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. fallouts
    Oct 28, 2015
    0
    A very boring story campaign that feels too similar to Halo 4, although the gunplay is somewhat improved. The graphics are better but not by much, still looks like Halo 4.5. There are better FPS games out there. See my other reviews to find out about other good FPS games.
  2. ufc77
    Oct 28, 2015
    1
    A very boring story campaign that feels too similar to Halo 4, although the gunplay is somewhat improved. The graphics are better but not by much, still looks like Halo 4.5. There are better FPS games out there. See my other reviews to find out about other good FPS games.
  3. 3dYoumad
    Oct 27, 2015
    0
    Is Halo up to the Challenge?
    On the levels where most games operate, it is. Here we get two interweaving stories – or perhaps one story told from two perspectives – as the game shifts perspective back and forth between Blue Team, led by the Master Chief, and Team Osiris, led by the ex-ONI agent, now Spartan, Jameson Locke.
    Not everything works perfectly. There's an absolutely awful    Is Halo up to the Challenge?
    On the levels where most games operate, it is. Here we get two interweaving stories – or perhaps one story told from two perspectives – as the game shifts perspective back and forth between Blue Team, led by the Master Chief, and Team Osiris, led by the ex-ONI agent, now Spartan, Jameson Locke.

    Not everything works perfectly. There's an absolutely awful section in a mining colony where you can eavesdrop on characters that are supposed to tell you nothing from a distance of two-feet away; a sequence that's perhaps supposed to remind you of Locke's background in intelligence, but leaving you wishing 343 had exercised more of theirs. There are two other missions later on where you do almost nothing bar wander somewhere and speak to an important NPC.
    With less experience we're even less inclined to say much about Warzone, except that it's mix of large-scale Battlefield-style warfare and almost Destiny-like co-op skirmishes and boss-battles has a lot of promise, with the action escalating nicely as new weapons and vehicles become available through the requisition system. We'll cover both Arena and Warzone in more depth, and look at server and matchmaking stability, in an update after launch.

    The Verdict:

    Halo 5 make a promise to the future, in Competitive mode.    … Expand
  4. VideoGamePlayer
    Oct 28, 2015
    0
    Graphics are pretty bad for what’s supposed to be a showcase for the Xbox One. Multiplayer matchmaking is very weak because of the limited choice of game modes to choose from. Multiplayer maps are very uninspired! Guns are underpowered and extremely stale compared to other games. Movement system is also lagging behind the competition now because it’s too basic compared to what you see inGraphics are pretty bad for what’s supposed to be a showcase for the Xbox One. Multiplayer matchmaking is very weak because of the limited choice of game modes to choose from. Multiplayer maps are very uninspired! Guns are underpowered and extremely stale compared to other games. Movement system is also lagging behind the competition now because it’s too basic compared to what you see in other games. Single player campaign is not epic and this is Halo so it should be! Clearly this is not the next gen Halo we were all hoping for!!!… Expand
  5. Idlemind
    Jan 24, 2016
    6
    Focus is just not on the weapons. Pistol is hand downs the best weapon in the game and you start with it, reducing the value of most other weapons on the map. Anyone who argues differently need only turn up their speakers to hear the pistols going off non-stop.

    Short radar range is crippling. Thrusters are gimmicky. Clamber is annoying. Sprint speed builds up over several seconds,    Focus is just not on the weapons. Pistol is hand downs the best weapon in the game and you start with it, reducing the value of most other weapons on the map. Anyone who argues differently need only turn up their speakers to hear the pistols going off non-stop.

    Short radar range is crippling. Thrusters are gimmicky. Clamber is annoying. Sprint speed builds up over several seconds, also annoying.

    Save your money, buy old copies of Halo 2 or 3 instead.    … Expand
  6. Borgees
    Sep 25, 2016
    5
    Esse e The Order andam de mãos dadas. As maiores decepções de 2015. O Marketing totalmente voltado para a luta de Chief x Locke e quando você chega na batalha é uma completa decepção, a campanha foi extremamente fraca. Única coisa boa do jogo foi o Online porque de resto...
  7. 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
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. VeryShway
    Mar 26, 2016
    5
    Halo 5 Guardians was a HUGE disappointment. The only redeeming thing it has going for it is the gameplay for MP is actually fun. Overall the story was a complete mess and all over the place. In Halo 4 they had a beautiful ending with Cortana but now it seems that means nothing because she has a cyber suit and is ready to "RULE THE GALAXY" I wish I was joking but she actually says that inHalo 5 Guardians was a HUGE disappointment. The only redeeming thing it has going for it is the gameplay for MP is actually fun. Overall the story was a complete mess and all over the place. In Halo 4 they had a beautiful ending with Cortana but now it seems that means nothing because she has a cyber suit and is ready to "RULE THE GALAXY" I wish I was joking but she actually says that in Halo 5. Brian Reed has completely butchered the Halo story and needs to be replaced ASAP if 343 has any common sense. The story can still be patched if given to someone like Joseph Statin or Eric Nylund who actually knows how the Halo universe works. As for the MP it is tons of fun but sadly the graphics were a huge step down. Halo 5s graphics are comparable to Halo 2 classic and even Combat evolves dare I say it. I think this may have been due to the first time trying to get the game to play at a higher frame rate. So if you want a game for story play the MCC but if MP is all you care about and graphics isn't an issue then Halo 5 is worth a try.… Expand
  11. SparkzPlayzGame
    Jan 20, 2018
    5
    The Game is something

    Graphics=9, Graphics are very good but not the best Music=7, MEH, ok but not very good Story=2, BAD, VERY VERY BAD Replayability/Length=3, Short and not good Gameplay=8, Actually quite good, I enjoy it This leads to a grand total score of ...... 52! Not a halo game, the story is awful and there is no reason to replay and it is short, but the    The Game is something

    Graphics=9, Graphics are very good but not the best
    Music=7, MEH, ok but not very good
    Story=2, BAD, VERY VERY BAD
    Replayability/Length=3, Short and not good
    Gameplay=8, Actually quite good, I enjoy it

    This leads to a grand total score of ......

    52!

