[Updated] Halo 5: Guardians (2015)
Clash of the SPARTANs…
Halo arrives in its first Xbox One-exclusive entry, with engaging multiplayer modes and an ambitious — though fatally flawed — story campaign.
Developed by 343 Industries
Published by Microsoft Studios
Released on Xbox One
This review was originally written for a website I served as Senior Editor. It ultimately went unpublished due to my leaving the site and is presented here for the first time.
Last year, Microsoft Studios and 343 Industries released Halo: The Master Chief Collection. It was a highly ambitious compilation title which aimed to unify the entire core legacy of the Xbox’s trademark franchise onto the platform’s latest device, the Xbox One. Marred by a series of major technical deficiencies that crippled the multiplayer component of the experience, the MCC did an extraordinary amount of damage to the confidence players would have in 343 Industries, the studio created internally at Microsoft to oversee the Halo series after Bungie’s departure to create Destiny.
However, there’s nothing that has greater potential to restore much of that lost confidence than an entirely new, mainline entry in the franchise. Halo 5: Guardians, developed by 343 exclusively for the Xbox One, aims to bring the space-faring shooter franchise to a new generation with all the pomp and spectacle of any major sci-fi action movie. While Star Wars might end up owning movie theaters later this year, the scale and pace of a main Halo game has the potential to rival it on the front of video games.
It…mostly succeeds. Halo 5 makes a lot of very significant strides toward modernization on the gameplay front, with performance prioritized to such a degree that Halo has never played more smoothly than it does in this entry. The general pacing of the experience has also been noticeably quickened for the new entry, and a wealth of multiplayer modes with promised free content upgrades will likely keep players returning again and again. As for the continuation of the single player story, this is where Halo 5 falls a bit short. While introducing generally compelling new and returning characters into the fold, the narrative fails to pack the punch of some previous series games.
Be that as it may, that doesn’t detract from Halo 5’s polish, pace and fun when you’re actually controlling a SPARTAN super soldier across the story and multiplayer modes.
“Blue Team” — a team of SPARTAN-II soldiers led by traditional Halo series protagonist Master Chief — is only playable in a small portion of the total campaign in favor of a newer, more motley team of SPARTAN-IVs.
Design and Story
The aesthetic look of Halo 5 seems to be best described as “smooth.” In fact, that word seems to apply to virtually all aspects of the game. The worlds are slick, the character designs descended from the original games but also serving as logical iterations on what we’ve seen before, and sweeping vistas across a wide variety of planetary surfaces all just combine together to make for an experience that effortlessly moves from one vista to another. The art direction of the game beautifully evokes the kinds of big budget sci-fi that define any other major series across any medium, but saying that is not in an attempt to be reductive: the designers at 343 Industries create unique and beautiful worlds, and the work they put into every weapon, location, character and piece of armor shows.
One element that has taken a hit in terms of the overall presentation of Halo 5 is raw image quality. According to the work of the fine, detail-oriented folks at Digital Foundry, Halo 5 uses an aggressive adaptive resolution system that scales the raw pixel count of the game based on how much action is taking place on the screen at any given time. On the one hand, this puts a noticeable dent in the presentation of the whole experience and can drop the resolution down to as low as 810p, but the ultimate benefit of this approach serves a broader, more ambitious goal in terms of the game’s feel: performance has been optimized incredibly well.
The frame-rate of the game stays at the buttery-smooth benchmark of 60 frames per second as much as 90% of the time, according to Digital Foundry. The ultimate result is that the game feels incredible to play, with responsive, tight controls and action that just never lets up.
Less stellar than all of the game’s design work is its narrative. On paper it sounds like a unique evolution for the Halo series to go into, and honestly may seem to take a page from the formula of Halo 2 at least in concept. It does this by employing a deuteragonist structure: this is the story of not just Master Chief, but another SPARTAN soldier named Jameson Locke (voiced by Ike Amadi).
In Master Chief’s stead is “Fireteam Osiris,” featuring returning character “Buck” from Halo 3: ODST (voice and likeness by Nathan Fillion), now enhanced as a SPARTAN-IV super-soldier. The fireteam is led by former ONI intelligence agent Jameson Locke (likeness of actor Mike Colter, voiced by Ike Amadi), who is on a one-way collision course with the Chief.
Introduced last year in a live-action episodic series called Halo: Nightfall starring actor Mike Colter, the character is a former intelligence operative for the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) monolithic Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), a shadowy covert organization responsible for a lot of the surreptitious shenanigans of the Halo universe. Sometime between the events of Nightfall and Halo 5, Locke has enlisted into the new SPARTAN-IV program; descended from the same program that created the Master Chief but which uses volunteers instead of kidnapping and faking the deaths of children so they can be conscripted at an early age to be perfect killing machines (what a novel concept, right?).
