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. Lycria
    Nov 3, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Coming from the Master Chief Collection, this is another disappointing games from 343. On legendary if you have played the previous Halos, the game will take between 6-8 hours depending if you play solo or coop. The single player campaign seemed to be designed around coop only, as your teammates seem pretty useless. If you use the team commands and focus targets it does resolve some of the issues, but if you get downed you will frequently find yourself with one of your teammates standing next to you or stuck on a wall refusing to revive you. They don't seem to know how to use cover at all, as when you assign a target they will run right into the heat of battle and die pretty quickly on legendary. It just feels tacked on as it was worked on by the people who did Republic Commando.

    Another issue is the boss fights, or fight I should say. One of the bosses - one of 2, is recycled about 3 or 4 times, the last being a difficult encounter due to the fact that there are multiple copies of him and he has 3 abilities that will kill you in 1 hit. He has a single weak point, overly aware of where you are at and will always target you over that of your AI teammates whenever possible. This makes for a very frustrating fight, and not in the Dark Souls kind of way. It just feels cheap and is a pretty big difficultly curve.

    Overall the story is lackluster and left me not caring. You will spend most of your time playing as Locke and Osiris Team, rather then the games staple hero Chief and Blue Team, though with Blue Team having no backstory or as far as it seems interesting characters outside from Chief you wont care much. I've been told they have a great backstory in the extended canon, but extended canon should addon to the story, not be where the story is located. This makes it hard to care about Blue Team, which you only play for 3 of the 15 missions anyways.

    Overall the story and single player experience is a 4/10 for me.

    As far as the multiplayer experience goes, the game basically has 2 modes - Arena and Warzone.
    Arena is the closest thing you'll get to class halo, though its been "Call of Dutyfied" with sprinting, aiming down the sites and able to grab ledges. It makes the game faster paced then any of the previous Halos, seeing a lot of people running and gunning. Now it inst as bad as call of duty, and the smaller teams of 4 do make it feel more like a Halo then a Call of Duty game where everyone is playing on their own, but the maps do not seem to accommodate the change in game play making it feel a bit cramped. The gunplay all feels really good, except the aim down the sights for me, at least, feels like a tacked on feature kinda like Destiny where I like how Halo was original and didn't have that up until now, but its a minor complaint that some will absolutely like.
    Warzone is the new game mode for Halo 5 where it is PVPVE. It feels a lot like Titanfall for those who played it with a 3rd component, the Covenant that you will face for points. It is 12v12 with friendly AI "grunts" that are kinda like fodder, which helps to fill up the massive map. There will be random boss spawns that can be killed for points along with capturing points and getting normal player kills. The game mode is fun, but also comes with the new requisition system where you will need to buy packs with in game credits or real money to buy packs with will give XP boosts, vehicles, power weapons, weapon skins and armor pieces. Now this does not unbalance the game, but it feels like a cheap gambling simulator once again like Destiny where armor and weapon skins are no longer earned by doing achievements in single player and multiplayer, but just by luck. The time it will take is between 600-800 hours or about 1000 USD if you want to unlock everything, and once again this is not based on leveling up, or any type of skill or achievements, its only done via luck on what you get in each pack.
    The multiplayer experience is a 7/10 for me, being a bit faster paced and some of the weapons like the AR being made a bit more useful will be a godsend to newer players that cannot use the BR or DMR. The game will feel more newer player friendly then the previous Halos, but if you're a fan of Halo 2 or 3, this will most likely not be the game for you, i'd say stick with the Master Chief Collection.    … Expand
  2. Phangled5
    Oct 28, 2015
    6
    Don't be fooled by either trolls giving a zero or blind fanboys giving a 10. In my opinion this game is good, but good is about it.

    Gameplay is excellent and my favourite part. Physics and shooting mechanics are spot on. I like how they have continued to modernise the game. The sound and music is also great and epic. Story is OK but not as good as past halo games. After so much    Don't be fooled by either trolls giving a zero or blind fanboys giving a 10. In my opinion this game is good, but good is about it.

    Gameplay is excellent and my favourite part. Physics and shooting mechanics are spot on. I like how they have continued to modernise the game. The sound and music is also great and epic.