    Not a halo game, the story is awful and there is no reason to replay and it is short, but the multiplayer is pretty good    … Expand
  12. rocketsniper
    Aug 10, 2018
    0
    The campaign is absolutely terrible. It tries and fails at every turn. Part of that is due to the misleading market. None of the characters are fleshed out, there is no development, the storytelling is awful and lackluster. From an ordinary storytelling perspective it's baseline average but this is a HALO game. Honestly 343, what the hell happened? Now the multiplayer is a littleThe campaign is absolutely terrible. It tries and fails at every turn. Part of that is due to the misleading market. None of the characters are fleshed out, there is no development, the storytelling is awful and lackluster. From an ordinary storytelling perspective it's baseline average but this is a HALO game. Honestly 343, what the hell happened? Now the multiplayer is a little conflicted. 343 tried a little too hard to be competitive and as a result we lost a lot of casual fun. Instead of armor abilities, every player has dash, spartan charge, and ground pound, which makes for a more fast paced game-play. Game modes like Warzone were very experimental and fun but 343 decided to monetize the weapon sandbox for it. Forge was incredible. 343 really outdid themselves. It was easily the best forge we've ever gotten in a Halo game, also THANK YOU 343 FOR ADDING A CUSTOM GAME BROWSER!!! The maps and gun-play are pretty dang good and 60 fps game-play makes for some fast paced fun, but it just doesnt feel like Halo to me. Also theater is an absolute joke. So many glitches in the theater I'll probably never use it. Overall the campaign is trash, the multiplayer is fun, and I WOULD give this game a 7/10. But there is something keeping me from doing that. 343 did something that pissed me off so much I have to give this a 6.5/10. They removed split-screen co-op. A feature that had been in every Halo game before it and is one of my favorite things about the franchise. The ability to play with your friends on the same xbox and on the same TV was gone, all so they could sell more xbox's and charge you for xbox live. Thankfully 343 listen to the outrage and Halo Infinite is going to have split-screen. Overall grade: 6.5/10.… Expand
  13. CYurk
    Jan 25, 2020
    5
    Lacking in a lot of what makes Halo, Halo. This game is the beginning of a loose grip the developers at 343 are starting to acquire with the Master Chief franchise. The story is uninspiring and dull, the mechanics have strayed far away from its roots and the micro transactions have imposed greed and lacks true commitment to pleasing its fan base. The game still applies an easy andLacking in a lot of what makes Halo, Halo. This game is the beginning of a loose grip the developers at 343 are starting to acquire with the Master Chief franchise. The story is uninspiring and dull, the mechanics have strayed far away from its roots and the micro transactions have imposed greed and lacks true commitment to pleasing its fan base. The game still applies an easy and some-what enjoyable play through of the main story, it still graphically climbed new heights, and added some new interesting game-modes that can still be kind of fun. Sadly, the multiplayer is not what halo used to be. If you take away split screen multiplayer, add micro transaction, and make the Master Chief a sensitive wimp with human like traits... Then you have just made a recipe to kill that Halo magic that made us all get an Xbox in the first place. This is by far the worst Halo game ever in my opinion.… Expand
  14. twinklyten
    Jan 25, 2020
    5
    Although the shooting and movement mechanics are the best in the series everything else drowns this title in mediocrity. Awful campaign, no loadouts in multiplayer, lootbox systems, pay to win systems and no split screen.
  15. HaloVeteran
    Jun 2, 2020
    0
    Says Halo when you launch the game but is in fact, not actually a Halo game
  16. Persona9999
    Nov 21, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Badest halo game..and fu. K mAster. Chef bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad abad bad bad bad bad halo is babd babdbdbdbsbbabbdbdb ...... ..… Expand
  17. Omran121
    Jun 21, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo is garbage … Expand
  18. ronaldomds
    Jun 12, 2020
    0
    Perdi meu tempo nessa porcaria! Chato demais, não tem emoção, essas armas de brinquedo são um tédio, só não é pior que a campanha!
  19. DarkReaperV3
    Jun 29, 2016
    5
    los graficos son excelentes, es lo unico bueno que puedo decir del juego, desde que Bungie dejo se producir esta saga se volvio malo con halo 4 y ahora con halo 5 aun peor pues su modo historia es aburrido y el multijugador pesimo!!! ultimamente industrias 343 ha tratado de cambiar el modo de juego en el mando y tratando de agregar el estilo de juego de call of duty y al hacer eso halo 4 ylos graficos son excelentes, es lo unico bueno que puedo decir del juego, desde que Bungie dejo se producir esta saga se volvio malo con halo 4 y ahora con halo 5 aun peor pues su modo historia es aburrido y el multijugador pesimo!!! ultimamente industrias 343 ha tratado de cambiar el modo de juego en el mando y tratando de agregar el estilo de juego de call of duty y al hacer eso halo 4 y 5 dejo de ser halo.....… Expand
  20. Not_Ur_Momz
    Jun 19, 2020
    0
    The campaign sucks, there is no split-screen, the graphics make it hard to see things. It just does not feel like Halo.
  21. Elanonimous
    Jun 20, 2020
    0
    Fue una gran decepción pero de todas formas a mí nunca me llamaban la atención los juegos halo j
  22. Aleks_Jonson
    Dec 16, 2021
    10
    Halo 5 - one of the best part of halo series.
    story is very good. refresh halo in future.
  23. dark_hox
    Nov 16, 2020
    0
    such a bad story looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooioiooooooooooooooooool
  24. StudentCritic20
    Apr 7, 2022
    4
    Only good thing for awhile is multiplayer. Campaign was horrible, it took me years to finish it, not because it was challenging, but because it was so bad I didn't want to play. They changed a lot of gameplay into what feels like another game entirely.
  25. KingZander23
    Dec 11, 2020
    0
    halo five story was boring. But the gameplay was decent enough to play the time.
  26. jhongams2014
    Oct 18, 2021
    3
    the Halo series is based around master chief but in halo's 5 campaign you only get to play as him for 3 missions . then that added the others that follow you around and shout random things . the multiplayer was 343's main focus to get their players to play for all of the loot box type systems, the multiplayer is not all that fun if you don't play with friends.
  27. HanTrooper23
    Apr 11, 2022
    4
    I mean don't get me wrong it is a halo game and they are really good but this one it's boring. but it is fun though, it has good graphics and there are lots of Easter eggs but the same time i haven't really finished it. The controls are confusing, the story did make sense. here is just one of the few videos about why it is so bad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwwyb_5jJHc.
  28. Cjreviews11
    Nov 12, 2015
    5
    I don't why people find this game excellent PLEASE STOP FANBOYING over this!!!. First I want to explain the Campaign, I didn't find it that good at all because the story was weak and underdeveloped. The ads for this "story" was a LIE completely mislead, it is short, I manage to complete it within 4 hours and 20 mins on normal. The boss battle was a joke, it kept on repeat on and on, It wasI don't why people find this game excellent PLEASE STOP FANBOYING over this!!!. First I want to explain the Campaign, I didn't find it that good at all because the story was weak and underdeveloped. The ads for this "story" was a LIE completely mislead, it is short, I manage to complete it within 4 hours and 20 mins on normal. The boss battle was a joke, it kept on repeat on and on, It was **** I really find this the worst campaign in the Halo Franchise I was truly disappointed. Lets talk about the multiplayer oh boy get ready for a rant for the REQ System, I find 343 a money grabbing company who doesn't give a **** about anyone who don't like the system, I got news for you 343 F*ck you with that video you put on YouTube, your attitude is UNACCEPTABLE!!. Why can't you just earn these things by going up in Spartan ranks but no they decided to be like FIFA and use a terrible card system that is Microtransactioned and only for WARZONE. That's another thing I want to talk about Warzone was depressing, that all I have to say. Last thing I want to talk about before I say the only good things about the game is that the map rotation is weak and bland. Good things is the graphics, classic modes, gameplay, voice acting and sounds/music. This is game that is one big LIE to the Halo fans, learn your MISTAKES 343!!… Expand
  29. 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
  30. 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
  31. funkymonk18
    Nov 12, 2015
    6
    Halo 5 is a step forward from the tragic halo 4 game play and brings the series back to familiar territory for old fans and the controls are surprisingly smooth. However the story is poorly written sure 343 have acknowledged the lore of halo but it doesn't make up for bad writing a plot twists that aren't congruent with the Halo universe and neither does Nathan Fillion with all hisHalo 5 is a step forward from the tragic halo 4 game play and brings the series back to familiar territory for old fans and the controls are surprisingly smooth. However the story is poorly written sure 343 have acknowledged the lore of halo but it doesn't make up for bad writing a plot twists that aren't congruent with the Halo universe and neither does Nathan Fillion with all his charming roguishness. The overall length of the campaign is poor although there are 15 levels 2 of them are just talking to people it shouldn't take more than 4 - 5 hours to complete. The level design is better but still no levels seem iconic or even memorable, there are no flood or brutes and very few covenant levels leaving us to battle the Prometheans t this time around they are much better enemies to fight and no but sadly still not that fun or engaging. The campaign frequently forces you to pick up Promethean weapons like the suppressor and boltshot guns which have heavy auto aiming features and it just kind of feels like the games holding your hand. In multiplayer mode the lack of splitscreen options is disappointing as well as the lack of arena game modes missing out lots of standard Halo game types like big team battle, doubles, zombies, multi team, invasion i could go on. The multiplayer maps seem like they repeat and all tend to feel similar to each other again nothing really iconic. The Warzone game mode is pretty fun it has moba elements and you can score high on the leader board by simply playing objectives you don't even need a good k/d. Warzone is also the best way to score requisition points for your rng packs that have some variety and add depth to the whole Spartan customization of halo mp sadly the best way to get req points is warzone so you will find yourself grinding warzone to get weapons so you can play the same 3 maps on warzone ... it becomes shallow very quickly. The thing that bothers me about Halo the most is that Halo used to be at the cutting edge of fps shooters each game was genre defining and pushing the limits of what console fps games could do from halo 1 through to Reach Halo used to set the standard but now after it's adoption by 343i halo is no longer ahead of other shooters as 343 struggle to find their take on halo whilst doing right by the fans they are borrowing ideas from other shooters instead of creating ideas and adding content that other fps games will copy later they are not ahead of the curve anymore and that is why Halo is no longer as great as it once was.… Expand
  32. Bertoflyingfox
    Nov 14, 2015
    6
    Been a Halo fan since the beginning and campaign-wise, I would say Halo5 is the weakest the franchise has ever gotten. Clambering barely works, the teamAI that are supposed to be "spartans" are no more than blind fools who toss grenades at grunts you can two shot with a handgun. This isnt "artificial intelligence" it's just 3 dumb ragdolls that follow you around and get in the way.

    The    Been a Halo fan since the beginning and campaign-wise, I would say Halo5 is the weakest the franchise has ever gotten. Clambering barely works, the teamAI that are supposed to be "spartans" are no more than blind fools who toss grenades at grunts you can two shot with a handgun. This isnt "artificial intelligence" it's just 3 dumb ragdolls that follow you around and get in the way.

    The plot is pure crap, they should've grabbed the writer currently working on the Halo comics. Brian Reed really just sucks at telling a story (Halo4 had a crap story too, and he was co-writing).

    Now for the saving grace of this game, the online portion. Here's where all the good things can be found. I like how REQ packs work and that I dont have to wade through crappy microtransactions to obtain them (although the option is still there, which personally kinda blows). My time with the usual TDM and CTF matches have been a blast, but Warzones is really what surpassed my expectations.

    Overall, a slightly above average game. It could've been better if they nixed my team of blind brainless mice and replaced them with local co-op. And if they made clambering and dodging much more responsive, and actually fun to pull off.    … Expand
  33. 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
  34. 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
  35. 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
  36. Aflyinavocado
    Nov 2, 2015
    5
    I love this series too much to write a fully blown harsh review, so I'll just give footnotes.
    Pros: Great visuals, New game play mechanics are fun, set pieces are large and breathtaking, mo-cap and voice acting are splendid, chief's story gets interesting, warzone is hella fun, arena is fast paced and hearkens back to halo 2 multiplayer, guns sound amazing and feel great, New weak spots    I love this series too much to write a fully blown harsh review, so I'll just give footnotes.
    Pros: Great visuals, New game play mechanics are fun, set pieces are large and breathtaking, mo-cap and voice acting are splendid, chief's story gets interesting, warzone is hella fun, arena is fast paced and hearkens back to halo 2 multiplayer, guns sound amazing and feel great, New weak spots on enemies are cool, Nathan Filion is the best thing to happen to halo since Keith David.

    Cons: NO SPLIT SCREEN!!!! (wtf 343), the presence of the blue team is never explained (it's assumed that you kept up with the outer lore), the game is way too easy, recycling one boss way too many times, MICROTRANSACTIONS IN MULTIPLAYER!!!!!!, 20% of the game is walking and talking (no literally 3 of 15 missions=20%), only 20% of the game is spent as master chief who is a million times more interesting than Locke!, stabilizers are jarring rather than useful, no truly stand out moments in campaign, capaign is ony about 6 hours long, cliff hanger ending, using cutscenes rather than gameplay (Jul Mdama I've wanted to kill you since spartan ops, but why did it have to be a cutscene?), watchers still exist, there's no real stand out moments in the game like 2's scarab battle or 3's final mission or even 4's pelican ride, smart scope is practically useless, gungoose is just a hard to aim version of the ghost, MICROTRANSACTIONS IN MULTIPLAYER!!!!! (needed to say that twice).

    P.S: Exuberant Witness beats Guilty Spark any day.
    P.P.S: MICROTRANSACTIONS IN MULTIPLAYER!!!!!    … Expand
  37. donnelbr
    Oct 30, 2015
    5
    I hate playing video games by myself. I frankly feel sorry for the folks who sit alone in front of their TV's playing games. For me, it's an enjoyable experience with my wife, or my sons. Unfortunately, there's now one less platform for that enjoyment. That Halo now no longer offers split-screen couch coop is a franchise destroyer for me. The games producers certainly didn't have thisI hate playing video games by myself. I frankly feel sorry for the folks who sit alone in front of their TV's playing games. For me, it's an enjoyable experience with my wife, or my sons. Unfortunately, there's now one less platform for that enjoyment. That Halo now no longer offers split-screen couch coop is a franchise destroyer for me. The games producers certainly didn't have this consumer base in mind when they scrapped that feature. I played the first couple of levels BY MYSELF, and do think the designers did a fair job with the next iteration. However, I won't continue the game, just find it too boring to do by myself. ...shame.… Expand
  38. Sharkey1337
    Nov 1, 2015
    5
    This game was such a disappointment for my wife and I. We've always played through each Halo game together on the couch via split screen, not so with Halo 5 as 343i decided to gut the feature, which I've always seen as an essential pillar for the series. The mediocre campaign is just no fun playing by yourself, and no matchmaking for co-op absolutely requires you to have friends online toThis game was such a disappointment for my wife and I. We've always played through each Halo game together on the couch via split screen, not so with Halo 5 as 343i decided to gut the feature, which I've always seen as an essential pillar for the series. The mediocre campaign is just no fun playing by yourself, and no matchmaking for co-op absolutely requires you to have friends online to play together. I'd rather be playing with strangers than the brain dead squadmates you're stuck with. Warzone is a fun concept, but in practice I found it incredibly boring as the large map makes fight encounters few and far between. We'll be trying out Black Ops 3 instead this week as Treyarch was able to pull split screen campaign, multiplayer, and 4 player split screen zombie mode!… Expand
  39. warren-trouble
    Nov 9, 2015
    5
    Disclaimer: I'm not one of those people who hate 343 or love Bungie for biased reasons. I think 343 has been doing an excellent job managing the franchise across various media. This game is just bad.