Early on, the fireteam simply known as “Blue Team” — four original SPARTAN-II’s, including the Master Chief — is dispatched to a derelict UNSC research outpost in order to destroy it, and protect the intelligence kept there. Upon their arrival, Blue Team encounters rogue Covenant forces led by extremist Sangheili warrior Jul 'Mdama. Just before they defeat the rogue Covenant forces and destroy the outpost, Chief receives a cryptic transmission from an ally thought dead — Cortana, his former A.I. (voiced by Jen Taylor). Cortana directs Chief to head for the planet Meridian in violation of his orders, and the other members of Blue Team follow.
Now listed as AWOL, Locke and his newly-formed “Fireteam Osiris” are ordered by UNSC leadership to bring the Chief and his other rogue SPARTANs in. This path will lead Locke and Chief — along with their fireteams — into an inevitable conflict, but something else is waiting for both of them that is far bigger than a dispute over being AWOL.
Similarly to Halo 2 before it, Halo 5 features two primary playable characters but it deviates from the series formula in at least one glaring way: you only play as the Chief for a comparatively small portion of the full story experience.
The primary problem with the conflict the story sets up between Locke and Chief is that it simply doesn’t feel like there are a whole lot of stakes behind it, nor does it even feel all that justified.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, since the character you spend the most time with is SPARTAN Locke. He plays very similarly to Chief in this game, has similar physical and technological enhancements, and can wield pretty much the same weapons in the same ways. The problem is that while the members of Fireteam Osiris are interesting characters in their own right, it’s hard to get invested in any of them — or any other member of Blue Team — when directly compared with the Chief.
Halo 5 is far more a Locke story than it is a tale featuring the series’ most recognizable icon, which also means that even if they may play identically, the story getting away from the Chief makes it less than satisfying. On top of this, the “conflict” between the two primary characters also feels a bit too contrived to actually be compelling, since it basically amounts to Chief disobeying an order to be somewhere, and Locke is sent to get him. There’s not a very vibrant dramatic root to it.
Still, it’s definitely hard to fault the story in terms of characters it brings into the fold, the Halo mythology it aims to expand and the different environments you experience as a result of where the story takes you. The Arbiter (voiced by Keith David) returns in brilliant fashion, and the enigmatic Dr. Catherine Halsey — the architect of the SPARTAN program for ONI — helps to add a sense of legacy to the proceedings.
Although there is a bit of shortsightedness in making them the stars of the show, it’s also difficult to deny that the journey of Fireteam Osiris embarks upon from a starting point as a loose band of volunteer SPARTANs to a close-knit team of wartime brothers and sisters does have a tinge of noticeable progression and evolution. Plus, Fireteam Osiris brings back “Buck” (voiced by Nathan Fillion), the hero of Halo 3: ODST, as a SPARTAN-IV and member of Fireteam Osiris.
Overall, it’s not that the story is bad. Unfortunately outside of some character beats, it’s just rather forgettable, which is further emphasized by how little you really see the Chief’s story progress. Character work is solid overall but the plot here is a far cry from the likes of Halo 4 or any of the Bungie games, and it’s a sincere hope of this reviewer that 343 Industries shores up the creative side of the equation a bit more by the time we see what this series has in store for us next.
Chief takes on a classic enemy — a Covenant Elite — in the second mission of the game’s single player campaign.
Single Player Gameplay
When you actually play through the story, thankfully this is the most fun element of the experience. Although the plot is a little more forgettable than anyone might prefer, gameplay has been tightened up and quickened to the point of being pretty addictive. By adding in different maneuverability elements as well as the continued ability to sprint, Halo 5 does an effective job of feeling distinct from its series predecessors while also having an air of overall familiarity.
One thing that the new movement system in the game does a really good job of emphasizing is the weight of the SPARTANs’ MJOLNIR power armor. While you sprint, your boots thud to the ground as if they weigh 50 pounds each (because they probably do), but when you have that kind of mass coupled with the really high levels of speed this game brings to the table, you just feel powerful. You feel like you can bowl anything over or crush enemies in your grip. A shoulder charge attack that’s been added is one particular standout because it just feels so powerful.
There is also a new option to use iron sights, a component previously absent from Halo games but which hs become a staple of modern first-person shooter games owing to the extreme popularity of the likes of Call of Duty and Battlefield, and Bungie even adopted it when they released Destiny last year. It’s a little strange playing a Halo game with iron sights, but it’s generally welcome.