    Story is OK but not as good as past halo games. After so much hype I don't understand why they couldn't write a decent plot. Also the 15 hour campaign thing was a lie. It takes around 7 hours to beat on heroic.
    Personally I have no problem controlling Locke. it is fps so who cares, most of the time you are looking at a UI and a gun.

    Graphics are truly terrible. The gameplay is smooth, but it honestly looks like a 360 game. This isn't opinion, it is fact. Anyone who tells you different is lying to you. I have decent vision and a good tv and the graphics are horrible. And yeah I know that graphics are not everything, but you would expect more from xbox one exclusive flagship title.

    Multiplayer I personally don't care that much for, but warzone is fun. However I predict that it won't last very long. Titanfall was also good multiplayer but look what happened there. I'm sure that people will enjoy the multiplayer.

    So there you have it. It's a good game, maybe wait till it goes down in price.    … Expand
  3. EpicRetroNerd
    Nov 16, 2015
    6
    Halo 5 was one of my most anticipated games of the year. The marketing was great and as a long time Halo 5 I was really looking forward to what 343 will produce. And it is here and it was kind of a let down. Now don't get me wrong the game is great but it is missing so much. Where is big team battle and infection? Griffball and the other really fun game modes? They said forge will beHalo 5 was one of my most anticipated games of the year. The marketing was great and as a long time Halo 5 I was really looking forward to what 343 will produce. And it is here and it was kind of a let down. Now don't get me wrong the game is great but it is missing so much. Where is big team battle and infection? Griffball and the other really fun game modes? They said forge will be released in December because they want to put time into it. Why don't you release the game with everything in the package and not leave one of the most used modes in Halo history. The campaign is a let down as well. The story is mediocre and the only thing keeping me interested was the really well done cutscenes and some of the great moments that occasionally happen during the story. And the marketing did not show what the story actually is, it showed a exaggerated version of what the actual story is. The multiplayer in general is good. Breakout is a great addition to the classic Halo game modes and all of the normal Halo game modes are there apart from big team battle. Which has been replaced by Warzone, which for me alright. There are now AI on the battlefield and you have to capture bases and then destroy the enemy core. Now this is all well and good until you find out how to get weapons and vehicles. You have to open packs. And there are micro transactions now. Great one 343. And to get armor you have to get them from packs. No unlocks or anything. No rank system either. But there are some great editions to the gameplay of Halo 5. You can now stop in the air when you aim so it is easier to get enemies. And you can now aim down your sights. Overall Halo 5 is a fun game that has flaws and needs to improve. When they add forge and big team battle which they are apparently adding, then the game will get a higher score. And add infection and griffball while your at it. It's not what I was expecting but I still enjoyed it and there is room for improvement. 7.5/10… Expand
  4. 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 !
  5. badgerryan19
    Jun 19, 2017
    6
    A disappointing to a beloved franchise. Halo really needs to step back and re evaluate itself. Take a hard look at itself in the mirror. It seems now they are just rehashing same stuff over and over. Still really good gunplay and multiplayer.
  6. vgmkyle
    Oct 28, 2015
    6
    I know some still love the series, but I find each new installment more boring than the last. The Halo 5 campaign is the worst yet. It's one of the most linear games I've played, and with no split-screen offering I can forget popcorn and dew with my homie on the couch next to me. The new multiplayer experience is okay... War Zone is by far the best element of this game. Even with thatI know some still love the series, but I find each new installment more boring than the last. The Halo 5 campaign is the worst yet. It's one of the most linear games I've played, and with no split-screen offering I can forget popcorn and dew with my homie on the couch next to me. The new multiplayer experience is okay... War Zone is by far the best element of this game. Even with that said, there are actually way better games to choose from on the Xbox… Expand
  7. 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
  8. Totto
    Nov 16, 2015
    6
    343 can't do exciting singleplayer. I like the graphics. I like the soundtrack (better than halo 4). multiplayer seems like a mess between trying to please the hardcore as well as the noobs. i dont like the open maps, the fast movement, the bouncy grenades. Plays like you trade a kill for a kill, really hard to get more than that unless you are lucky. aiming is hard, and the aim343 can't do exciting singleplayer. I like the graphics. I like the soundtrack (better than halo 4). multiplayer seems like a mess between trying to please the hardcore as well as the noobs. i dont like the open maps, the fast movement, the bouncy grenades. Plays like you trade a kill for a kill, really hard to get more than that unless you are lucky. aiming is hard, and the aim acceleration isnt very comfortable in use. the beatdown animation is too slow. the dodge beatdown is really stupid, its like people just boost through the map with a mix of lag and speed.
    i like dodge feature. edge grab is ok. the aim down sight slowdown when jumping is also stupid. i never jump and aim anymore. power weapons are also now boring to use in mp.