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

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

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

    1) the loss of split screen was a disappointment and probably, especially considering the games history with it. But I also understand the business decision that statistically most gamers don't use it or use it often, and even most modern games don't have it anymore. But Xbox used to be a company that knew what the gamers wanted (kind of like Sony nowadays) and gave us split-screen instead of being the company that tells us what's best.
    2) The story was the weakest I've seen in the franchise, I felt it often didn't make since and didn't seem to follow 4. I was hoping to know at least how blue team got back together, why they suddenly trust Halsey, what was going on with Palmer's Spartans, where's that dickhead that's in charge of the infinity, is the Didact dead, what's going on with the librarian, is the other Didact dead, you know without reading a bunch of novels.
    3) it did really need more aggression between Locke and Chief leading to a fight (like the ads suggested), and a guardian boss battle, and probably could have used a halo and some flood. The ending was just awful.
    4) The levels felt the smallest and most guided in the franchise. Even the vehicular levels didn't feel large enough to accommodate them. And game has zero replayability!
    5) The player AI was terrible, and 343 gloated in a viddoc about how useful they would be!
    6) The audio and visuals were amazing, even the controls and feel of the game were excellent!
    7) I haven't bother playing the PVP because I just couldn't look at the game when I was done, which is a shame because i hear its the best part.
    8) the req system, maybe it need to be tweaked to feel more rewarding and less grindy and i agree that it has potential to be abused in future titles but we should really worry about that when that time comes and fight that battle then, cause currently its not bad and if it keeps the maps free I'm happy    … Expand
  40. JV1107
    Dec 16, 2015
    5
    Halo 5 is a weak entry into the series, campaign is easily the worst we've seen in a halo game. Poor writing from an already establish terrible halo writer, pacing issues throughout the story, lack of character depth and development, cliche plot, and boring characters. The hunt for chief that was advertised was lackluster and poorly executed. Fan favorite blue team might as well not evenHalo 5 is a weak entry into the series, campaign is easily the worst we've seen in a halo game. Poor writing from an already establish terrible halo writer, pacing issues throughout the story, lack of character depth and development, cliche plot, and boring characters. The hunt for chief that was advertised was lackluster and poorly executed. Fan favorite blue team might as well not even be in the game since they have no importance to the plot whatsoever and are just kind of there. Osiris who is the new team in town is bland, and boring with the exception of Buck. The campaign is also fairly short, at least compared to past titles. I was able to complete it in 6 hours on heroic while looking for collectibles and taking my time. Game play is fun, and level design is A+, but it doesn't make up for the rest of the campaign's many shortcomings.

    Multiplayer is a blast, weapon balancing and gameplay is easily the best. Every weapon feels useful and no one weapon overpowers the others. Gametypes are fun, and warzone is a welcomed edition to the franchise. But so far from launch up until December there is a severe lack of gametypes (missing many core halo gametypes that should never be missing), and it's missing maps. There are 28+ maps, some are re-skinned versions like truth and regret, some are forged, and some are specifically for breakout. Most maps are fairly small as well. Warzone only has 3 maps, 4 since today's update and 2 of which are not very good at all.

    Forge (which just came out today), is great. controls are wonky and this upgraded version definitely isn't casual friendly. The forge specific maps are also very tiny compared to previous halos and the file share is a downgrade from Reach's file share/browser. Another disappointing aspect is that all those warzone req weapons/vehicles/variants aren't able to be forged which just doesn't make sense.

    Armor customization is worse since Halo 3. only 3 points, helmet, armor, and visor. Plus, you can only unlock armor through RNG/Random through the req system which is a terrible addition to halo. Armor is no longer unlocked by skill, or rank but rather random luck. It's just a terrible idea.    … Expand
  41. maximumgame
    Nov 7, 2015
    5
    Mediocre. Campaign was half-assed, the story overall is just a setup for the next game. Not much of anything happened and should be a $20 prequel/teaser for halo 6. This game was a tech demo, you get 60 fps almost always thanks to their dynamic resolution but I paid for a game, not a tech demo. The requisition system is there for money grabbing, you get far too little for the amount ofMediocre. Campaign was half-assed, the story overall is just a setup for the next game. Not much of anything happened and should be a $20 prequel/teaser for halo 6. This game was a tech demo, you get 60 fps almost always thanks to their dynamic resolution but I paid for a game, not a tech demo. The requisition system is there for money grabbing, you get far too little for the amount of hours you put into the game to unlock packs. This is to be expected so that you can be squeezed for cash once you get fed up with the grind for req points.… Expand
  42. neighborprism
    Mar 27, 2017
    0
    When I saw Halo 5 for first time I was completely hyped but three-for-three flush the faith for me and Halo right down the toilet stories bad multiplayers raging the only good part is the forge that's it
  43. 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
  44. 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 $99.99+tax for I feel extremely ripped off. All of my bonus purchases equated to a red and white gun and some micro transaction DLC?    … Expand
  45. VeeGuz
    Nov 12, 2015
    5
    I feel as if this game suffers from the "Hitman Absolution dilemma", if you dont know what that is, it's basically when someone who has NEVER played a previous installment of the series plays the most recent game and thinks it's good, but veterans of the series such as myself shake our heads in dissapointment.
    Halo started to fall off the rails after bungie sold out to 343, Halo 4 was a    I feel as if this game suffers from the "Hitman Absolution dilemma", if you dont know what that is, it's basically when someone who has NEVER played a previous installment of the series plays the most recent game and thinks it's good, but veterans of the series such as myself shake our heads in dissapointment.
    Halo started to fall off the rails after bungie sold out to 343, Halo 4 was a massive dissapointment that strayed away from the core aspect of what made Halo 'fun' so much that it's not even in the same star cluster anymore, the thing about the Halo franchise that I loved so much was the LORE, I currently own all of the novels that are considered cannon and I just love the covenant Hierarchy, but in this game it just destroys the lore in place of a 2 dimensional story. Halo just needs to die now, it pains me to watch this incompetent studio flail thier arms trying to make a game, Micro$oft needs to just pull the plug on this entire thing.

    also I have a particularly strong greivance with the gameplay, why is there ADS and other flat COD elements in this game now? Rediculous 343, just kill the series, don't make us fans have to painfully sit through another Halo,    … Expand
  46. 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
  47. 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
  48. FabulousPenguin
    Oct 31, 2015
    5
    My advice; don't buy this game. A plain underwhelming story campaign with a Halo 2 ending where it just feels... inconclusive. Not revealing anything to spoil the game, but do you remember when you finished Halo 2 and thought, "That was it? Really?" Well, prepare yourself because this game takes underwhelming to a new level.

    Remember how you used to be able to unlock new armor styles    My advice; don't buy this game. A plain underwhelming story campaign with a Halo 2 ending where it just feels... inconclusive. Not revealing anything to spoil the game, but do you remember when you finished Halo 2 and thought, "That was it? Really?" Well, prepare yourself because this game takes underwhelming to a new level.

    Remember how you used to be able to unlock new armor styles for you multiplayer character? Armors used to be unlockable through achievements, ranking up, completing Legendary mode, etc. In Halo 5 however, if you want armor other than the default. you either have to: Preorder from Best Buy / preorder from Gamestop / preorder from Walmart / or get the Halo edition XBox One console / buy AND watch their Halo Nightfall series (which isnt even good) - All of which gives you DIFFERENT armor styles. Meaning if you want to get everything in the game, you will have to preorder 3 of the same game, watch a mediocre series, and get the limited edition console. Also in multiplayer; pay to win. This game feels like it should have been DLC for Halo 4, rather than an entirely new game. What on earth happened to Halo? This game is just... disappointing.

    In multiplayer you can buy REQ packs using points earned ingame, or you can spend some cash to get them instantly. These packs include items that can boost your chances of winning in a multiplayer game, such as being able to summon a Scorpion tank or a Gauss-hog earlier than usual in a match. So if you don't buy REQ packs, you can't win against players who do. You then buy REQ packs to beat those players but in the process, you become the player that causes others to spend money. Also, the contents of said packs are random, so even if you buy a good pack, it does not necessarily mean you will get good items.

    Saying this game is good because the graphics are spectacular and the enemy AI are amazing is not saying much to the actual abilities of the game. Also, the AI in this game is god awful - and I am not talking about the enemy AI (which is pretty damn good, I have to say) The computer controlled teammates you have run into danger, is blocked by pebbles, and lack basic comprehension as they dive into a room full of knights to revive a teammate that is doomed to die. This effectively made the game unplayable for me as a play on Legendary difficulty. I also died a lot because my teammates were blocked by a railing when attempting to revive me (JUMP OVER THE FU-- and I'm dead...).

    Another problem with the game is that it seems to have been design solely for Normal difficulty, where the enemies serve as a small challenge you have to encounter. But as you play in legendary, that is where you wonder whether anyone actually play tested this game. It is absolutely the most difficult game in the Halo series, as you can pretty much die at any given moment in a split second even with full shields (and the checkpoint system they have going on is just terrible, causing you to go WAY back). Being a player who played through every single Halo game on Legendary, I can honestly say, this campaign was just not thought out properly. One section you have to dodge the bullets fired by enemy aircrafts as you kill enemies in a tower. Fun in normal difficulty, pain in the ass on Legendary as you can die in less than a second if the aircraft decides to shoot at you.

    Now onto the enemy. All in all, the computer controlling the enemy is excellent; they duck under thrown grenades and weave to avoid bullets. But that is pretty much a standard in the Halo series. The two new enemies you will encounter in this game are the Promethean Soldiers and the Warden Eternal. Soldiers are basically those dudes in Call of Duty campaigns that serves no purpose but to slow you down or kill you because they simply have overpowered weapons. The Warden eternal on the other hand... I find engaging the Warden a fun challenge, especially since I play on Legendary mode, and I'm not going to complain on how you actually can beat him. However, as you progress through the game, it presents you with a challenge of fighting not just another Warden, but TWO simultaneously. Again, they die and I progress through the campaign after many deaths, BUT THEN; you walk into a closed area where you fight - drum roll please - ... Three Wardens. Really? I mean really? Also the Wardens' cheesy one hit kill abilities make these parts excruciatingly painful to play, especially when facing three of them in a confined space.

    As a die-hard fan of the Halo series - it being the first console game I ever played, arguably the first actual GAME i ever played (if you don't count that odd pinball game that comes with the computer) - this game just breaks my heart and I hope they do something spectacular for Halo 6. just to make up for this... atrocity.    … Expand
  49. Yeppers
    Oct 30, 2015
    6
    Story review only:

    Short (6 hours) single player story, of shallow, generic story line, of which you only get to play the Master Chief for 3 out of the 15 missions, (Saying "15 missions" would be generous, has at least three of those "missions" are just walking around, and talking to people.) Without spoilers, the story itself barely matches that which was represented in advertising,    Story review only:

    Short (6 hours) single player story, of shallow, generic story line, of which you only get to play the Master Chief for 3 out of the 15 missions, (Saying "15 missions" would be generous, has at least three of those "missions" are just walking around, and talking to people.) Without spoilers, the story itself barely matches that which was represented in advertising, and stretches on only for the sake of inflating the game out, so has not to be a total joke SP content wise. The story could easily be condensed down to 6 missions, without losing anything.