Behold the Warden Eternal…an enemy you’ll fight again and again across the entirety of the Halo 5 campaign. And again. And again…
The only other real fundamental way that this game’s single player mode differs from others in the series is through your teammates. Playing a level alongside either members of Blue Team or Fireteam Osiris will pair you up with three A.I. companions at any given time. On the one hand, it helps to justify a structure for playing the campaign in co-op mode (which you can do over Xbox Live), but it also feels wholly different from other series games since you’re charged with reviving downed teammates.
The “intelligent” parts of the various A.I. characters could likely have used a little more development time, however, because in a first playthrough on “Legendary” difficulty, they weren’t very effective at reviving the main character if he goes down. Still, it’s an interesting way to change up the formula of the single player Halo experience, and all in all shows the polish that 343 Industries applied to every level of the experience.
In addition to the Covenant antagonists we know so well from prior series entries, the dreaded Prometheans return from their introduction in Halo 4, and the dynamics which govern engagement with them largely remain unaltered.
One element that unfortunately doesn’t count as a welcome addition is the new heavy enemies called “Wardens.” Not only are they extreme damage sponges especially on Legendary, but the game effectively forces you to play the same boss fight over half-a-dozen times in the form of taking down Wardens. Using your newfound maneuverability options spices up the variety a little bit, but having to fight different Wardens in the same way throughout different beats of the campaign amounted to quite a pain, and diminishes the overall luster of the single player campaign as a result.
Still, it’s easy to applaud 343 for making an effort to shake up the formula of a “typical” Halo campaign, and while not everything that they’ve thrown at the wall works, playing each new level is largely a fun and exhilarating experience, as players are called to navigate beautiful, lush environments with eye-poppingly designed enemies and weapons.
Two teams face off in Halo 5’s simple, but highly addictive “Arena” game mode.
Multiplayer Gameplay
More than any other component, Halo is often defined by its competitive online multiplayer modes. It was multiplayer locally on one console that helped to define the popularity of the original Halo: Combat Evolved back in 2001, the internet capabilities and intense competitive fun of Halo 2 that gave Xbox Live its top-tier status as an online gaming network, and the wide popularity of Halo 3 that contributed to the dominance of the Xbox 360 in its generation. In its debut as the stewards of the series, 343’s first effort in Halo 4 was fun and addictive, but not quite to the degree of the Bungie entries.
One thing that Halo 4 did add into the mix in a memorable way, however, was its co-op mode “SPARTAN Ops.” Adding player vs. environment (PvE) missions that could be played either solo or with friends cooperatively, this mode added the same kind of dynamism from the multiplayer modes while adding story and collaborative play elements traditionally found only in the single player campaigns, combining both seemingly disparate elements into a fun combination.
For Halo 5, 343 brings all of the same innovations they’ve crafted in terms of locomotion and performance from the single player campaign and have carried those components over beautifully into the multiplayer modes. The addition of these changes serves to quicken the pace of Halo series multiplayer pretty considerably, feeling more skill-based while also lacking the immense kind of spawn-camping frustration that is too easily found in most Call of Duty games these days.
The sprawling, objective-driven “Warzone” mode accounts for one of the biggest innovations that Halo 5 brings to the table, combining the scope and scale of the traditionally single player side of the series with the strategic and competitive elements of multiplayer.
All the typical game types are here including the team deathmatch mode “Slayer,” capture the flag, big team battle, etc. The addition of new modes is where multiplayer really shines. In “Arena,” Halo 5 seems to call back to a bygone era of multiplayer gameplay, with a 4v4 competitive mode in relatively close-quarters, eschewing traditional loadouts to encourage the exploration of the maps, and thus increasing the likelihood of tense stand-offs between players. The elegance of the mode lies in its simplicity, effectively evoking a “no frills” and directly competitive experience that is highly addictive when playing with a group of friends.
The more ambitious addition to the multiplayer modes is the aptly titled “Warzone,” which assembles two teams of 12 players each to play massive, expansive multiplayer battles with stated mission objectives. This mode also introduces the “REQ” system, which is short for “requisitions.” Playing the game scores you different “cards” that you can deploy in Warzone which can contain player boosts, weapons or vehicles ranging from the ATV-like Mongoose up through a massive Scorpion tank, adding a wider degree of spectacle and mayhem to the typical multiplayer battles.
In addition to Halo 5 being a positive iteration on previous series games’ multiplayer modes, it’s the addition of Warzone that makes the Halo 5 multiplayer experience an achievement for both the series and the genre. Distinctive from other more typical multiplayer modes found in franchises like Call of Duty or Battlefield, Warzone is enough of a credit to the full Halo 5 package that it should serve as a major element of consideration for a gamer who’s trying to choose a multiplayer shooter to sink the most time into this year.