    doesnt feel like halo anymore. but that doesnt bother me very much even though i played them all since they came out (single player and online)

    needs playlist without sprint and jump aim down sight slowdown.    … Expand
  9. Andre_Antunes
    Oct 28, 2015
    6
    Worst campaign in the series, poor resolution and texture quality (Sub 1080p). No Split Screen...Good Multiplayer and performance (60Fps all the time).
  10. Doktor_Vehicl3
    Oct 29, 2015
    6
    Halo 5 is all in a polarizing experience. One the one hand you have a finely enhanced formula that allows for spectacular feats of gameplay, and on the other hand you have a by-the-numbers single player experience and a multiplayer component that takes a step back for every step forward. While Halo 5 continues where Halo 4 left off and expands on it in a number of ways, the final productHalo 5 is all in a polarizing experience. One the one hand you have a finely enhanced formula that allows for spectacular feats of gameplay, and on the other hand you have a by-the-numbers single player experience and a multiplayer component that takes a step back for every step forward. While Halo 5 continues where Halo 4 left off and expands on it in a number of ways, the final product never escapes a level of being simply passable, failing to transcend itself to greatness.

    The single player begins by cruelly cauterizing the open plot threads left by Halo 4's single player and Spartan Ops modes. The state of the Covenant leadership, the situation with Halsey and ONI, Cortana's death, Master Chief's newfound augmentations from the Librarian - all of these elements see an abrupt halt to their existence with one exception that I won't spoil, which has been re-purposed here. It should be noted that the marketing campaign for the single player, hinting towards conspiracy, political intrigue, and confrontation between the game's two pivotal characters Locke and the Master Chief, sees the most minimal development and feels the most shoehorned-in aspect of the single player. The plot is largely forgettable, and squanders the potential the rich Halo universe could have provided here. In place of mystery, intrigue, and the nature of an evolving humankind is a predictable, by the numbers affair filled with one dimensional characters, banal dialogue, and a villain so disappointingly superficial and evil as to evoke the Sith characters from George Lucas' Star Wars prequels. While the game manages to pack in quite a bit of lore from Halo materials far and wide, the result is rather soulless as 343 is in pandering mode almost the whole way through.

    It is surprising, then, that the Master Chief and Blue Team see the least development. Rather than assigning compelling personalities to the most decorated and fearsome soldiers humanity has ever seen, Blue Team simply exists to uphold the co-operative mechanics (for providing real friends different bodies) in place, while Locke's team sees the most screen time and dialogue, with just as little personality. Fred in particular exists almost as a ghost - this Spartan, who is in his skill set the most similar to Chief, doesn't have a moment in my memory where I even remember him speaking.

    Where the story may not be able to keep your interests, the gameplay will probably suffice. Halo 5 makes some fairly well implemented changes to the formula, which results in a more mobile brand of Halo's kinetic action. Level design in the single player works best in the game's "corridor" sequences, which put players at the top of a sloped, wide corridor filled with platforms and corridors of varying elevations, goodies to pilfer, and collectibles to unlock. The artificial intelligence across the board seems to have been simplified, probably to create for a more freely flowing experience whose pace is dictated by the player themselves. While the addition of collectibles into the missions is a nice touch, the developers could have used some restraint to avoid crippling the pacing of the game more than the mission structure does so already.