    If this had been released has a separate spin-off, like Reach, this would have been O.K. in my book, but has a numbered Halo release, it's disappointing. The lack of Master Chief missions alone brings this review down by two points

    Game-play itself isn't bad at all, with two exceptions:

    For one, your fellow A.I. Spartans are idiots, who will walk right into your field of fire, while you're obviously plugging away at a target, among other things of equal idiocy.

    For two, many of the major climatic points of individual missions are handled by way of cut scene, rather than leaving it to the player to "make the kill", leaving the player with a feeling of disconnect at times.

    Overall though, if you just want to shoot stuff, the game is good for that. Never the less remove another point for the idiot teammates lack of player involvement in key events.

    Graphic wise, the game looks pretty good. Sound isn't bad either. Neither are spectacular however, so I have nothing else of note to say on either.

    Levels do tend to get repetitive though. Although the scenery changes, pretty much each mission is more or less the same, with the same basic repeating "boss fight" sprinkled in every so often. (It's literally the same boss, over and over.) Minus another point for the repetitive, shallow level design.

    That leaves it at a final rating of 6. Unfortunately, since this website has turned into a mindless, emotion driven 10 vs 0 rating war, people trying to make a buy decision probably shouldn't really go by the overall score, much less many of the "reviews". I would strongly suggest finding a friend with a copy, or renting. There is a potential for fun from this game, but this is definitely an "opinions may vary widely" type situation, and any pre-purchase hands on time would be strongly advised.    … Expand
  50. Buffycrp
    Oct 31, 2015
    10
    A 10 to counter a 0 the game is amazing. Mutiplayer is perfect and 343 have listened to fans. The campaign could have been longer and team ai is lacking. I dont miss split screen as its never been qn issue. The ps fanbots need to keep out and eveyone needs to stick to reviewing games they have actually played, this site is supposed to help people make informed choices and they shouldntA 10 to counter a 0 the game is amazing. Mutiplayer is perfect and 343 have listened to fans. The campaign could have been longer and team ai is lacking. I dont miss split screen as its never been qn issue. The ps fanbots need to keep out and eveyone needs to stick to reviewing games they have actually played, this site is supposed to help people make informed choices and they shouldnt have to wade through false reviews to get there.… Expand
  51. Exocraze
    Nov 2, 2015
    8
    DISCLAIMER: My review is solely for those looking for input about Halo 5 from a competitive multiplayer standpoint.

    I've never written a review on Metacritic before, but I figured I would do so as someone that only plays Halo for multiplayer purposes. Most of the negative reviews on here (if not all) are people that complain about lack of split-screen or a poor story. For someone like    DISCLAIMER: My review is solely for those looking for input about Halo 5 from a competitive multiplayer standpoint.

    I've never written a review on Metacritic before, but I figured I would do so as someone that only plays Halo for multiplayer purposes. Most of the negative reviews on here (if not all) are people that complain about lack of split-screen or a poor story. For someone like me, those have no effect at all. The gameplay in the multiplayer is really quite great, and the movement is quite smooth, even with clamber. Sprinting is balanced by not allowing shields to regenerate while sprinting, and ground pound is hard to pull off.

    From a pure multiplayer standpoint (especially if you're like me and focus more on competitive multiplayer), Halo 5 is actually surprisingly great, in my opinion. I could not care less about Big Team Battle or the lack of split screen because that's not why I play Halo. If you play Halo for these reasons, I feel bad for you guys because it's a real shame considering those definitely are core aspects of Halo in the past. However, I am writing this for those that really only play FPS games for the competitive multiplayer.

    Gametypes and Maps:
    The classics are still there, minus oddball (this will probably change). King of the hill has been replaced with strongholds (sort of like domination from cod or three plots, but you have to hold two plots to gain points), and the new Breakout mode is really hit or miss for some people. I personally don't like it much, but I may as I learn the maps and weapon placements more. It's quite competitive though. The maps are alright, and that's always a pretty subjective thing. I personally think coliseum is the great map for this game, but others are great as well.

    TL;DR: Halo 5 is a great game from the competitive multiplayer standpoint. The ranking system is a nice compromise (and it's decently fun), the gameplay and movement are smooth, and the shot registration is great. Breakout is really hit or miss for some people, and the maps are DECENT, but we'll see what the new maps bring. It's a nice change of pace, and it's a great shooter to own for any FPS gamer on Xbox One that wants a competitive game to play.    … Expand
  52. 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 !
  53. rsccrplyr
    Nov 4, 2015
    5
    *Story was crap
    - Master Chief has straight up ignored orders before, but this time they have to send a special Spartan after him? Also Fred, who is an officer and technically the highest ranking Spartan, follows Chief around along with his other friends from the Spartan II program. Does no one else care what they do, and only care that the chief is ignoring the orders? Won't go    *Story was crap
    - Master Chief has straight up ignored orders before, but this time they have to send a special Spartan after him? Also Fred, who is an officer and technically the highest ranking Spartan, follows Chief around along with his other friends from the Spartan II program. Does no one else care what they do, and only care that the chief is ignoring the orders? Won't go further on here to avoid spoilers.

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

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

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

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

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

    *The good
    - Some cool guns have been added/re-added. The Answer is basically like the SAW but with explosive rounds. The Covinent gun that basically shoots plasma grenades is back. The Forerunner grenade is not a useless pile of garbage.
    - The cutscenes, while out of nowhere, are beautiful. The graphics in general and detail to the environment is great.
    - Multiplayer, as usual is solid. Along with the promise of free DLC maps.
    - People like it. I'm not saying that it is a great game by any means. What I am saying is, Halo will continue on, it did not crash and burn like I think this game kinda did itself. But because people liked it, we have another chance at a great game in a couple years. I do not criticize this game because it's fun to bash games. I did it so hopefully someone could see what Halo needs again, what it deserves, what the fans deserve. Hopefully others agree that Master Chief needs to come back strong in Halo 6 in order for the series to survive, and if we make enough noise about it, developers might listen.    … Expand
  54. Rumic
    Apr 20, 2016
    8
    343i knows what they are doing with this saga, after the end of Halo 3 it was a bad end, to continue the history, but the certain thing is that they make a good history introducing a new plot arch and making Jhon117 more human and less soldier.

    They introduce new game mechanics and the verticality of Titanfall for the campaing, making it more fun, sadly the IA suffers and isn't as good    343i knows what they are doing with this saga, after the end of Halo 3 it was a bad end, to continue the history, but the certain thing is that they make a good history introducing a new plot arch and making Jhon117 more human and less soldier.

    They introduce new game mechanics and the verticality of Titanfall for the campaing, making it more fun, sadly the IA suffers and isn't as good as Bungie gets in Reach.

    Another positive point of this game is that 343i bet for free maps and new modes, implanting micropayment for decorative skins, and using the income they got for this micropayments for the esports and make new maps.    … Expand
  55. Aladgar
    Jan 16, 2016
    5
    Halo series is my favourite but this game was a bit hang-up. First they showed in the trailes Chief vs. Locke but in the game that was a big nothing. The trailers can be the 6th game or idk but this game was really something else what they lied to us on those trailers. Anyway the story is just short and it was not so good like in the other Halo games before. The multiplayer is better forHalo series is my favourite but this game was a bit hang-up. First they showed in the trailes Chief vs. Locke but in the game that was a big nothing. The trailers can be the 6th game or idk but this game was really something else what they lied to us on those trailers. Anyway the story is just short and it was not so good like in the other Halo games before. The multiplayer is better for me somewhere but the maps are really small so I still don't like that. Other Halo games are all 9/10 for me (10/10 but I don't really enjoy the multiplayers except when I play with my friends for fun) but this game is erm... I don't know what happend with the making team but I think they need to go back to the start than check everything until this game and than make the 6th. I hope that will bee cool again and they can forget this fail.… Expand
  56. Olabi5
    Feb 15, 2021
    0
    No fue el mejor halo hasta ahora la historia es no muy buena las misiones se repiten haciéndolo aburrido lo único bueno son sus gráficos y nada más, esperemos que con el siguiente halo sea bueno
  57. oDjento
    Nov 3, 2015
    5
    For all those who are angry about the lack of splitscreen fear not, there is a petition that you can sign online to add splitscreen into the game. Go sign it!
    Now quickly:
    +Warzone is awesome
    +Nathon Fillion
    ~Graphics are decent, but kinda unsatisfying
    ~Mediocre plot for campaign
    -Campaign is technically a teaser for Halo 6
    -No splitscreen
  58. tginick
    Nov 3, 2015
    10
    With the exception of the removal of split-screen...343 really nailed it. The campaign is great, they brought back skulls and collectables to find & co-op is better than ever in Halo 5. Multiplayer is fun & addicting. The gameplay is smooth and fast-paced. Warzone is incredible and I'm a huge fan of the REQ system. It's different yes...but I personally like some of the changes. Of courseWith the exception of the removal of split-screen...343 really nailed it. The campaign is great, they brought back skulls and collectables to find & co-op is better than ever in Halo 5. Multiplayer is fun & addicting. The gameplay is smooth and fast-paced. Warzone is incredible and I'm a huge fan of the REQ system. It's different yes...but I personally like some of the changes. Of course there's a few things I would change, but every game has them. Halo 5 is a great buy for new & old Halo fans alike.… Expand
  59. Sammiches
    Oct 29, 2015
    6
    Halo 5 is the least complete Halo game to be released since Halo 2 way back in 2004. 343 definitely focused their efforts on tweaking the formula to get the game to play the way it does now, and in its own right it's a fun shooting experience. The problem with Halo 5 is that it doesn't see unification of the various elements that comprise it, and feels rather soulless as a result.

    The    Halo 5 is the least complete Halo game to be released since Halo 2 way back in 2004. 343 definitely focused their efforts on tweaking the formula to get the game to play the way it does now, and in its own right it's a fun shooting experience. The problem with Halo 5 is that it doesn't see unification of the various elements that comprise it, and feels rather soulless as a result.

    The game's single player is rife with banal dialogue, interchangeable cookie-cutter characters, and a meandering story that's constantly broken up, seemingly never leaving its first act. I don't understand the high praise the storytelling has been getting: Cortana's back in the picture, shattering the impact of her death in Halo 4, and what's done with her character is nauseatingly trite, as is the big bad of the story, the utterly unimaginative Warden.