It’s that much of a blast…literally and figuratively.
The story may be lacking, but is certainly not without its moments. However, Halo 5: Guardians is an experience that is absolutely worth picking up because of its stellar refinements and additions to the way Halo plays, and the incredible new options on the multiplayer side.
Overall
In terms of forwarding the saga of the Master Chief, Halo 5 unfortunately falls short on the creative front. Relegating Chief to little more than a supporting presence and using an inciting conflict that feels contrived and not very compelling, the story does certainly have its moments, but can’t hold much of a candle to previous series entries.
Thankfully, though, the story is far from the only element to consider when thinking about picking the game up. While the story which contains it can be a bit of a slog especially in the first half, the actual act of playing the game’s single player mode is a lot of fun, filled with impeccably-designed worlds and incredible dedication to a high level of performance. The resolution can dip into lower-tier territory in the most action-packed scenes, but you’ll be hard-pressed to notice it especially considering the pace of the game feels so quick.
Multiplayer is nearly enough of a reason on its own to make the pickup, however. In addition to the general changes to locomotion quickening the pace of the core game considerably, adding in both the Arena mode and most especially Warzone is a game-changer for the Halo series. It’s enough of a difference-maker here that the hope emerges for them to keep iterating on the mode in future updates, but to also bring it back bigger and better in Halo 6, Halo 7, Halo 8…you get the idea.
Halo 5: Guardians is not exactly a “total package” in comparison with some other games in the series, but that doesn’t take away from one, core fact that really shouldn’t be understated: it’s a very solid experience. If the story were tighter and felt more substantive and fleshed out, this game would be that total package. The multiplayer elements, though, should keep the game alive for years to come, especially considering the dedication that 343 has said they’ll continue to give in free post-release content updates.
All in all, Halo 5 is definitely a good game, and shouldn’t be overlooked based on one component at the expense of everything else. As a package, it’s definitely worth your time.
Score: 8/10
Back with a new coat of paint and some additional content, Halo 5: Guardians bursts onto the scene of the Xbox One X boasting an extreme update to its resolution and vibrancy while keeping its trademark level of high performance.
2017 Update:
Two years ago, Halo 5: Guardians arrived on Xbox One as a fun and enticing gameplay experience in both single player and multiplayer, but with a bit of a disappointment concerning its story. Still, the game was a joy to play, largely due to the almost militant dedication on the part of developer 343 Industries to keep the level of performance at a nearly rock-solid 60 frames per second. Unfortunately, one of the trade-offs for maintaining this lofty goal came at the sacrifice of Halo 5’s general image quality, which suffered on the original configuration of the Xbox One.
That was then. With Microsoft having just unleashed the new, highly powerful Xbox One X model into the wild, with that new, more capable machine also comes a detail-intensive update to Halo 5: Guardians. The result is a game that while at one time wasn’t exactly the prettiest looker in the current generation’s library now gets to flex its considerable muscles in the art design department with massively upgraded 4K visuals, in addition to new multiplayer content to welcome power back to the Xbox platform at-large.
A new Xbox console with more power means that the flagship Halo experience of the current generation gets a new coat of paint, and some additional material.
In terms of the visual upgrade itself, it truly is a game-changer. Whether you have a 4K TV set or a 1080p set, the added horsepower of the Xbox One X makes Halo 5 noticeably more vibrant and beautiful, exponentially increasing the amount of raw image detail on-screen while maintaining its trademark butter-smooth 60fps performance level. The result is a game that already looked good now approaching stellar levels of polish for the generation.
Dynamic resolution scaling is still employed by the title, and according to the deep-dive analysis conducted by John Linneman at Digital Foundry, the lowest recorded resolution on Xbox One X for Halo 5 in the midst of the craziest mayhem the game can throw at the player is the oddball value of 1584p — still way above the target resolution of the base game, while maintaining its high performance level.
Additionally, 343 has also rolled out one final content update for Halo 5 on the multiplayer side, fittingly called “Overtime.” It brings a new game mode — “Oddball” — calling on players to locate different skulls on a map and hold them for as long as possible. The mode makes its return to the series in this new update, now making the presence of that game mode consistent across every released mainline game in the series, save for Halo 3: ODST.
Also added into the mix with the new update are new weapon skins, commendations and emblems to give those who’ve stuck with the game for a while now another reason to jump in.
Simply put, Halo 5: Guardians is a visual revelation when played on the Xbox One X, and is more than worthy of another look to see what the visual and art elements fully have to offer in a very high resolution. Playing it again won’t make the story any better, unfortunately, but damn it if it doesn’t look as good as it ever has.