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. ItchyPeanut
    Dec 13, 2015
    6
    The game is great. Love the gameplay and everything. I also love how the enemies in campaign are harder when you are doing coop. It makes the game very challenging and fun. My main complaint is the fact that the teammates' AI feel like they were worked on for no longer than 5 minutes.They barely know how to revive a teammate that is less than 5 feet from them. Another complaint is theThe game is great. Love the gameplay and everything. I also love how the enemies in campaign are harder when you are doing coop. It makes the game very challenging and fun. My main complaint is the fact that the teammates' AI feel like they were worked on for no longer than 5 minutes.They barely know how to revive a teammate that is less than 5 feet from them. Another complaint is the checkpoint placements. Through my whole run of halo 5 on legendary coop, there were barely any moments where the checkpoint was placed away from the enemies. Most of them were placed when the enemy was in the player's face, causing an instant down. The last complaint is that the campaign is not playable on split-screen. Every halo game contained a split-screen, making it fun to play when friends and family come over or something.
    I know these complaints I have don't sound very big, but it makes the campaign feel more annoying and frustrating than enjoyable for most of the fights. It makes me feel as if I absolutely need to play the campaign on single-player or four-player if I were to attempt legendary.    … Expand
  2. devonsplatters
    Dec 13, 2015
    4
    Though the playing was amazing. graphics and game play was awesome. i'm gonna return the game because i mainly bought it to do coop campain on my xbox. on this version they make you buy xbox live and you cant do split screen play unless the other person also has a live account. STUPID! i'm gonna say FAIL XBOX!! the main reason i wanted an xbox one instead of a ps4 is because i love halo soThough the playing was amazing. graphics and game play was awesome. i'm gonna return the game because i mainly bought it to do coop campain on my xbox. on this version they make you buy xbox live and you cant do split screen play unless the other person also has a live account. STUPID! i'm gonna say FAIL XBOX!! the main reason i wanted an xbox one instead of a ps4 is because i love halo so much but it was awful.… Expand
  3. AGuyOnTheIntern
    Dec 13, 2015
    2
    This is not Halo, Halo 3 is Halo not this garbage! Multiplayer is like Advanced Warfare quick and childish and the REQ's what the f*** is this? You get something good and its gone forever, a wasted opportunity and filled with micro transactions that r*pe your wallet/purse. The campaign is boring and miss directed from the teasers and a recycled boss battle giving nothing entertaining withThis is not Halo, Halo 3 is Halo not this garbage! Multiplayer is like Advanced Warfare quick and childish and the REQ's what the f*** is this? You get something good and its gone forever, a wasted opportunity and filled with micro transactions that r*pe your wallet/purse. The campaign is boring and miss directed from the teasers and a recycled boss battle giving nothing entertaining with dim witted AI (would it count for AI if they're so stupid?) Overall a waste of money!!!… Expand
  4. MetaLove
    Dec 12, 2015
    10
    The best Halo ever, great campaign, superb multiplayer and all the DLC are free. What do you want more. 343 has revitalize the franchise. Good Job!!!!
  5. Reroll0
    Dec 12, 2015
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm just gonna say it Halo 5 sucks, and these are the reasons why it is such a waste of digital space.

    Halo 5: Guardians campaign is a confusing disarray of levels, characters, and story plots that don't add up. Halo 5, which takes equal parts of the Halo novels, lame live-action mini-series, and characters, by Halo standards, don't really have an impact or you would care for. The story centers around Spartan Jameson Locke, of which he is the main character of the live action series Halo: Nightfall, and Fireteam Osiris, which is composed of Spartans Holly Tanaka, Olympia Vale, and Edward Buck, which you might recognize from previous Halo games Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. The premise of the story is to track down the location of the Master Chief, after Master Chief receives a vision that Cortana is still alive and on a distant planet called Meridan. After Master Chief arrives on Meridan with his team of Spartans called Blue Team, Spartan Locke shortly arrives and tracks them down, and after a heated argument about what both of their objectives entail, they engage in a fisticuff, and Master Chief escapes. After this, the game continues to get really confusing for most intents and purposes, as Locke, has to fight an Elite civil war upon their home planet, Sanghelios, and Master Chief learns that Cortana is alive and has essentially become the forerunner equivalent to Gravemind, the Flood hive mind from previous games. But if you think that's the worst, here are more plot points that they left out entirely, as well as keen observations.
    !. Halo 5, like Halo 4, does not take place around or even remotely close to a Halo ring.
    2. The Flood, again like 4, do not make an appearance.
    3. In the Campaign, they say that Master Chief isn't the last Spartan 2 anymore.
    4. There are 12 levels with Spartan Locke, and only 3 levels with Master Chief. I thought Master Chief was the star of the show...
    5. Spartan Locke looks way too close to ODST character Romeo
    6. Holly Tanaka does not look remotely close to a Japanese person.
    7. Your A.I. buddies, are almost dumber than marines in previous Halo games.
    8. Vehicles, which is one of the reasons Halo is enjoyable, get so shafted.
    9. You get nothing for beating the game, no armor, no option to play as the other characters, absolutely nothing.
    10. And this might be the last point, they're 2/3 levels dedicated to storytelling.
    And the sad thing about this story is that, it vaguely reminds of Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker, because the fact that Snake believes that the Boss is still alive, is almost word for word the same as Master Chief looking for Cortana. Halo doesn't need convoluted plot twists and turns, it just needs good game play, great voice acting, and copious amounts of vehicles. The only good thing I can say about the game is, well, which they kinda stole this from Star Wars: Republic Commando, but if you're playing solo, you can assign your A.I. buddies to attack certain targets, pick up weapons, and drive vehicles.