    Of the fifteen missions in the single player, there are a number of fairly short intermission sequences that allow the player to explore a small environment and get their healthy dose of exposition and worldbuilding. The unfortunate result is a product that is no more effective than the environmental storytelling and ambient worldbuilding found in the preceding Halo titles. I feel that 343 wanted so badly to cement its universe by packing it so densely with lore that it overused this liberty and vacated any sense of mystery or intrigue in its world. While there is some cool lore to chew on from time to time, these sections could have been foregone in favor of a better traditional experience. Instead, the single player never feels like it leaves its first act, simply dumping the player off of a cliff the moment their intrigue is sparked.

    The multiplayer component is similarly hit or miss. While the new 12v12 Warzone mode can provide some tense moments and exciting action, the scoring system in the AI infused mode is easily exploitable, and the lack of variety in maps sorely hurts the experience. In regular modes, social playlists are lacking entirely, leaving a roster of small team competitive modes and a currently broken free-for-all mode. The map designs in Arena are fitting of the mode's name, but feature visually bland designs and not many of them. While 343 plans to add free DLC content, the custom map editor forge is missing from launch, and a number of the total maps promised for Halo 5 will be created using said tool. I believe maps generated in forge are no substitute for in-house content - whether the content is free is no excuse.

    In the end, Halo 5 plays it safe and expects its fans to wait patiently for things to improve. I feel many won't.    … Expand
  11. JustSayNo
    Nov 1, 2015
    6
    TL:DR
    -Short Campaign
    -Hardly play as Chief -Weird multiplayer (for Halo) -Micro Transaction RNG -$99.99+tax for 3 packs of said DLC and Red+White Assault Rifle!? Did you think this was a game about Locke rescuing Chief's sorry ass? If so I can only assume you work for 343 because that is not at all what the trailers or game play or interviews ever hinted at. First of all the main    TL:DR
    -Short Campaign
    -Hardly play as Chief
    -Weird multiplayer (for Halo)
    -Micro Transaction RNG
    -$99.99+tax for 3 packs of said DLC and Red+White Assault Rifle!?

    Did you think this was a game about Locke rescuing Chief's sorry ass? If so I can only assume you work for 343 because that is not at all what the trailers or game play or interviews ever hinted at. First of all the main campaign is abysmally short. I hear all the time that people say "it has to be played on heroic or legendary" that heroic is "the way 343 intended", but even then me (a person who works 9-6 p.m.) was able to beat it on launch day before even midnight on heroic? I call shenanigans.

    The game play is fine I suppose but there are a few things that irked me a little more than they should have. If you've ever played Destiny in pvp I'm sure you are well aware of the titan shoulder charge ability (the one where a titan runs for a bit and gets 1-hit k0's with 0 effort?) Some way or another 343 looked at that and said "LET'S GIVE EVERYONE THAT!" And then there's the levitating while aiming nonsense, which just feels very out of place but can be used to also smash into the ground allowing for another 1 hit ko, albeit harder to pull off so it isn't as widely used.

    For me this game also just didn't feel like Halo, many people praise this game for being fast and fluid I found it to be awkward and clunky more often than not, almost as if they wanted a fast breakneck halo game but didn't want to completely alienate long term halo players. Oh another personal bias here but for a game that I spent $99.99+tax for I feel extremely ripped off. All of my bonus purchases equated to a red and white gun and some micro transaction DLC?    … Expand
  12. Alex283zs
    Nov 2, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 5: Guardians representa la evolución más grande y más arriesgada que 343 industries pudo haber tomado, riesgos que Bungie no se hubiera atrevido a tomar, lo cual se agradece. Sin embargo, fueron sus mismos verdugos al prometer una campaña espectacular, la más ambiciosa hasta el momento y la más oscura de la saga. Desde los tráiler y la campaña publicitaria de Hunt the truth, Halo 5 nos presentaba un panorama completamente terrible para cualquier fan de la historia del Jefe Maestro, presentándonos al nuevo personaje, el Spartan Jameson Locke, el encargado de cazar y matar al Jefe Maestro. Y como fan de Halo, esta campaña es la más espectacular y a la vez, más decepcionante de toda la saga.

