That was not remotely close to what the rocket launcher used to look like at all, and I guess we have vehicle locking again because sure why not. Now for characters. I'll start with Jackels. What happened to those things? They look like they were turned into some sort of weird blobs. Several of the levels I thought I was shooting scientists in the face because they were all grey and human shaped (the scientists where white lab coats). Hunters act totally different. From not taking a one shot in the back from a pistol or sniper anymore to hitting back grenades at you and firing a weird machine gun shot as well as a charged shot.

    *No cool vehicle mission in campaign
    -The more laid back missions of the previous Halo games were the vehicle missions, not this walk around and talk to everyone (Dr Halsey, and several other characters) **** The vehicle levels were easy, sure, but they were a fun and stress relieving part of the game.

    *No split screen
    - I tried split screen on Halo 4, and I think MCC as well and I don't believe it worked there either, but that doesn't mean it should stay that way. Halo grew from playing it on split screen. I and several of my friends would have never even bought Halo if I never played it at a friends house first on split screen. In order to physically hang out and play Halo with a buddy now i have to unhook all of my setup for my Xbox, grab a T.V. drive over to my friend's house, find a way to set up two T.V.s in one room with outlets for all my stuff as well has his, and then we have to join together on live... Just for that **** to get thrown out the window because either his internet is down, or the Xbox just wants to act up because it decides to constantly.

    *Micro transactions
    - REALLY?!?!? I do understand that games are not easy to make, especially AAA titles. I also understand that games have cost the same price for a very long time. $60 for a game has been the standard for years, but if you need extra money to make your game, I think there's better ways to do so. For instance, make such a good game that everybody and their brother just has to have it. I know it isn't technically a pay to win thing... yet. But that's just it, I don't want to support it because then they'll end up doing more and more with micro transactions until we end up just having a POS mobil game that's just a pay to win.

    *The good
    - Some cool guns have been added/re-added. The Answer is basically like the SAW but with explosive rounds. The Covinent gun that basically shoots plasma grenades is back. The Forerunner grenade is not a useless pile of garbage.
    - The cutscenes, while out of nowhere, are beautiful. The graphics in general and detail to the environment is great.
    - Multiplayer, as usual is solid. Along with the promise of free DLC maps.
    - People like it. I'm not saying that it is a great game by any means. What I am saying is, Halo will continue on, it did not crash and burn like I think this game kinda did itself. But because people liked it, we have another chance at a great game in a couple years. I do not criticize this game because it's fun to bash games. I did it so hopefully someone could see what Halo needs again, what it deserves, what the fans deserve. Hopefully others agree that Master Chief needs to come back strong in Halo 6 in order for the series to survive, and if we make enough noise about it, developers might listen.    … Expand
  99. PanthersFanStev
    Nov 3, 2015
    10
    I am scoring Halo 5 as a 10 based on the pure trolling reviews here that have no merit outside of comments found in bits and pieces elsewhere on the internet.

    Halo 5 has great visuals and sound effects. Reminds me the most of Halo Reach. I get the campaign, no confusion, which plays fast and fluid. The squad controls are far too limited and make some boss battles more difficult.    I am scoring Halo 5 as a 10 based on the pure trolling reviews here that have no merit outside of comments found in bits and pieces elsewhere on the internet.

    Halo 5 has great visuals and sound effects. Reminds me the most of Halo Reach. I get the campaign, no confusion, which plays fast and fluid. The squad controls are far too limited and make some boss battles more difficult. There is no way to tell your squad to stay put and be on guard, you move them, the enemy gets close, they attack when it is not desirable. Overall the campaign is solid. Warzone is good fun, but pales in comparison with the SW Battlefront Beta. Warzone was largely advertised, and granted a nice addition, but it is more like a glorified horde mode plus PvP. Arena is my favorite PvP mode, and I am really looking forward to BTB which is not released yet. I enjoy the game and would give it an 8.5.    … Expand
  100. Lacoste18
    Nov 3, 2015
    10
    This game is simply breathtaking. 343 Industries has truly crafted this masterpiece with love just as Bungie initially had just over a decade prior. If you own an Xbox One, this game is quintessential to your collection. The mechanics are as tight as ever, gameplay is like Halo 3 with better physics and movements, controls are perfect and variable as always, the story is amazing, andThis game is simply breathtaking. 343 Industries has truly crafted this masterpiece with love just as Bungie initially had just over a decade prior. If you own an Xbox One, this game is quintessential to your collection. The mechanics are as tight as ever, gameplay is like Halo 3 with better physics and movements, controls are perfect and variable as always, the story is amazing, and multiplayer is comparable to that of Halo 2. My only slight nag is the lack of a split screen. Then again it isn't 2007, so I don't really mind. By the way to everyone giving this game a zero... Pffffffttttttt enjoy COD or all of your cool PS4 exclusive(not pluralized for a reason).… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best Xbox One Game of 2015
1
#1 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015
1
#1 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 101 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 89 out of 101
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 101
  3. Negative: 0 out of 101
  1. The Jimquisition
    Jan 20, 2016
    65
    Halo 5: Guardians is okay. Its campaign is rubbish, but the multiplayer is solid thanks to the foundation it’s built upon. Warzone is a really enjoyable experience, and while combat is still mostly about tossing grenades and hitting the melee button, the whole Requisition gimmick adds some much-needed flavor to proceedings.
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  2. CD-Action
    Jan 12, 2016
    75
    The latest Halo is a big deal only for hardcore Halo fans. For me the single player campaign was unbearably pompous and despite 1080p and 60 fps the visuals are not as breathtaking as they once were in Halo 4. The game builds a solid foundation for Halo 6, but it’s not one of those games you absolutely have to play. [13/2015, p.48]
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Jan 4, 2016
    91
    With a more accessible and engaging story and solid new designs for the Prometheans, Halo 5 is a major improvement over Halo 4. Warzone is a great addition to the multiplayer, though the mode seems to have some game balance issues. [Nov 2015]
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