    So far, you just heard me jaw about the hideous campaign, but surely since this is Halo, you'd expect a decent online multi-player right?

    Wrong.

    Halo multiplayer is divided into two playlists, Arena and Warzone. Arena has the core game types you'd expect like Slayer and Free-for-Fall, but oddly, no Oddball, or Team Objectives like neutral bomb. and Warzone, which combines equal parts disappointment, Territories, and Invasion from Halo:Reach. Warzone also has the privilege of being the worst Halo mode ever invented beside modes made just for the Action Sack playlist. How the game works is capture territories, and continually move on to the next one, like Invasion. There is also A. I. on the map to kill for points, but that's more of a problem than an innovative feature, because matches are lost and won killing those things instead of capturing said territories. After capturing all territories on the map, you have to destroy the other team's power core, which boil down to my next point that the power core is impossible to reach and you're gonna die multiple times trying to reach it, because the maps are designed so poorly that all objectives/territories are only accessible by a bottleneck corridor, and that people abuse the requisition system, which gives people vehicles, power weapons, and power-ups like active camo. And that's not even the end of all of the gripes I have for game, which I'm almost surprised I forgot this, the game handles like crap, remakes of maps are really bad like Headlong, and Midship, and the fact that the SMG which has been absent since Halo:Reach overpowers the Assault Rifle and horribly imbalances gameplay, is astonishing. From reading this review, you might think this guy is an **** and doesn't know what's he talking about. No, the game is that bad, like I'd rather play Halo Spartan Assault, or Halo Wars, instead of this heap of garbage. I fear for Halo 6.    … Expand
  6. Reasoning
    Dec 9, 2015
    5
    The Campaign
    The Campaign is not good, it is really sub par. I feel like the trailers and promises were severly misleading about what was going on in the campaign this time around, but it was a weak, uninspired story with no tension or suspense at all and the ending just made me angry. The gameplay is pretty good though, the controls are the best yet and the graphics aren't bad.
    The    The Campaign
    The Campaign is not good, it is really sub par. I feel like the trailers and promises were severly misleading about what was going on in the campaign this time around, but it was a weak, uninspired story with no tension or suspense at all and the ending just made me angry. The gameplay is pretty good though, the controls are the best yet and the graphics aren't bad.

    The Multiplayer
    The multiplayer is pretty good but it feels pretty old and a bit uninspired also. I just feel like the Halo 5 multiplayer is not up to today's standards and that other games does multiplayer much better.

    Bottom line is, I feel like this game was not worth the price I paid for it, I feel almost a bit cheated out of my money and lied to by the devs and publisher, what they promised was not what we got.
    What is even worse is that, this is an Xbox One exclusive, it should be the best thing available on the Xbox One, but it just feels rushed and unfinished.
    I love the Halo series, I really do, but this game just left a bad taste in my mouth.    … Expand
  7. DaBritishyankee
    Dec 5, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Coming from Halo 4, this game is a definite step down. Whereas Halo 4 expanded the universe and developed Chief and Cortana on a much more intimate level, this game felt rushed. The split between Lock and Chief resulted in me not feeling attached to either character. By adding Chief's team, I feel like there was less focus on any character at all. The plot progression was minimal. Basically, Lock chases Chief, Chief runs away a few times, and Cortana's doing something completely out of character. Just when the story is about to get interesting, it ends. Overall, if you're looking for a quality game with a good story, look somewhere else.