    Campaña (Sin spoilers)
    La campaña es dirigida para los fans de Halo, quien no este relacionado con los libros, el comic de escalation y demás, puede perderse en el transcurso de la trama, sin embargo, la historia se desarrolla muy rápida, durante mi paso por las 15 misiones de la historia, que no solo fueron decepcionantes en cuanto a lo prometido, si no que aun en la dificultad Heroica se sienten muy cortas. En cuanto a la dificultad legendaria, esta a la altura del mismo Halo 2. ¿Recuerdan el tráiler anunciando la muerte del jefe? ¿Las 2 verdades, tanto del jefe como de Locke? Nada de esto pasa en la campaña. La rivalidad que se nos fue prometida no solo no cumple, si no que ni siquiera existe en el juego. Y, para terminar de darle el golpe final a un fan de Halo, el legendario Blue Team solo participa en un 20% de la campaña, sin embargo, tienen las misiones más complicadas de no solo el juego, posiblemente de toda la saga.
    El equipo que te acompaña durante las misiones esta bien balanceado, no hacen todo el trabajo por ti, pero tampoco están de adorno, la opción de darles ordenes tanto para atacar como para ir a un lugar especifico hace el juego un tanto más táctico, sin embargo, la IA de estos puede llegar a ser frustrante.
    Los escenarios son enormes, con muchas zonas para explorar y mucho para investigar.

    Se podría decir que la misma publicidad del juego fue el principal problema. Al final resulto ser un fraude. sin embargo, es una campaña que, como fan, disfrute de principio a fin.

    Multijugador.
    El multijugador recoge todo lo bueno de los anteriores juegos de Halo, lo justo para hacer que un veterano se sienta a gusto en las nuevas mecánicas. Adictivo y a la vez muy competitivo.
    Las nuevas habilidades ofrecen mejores formas para enfrentar a los enemigos, estas también ayudan a balancear el juego. A pesar de que el juego tiene pocos días de vida, el contenido que se ira adicionando sin duda lo hará mejor.

    Warzone.

    Warzone es sin duda la carta más fuerte del juego, el modo de juego más adictivo. Las luchas de 12vs12 y los enemigos de la IA lo hace un juego frenético y lleno de acción en cada esquina de los ya enormes mapas. Los cientos de objetos para desboquear, las cientos de variantes de armas y el balanceo del competitivo hacen que este juego pueda estar presente por muchos años. Sera una tarea casi imposible desbloquear todo lo que ofrece Warzone.

    En definitiva Halo 5: Guardians es un buen juego, pudo ser mejor, su pecado fue apuntar muy alto, ofrecer lo que no tenia y entregarnos una historia que no le llega ni a los talones a lo que se especulo con cada tráiler antes de su salida. Sin embargo, el futuro de la saga luce prometedor. El final del juego nos hace ver que la verdadera trama oscura puede venir en Halo 6.
    Como fan de Halo, es un juego que debes tener, a pesar de la decepción, sin duda pasaras un buen rato. Aunque si lo que esperabas era la lucha entre Locke y John, lo mejor será que revivas una y otra ves los trailers, acostarte e intentar no llorar... Y llorar.

    Halo 5: Guardians, como fan, se merece un 8 en general. Juzgando solo la campaña, sin duda seria un 7.    … Expand
  13. Guin2514
    Nov 2, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok so lets start with the pros of this game:
    The game play is smooth the 60fps really does pay off

    The gun play is nice and smooth

    The traditional fps controls make this game nicer to play for new players

    The story is well written and told even though the ending is controversial

    The multiplayer is more fun than campaign

    Cons:
    The campaign is in my opinion the shortest of all the halo's so far

    There is no split screen co-op mode !!!!! This is what halo is known for you can always have fun with your friends in split screen co-op so they should of kept it

    Forge mode is currently not present and should of been from the start again its another core piece of halo

    There is only 15 missions 3 of which is go talk to some Npc for an achievement which is pretty weak

    You play as Locke for a majority of the game the Master chief is pretty much non existant this game was advertised as Master Chiefs story with some amazing trailers and non of it really happens apart from a punch up between Locke and Master Chief that isn't really exciting