    While the focus of the marketing for Halo 5 was directed on the confrontation between Locke and Chief, the result of this conflict is almost laughable and forgotten in favor of a larger plot thread that begins to materialize as the story progresses. Along their journey players will run into characters from established Halo canon such as Halsey, The Arbiter, Blue Team, Buck, and everybody's favorite, Sarah Palmer. The new and returning characters from Halo 4 lack any depth or charisma, existing as vehicles to ferry the character from mission to mission. You may have even forgot, for instance, that Halo 4 had a shipboard AI that would interact with you every now and again in that game. The AI appears here to deliver a couple of lines of dialogue before disappearing, never to be seen again. I see this as a missed opportunity, since the nature of artificial intelligence seems to be such a big part of the story.

    In fact, much of the single player is filled with missed opportunities. Here we have the Master Chief and Blue Team, the most decorated group of Spartans in existence, and the game can't even devote half its time to filling their shoes. What's worse is that the Spartans of Blue Team are characterized even more poorly than their counterparts in Locke's squad, Osiris, existing merely to provide co-op players with vessels to play the story without cloning the Chief. The Arbiter, in the meantime, wages war against a dying Covenant on his home world, which sees its newfound leadership terminated (in hilarious fashion, destroying an entire game mode's worth of setting up from Halo 4), and the faction on the brink of collapse. The Elites probably feature the most banal characterization of the bunch, almost bordering on self-parody with their references to honor at all costs, death and glory in battle, suicide over capture, the list goes on. The worst part of Halo 5's story is the Guardians themselves. We're told but never shown the capabilities of the colossal constructs, which simply float around in the skybox environments silently. While an attack from the Guardians should seem an ominous threat from an invincible foe, the story manages to generate no tension because so little seems to be at stake. We're never really given a look at humanity at large, so it's hard to get a grasp on what you're fighting for here. The most destruction you ever see one cause is when it happens to knock a few platforms loose on an elevator.

    Fortunately the core mechanics of Halo 5 are tight and fairly sound. Shooting is responsive, and the entire arsenal of weaponry is effective in specific areas. Sprinting, clambering, boosting, and ground-pounding add a bit of extra spice to the formula, and the single player level design accommodates for the new range of movement abilities. Much of the levels in the single player are simplified into very large, down sloping corridors with a number of elevations and side-paths filled with goodies for the player to pilfer. Though this design is repeated throughout almost every level, it is these sections which are the most fun part of the game: they fit with the evolved with the shooter mechanics, unlike the boring vehicle sections or gauntlets where the player is restricted to just a couple of weapons poorly suited to the task at hand. Legendary difficulty in Halo 5 definitely feels the most artificially so of any Halo game as a result of the Promethean enemies, who are almost improved from Halo 4. Another trouble area is the collectibles: their inclusion into the main story mission breaks the pacing of the game further, as the player is ignoring the task at hand (and the three or four characters trying to direct the player if he/she wanders off for more than a few minutes) to find them. These really should have been saved for the "hub" missions, which are short intermissions meant to pad the mission list, or provide a "breather" from what's been happening in the story, I guess.

    The multiplayer is missing features and sees one of its major modes infiltrated by the dreaded random number. I won't say much more about it - it's incomplete, and disappointing at launch    … Expand
  60. Tubey
    Nov 2, 2015
    6
    Desperately disappointing. What was billed as a system seller instead turns out to be a mediocre offering in terms of a lacklustre campaign that screams "we're not arsed" from the developers, a mess of microtransactions and a plethora of removed features - crucially, no local split screen, which will kill the game right off the bat for many who adored this series for being able to have aDesperately disappointing. What was billed as a system seller instead turns out to be a mediocre offering in terms of a lacklustre campaign that screams "we're not arsed" from the developers, a mess of microtransactions and a plethora of removed features - crucially, no local split screen, which will kill the game right off the bat for many who adored this series for being able to have a drink and play with their mates.

    A semi-decent online multiplayer saves this game from being actively bad.    … Expand
  61. Maxson
    Nov 1, 2015
    7
    Not the best halo game in my opinion. The story was weak compared to Halo 4, but everything else was good. The graphics are much better than Halo 4, and the levels are much bigger and grander. Gameplay wise, the game plays better than Halo 4. As for the multiplayer, it's nothing like the Master Chief Collection. There's no lag or any online issues, which is a huge plus for all the halo players.
  62. macker2298
    Nov 2, 2015
    5
    It is a bit repetitive, you never have a spartan fight which makes the game deceptive, graphically it is good but there are sections where you see very low res. The multi is ok however the micro transactions ruin it a bit; seems like a bit of a cash grab.
  63. UDontKnowwatURt
    Nov 2, 2015
    4
    This game is so broken and I have xbox uploads for evidence. It constantly glitches, teleports me in random spots of the map in campaign and multi-player. The animations are broken on the character and enemies. When the enemies die they get frozen standing up or they slide across the map. A lot of content is not in the multi-player, it is really basic. Are telling its okay to pay for DLCThis game is so broken and I have xbox uploads for evidence. It constantly glitches, teleports me in random spots of the map in campaign and multi-player. The animations are broken on the character and enemies. When the enemies die they get frozen standing up or they slide across the map. A lot of content is not in the multi-player, it is really basic. Are telling its okay to pay for DLC that should already be in the game such as odd ball, king of the hill etc, which!!! is not in there? This is all because of fan boys the downfall of today's gamers and their I.Q.… Expand
  64. he110me
    Oct 29, 2015
    6
    The following is only a review of the campaign on Legendary.

    I'll start with the positives. In true Halo fashion, the encounters you'll face in Halo 5 are incredibly diverse with interesting enemies and smart enemy AI. Every fight feels crafted to challenge the player, while still having more than 1 solution. The guns, while less imaginative as previous Halo titles (half the weapons are    The following is only a review of the campaign on Legendary.

    I'll start with the positives. In true Halo fashion, the encounters you'll face in Halo 5 are incredibly diverse with interesting enemies and smart enemy AI. Every fight feels crafted to challenge the player, while still having more than 1 solution. The guns, while less imaginative as previous Halo titles (half the weapons are just some variation of the assault rifle), handle really well and encourage movement and precision. From a gameplay standpoint, I'd say the campaign gets a solid 9/10.

    But that's about the end of the good stuff. Here come the negatives.

    There is no splitscreen co-op. Honestly, I think the Halo series has probably been the best co-op experience up to date, and if your friends have XBones and a copy of the game themselves, you can still play co-op via Xbox Live. However, nothing beats the co-op experience of sharing a big screen sitting next to each other on the couch passing the controller off to the 5th guy on every death. I remember having a blast spending hours with my friends tackling the Halo campaigns every time a new title would come out. I was looking forward to doing the same here, but sadly, Halo 5 is devoid of this experience. The reasoning for the absence of this core feature is because they wanted to keep the game at 60FPS. If your wondering why they couldn't just bite the bullet to include the feature, it's because ---the gameplay is tied to the frame rate---. This means that if they reduced the framerate to 30 FPS for splitscreen, the game would move at half the normal speed. This is a problem that could have easily been fixed early in development if they just based the game's pace on the XBone's internal clock, rather than the running frame-rate, but they didn't. Instead, they made the biggest rookie mistake a game developer could make and shipped the game without fixing it. Inexcusable.

    The story doesn't make a whole lot of sense at first. In nearly every other Halo game, they've done a good job at introducing the setting to the player. In previous Halos, the player knows who they are fighting and why before the first mission. In Halo 5, they throw you into the middle of a battle between Forerunner dudes and Covenant on the first mission. Are these the same Covenant we were fighting in Halo 4? Why are the Covenant shooting at the Forerunner dudes? Why is Dr. Halsey in Covenant Custody? Where did the Arbiter go and what happened to the peace between Humans and Elites at the end of Halo 3? All these questions will be buzzing in your head as you mindlessly shoot at the shiny things that shoot back at you.

    The graphics are bad. Now hear me out: I don't mean this from a technical standpoint. If you look closely at your character's hands and weapon, you will notice a lot of fine details (such as leather wrinkles, carbon fiber materials, etc.) that were definitely not present in previous Halo games. There are also many points where there are lots of particle effects flying around, yet performance remains stable. What I mean when I say the graphics are bad is that it is often very hard to discern important features from the visuals. For instance, in true halo fashion, different elites will have different strengths based on the color of their armor. However, you really won't be able to tell red armor from silver armor unless you stand right next to them. If you're sniping or just shooting from a distance, all you can really see are silhouettes and weapon fire. This is a result of poor lighting, which was not present in previous games.

    Additionally, there are a few spots where environment textures get blurry and you can see vertices on environment features (such as rocks).

    In the end the game is a resounding "Okay." The lack of core features, bad writing, and poor graphics are offset by the quality of the gameplay itself, which remains fantastic. If you were hoping for a split-screen experience, you can skip this game, because 343 Industries doesn't know how to use a goddamn internal clock.    … Expand
  65. thedirtyrussian
    Oct 30, 2015
    7
    While a seven out of ten may seem only mediocre, I can promise you this game is highly entertaining and will give you many hours of fun gameplay. However, there are just one too many mistakes made to give this game anything higher than a seven for now. Let's cover the good and the bad.

    Let's start with all the good in this game. First, the graphics are very nice, and the frame rate is    While a seven out of ten may seem only mediocre, I can promise you this game is highly entertaining and will give you many hours of fun gameplay. However, there are just one too many mistakes made to give this game anything higher than a seven for now. Let's cover the good and the bad.

    Let's start with all the good in this game. First, the graphics are very nice, and the frame rate is always steady. the soundtrack of course is amazing, and the customization goes deep this time (like it always should have been). Although yes the small micro-transactions in-game are a bit sketchy, it's nothing too game altering or invasive. The multiplayer is as fun as ever, and warzone is a much better tweaked version of the previous FireFight mode. Warzone incorporates large team battles with A.I marines to capture and defend bases with vehicles and all. It's a very glorious game mode indeed. Theater mode also makes an appearance and proves once again to be a key feature.

    Now for the bad. These are the things that hold the game back from being rated any higher. First off, no split-screen local play. Seriously? Halo essentially invented co-op online play, and it has also been a key feature separating it from Battlefield or other Call of Dutys. If you have a friend over, you can no longer play split-screen. Shame on you, 343. Another thing that disappoints is the campaign. I'm going to be honest, I haven't finished it yet...and that's because it is not very compelling to say the least. Only getting to play as the Master Chief sometimes isn't very fun, and the character development is non-existant once again. Why do I care about any of these other Spartans? They are made of cardboard and have zero personality. Also shooting hordes of robots doesn't have the same effect as fighting flesh and blood creatures. The cutscenes are also lame and over the top at times; the campaign I truly did not care for. Maybe the last missions are amazing though? I wouldn't know. Another nagging issue that holds this game back a bit - no map veto's for online multiplayer. Ready for Swatnums on Orion again? Because ya can't veto the map selection. Also no forge mode...what's up with that?