    Despite a completely disappointing campaign, the game-play was reasonably good. It didn't add anything new, but otherwise it was acceptable. I haven't played Multi-player, because I don't care enough about it to pay for a subscription each month.    … Expand
  8. BudaVision
    Dec 4, 2015
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After getting past the initial excitement of having the first new Halo title on Xbox One, I can now write an objective review of Halo 5 Guardians.

    Let's start with the good:

    -343 clearly spent a lot of time working on H5's Mulitplayer mechanics/player physics. It feels and plays wonderfully.
    -Warzone is an interesting new game mode that may make Halo 5 have a slightly higher replayability factor.

    That just about covers the positive attributes of Halo 5. Now let's get into the negatives.

    -This is by far the worst and most disappointing campaign in this history of the franchise. Not only does 343i take a radical new approach to how the campaign is played by introducing fireteams, the story itself is boring and each mission feels repetitive and linear. The player never has a solid understanding as to what's going on in the story and the characters are uninteresting, dare to say, unlikable.
    -you would think if 343i decided to take such a dramatic step in the campaign, the least they would do is make sure the AI for each fireteam works and gels well into what the player is trying to accomplish in each mission, but they don't. The AI is troublesome and subtracts far more than they add to the gameplay experience by dying, taking you away from the objective by having to revive them or should the player go down, they seldomly succeed in reviving you. Not to mention, they are not autonomous like a highly trained super solider should be, they require constant orders to be effective when playing on heroic or legendary thereby taking time away from the players ability to focus on completing the mission.
    -the level design is flat out horrible. The doors a player can "Spartan charge" through are not what was portraid in Halo 5's marketing campaign, are misplaced and feel forced into each location. 343i's claim of the open world experience was clearly not implemented properly.
    -the new characters are dull and the re-imagined cortana is not nearly as attractive as she was in Halo 4.

    Bottom line, 343i should be embarassed at what they produced in Halo 5 and Phil Spencer should take a long hard look at what changes need to be made to ensure Halo has a place in the future of the gaming industry.    … Expand
  9. AliceinChains20
    Dec 4, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. (spoilers ahead)
    Disclaimer: I've been playing Halo since Combat Evolved came out in 2001. I know a good Halo when I see it.

    For all the hype this game had, this has been an extreme disappointment.

    Campaign: Story feels like it was written by a 12 year old after his first time playing Halo 2 and watching Age of Ultron in the same day. They marketed it in such a way that implied character development for Blue Team and Fireteam Osiris. They also highlighted the confrontation between Chief and Locke in a ton of their ads, and they end up getting into ONE fist fight and that's it. Lol really? I expected more tension, more buildup. Blue Team goes AWOL after your first mission with them, at the mere possibility of Cortana being around. Haha does Blue Team have like no loyalty to the UNSC? Things like that made it feel rushed and comic booky. And I wouldn'tve minded a Halo game with little character development if Halo 4's story hadn't started fleshing out Chief and Cortana and if the advertising was more like "big explosions and cool gunfights" instead of "complex plot and multi-dimmensional characters". It feels like we were lied to.
    Multiplayer: This is where Halo 5 wins its points for me. It's a HUGE improvement over the abomination Halo 4's MP was and over the retrospectively 'meh' Halo: Reach. Weapon sandbox feels balanced, with exceptions (nerf lightrifle pls) maps are well thought out (tactically, not creatively) gameplay is fast and fluid, and the possibility to turn a fight around even when someone gets the drop on you makes the game feel like Halo again. MP has weak spots too though. No social playlists (other than warzone which draaaaaags) turns everyone into tryhards. They ditched the voting system (thank u) in favor of map rotation because they wanted the game to feel like it has variety. Unfortunately since map rotation was screwed up the game still feels like it's lacking in variety. No king of the hill, oddball, infection etc. adds to that feeling of "no meat on the bones".
    Plus these maps lack environmental detail. Not SUPER important but when maps like Guardian, Lockout, and Blood Gulch exist you'd think they could make these maps a little more fun to look at.
    I really wish they would just fix the Master Chief Collection so we can play CE, 2 and 3 more consistently T_T    … Expand
  10. thegrave
    Dec 4, 2015
    8
    Campaign is lacking. Very solid online play though with good gunplay & very rare lag. Great team play game if you can find people that actually use microphones. Main FPS I've been playing. Beat out the others.
  11. Sonnivate
    Dec 3, 2015
    1
    This game is a failure on almost every front.
    -No splitscreen co-op
    -No local multiplayer -Still no forge mode -Story is beyond cliche -Multiplayer is bland -No means of lowering weapon for machinima purposes or photos -Character/armor designs are boring This game gets a single point for having strong female characters and the hope that forge might be decent when it comes out.    This game is a failure on almost every front.
    -No splitscreen co-op
    -No local multiplayer
    -Still no forge mode
    -Story is beyond cliche
    -Multiplayer is bland
    -No means of lowering weapon for machinima purposes or photos
    -Character/armor designs are boring

    This game gets a single point for having strong female characters and the hope that forge might be decent when it comes out. Aside from that, and the return of Nathan Fillian there isn't a single thing I liked.    … Expand
  12. PancakeGuy415
    Dec 2, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 5's singleplayer is bad. But Halo 5 the game great.