    The AI are not the best they can be pretty dumb at times

    Last but not least Micro transactions are in the game i am not a fan of them full stop in any game

    As a long life halo player and fan i must say this game let me down a whole bunch and its sad to say that after all the success halo had with bungie in the original trilogy    … Expand
  14. ShakyWanderer1
    Nov 3, 2015
    6
    As a Halo fan this game is really disappointing both the campaign and multiplayer. Similar to Halo 4 this campaign itself is decent in terms of game play but the actual story that is there is very boring compared to Halo 4 which is due to the main character being Locke. The multiplayer on this game isn't very good compared to past Halos due to it being very unbalanced with so many littleAs a Halo fan this game is really disappointing both the campaign and multiplayer. Similar to Halo 4 this campaign itself is decent in terms of game play but the actual story that is there is very boring compared to Halo 4 which is due to the main character being Locke. The multiplayer on this game isn't very good compared to past Halos due to it being very unbalanced with so many little things constantly bugging me when I play and if you play in the higher skill ranks (diamond and platinum) some people use some of the cheapest tactics on a Halo game. People just constantly spam grenades which are massively overpowered with a huge blast radius and high damage, the maps are very bad compared to past Halo games with teams just camping in one room during entire matches in slayer, you can't recharge shields during sprint which wouldn't be so bad if you didn't in like a second when people use precision weapons, you zoom out every time you get shot so if the enemy is far away you almost always lose the battle and it's essentially like call of duty first shot wins almost all the time rather than skill based like previous Halos and whilst this zoom out when shot feature has been in previous halos it was bad then too but now it's made worse by the fact that precision weapons kill you in 4 shots to the head. The only good game mode appears to be capture the flag considering it's mode people camp the least on.… Expand
  15. 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
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. K0ntr0LFreakK
    Nov 12, 2015
    6
    All in all i liked the game, as a game it is very enjoyable and all Halo games have been a bit tedious especially in the campaign but still great. The problem I have with the game is a lot of the Halo element was removed, nothing remains stagnant forever but I just do not find a lot of that Halo feeling in the game. Game play is far from the Classic Halo we were promised through the BETAAll in all i liked the game, as a game it is very enjoyable and all Halo games have been a bit tedious especially in the campaign but still great. The problem I have with the game is a lot of the Halo element was removed, nothing remains stagnant forever but I just do not find a lot of that Halo feeling in the game. Game play is far from the Classic Halo we were promised through the BETA (still great but an epic failure promising classic style game play) and it seems 343 went out of their way to change things that really did not need to be and then failed to acknowledge what their fans asked for in a years time since the BETA. For example sounds of the weapons and vehicles (hang whoever changed the warthog engine sound) which are in a sense minuscule but then we have the herculean mistake of adding ADS (aim down sights). Adding ADS is probably the worst decision made in the game. ADS simply does not belong in Halo, especially the atrocious, half-executed, flinch friendly version the game is currently sporting. ADS is useless for 80% of the weapons in the game, and on the weapons you think you found a use for it on you're much better off firing in traditional Halo Style anyway since you'll flinch and none of the maps are really big enough to need it. The ADS system in this game is at best a broken excuse for the scoping mechanism in the past games. So all in all a great game, but for a die hard Halo fan you will find plenty of disappointment, some of it you will get over and some of it you will accept as a the Halo universe being destroyed and assimilated into another dime a dozen COD, Titanfall, and Battlefield shooter designed to exploit a previously flawlessly executed series that is now nothing more than a cash cow.

