Intro:
I guess to start, my journey with the series started in 2004 when I picked up Halo 2, then kicked off from there. I’ve been a member of this forum for 2 and 3/4 years and have been trying my best to actively contribute to the community. Below I’ll give my impressions then proceed to explain them.
“The Meat” (Impressions)
Well, Halo 4 was without a doubt the point at which I started to question design mechanics with the series. The lack of re playability and inability to hold my attention was alarming for me. So when I heard Halo 5 was coming out I decided to play with an open mind but also be cautious with it. After playing the Halo 5 beta as extensively as I could, I can safely say I’d rate this game 7.5/10. Satisfactory.
My real praise for it comes from the core element of on-map weapons being added back into Halo, as well as a good set of maps that work with the game being added. I personally thought that thrusters were an enhancement, and the weapons for the most part were pretty interesting.
But I have some deep-set griefs with this game that I’m afraid may actually hinder my decision to purchase a copy. I felt that a lot of the additions to the game-play either didn’t fit Halo or were literally there just because. Slide almost NEVER is used, and sprint is an issue that at this point doesn’t need my explaining, and smart scope really, really, really made me ask, “why?”. Added to that, the SMG and AR felt like redundant copies of point & shoot weapons, and the DMR & LR felt like redundant copies as well. (Also, two swords? Two?)
“The Works” (Explanations)
Thrusters: I felt and still feel that thrusters are a way to enhance movement and pace of the game without forcing the player to give up shooting, or expanding maps. Lots of arguments have been made that denounce thrusters for the fact that they do allow for players to escape from some mistakes, and they do, but at the same time thrusters allow neat new offensive maneuvers that weren’t available before either this game or Halo 4. (Ex. Thrusting behind opponent for back-smack, thrusting into opponent from corner to surprise attack, etc.)
On-Map Weapons: This provides reward and incentive for players to take control of key map locations and hold them down over the enemy. Plus, they don’t upset the balance of the game. Players will have to actually work to earn and keep their reward, not have it handed to them.
Weapons: Overall, it’s a solid sandbox, but there is a degree of redundancy. The DMR and LR or the SMG/AR are sterling examples of weapons that serve the EXACT SAME function and barely differ in anyway beside appearance. (Although the LR is freaking sick!)
Smart Scope: This is an addition that makes me wonder even now what real purpose this serves other than making players from other shooters ease into Halo. It is an unnecessary feature that obstructs my visibility when zooming. (It’s a game, not real life.) I’m still thankful that the player will still be forced out of zoom in smart scope however, tremendous leap back to where we were before. (Still, remove.)
Slide: The single most pointless addition to this series, period. Nobody uses it, because the game contains no situation where it does any good. Remove the pointless gimmick.
Ground Pound: Again, seems gimmicky, and I’m not a fan of being able to instantly kill players unless sneaking up or out-maneuvering them from behind. Does carry a risk/reward to balance however. (Remove)
Shoulder Charge: Again, seems like another pointless gimmick. I’m not a fan of this for the same reasons as GP. It seems to exist solely to add an option for sprinters caught off-guard, and is a band-aid solution to sprint’s fault of weapon lowering.
Hover: An ability I’m not sure how to react to. Seems to counter-act fleeing, (good), but also seems like a cheap crutch at times. (Undecided.)
Clamber: Another pointless change that actually removes the skill of crouch jumping and adds nothing to fill the gap. This is a very definite remove.
Sprint: I saved this for last because I want to blast this mechanic as far away from Halo as I possibly can. It probably lies at the heart of Halo 5’s feeling “not Halo”. Sprint adds nothing that increased base movement speed could not add better. Sprint makes the player choose between moving around at an acceptable speed around the enlarged map or staying put which slows down gameplay. It also provides the fundamental errors which the above mechanics I mentioned as redundant serve to fix. I’m going to stop here, because going further is just a waste of time on this subject in particular.
“The Signature” (Conclusion)
I’ve given my review, and ask that readers actually read it for what it is if they choose to view it, rather than proceed to bash me for disagreeing. Overall, this game was good but not without it’s flaws.