    Yes Halo 5's singleplayer is probably the worst of the all the Halos featuring Master Chief (and this one barely features him). The narrative is confusing, and unless you've read all the comics, watched the shows (which I haven't), then you'll be confused to who many characters are and why they are the way they are. Locke and Chief never have the epic battle that they were advertised to have, with the game ending on another cliffhanger. Still the gunplay remains fantastic like any Halo game. The new controls allow for much greater mobility, such as boosting and climbing ledges, which makes the game have a whole knew dimension to it's combat. Many have said this is proof to Halo becoming Call of Duty, which is completely wrong. Halo 5 if anything is a step back (or forward) toward becoming a pure Halo game again, for reasons I'll talk about later. The Visuals are gorgeous and at 60fps, it's one of the smoothest shooters I've ever played.

    The saving grace for Halo 5 is by far it's multiplayer. Gone are the classes and the spartan abilities. Back are the good old Halo style multiplayer that, to me, feels very similar to Halo 3, and NOT Call of Duty. All of the guns you could pick for your loadouts in Halo 4 are now found on the map, which allow them to be more powerful and have more unique qualities as opposed to trying to balance everything to allow for players to make classes with them. For me, Halo 4's multiplayer was fun, but it felt off. Halo 5 has brought back what I always loved and missed about Halo.

    Multiplayer isn't without it's faults though. The requisition system screams cash grab for it's micro transactions, but I never felt like I was limited by not buying packs and earning them instead. Now armor is randomly obtained from these req packs with varying degrees of rarity, which diminishes the value of having rare armor as in older Halos it meant you accomplished something to obtain it. Armor customization is reduced to just armor, helmets, and visor color, though this doesn't bother me that much. New to the game are custom skins for your starting weapons, which is a welcomed addition but not necessary. For some of the smaller maps, spawn killing can sometimes become a little frustrating, mainly on my favorite game mode, SWAT. But it hasn't been bad enough to be game breaking for me, and hopefully it's something that can be addressed in the future.

    As for the modes, I spend most of my time on the classics like SWAT and Big Team. Capture the flag and strongholds is as fun as ever, requiring team work and a small amount of coordination. The new game mode. which is obviously influenced by games like League of Legends, is Warzone. Here two teams fight for control of areas, similar to strongholds, while competing to kill computer enemies, such as Covenant forces, for a race to 1000 points. This mode uses "cards" you get from req packs to summon different vehicles and weapons. The cool part about this is each weapons and vehicle has many variants, unlike normal Halo multiplayer. For example you can get a Battle Rifle with a scope, or a SAW with explosive rounds. There's different types of Ghosts with different strengths, each with a different color scheme or model. Though the req system might seem like a pay to win scenario, the fact that you have to "level up" you req level in each Warzone game to a certain level to use more powerful cards makes it harder for players with a powerful arsenal of cards to unleash hell on others. Furthermore, once you use a power ful req pack, say a vehicle that takes 6 req points, you have to wait for those req points to recharge within the match. Still for all the fun Warzone is, it feels a little unbalanced, as the team that takes the lead usually keeps it, and scores tend to be pretty lopsided. I tend to stay in the classic multiplayer modes, where requisition cards have no affect. Finally, the dedicated servers for Halo 5 are probably the best yet for Xbox One gamers. I rarely if ever feel like I have bad connection, and only a few times have I seen other players skipping around.

    For all the negative things about Halo 5, I have to give it a 9/10 for just how fun the multiplayer is. Yes the story mode is pretty bad compared to the Halo singleplayers we're used to. if you're into Halo for the singleplayer, bump the rating down to a 5/10. I haven't been able to put down the multiplayer. I stopped for about a week when I got sucked into Fallout 4, but in the end I always come back to killing hours of time by playing Halo 5. For some, Halo 5 may be another step in the wrong direction by 343i, but for me it's a big step forward for multiplayer, and honestly I haven't been this hooked on Halo since Halo 3.    … Expand
  13. nonchalantgamer
    Dec 2, 2015
    9
    Halo 5 is a fantastic shooter that probably has the best gameplay the series has seen to date.