    All in all, this game is very good, and I would recommend it to anyone. There are some small issues here and there, but with more practice, 343 I'm sure will one day make a Halo masterpiece.    … Expand
  66. Toophat82
    Oct 29, 2015
    7
    Honestly very disappointed for an exclusive and got hyped for nothing while halo 5 isn't a bad game per say it's nothing great either and surely nothing special like it was hyped to be and should being an exclusive and all. It's not suppose to be just another average shooter like CoD or other shooters on the market that you can play across multiple platforms it's halo a title that isHonestly very disappointed for an exclusive and got hyped for nothing while halo 5 isn't a bad game per say it's nothing great either and surely nothing special like it was hyped to be and should being an exclusive and all. It's not suppose to be just another average shooter like CoD or other shooters on the market that you can play across multiple platforms it's halo a title that is suppose to be more and draw people over to Xbox one. At end of the day they took more steps back then forward and tried to play it safe and copy and pasted other shooters on the market versus what they at least have done with past sequels and did with halo 4 where while not mine or most halo fan's favorite with halo 4 they at least tried moving forward with more customization and progression then ever before while still maintaining that halo feel but just was poorly executed in the end. With halo 5 they decided to remove a lot of that customization and progression that they added to multiplayer and instead went backwards while copying and pasting from other shooters on the market and it shows as it's not only nothing new and special but lacking in comparison to last halo 4 for sure. Even cod bo3 will have more customization and progression with its multiplayer and campaign then halo does now which is sad considering the story and lore behind halo that devs could use to draw creativity from with everything and not just story.

    For example Spartans should not all be identically the same and they should have some form of different progression towards each Spartan that makes each Spartan and character feel like who they are lore wise like they tried to do with classes in halo 4 but just poorly executed the idea and could have been fixed and improved upon with halo 5 instead of taking the easy route like older shooters normally do and just make everything identical and the same. This is suppose to be Xbox one's biggest exclusive and they not only remove spilt screen which was one of its biggest draws that set it aside from a lot of today's games and shooters but they developed a poor story and campaign that is just average and what you expect from other shooters but not the halo franchise and honestly it isn't nothing special visual wise for next gen consoles that is for sure as I own both Xbox one and PS4 and honestly halo 5 looked like halo 4 visually in my opinion but just slightly better which I am sure had to do with the decision to go with 60 FPs versus better visuals at end of the day. Honestly not like people game at 4k resolutions no matter what gaming platform as the average person/gamer games on 1080p for the most part or even 720p for some so anything 30 to 60fps would have been more then fine on the average TV and still run smooth while looking good.

    Bottomline while it is smooth running and still halo it is nothing special with a sub par campaign and story that does nothing to draw you in and a multiplayer that is lacking and just a copy and paste job of other shooters in the gaming market and considering the the track record of 343 studios and the mess that MCC was I would say Microsoft needs to hire new team to take over Halo franchise before it's too late as 343 studios clearly not fight team of devs for halo franchise. Even the new microtransactions in multiplayer are a copy and paste job lol. So unless your fanboy who has halo goggles on you will be better off looking for another shooter and it pains me to say this since I disliked both ghosts and advanced warfare and wouldn't normally reccomend this franchise but you gonna be better off with Black ops 3 from the beta I played and what I have seen and read about the campaign or this fun and pretty successful franchise of Rainbow six with titles siege and division that's for sure.    … Expand
  67. ChazzRabble
    Nov 4, 2015
    5
    Halo has to be one of the most over rated games I've ever played. I own an xbone and really expected this to be really impressive. There are a few things I like, the solid frame rate, some of the graphics look impressive. But once you get into the meat of the game it just feels really uninspiring. Don't get me wrong, people will no doubt love this, but its absolutely not for me. ReallyHalo has to be one of the most over rated games I've ever played. I own an xbone and really expected this to be really impressive. There are a few things I like, the solid frame rate, some of the graphics look impressive. But once you get into the meat of the game it just feels really uninspiring. Don't get me wrong, people will no doubt love this, but its absolutely not for me. Really dislike the art style, the chunky space suits look ridiculous, some of the gun designs are so terrible too.… Expand
  68. Averix_
    Nov 2, 2015
    6
    Anyone who is reviewing the campaign as "fantastic" or "amazing" can't be a long time Halo fan or is too delusional to call it what it is. The campaign is a truly lackluster story that flips back and forth between two semi-generic fire teams. You only get to play the Blue Team (Master Chief) in a small number of missions. I really have no idea why they felt the need to split this into twoAnyone who is reviewing the campaign as "fantastic" or "amazing" can't be a long time Halo fan or is too delusional to call it what it is. The campaign is a truly lackluster story that flips back and forth between two semi-generic fire teams. You only get to play the Blue Team (Master Chief) in a small number of missions. I really have no idea why they felt the need to split this into two teams since the story would have been far more effective with one. The full story of this game could have been compressed into 5 missions max. Then they could have actually fleshed out the story and done the rest of it in the other 10 missions rather than string us along for Halo 6 and recycle the same uninteresting "boss" 5 times. The graphics are a great improvement over previous Halo games, but still suffer some really poor textures on things like rocks and walls. Go look inside the Argent Moon at the walls as a prime example of some terrible compression textures. Overall, a very disappointing and lackluster campaign with a drawn out story that has no climax.
    Multiplayer is where the game shines. Everything feels pretty balanced and definitely a blast to play. I just don't want Halo turned into another Titanfall where the story is just an afterthought.
    While I applaud 343/MS for saying they will provide DLC maps to everyone without charging, they're making up for it with the horrible "pay to win" REQ packs. Warfront is run by people spending a ton of money to get the equipment to win. This may be the future of multiplayer transactions and that is not a good thing.
    Bottom line, if your prime focus is multiplayer, buy the game and enjoy it. Spend your REQ points sparingly so you don't end up breaking the bank. If you're looking for a good single player or co-op campaign, hold off for a Thanksgiving weekend sale.    … Expand
  69. justdoit
    Oct 29, 2015
    5
    No mention of master chef
    He was the best cook though!
    Why Microsoft why! I loved his show on fox soo much.
    much better than the stupid hells kitchen
  70. 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
  71. Chuggowitz
    Oct 29, 2015
    6
    - The backstory (and thus much of the story throughout the game) is a complete unknown unless you've invested yourself in the expanded halo universe (i.e. the novels, comics, shows or movies)

    - All of your new Spartan abilities are neat, but for some reason they decided to that maintaining ADS while being struck had to go in this game, after introducing it in Halo 4. Effectively    - The backstory (and thus much of the story throughout the game) is a complete unknown unless you've invested yourself in the expanded halo universe (i.e. the novels, comics, shows or movies)

    - All of your new Spartan abilities are neat, but for some reason they decided to that maintaining ADS while being struck had to go in this game, after introducing it in Halo 4. Effectively guarantees that if you're at medium range and you get caught out, you're dead. It is also incredibly jarring, and ruins the flow of combat in both the campaign and online.

    - No split-screen co-op for Campaign because apparently 60fps is more important than actually enjoying a large chunk of the game with a friend. This fact is not widely advertised, and unless you read Video-game related media (I.e. IGN, Destructoid, etc.) you will have no idea going in.

    - REQ system basically ensures that if your team is at all behind in online, you're going to stay there and lose the match.

    - Graphics still aren't even on par with many PS4 exclusives or other XBOX exclusives (or multi-platform titles on PS4). Cinematics and facial graphics are stellar, but beyond that this doesn't look like a flagship game in 2015.

    - All of the story elements advertised for the last few months are completely missing in the game itself.

    - If you are playing solo, the AI which controls your squad mates is less competent than AI from a PS2 game.

    - New weapons (like the grenade launchers) are pretty useless. Very limited splash damage, take too long to be of any use in fast-paced online combat

    - Actual game mechanics are incredibly solid, and there is still a lot of fun to be had so long as you learn to tolerate the sometimes frustrating issues.

    Ultimately, this is a solid game, but it could have been so much better. The confusing story is baffling (even after having just played through the first 4 games in the last 2 months), the characters are deadpan and lack any interesting features (with the possible exception being Buck, though he is underused), and the irritating mechanical choices (i.e. ADS and REQ system) are frustrating. BUT: The gameplay itself is otherwise solid, and if you're playing this purely for the online you should still have some fun. However, it is difficult to recommend at retail price.    … Expand
  72. ManiacGamer
    Oct 29, 2015
    9
    Only reason it is not a 10 is because the ending was not very informative or conclusive to the present problems in the campaign. It did not have enough closure(and i know they try to set it up for the next halo but still). Only other thing i can nit-pick is graphics and textures. They are not as good as halo 4 was. Lots of jaggys and the waterfalls look absolutely horrendous. I am talkingOnly reason it is not a 10 is because the ending was not very informative or conclusive to the present problems in the campaign. It did not have enough closure(and i know they try to set it up for the next halo but still). Only other thing i can nit-pick is graphics and textures. They are not as good as halo 4 was. Lots of jaggys and the waterfalls look absolutely horrendous. I am talking Halo CE bad. But it was worth cutting a few corners in order to get the 60fps. The campaign story-wise is very good and keeps you on your toes. Gameplay is best of halo series yet, and additions to gameplay do not take away from the halo feel at all. Multiplayer is where halo 5 really shines. I would be close to saying halo 5 multiplayer is the best multiplayer out of a halo game ever. They returned to the roots of halo multiplayer: simple and competitive gaming. No loadout BS. No jet packs. NO armor lock. None of that. If anything they made it even more addictive to play because of great additions such as the short evade, charging, melee, and ground pound. Cant say enough about the multiplayer, especially warzone. Warzone just offers so much more than what halo ever offered.… Expand
  73. WillClaro
    Oct 29, 2015
    10
    The game is incredible, a the best gameplay the all Halos, amazing Graphics and fantastic history, The best multiplayer in the Halo history, warzone is epic, the arena mode is so balanced
  74. usuario_OS
    Nov 9, 2015
    1
    weak story , short game , more of the same! so goes for anyone who is a big fan himself, another generic shooter. wait wait wait for sale! dont buy!
  75. DukeSilver
    Nov 10, 2015
    4
    Halo 5: Guardians now holds the record for smallest amount of content ever at the release of a game. No split screen. No game types other than campaign and multiplayer. No forge. None of the classic multiplayer game types that halo is known for.

    The campaign is terrible and completely forgettable in every way imaginable. It is the most simplistic and dumbed down campaign in the series    Halo 5: Guardians now holds the record for smallest amount of content ever at the release of a game. No split screen. No game types other than campaign and multiplayer. No forge. None of the classic multiplayer game types that halo is known for.

    The campaign is terrible and completely forgettable in every way imaginable. It is the most simplistic and dumbed down campaign in the series so far. It doesn't compare to that of Halo CE or Halo 3 in any way.

    Multiplayer has maybe 4 or 5 gametypes that are worth playing, and most of the time they are so lopsided it basically cancels out anything positive about them. Warzone is so dull I often forget what the point of it is.