    As a game 8/10 as a Halo Installment 4/10.    … Expand
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. ChaseInY0Face
    May 27, 2016
    6
    Disappointing, 343 hasn't lived up to Bungie at all. I bought this game thinking it would occupy a lot of my free time like Halo 3 or Reach, and I was optimistic after Halo 4 even though it wasn't as good. Then they release this mediocre game that has no real point of existing. The campaign is the worst Halo campaign I've ever played, the multiplayer while good, doesn't have the addictingDisappointing, 343 hasn't lived up to Bungie at all. I bought this game thinking it would occupy a lot of my free time like Halo 3 or Reach, and I was optimistic after Halo 4 even though it wasn't as good. Then they release this mediocre game that has no real point of existing. The campaign is the worst Halo campaign I've ever played, the multiplayer while good, doesn't have the addicting feel of 3. I bought int the hype of this game only to be massively disappointed.… Expand
  22. NexusTsunami
    Jan 22, 2017
    6
    Na... was soll ich sagen... habe ich damals noch Halo 3 und Halo: Reach gesuchtet... inklusive eigenem Clan und Semi-Pro Einstellung... So langweilig und repetiv finde ich es mittlerweile Halo zu spielen. Wobei nicht nur Halo diesen Aspekt trifft. Ich habe vermutlich im Laufe der Jahre mein Lust auf kompetitive Spiele verloren.

    Früher noch mit Call Out´s und Beschimpfungen um sich    Na... was soll ich sagen... habe ich damals noch Halo 3 und Halo: Reach gesuchtet... inklusive eigenem Clan und Semi-Pro Einstellung... So langweilig und repetiv finde ich es mittlerweile Halo zu spielen. Wobei nicht nur Halo diesen Aspekt trifft. Ich habe vermutlich im Laufe der Jahre mein Lust auf kompetitive Spiele verloren.

    Früher noch mit Call Out´s und Beschimpfungen um sich geworfen und auf der K/D aus - so ist es einfach nich mehr mein Fall. Und statt mir Halo 5 sozusagen einen Auftrieb verschaffen würde, so hält es mich eher davon ab zurückzukehren. Kein Splitscreen?! Nööö.... Danke. Meine Freundin (damaliges Clanmitglied :-)... ich Schlimmer) kotzt... und ich auch.

    Sayonara Halo und Co. Ich bleibe bei meiner neuen Leidenschaft der RPG/JRPG´s... Danke aber für die tolle Zeit.    … Expand
  23. shipoopy
    Jul 21, 2020
    6
    Weak story. The whole thing being after master chief saved humanity half dozen times now he is being hunted as a fugitive and cant be trusted is stupid. I am sure half the people buy it for the campaign and it is just terrible.
  24. AKinkyMidgit
    Feb 25, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. TL;DR: Alright campaign but misleading, Fun multiplayer but lacks social playlists, Good forge mode but lacks a browsing system.

    The game is honestly an alright game by itself but the campaign was quite misleading, the commercials all talked about "Hunting for the truth" when in all actuality the truth is known almost immediately from the start. Chief pretty much tells them where he is going, they hyped it up as if the Chief was going to go rogue and that it was going to be us figuring out the truth as to his reasons, or something like that. It is explained pretty thoroughly where he is going and what he is doing. It felt kinda cheap to get hyped about something that honestly didn't play much of a role in the story line at all.

    I like that they tried to do what halo 2 did and introduce a secondary character to play as. I will admit that I can see why they're trying to at least tone down the Chief, as he has received criticism for being a bland emotionless character but that being said, the game pretty much revolves around him, shorting his play time down to 3 missions is a pretty bad way of introducing a second major character. To make matters worse the character they tried to replace him with is a bland emotionless character too! Humourless, emotionless, Locke was not a good choice at all. I would have preferred to play as Buck because at least he doesn't take himself so seriously.

    The campaign didn't even bother to introduce anything new, other than terrible squad based combat, which usually involved you going down and your squad attempting to go after you at the last second, or your squad going down and leaving you to fight by yourself anyway. The new character had little to no story and the enemies with the exception of maybe one or two, were the same as Halo 4's. I was hoping to see flood, or maybe something new, but instead the story revolves around this awkward love story between a man and his expired A.I.

    As for the multiplayer, well it's fast paced and exciting but tough to really love, seeing as there are a total of two social playlists, Big Team and a weekly rotation. I would like a living dead playlist again please, or more objective type playlists. Playlists like Griffball and such are no where to be found on the multiplayer, giving you the choice of trying to get a objective game on Big Team and most likely getting stuck with Slayer and on the same two maps over and over again, or trying out the weekly playlist til you grow bored of playing the same objective game type.

