Just before the release of Halo 5 when the review embargo lifted I was excited for all the reviews to confirm for me what I knew was going to be another great installment in the Halo franchise. Suddenly the reviews began pouring in and suffice to say they were less then flattering. Many of the reviews praised the multiplayer (with the exception of GameInformer’s review, weird) but criticized the campaign. It was disheartening to say the least as the main reason I play Halo is the rich and expansive universe that Bungie and 343 Industries have created. Even though there were reviews telling me that the campaign was great and Halo fans will enjoy Halo 5’s narrative just as much as previous Halo games, I could not get the poor reviews out of my head. My attitude was to approach the campaign trying to ignore all of the criticisms but some words are just too strong to get out of your head, especially when they are about a universe I care so much about. My initial play through of the campaign was very nerve-wracking because all I could focus on were all the negative aspects of the campaign that were pointed out by the reviewers, so much so that I felt as if I genuinely did not like the campaign. In fact I thought I hated it and it left me wallowing in despair (dramatic I know). As I sat back in disbelief as to my experience with the campaign I felt something had to be off, how did this universe that I have come to love and hold up as the example of the phenomenal power of video game storytelling leave me feeling empty when other installments left me bright eyed and hopeful for the future of the franchise, and that is when it hit me.
I had a bad experience with the game because I was expecting to, I had psyched myself out because I kept reading about how many people were not happy with the campaign that I was expecting not to be. I decided to try my hand at the campaign again with the goal of keeping an open mind about the story being told. I am in the middle of my second play through and I am enjoying myself far more then I did the first time through. I am beginning to see what some of the positive reviews were talking about, Halo 5 introduces a rich and complex tail about the length two men will go to complete their mission. For Chief that mission is to bring Cortana home, for Locke that mission is to bring Chief home. Being able to approach this game with the optimism that I have looked at every game in the past was a eye opener for what I missed during my initial play through, and I am glad I gave the game a second chance. I remember feeling this way about Halo 4 originally because I was so consumed by the original trilogy that I was unwilling to give Halo 4 a chance to impress me. After my second play through I walked away very impressed and it is looking the same for Halo 5. That isn’t to say that the campaign doesn’t stumble here and there but it introduces new facets to the lore that I was very interested in such as the Guardians and the Sangheili Civil War. There are some lingering question about the nature of Cortana assuming the Mantle of Responsibility, the possible corruption of the Domain and the motives of the Warden Eternal but I feel those questions will be answered some time during the wait for or on the release of Halo 6.
The point of this forum entry is to say do not be discouraged by what you hear and read about Halo 5, it truly is a great game and entry in the Halo franchise. It is easy to psych yourself out by the opinions of others but it is your opinion that matters.
P.S. For everyone thinking that the story suffers from a lack of exposition, find and listen to all the intel files. They provide a great insight into the events of the game and help fill in some gaps in the story. Such as a intel file from a Forerunner explaining a corruption in the Domain, the very same Domain that Cortana interfaced with. It could provide context as to the nature of her actions.