    The menus in the game look like they were copy and pasted from the beta. Some people may not think this matters but I think it is representative of the problems this game has as a whole. Often when opening up the menus, it shows someone else's Spartan instead of your own. A minor glitch that happens way to often.    … Expand
  76. BlackJackCZ7
    Oct 29, 2015
    10
    I have played all the Halo games. I primarily play Halo for the campaign, not multiplayer. I am 3 hours into Halo 5 campaign and I have to say this is very good. The play mechanics are buttery smooth. The game feels like a AAA title from the cut scenes to the non-stop action. The music and sound effects are some of the very best in gaming industry. The graphics are detailed.I have played all the Halo games. I primarily play Halo for the campaign, not multiplayer. I am 3 hours into Halo 5 campaign and I have to say this is very good. The play mechanics are buttery smooth. The game feels like a AAA title from the cut scenes to the non-stop action. The music and sound effects are some of the very best in gaming industry. The graphics are detailed. Overall, I am very pleased with 343's effort and taking a bit of a risk with agent Locke.… Expand
  77. ahurozamurai
    Oct 29, 2015
    10
    GOOD:Best in HALO history multiplayer / Innovative war zone / Arena specializing in e-sports / Brilliant sound / Fixing　60fps BAD: Mediocre campaign
  78. Rysingzombie
    Oct 29, 2015
    10
    I just started playing Halo 5 last night and I am blown away! It is so nice to play a game that was strictly designed for the Xbox One rather then being an upgraded title that is also on Xbox 360. The graphics are stellar, the gameplay is addicting as hell, and it does a great job honoring the past titles. If you are a fan of Halo, heck if you are a first person shooter fan, you owe itI just started playing Halo 5 last night and I am blown away! It is so nice to play a game that was strictly designed for the Xbox One rather then being an upgraded title that is also on Xbox 360. The graphics are stellar, the gameplay is addicting as hell, and it does a great job honoring the past titles. If you are a fan of Halo, heck if you are a first person shooter fan, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Halo 5 guardians! I am not a big multiplayer fan, but I find myself wanting to play Warzone and Arena. Lastly, people need to quit complaining about the lack of split screen! Honestly with Xbox Live I would rather play co-op online and have the whole television screen to myself.… Expand
  79. akraje47
    Oct 29, 2015
    10
    Fluid. Smooth. Lag free. Even matchmaking coop it has. Good story, not the best, but told you the right way. For me its a truly halo series game. Its has it all. It has unique online modes. New grinding stuff.
    Not a single drop on FPS, best solid to date shooter game in market.
    Graphics is not the best ever, but is a truly next gen. I have no complains. Just buy it seriously, there is    Fluid. Smooth. Lag free. Even matchmaking coop it has. Good story, not the best, but told you the right way. For me its a truly halo series game. Its has it all. It has unique online modes. New grinding stuff.
    Not a single drop on FPS, best solid to date shooter game in market.
    Graphics is not the best ever, but is a truly next gen.
    I have no complains. Just buy it seriously, there is no regret. If you ever loved the story, graphics, gameplay or online of halo, you get it all better now with this one!    … Expand
  80. jmharmon96
    Oct 29, 2015
    9
    This game does not deserve anything below a 5 and anyone who rates it below a 5 is not giving a serious review. While the campaign isn't the greatest in the series I would still rate it ahead of halo 4 and halo 2. The new squad mechanics are cool, but halo has always had dodgy AI and this game is no different. The Spartan abilities and Semi-ADS game mechanics are fun and work well. TheThis game does not deserve anything below a 5 and anyone who rates it below a 5 is not giving a serious review. While the campaign isn't the greatest in the series I would still rate it ahead of halo 4 and halo 2. The new squad mechanics are cool, but halo has always had dodgy AI and this game is no different. The Spartan abilities and Semi-ADS game mechanics are fun and work well. The audio in the game is fantastic and the technical aspect of the game is incredible.

    Where this game really shines is the multiplayer. It is the most fun I've had in multiplayer since I bought my Xbox One. All the new abilities bring a high-action and fast paced multiplayer that has not been seen before in Halo. The game, for the most part, is well balanced and the multiplayer is stable. I've been dropped from games a couple times, but nothing out of the ordinary for an online game. Warzone is fun, but I can't say much about it because I've spent so much time in arena! A side note about Warzone, IT IS NOT PAY TO WIN. Every time you rank up you get a pack, every time you get a weapon commendation you get a pack, and you are able to buy a gold pack about every 6-10 arena games depending on your performance. Those claiming the game is pay to win don't understand how the game works.

    In conclusion, the game isn't perfect. However, if you enjoy Halo, if you appreciate a story that isn't all about chief, and if you enjoy a fast paced and action packed multiplayer experience, buy the game. I love it, and I think if people would actually give it a chance, they would love it too.    … Expand
  81. Criminai
    Oct 29, 2015
    10
    Great multiplayer due to dedicated servers and smooth 60 FPS. Ranking system makes the game worth playing for competitive players. There will also be free DLC maps released over the course of the game's lifetime.
  82. peterallendw
    Oct 29, 2015
    10
    This game is fantastic. The multiplayer runs smooth and the campaign is interesting. Had lots of fun playing as Locke and you cant go wrong with Nathan fillion. Didn't have any connectivity issues with is amazing considering the track record with games this year. Sucks that some people have given it a zero. I think the consensus is that you will either really love this or hate it.
  83. LucioVoreno
    Oct 29, 2015
    9
    Excelente juego, la campaña para disfrutarla al 100% debes buscar todos los datos y calaveras, excelente historia mejor que las que presentaba Bungie en su tiempo lo de 343i se siente la profundidad de la trama y no solo disparar como loco. Multijugador muy bueno sigue siendo Halo a pesar de los cambios nada que te cueste trabajo acostumbrarse
  84. pmz
    Oct 29, 2015
    9
    halo 5 is what any halo fan need and its the best halo multiplayer ever...campaign is good but not the best..Halo 5 is not the best halo,the 343 give us a very good game with amazing multiplayer and good story this time
  85. Paracetamol
    Oct 29, 2015
    10
    este halo si bien no cumple con todo lo que 343 prometió fácilmente se puede decir que es un buen juego y que te deja con un muy buen sabor de boca el multijugador es adictivo cumple lo que promete y la campaña es muy buena para mi mi conclusión es que es chingon
  86. Rmiles801
    Oct 29, 2015
    7
    The game play feels pretty good, but I'm only in this for the online ranked play, as fluid as the gameplay feels, the maps are pretty terrible from a competitive standpoint, I'm really hoping some DLC or some forge-type stuff will be released soon because the maps that you currently have to play ranked on are some of the worst designed maps I've ever seen in any FPS game ever, I do likeThe game play feels pretty good, but I'm only in this for the online ranked play, as fluid as the gameplay feels, the maps are pretty terrible from a competitive standpoint, I'm really hoping some DLC or some forge-type stuff will be released soon because the maps that you currently have to play ranked on are some of the worst designed maps I've ever seen in any FPS game ever, I do like the gun balance so far though, grenade blast radius is still a little too high, but I know that's not going to change. I could go on and on about minor things (grenades bouncing funny off different surfaces) but I won't, I hope they continue adding stuff, need more than 2-3 maps.… Expand
  87. Finney14
    Oct 29, 2015
    7
    It's hard not to be disappointed by Halo 5's campaign, the story is confusing, requires an understanding of Halo's extended lore and has weak characters that fail to provide you with any emotional connection.

    The game makes a bold choice and relegates Master Chief to the sidelines for the majority of the game, giving you control of Spartan Locke. Master Chief has been the face of xbox    It's hard not to be disappointed by Halo 5's campaign, the story is confusing, requires an understanding of Halo's extended lore and has weak characters that fail to provide you with any emotional connection.

    The game makes a bold choice and relegates Master Chief to the sidelines for the majority of the game, giving you control of Spartan Locke. Master Chief has been the face of xbox for some time now, so to see someone else take center stage is refreshing... or at least it should be. The problem is Locke is just about the most dull character you could possibly imagine. He takes orders without question and has about as much depth as paddling pool.

    The missions themselves are mostly repetitive rooms full of enemies and cover, not nearly as fun as the wide open of spaces of Halo 3. The game does have a few vehicle based levels with wider spaces and these tend to be more fun. Then theres the boss battles, or rather boss battle, ctrl+c, ctrl+v, ctrl+v, ctrl+v.

    There is however a great selection of weapons, that sound great when fired and have plenty of variety. It's also the best feeling Halo game ever made. You feel more like a spartan super soldier here than ever before with charge attacks, boosts and clambering which all aid in feeling like an enhanced warrior. Oh and the super smooth frame rate is not bad either.

    Whilst Halo 5's campaign falters, the multiplayer generally fairs much better. There are two main multiplayer modes as well as a plethora of others, the two main ones being Arena and Warzone.

    Arena is classic 4v4 and it's great, thanks to the new spartan movement abilities the game is fast paced and tactical, as the abilities allow you to dash in and out of cover and away from grenades etc. The maps are well balanced although they do all have a similar feel, not in the way they look but in terms of layout.

    Warzone is a large 12v12 mode with some AI in the mix too. The large scale, AI and plenty of vehicles make it chaotic fun. It also has something called a REQ system. You gain REQ points for completing matches and with them buy packs of cards containing vehicles and weapons which you can all upon during the game. It seems complicated at first but I got used to it after a couple of games. The REQ system is also where things get mirky as you can also buy the card packs with real money. You can only call upon a limited number of weapons and/or vehicles during each match but still, it is dangerously close to pay to win.

    Halo 5's weak campaign and poor story hurts but most people play Halo for the multiplayer and luckily that's the games strongest area.    … Expand
  88. LittleHastur
    Oct 29, 2015
    7
    The campaign of Halo 5 is a real waste of potential, at the end of the adventure you still don't know anything about the story of the majority of the spartans and the adventure is flat and linear, almost boring (almost).
    Fortunately the gameplay is superb, so good that even if you forget why you are fighting hordes of enemies you will never want to stop killing them.
    The multiplayer is    The campaign of Halo 5 is a real waste of potential, at the end of the adventure you still don't know anything about the story of the majority of the spartans and the adventure is flat and linear, almost boring (almost).
    Fortunately the gameplay is superb, so good that even if you forget why you are fighting hordes of enemies you will never want to stop killing them.
    The multiplayer is well made, just like all the others halo Game.
    Ultimately Halo 5 is a good, solid game but not the masterpiece that I was hoping for...........    … Expand
  89. Freedom013
    Oct 29, 2015
    9
    Halo 5 is an impressive start for the franchise on the next gen consoles, graphics are sharp, gameplay is crisp, everything you expect from a AAA title. The story is a bit lacking but overall enjoyable, especially if you have taken the time to read up or listen to the expanded universe such as Hunt the Truth or Fall of Reach. Multiplayer seems to have been a major focus by 343 as theHalo 5 is an impressive start for the franchise on the next gen consoles, graphics are sharp, gameplay is crisp, everything you expect from a AAA title. The story is a bit lacking but overall enjoyable, especially if you have taken the time to read up or listen to the expanded universe such as Hunt the Truth or Fall of Reach. Multiplayer seems to have been a major focus by 343 as the gameplay is excellent, plenty of modes, dedicated servers for overall good connections, lots of customization with the new REQ system allowing unlocks similar to packs from Advanced Warfare or Counter strike. Overall the game itself is amazing, not perfect but just shy in my opinion.