    With over 20 multiplayer matches, I have yet to even manage to find a game of Assault, Oddball, King of the Hill, or Infection. I am a bit disappointed by the lack of playlists. The maps seem fairly decent and are nice, I must admit.

    The forge mode is the most in-depth type of creation I have seen in a halo game. There is great potential for the forge mode but a lack of a file browser makes it difficult to appreciate.

    5/10. not great, not terrible    … Expand
  25. Elfblade
    Feb 16, 2016
    6
    Just finished this last night opn Heroic and can't help but feel disappointed despite being a long time fan of the franchise. Lack of split screen co-op aside (meaning it's the first Halo game I can't play co-op with my son), I wanted to play as the Chief more. I mean - that's what we were waiting for, right?

    This was a Spartan Locke game with a glorified cameo by the Master Chief,    Just finished this last night opn Heroic and can't help but feel disappointed despite being a long time fan of the franchise. Lack of split screen co-op aside (meaning it's the first Halo game I can't play co-op with my son), I wanted to play as the Chief more. I mean - that's what we were waiting for, right?

    This was a Spartan Locke game with a glorified cameo by the Master Chief, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing this felt more like a pumped up ODST than a Halo Reach. The story was sparse, lacked the emotional impact of Halo 4 and felt like a middle-act of a film.

    As for multiplayer online - I'm not a fan. If "run and gun" is your thing then Titanfall is infinitely more fun, to say nothing about more evolved multiplayer FPS's like COD and Battlefield.

    In conclusion - looks good, runs slick and I'm glad to have played it but it's the first in the franchise since ODST that I won't be replaying. More "hollow" than "Halo"    … Expand
  26. Blindpilot20
    Jan 23, 2017
    6
    This game is nothing but a micro transaction mess and a slap in the face to all fans of the Halo series. Do yourself a favor and never play this game.
  27. snypoarts
    Mar 14, 2016
    6
    I love Halo. I've always loved Halo. No split screen, a horrible campaign, and micro-transactions are not Halo. Yes, the multiplayer is incredible, but it doesn't excuse cutting features and half-assing Halo.
  28. kilo54
    Mar 28, 2016
    6
    The solid gameplay, multiplayer, art design, ideas and an excellent score is heavily weighed down by it's frustratingly short campaign and subpar story as well as subpar delivery.
  29. EmilyV
    Apr 12, 2016
    6
    This game was exactly as I expected. It obviously can't compare with the previous games but I think even with all the media hype everyone knew it was going to be very average. Unlike most people I actually enjoyed the campaign and the different approach 343 took. It was the multiplayer that was completely off its mark. Warzone was hyped to be this enormous success with its massive maps andThis game was exactly as I expected. It obviously can't compare with the previous games but I think even with all the media hype everyone knew it was going to be very average. Unlike most people I actually enjoyed the campaign and the different approach 343 took. It was the multiplayer that was completely off its mark. Warzone was hyped to be this enormous success with its massive maps and large player count but instead you get lost in the distant spawn points, and the misuse of the Req Pack System. The regular slayer and other game modes are okay but just okay. All the guns were changed for the worse. Every player is forced to use the same guns unless others are found on the map and even then you find yourself sticking with the pistol because most other guns seem overwhelmingly frustrating to get more than one kill with. The multiplayer overall for me was a 4.5/10 Campaign somewhere around 7.5/10. Worth buying if it drops to under $45.… Expand
  30. armsoffury
    May 2, 2016
    6
    It does not have local co-op which is one of the things that gave Halo such a good reputation. The multiplayer is good but it doesn't make up for the bad story line .The campaign feels to easy even on legendary for normal it took me 8 hours by myself to beat that took one day and to make it even worse the story sucked and every time i get down 80% of the time my team mates revive meIt does not have local co-op which is one of the things that gave Halo such a good reputation. The multiplayer is good but it doesn't make up for the bad story line .The campaign feels to easy even on legendary for normal it took me 8 hours by myself to beat that took one day and to make it even worse the story sucked and every time i get down 80% of the time my team mates revive me which makes the game to easy.… 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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