    Gameplay First off, the gameplay, which to me is the best in the series, 343i was not afraid to make changes to the format and it payoffs, the pace of the combat is brisk and elegant. The addition of the spartan abilities are great and make you feel like the war machine your supposed to be    Halo 5 is a fantastic shooter that probably has the best gameplay the series has seen to date.

    Gameplay

    First off, the gameplay, which to me is the best in the series, 343i was not afraid to make changes to the format and it payoffs, the pace of the combat is brisk and elegant. The addition of the spartan abilities are great and make you feel like the war machine your supposed to be while also balancing it out it in multiplayer which might just be the best in the series. The gun play is also well done, as usual for a Halo game, and each weapon feels useful in some way.

    Story

    As for the story, it was an enjoyable piece to the halo universe but it largely felt like it was setting up the pieces for the next game, and i feel like they could have dove a little deeper with some of the characters, including Locke. overall it was an exciting story with some really good moments but definitely one of the weaker Halo campaigns.

    Graphics/Presentation

    Halo game have always had great graphics and that is no different with Guardians, everything runs smooth as silk, and there are no frame rate issues

    Overall, this is an excellent entry into the Halo series, and although the story lacks in some respects the multiplayer, and gameplay are the best the series has seen, and i am excited to see where chief ends up in 6    … Expand
  14. Niculla
    Dec 2, 2015
    10
    Fantastic experience. Great graphics. Story true to Halo lore. Nice to have 60 fps. Extremely fluid and intuitive. I like the new movement. Really looking forward to the next game.
  15. NickEatsCookiez
    Dec 2, 2015
    8
    Halo......Halo everywhere.....

    To give a small back story to my Halo experience, I've been playing since Combat Evolved released on the OG Xbox. And remember kids bringing in the Halo 2 edition Xbox when it first released into school. So when I hear Halo, it brings back a familiar nostalgia that I absolutely love. And Halo 5 Guardians has done a MUCH better job than Halo 4.    Halo......Halo everywhere.....

    To give a small back story to my Halo experience, I've been playing since Combat Evolved released on the OG Xbox. And remember kids bringing in the Halo 2 edition Xbox when it first released into school. So when I hear Halo, it brings back a familiar nostalgia that I absolutely love. And Halo 5 Guardians has done a MUCH better job than Halo 4.

    Performance: 1080p / 60fps, Hell yes. What most console owners have been waiting for, and it looks absolutely stunning, from heavy firefights, to quiet moments to observe the scenery. And one thing Halo has always accomplished since Combat Evolved, is the little attention to detail, that if you notice it, makes you appreciate the little things. When participating in multiple matches online, I found that the playlist felt to little, but just right if that makes sense. All online games ran smooth and I did not experience the matchmaking problem that the Master Chief collection had experienced at launch. Excellent in my opinion.

    Graphics: At 1080p / 60fps, I noticed zero screen tear or frame rate drop. A breath of fresh air honestly with newer First Person Shooters having small issues like this. Like I stated before, its the attention to detail that I love that 343 and Bungi have done with the series, that makes this series seem personal to the fans and developers. All in all a knock out of the park!

    Story: Now this is something that I struggled with wrapping my head around. This series is about the Master Chief, now I know that there is deeper Lore to the series that probably follows different people, but when I played mostly as Spartan Locke and not the chief, I was disappointed. And even more disappointed in the marketing for this game. I was under the impression that Locke and the Chief were going to have an epic battle royal, the hunter is now the hunted, super "hush hush" sneaking around whilst battling the covenant missions. But this did not happen. AT ALL. Fairly disappointed.

    Campaign: Now I played on Legendary difficulty on my first play through, and it took me roughly 15 Hours. Making me pleased with the length. But I know that if I played on Easy or Normal that the length of the Campaign would only be around 3-6 hours. A big No-No in my book. Since when did developers start slacking on the story length department? Now the last thing I was displeased with was the AI. Not the enemy AI, but the friendly AI. Now Halo games aren't known for the best AI, but when forced to play with 3 other characters that are apart of your "team" its crap. Literally the STUPIDEST part of the game. If I went down under heavy fire, EVERY team mate ran to pick me up, getting themselves killed, instead of 1 reviving me, and the other two providing heavy fire towards the enemy to keep their heads down to leave me ALONE. Not a reason to not buy the game, but definitely a frustration. And there's a enemy wave system incorporated here. No advancing the story unless wave after wave is killed. Disappointing and lazy in my opinion.