    PS. To all the people giving 0 scores, if this game had 32 bit graphics sure I can see the 0 score, however with a game as polished as this if you don't like the story or the franchise in general that's no excuse to rate this game any lower than a 8 in my honest opinion. makes me mad when people only rate 0 or 10, it doesn't help people make a honest decision on this title which is why they even read the reviews.    … Expand
  90. Jorge21
    Oct 29, 2015
    9
    All we see from HALO 4 but better, amazing story line, Campaign is not the best of the series but is a great installment, Wide open scenarios and great variety of weapons and enemy, art is simply beautiful.
  91. capthavic
    Nov 14, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Basically just an extremely underwhelming disappointment.

    For starters all the advertisements pushing a conflict between MC and Locke...that doesn't happen. Not really. Locke and his team do go after Chief but that conflict lasts all of one mission only to be immediately dropped. While that was annoying I wouldn't have minded if the story we did get was any good...which it isn't. Most of the cast are utterly bland with no charisma or interesting dialog, with only Buck and a new Monitor providing any sort of relief. Cortana as the new villain is spoiled early on, making me expect a twist, but there isn't. This turn came out of left field for me, doubly so because the previous villain (the Didact) was killed between games which is never explained in this game. You wouldn't even know unless you kept up with all the ancillary media lore. That is inexcusable to me and is a failure in story writing. Not that the rest of the writing is any better, with no real explanation why Cortana was chosen, why she wants to rule the galaxy with an iron fist, or anything else really. I'm willing to overlook the some plot holes but you have to give me something decent to work with.

    As for the gameplay...well...it's mostly solid but with some big problems dragging it down. Shooting and such still feels pretty good and easy even with the changes they made. Aiming down sights is nice though you can get by just fine without using it most the time. Same with the ground slams and dashes. Switching to a team focus over being a solo affair is the first big issue,at least when playing alone. Let's be honest the friendly AI has never been good (read:brain-dead incompetent) but at least they were never a liability. Now you are forced to drag the morons along with you the entire campaign. Most of the time they are just unhelpful and be ignored since thankfully if they die it doesn't count against you. Where it REALLY sticks in my craw is during the numerous "boss fights" (for lack of a better term) against the exact same copy/paste enemy who can one hit kill and requires being shot in the back. You can only issue a laughable two commands (ie "attack this" and "go here") neither of which helps your clueless team do anything actually helpful. Oh and when you get downed don't worry, they will never fail to blindly run right into enemies and probably get killed. Sure all of that is mitigated by playing with other people, but it makes playing solo one of the worst game experiences of my life.

    Oh and speaking of the copy/paste boss, that is without a doubt the absolute worst part of the game. An utter failure of game design as it is blatantly lazy and cheap. It only poses a challenge due to poor team AI when trying to solo it. They reuse way too much. Making you fight multiple at once and/or with minion support is the only way they can think to increase the challenge. Even when playing with a friend it was still not fun or interesting, it just didn't take us as long. This is the kind of thing I expect from first year game design students not supposed professionals. To everyone involved with making the Warden fights, you are an absolute failure at game design, and as someone who rarely gets personal when judging a game that is not something I say lightly.

    Not that the rest is anything great either. The whole game felt like it was just going through the motions. It looks nice enough and is sure to appeal to the multiplayer/co-op crowd. But for me even with modest expectations it was a pretty big disappointment.    … Expand
  92. morventhus
    Oct 29, 2015
    8
    the game itself is pretty solid. The multiplayer great.
    However dropping splitscreen for a game FOCUSED on CO-OP in its campaign is beyond ridiculous.
    that and the mediocre story and short campaign really hurt the game in my honest opinion. If the story could have kept up with the quality of other halo media like hunt the truth or some of the books. and if this game had splitscreen and    the game itself is pretty solid. The multiplayer great.
    However dropping splitscreen for a game FOCUSED on CO-OP in its campaign is beyond ridiculous.
    that and the mediocre story and short campaign really hurt the game in my honest opinion.
    If the story could have kept up with the quality of other halo media like hunt the truth or some of the books. and if this game had splitscreen and had some of the things like emblems not in microtransactions (armor and weapon skins and the like im fine ok with i guess though i rather hate microtransactions). This game could have easily scored way higher in my book.

    I would have given the game a 7.5 but we cant do fractions here on Metacritic    … Expand
  93. Armataan
    Oct 30, 2015
    9
    Great game. Wonderful story. Good graphics. The gunplay is consistently excellent, and the maps are well designed and paced. This is the best multiplayer available in a halo game. Moreover, the campaign is top notch. It's a bit short, and we don't know enough about Locke even at the end, but I thoroughly enjoyed this game and am happy to include it in the Halo series. Still the best seriesGreat game. Wonderful story. Good graphics. The gunplay is consistently excellent, and the maps are well designed and paced. This is the best multiplayer available in a halo game. Moreover, the campaign is top notch. It's a bit short, and we don't know enough about Locke even at the end, but I thoroughly enjoyed this game and am happy to include it in the Halo series. Still the best series on any system.… Expand
  94. Bout73Ninjas
    Oct 28, 2015
    9
    I'm in pretty strong disagreement with a lot of the critics about this game, mainly with concern to the story. I personally thought it was brilliant, moving the series in a new direction and setting up a fantastic jump-off point for Halo 6. I also want to stress what others have been saying: FAMILIARIZE YOURSELVES WITH THE LORE. That cannot be stressed enough. The missions are tons of funI'm in pretty strong disagreement with a lot of the critics about this game, mainly with concern to the story. I personally thought it was brilliant, moving the series in a new direction and setting up a fantastic jump-off point for Halo 6. I also want to stress what others have been saying: FAMILIARIZE YOURSELVES WITH THE LORE. That cannot be stressed enough. The missions are tons of fun though, harder than they used to be given the increased number of enemies in each area. But already I can think of a few absolutely great moments from the campaign that I think I'll remember for a while to come. The only complaint I will make is a very noticeable lack of characterization for the new characters, especially disappointing for Blue Team, making their debut in the games universe.

    From the little I've seen of the multiplayer, it's very fun. I played a Warzone match that surprised me with just how balanced it was. With REQ (Requisitions), boss and AI enemies, and a large, evolving map, it would be easy for it to devolve into a **** but it is incredibly well done. I'm also very glad they made SWAT a highlight; it has always been my favourite Halo game mode.

    Now, even though I give the game a solid 9 for great campaign and excellent online, I need to lambast 343i for their omission of split-screen. I have been quite upset that I can't play this with my roommate, as we have played through every other game, and I have heard the sad stories of many others who feel like they've lost something that helped connect them to friends and family. The decision to omit split-screen for a 60 FPS framerate is, in my opinion, absurd. This 60 FPS movement has gained traction out of nowhere, for no purpose, and frankly I'm sick of it. I couldn't give two **** if The Last of Us 2 is 60 FPS, and the same goes for any other that has been or will be announced. When you leave out such a core feature from your game to please your publisher with ammo for their marketing, you need to look at yourself as a developer and think again. If you stop advertising 60 FPS, there will be no riots. There will be no pushback. No one cares. It's a gimmick, and an excusable one until it starts making your games less fun. I hold out a strong hope that both 343i and Microsoft will see the error they've made here, but until then, shame on them for ripping out a major organ of the Halo series' body.

    Halo 5 is great.    … Expand
  95. oxXBLADEZXxo
    Oct 30, 2015
    5
    MY GOD, what a **** of a campaign that was. Probably one of the most pretentious, pointless and laughable campaign's I have played, EVER. Designed just to shambolically waste 6 hours of my life that I desperately want back. I shouldn't need to force myself to play Halo, I never had to do that with any of the other Halo's, not even with Halo 4.
    Man, if you thought Halo 4 sucked, wait till    MY GOD, what a **** of a campaign that was. Probably one of the most pretentious, pointless and laughable campaign's I have played, EVER. Designed just to shambolically waste 6 hours of my life that I desperately want back. I shouldn't need to force myself to play Halo, I never had to do that with any of the other Halo's, not even with Halo 4.
    Man, if you thought Halo 4 sucked, wait till you get a load of this....    … Expand
  96. Scheeper1
    Oct 30, 2015
    10
    A perfect Sequel for the Halo Saga. Halo is still Halo. The Gameplay, Story and movement are superb and multiplayer is a big step in the right direction. Arena for E-Sport and Warzone for a more casual experience.
  97. NekuGata1
    Oct 30, 2015
    10
    O halo mais completo de todos. Tirando sua narrativa um pouco aquém aos anteriores, nos outros aspectos principalmente jogabilidade e multiplayer evoluiu e muito.
  98. Youngwings
    Oct 31, 2015
    10
    Halo 5 is a major step in the right direction. There are a few minor hitches with spawning mechanics in multiplayer, and weapon balancing, but overall the Multiplayer is perfect 10/10. As for Campaign, the story is amazing, the gameplay is great and the Co-op is flawless thanks to Halo 5's Dedicated Servers. Visually, Halo 5 is amazing, looking better than most games released to date.
  99. mrw0lfe
    Nov 4, 2015
    5
    Cons
    Forge mode still didn't came on launch.
    No split-screen(given the excuse that "people don't have time"...ye spencer,right...) Campaign a little bit short.The shortest of the whole saga. Campaign will be confusing to newcomers and/or people who haven't read the books/watched the animated series. Some textures seems a little low quality,comparing to the majority. Hard to enter in    Cons
    Forge mode still didn't came on launch.
    No split-screen(given the excuse that "people don't have time"...ye spencer,right...)
    Campaign a little bit short.The shortest of the whole saga.
    Campaign will be confusing to newcomers and/or people who haven't read the books/watched the animated series.
    Some textures seems a little low quality,comparing to the majority.
    Hard to enter in warzone

    Pros

    Visually beautiful
    Warzone    … Expand
  100. PanthersFanStev
    Nov 3, 2015
    10
    I am scoring Halo 5 as a 10 based on the pure trolling reviews here that have no merit outside of comments found in bits and pieces elsewhere on the internet.

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

    Halo 5 has great visuals and sound effects. Reminds me the most of Halo Reach. I get the campaign, no confusion, which plays fast and fluid. The squad controls are far too limited and make some boss battles more difficult. There is no way to tell your squad to stay put and be on guard, you move them, the enemy gets close, they attack when it is not desirable. Overall the campaign is solid. Warzone is good fun, but pales in comparison with the SW Battlefront Beta. Warzone was largely advertised, and granted a nice addition, but it is more like a glorified horde mode plus PvP. Arena is my favorite PvP mode, and I am really looking forward to BTB which is not released yet. I enjoy the game and would give it an 8.5.    … Expand
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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

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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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