    Multiplayer: Did I mention 1080p / 60fps? The multiplayer looks just as good as the campaign. The game modes are well balanced too. You have five modes with more to come. Arena (mixed game modes) Slayer (classic) Swat (another classic) Free for all (keeping it classy) and a new mode Breakout. Breakout is a 4v4 death match set up in rounds. Won either by capturing the one flag on the map, or killing everyone. Absolutely a blast with immense pressure when you're the only one left alive and your entire team is watching. Then there's Warzone. A mode in itself. 12v12 with NPC's, mini objectives of domination/slayer/ and score 1000points. Not something Ive played to much, but its well balanced. Now there's the REQ packs. Remember Titanfall? Remember the booster packs with perks? Its essentially the same thing. Now you earn req points through matches, or you can pay actual money. Your choice. The packs contain Skins for weapons, new armor, xp boosts, and weapons/vehicles for warzone.

    Overall this is a good game and the multiplayer is well balanced with a long campaign if played on higher difficulties. Something that I will be coming back to later on.    … Expand
  16. locsphere
    Dec 1, 2015
    0
    WHAAAAT WERE YOU THINKING? We play Halo games that are not ODST, Reach, etc to play as Master Chief. He is playable in three missions and the story reaching up to his half assed going rogue is ridiculous considering the Halo4 mission storyline that was slowly released barely lead into it. I mean come on here. We want to play the Chief. Spartan Locke and most of his crew look like cheesyWHAAAAT WERE YOU THINKING? We play Halo games that are not ODST, Reach, etc to play as Master Chief. He is playable in three missions and the story reaching up to his half assed going rogue is ridiculous considering the Halo4 mission storyline that was slowly released barely lead into it. I mean come on here. We want to play the Chief. Spartan Locke and most of his crew look like cheesy rip offs of an anime. The story is garbage and Cortana goes evil. Didn't see that coming and then they have to rescue the chief and this is just nonsense. No explanation of Chiefs team. Just a ridiculous rivalry with a fight scene that sounds like nerds slapping it out in motorcycle helmets and gear. Story way to short and a grind unlike other Halos. The enemies seem bloated and for some reason the weapons are all low on ammo without famine being on. I don't know how you could make a game like Halo 4 which was amazing and then produce this. I mean you guys said you were going to make up for the Master Chief collection and we don't even get to play the Chief.... He becomes the Arbiter from Halo 2. If Spartan Locke was in Halo 1 I would love playing as Spartan Locke, But I started playing as the Master Chief and that is what I would like to keep doing until this is concluded. Botched it again!… Expand
  17. 9breaker
    Dec 1, 2015
    5
    343 set out to create a Star Wars saga, but ended up with something more akin to a Twilight Fan fic. They tried to pander to every possible audience, and it ended up as a jumbled mess. On the story front, you play mainly as Agent Locke. The guy is more of a Mary Sue than the Chief was. Seriously, a Spartan IV going toe to toe with a Spartan II? And then he ends up SAVING the chief at the343 set out to create a Star Wars saga, but ended up with something more akin to a Twilight Fan fic. They tried to pander to every possible audience, and it ended up as a jumbled mess. On the story front, you play mainly as Agent Locke. The guy is more of a Mary Sue than the Chief was. Seriously, a Spartan IV going toe to toe with a Spartan II? And then he ends up SAVING the chief at the end, while he was held hostage.

    As far as game performance goes, you can tell they listened to the vocal minority that is the "competitive' halo players. The game play is tight and you can tell the put a lot of effort into perfecting the multiplayer aspect of it.

    I wish 343 had split this into two games. A top notch multiplayer FPS and a half baked story aimed at tweens. That way we could all just skip the campaign and play the multiplayer. But as it is, we are stuck with a product that has solid game play and serious potential as a multiplayer game, that is dragged down but a poorly executed campaign and a cringe worthy storyline.    … Expand
  18. Joe614
    Dec 1, 2015
    9
    Let me begin saying, I am a huge Halo fan. I have been playing Halo since Halo Combat Evolved. The series keeps winning me over. Halo 5 is an excellent game. The story was fun but the multiplayer is amazing! If you are a multiplayer driven individual this is the game for you!
  19. xXxELITE-PROxXx
    Dec 1, 2015
    0
    I played this game hoping i would see a campaign lasting for days. I finished the game in 20 minutes. Maybe it is because i am the most elite player ever, but maybe the game is just a little bit short.
  20. shawnnorris
    Dec 1, 2015
    8
    Technically, this game is very impressive as I never have encountered any frame rate drops. It stays locked at a rock solid 60 fps the whole time. The single player campaign isnt as long as I would've liked but it told a good story, and the twist at the end was great. Multiplayer is amazing in this installment, with warzone being my new favorite.
  21. Gruntygrunt
    Nov 30, 2015
    8
    I cannot explain how horrendous this game is I finished the Story in 4 hours 4 HOURS no split screen makes it even worse! I bought an Xbox one ONLY for this game and they give me this crap? The multiplayer is fun at times. this is not the "Best Halo" its just a rushed out game. Thanks for ruining Halo, 343.
  22. TheArcaneZealot
    Nov 29, 2015
    9
    Campaign is bad, not only over hyped but completely different from what the trailers promote it as.

    Multilayer is really good, well balanced, equal starts Spartan abilities fit perfectly. When forge and more casual game modes arrive it's probably going to become the best FPS multiplayer of the year
  23. HaremJesus
    Nov 29, 2015
    7
    Halo 5 was just dissapointing.
    The game has fantastic graphics. That's a given. The gameplay is pretty solid and the pack opening reminds me a ton of CS:GO. However, this won't be able to hold your attention for long. The story is relatively boring and almost non-existent. But at least you have missions you can play with your friends online. ONLY ONLINE. Here's where my biggest    Halo 5 was just dissapointing.
    The game has fantastic graphics. That's a given. The gameplay is pretty solid and the pack opening reminds me a ton of CS:GO. However, this won't be able to hold your attention for long. The story is relatively boring and almost non-existent. But at least you have missions you can play with your friends online. ONLY ONLINE. Here's where my biggest disspointment stems. No local couch multiplayer. No forge mode either. The two best things about Halo 3 and Reach are gone. It's so sad to see these features removed. Just play Reach or Halo 3 if you want to play with your friends without playing online. Overall, the game is a bit over average and if Halo 6 evers shows up, let's hope these features return.    … Expand
  24. PunisherLH
    Nov 25, 2015
    4
    Jumped into the game after waiting years for it to install.

    Started with the Campaign, like every Halo Player should. I start the Campaign as someone that isn't Master Chief? A bit different to start with. The gameplay during this mission was horrific and I didn't engage with the story. Tried to continue but the Campaign bored me to tears. The Multiplayer Arena was alright I guess,    Jumped into the game after waiting years for it to install.

    Started with the Campaign, like every Halo Player should. I start the Campaign as someone that isn't Master Chief? A bit different to start with. The gameplay during this mission was horrific and I didn't engage with the story. Tried to continue but the Campaign bored me to tears.

    The Multiplayer Arena was alright I guess, but anybody that's looking for Halo from 10 years ago, it's drastically changed. This isn't a nostalgia act anymore. If you hated Halo 4, you'll hate this one.

    Warzone was pretty good. 1 Game mode doesn't keep a game fun for long though.

    No Forge? Oh dear.    … Expand
  25. bcarrell
    Nov 24, 2015
    10
    Campaign: Halo 5 impresses with absolutely beautiful graphics. All of the environments, movements, and textures are beautiful. By far the smoothest game that I've ever played.

    Pros: Stunning Graphics Fairly long campaign Difficult and more satisfying (Legendary) Extremely smooth movements Con: Master Chief? Multiplayer: It was rather disappointing that 343 got rid of    Campaign: Halo 5 impresses with absolutely beautiful graphics. All of the environments, movements, and textures are beautiful. By far the smoothest game that I've ever played.

    Pros:
    Stunning Graphics
    Fairly long campaign
    Difficult and more satisfying (Legendary)
    Extremely smooth movements

    Con:
    Master Chief?

    Multiplayer: It was rather disappointing that 343 got rid of split-screen coop. Some of the best memories from any Halo game was playing with some buddies on the same TV. Other than that, Halo 5 shows off with maybe the strongest multiplayer since Halo: Reach. Still have traditional game types such as: Team Slayer, Big Team Battle, SWAT, etc. 343 also just launched Warzone, with is the strongest and more popular section of the multiplayer.

    Pros:
    Warzone
    Traditional game types
    Extremely smooth
    Little to no frame rate dips
    Very competitive (also a con)
    Every weapon is useful

    Cons:
    No split-screen
    Very competitive (also a pro)

    Breakdown:

    Campaign: +2/2 (For what the campaign was, it was nearly flawless)
    Graphics: +2/2 (60fps. Absolutely beautiful)
    Matchmaking: +2/2 (Best since Halo: Reach)
    Replay ability: +2/2 (The campaign, matchmaking, collectibles will have you busy for a long time)
    Mechanics: +2/2 (The game functions flawlessly, all player movements are incredibly smooth)

    Total: +10/10 (Halo 5 isn't "perfect" but for what the game is and what it offers it's an incredible game)    … Expand
  26. ShinedHelmut
    Nov 24, 2015
    7
    Pretty solid game in the Halo series. It looks and feels great all around, my only reason for not giving the game a higher score is the sad fact that they took away split screen multi-player. It's a sad day indeed when you can't game with your friends unless they bring their own tv and XBONE. At least there will be no more rage and lost friendships over screen peakers?? Awwww 343 caresPretty solid game in the Halo series. It looks and feels great all around, my only reason for not giving the game a higher score is the sad fact that they took away split screen multi-player. It's a sad day indeed when you can't game with your friends unless they bring their own tv and XBONE. At least there will be no more rage and lost friendships over screen peakers?? Awwww 343 cares about it's loyal fans, FALSE.… Expand
  27. Chema1983
    Nov 24, 2015
    10
    BEST FPS EVER!!!

    JUEGAZO.

    Control super suave, una delicia para el jugador, gráficos de la ostia. Sin duda GOTY 2015.

    HERE, THE PEOPLE RATES THE GAME WITHOUT HAVING PLAYED.

    #4THEHATERS
  28. Noble_5
    Nov 23, 2015
    5
    Unfortunately the way that the story is told, make the story truly uninteresting and fails to help you connect with any of the characters or the events that are unfolding. This is truly disappointing considering Halo's past successes in immersing you in incredible events and circumstances. The cut scenes are beautiful but rather short. Halo 5 did not live up to my expectations of what IUnfortunately the way that the story is told, make the story truly uninteresting and fails to help you connect with any of the characters or the events that are unfolding. This is truly disappointing considering Halo's past successes in immersing you in incredible events and circumstances. The cut scenes are beautiful but rather short. Halo 5 did not live up to my expectations of what I thought Halo was capable of being on Xbox's next gen hardware. Halo 5 should have been the definition of what an Xbox One exclusive should be, too bad for most of us that it is not!… Expand
  29. Ripper89
    Nov 23, 2015
    9
    Halo 5 is a highly replayable game that has an amazing multiplayer and an okay story.

    The story is too quick, and not gripping until the last missions, and it honestly felt rushed. Some missions are so short and if i remember correctly, there was even a mission where the player walked to a point, experienced a cut scene and that was it. Not to mention, only 2-3 missions involve blue    Halo 5 is a highly replayable game that has an amazing multiplayer and an okay story.

    The story is too quick, and not gripping until the last missions, and it honestly felt rushed. Some missions are so short and if i remember correctly, there was even a mission where the player walked to a point, experienced a cut scene and that was it. Not to mention, only 2-3 missions involve blue team, and their 'close bonds' aren't necessarily seen at all. It seemed more like endless 'we believe in you Chief' type of stuff, like that 10 year old cousin who follows everything you do and say. It is enjoyable, but some missions do feel repetitive. It does tutor you with the new moves and having other team mates around you can be helpful and a bit of fun. The look, feel and framerate are as good as any other AAA titles to this day, if not better. Everything looks stunning and soundtracks are nods to older titles.

    The multiplayer is COMPLETE PERFECTION. It is smooth, the game modes are good but lacking and this is where 343i clearly put their effort in. Not to mention free DLC will be added for a long period past launch. The requisition system is satisfying, however often feels like it is done just to make money as they can be purchased with real money, not in game currency. However, all money made is being added to the 1 million dollar prize pool for the Halo Championships in early 2016. Warzone is fun and the new mode called breakout is a sick mode that keeps my heart racing.

    The interface of the whole game is great, it is easy to find what you are looking for and takes only 5 minutes to have it down-packed. Overall, it is definitely worth buying. :)    … Expand
  30. Nanotyrano
    Nov 22, 2015
    6
    This is the worst Halo, in my opinion.
    For one, the multiplayer does not fell like a halo game. The HP on Spartans is ridiculously low, and basically, whoever has the bigger gun wins. In the biggest attraction, Warzone, weapons and vehicles don't spawn on map. You have to get territories and kills to get anything other than loadouts. Doing anything by yourself, without people behind you,    This is the worst Halo, in my opinion.
    For one, the multiplayer does not fell like a halo game. The HP on Spartans is ridiculously low, and basically, whoever has the bigger gun wins. In the biggest attraction, Warzone, weapons and vehicles don't spawn on map. You have to get territories and kills to get anything other than loadouts. Doing anything by yourself, without people behind you, in unsuccessful. It doesn't feel like Halo, it is not skill based anymore. Too much aim assist and easy-to-use weapons.
    Campaign is just a bunch of levels, tied together by a unfulfilling, cliché, and weird story. If someone played Halos 1-3, than played this, they wouldn't bee able too tell they are from the same game series.    … 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

All reviews »
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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