The Halo 5 beta is almost at an end. There have been ups and downs. The game has grown on me, but there’s definitely room for improvement.
Here’s a fancy list of thoughts the game has given me…
Gametypes:
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Slayer: everyone knows slayer. It’s still basic deathmatch gametype that focuses on power weapon and map control. It feels no different in Halo 5 than previous Halo games.- Breakout: I was so excited about this gametype when it was announced, but when it became available it was a major let down for me. To me, playing Breakout feels like playing SnD in Call of Duty, only without the bomb objective. However, I can definitely see potential in this gametype and I’m betting it will be popular in custom games.- Strongholds: at first, this gametype seemed pretty enjoyable, But it didn’t take long for me to realize how chaotic it can turn into. I found constantly rushing and throwing nades into the rings to take them over the most efficient tactic, especially in lobbies full of players ranked Onyx - Pro. Out of all control gametypes in Halo I prefer KOTH because having the focus on one scoring area makes the game a lot more organized. Of course, how a gametype should play out is a matter of opinion. Strongholds is not my cup of tea.Maps:
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Truth: Truth is my favorite map in the beta. Like the original Midship, it’s symmetrical making so neither team has any advantage over the other. It also has a lot of optional routes to move around the map and the changes in map structure compared to the original one suit Halo 5’s new controls perfectly.- Empire: I love Empire. It has strategic vantage points, a good layout and it’s symmetrical.- Regret: I have mixed feelings about Regret. It’s usually fun to play, but in “try-hard” matches it feels a little bit too complex. I feel as if it has too many different routes on it. Regret is definitely a worse version of Midship than Truth.- Eden: Eden is a good map, but I prefer Empire over it. I find Empire a bit more focused than Eden, but both maps are well built.- Pegasus: Pegasus is my least favorite map in the Beta. First of all, the initial spawns are unbalanced. Red team has the upper hand on rockets. It’s easy to rush the rockets and throw nades at the ramps blue team has to rise to get to the rockets. It is also easy to prevent the blue team from getting the sniper because the weapon is out in the open and red team basically starts at the top of the map. Secondly, there are so many lines of sight. There’s relatively little cover compared to the size of the map. Anywhere you go, you can and will be fired at. Thirdly, the map space is poorly used. The entire rocky area is basically pointless since there’s nothing important there and it’s a huge risk to move in that area compared to other optional routes on the map.- Breakout maps: I decided to put both Breakout maps in the same place because they’re very similar and play out the same. I’m not really into the gametype itself, so there’s not much I can say about these maps, except that they suit the fast-paced “rush and kill” kind of gameplay. However, I find the maps extremely dull visually, but that is only a matter of aesthetics.Weapons:
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Battle Rifle: I think the new BR is perfect. It’s more challenging to use than the Halo 4 version making it also a lot more interesting because this time around not every duel end up in trading kills. I also like its new look.- Assault rifle: I’m on the fence wit this one. It’s good that the AR is powerful because I hated the AR gametypes in Halo 3. The Halo 3 version was a toy gun. I want the AR to remain as powerful as it is because it should beat DMR and BR at close range in the right hands like it now does, but it seems a bit too accurate imo.- DMR: I find DMR perfect. It’s at its best at long range and doesn’t compete with the other rifles at their optimal ranges.- Light Rifle: I like the new LR. It’s power weapon now, like Quinn said. It fits the game perfectly now. I also like what 343 did to its zooming function.- Pistol: at first, the Pistol seemed worthless to me. But over time I’ve gotten used to it and I think it’s a great backup weapon.- Grenades: I think the frag grenades have a slightly too large blast radius. You should be able to avoid at least a portion of the damage if you dodge it with your thrusters because… Well, you dodged it. Plasma grenades, on the other hand, I have nothing to criticize about.- SMG: I was a little skeptical when I saw how powerful SMG would be, but I think the weapon is fine as a close range power weapon.- Hydra: I think Hydra is a freat addition to the game. I was afraid a weapon that fires homing rockets would be op, but it turned out Hydra is balanced. Even if you achieve a target lock, a kill is not guaranteed if you can’t use the weapon correctly.- Rocket launcher: compared to the fast pace of the game, the travelling velocity of a rocket seems too slow. Other than that, the weapon is fine.- Energy Sword/Prophet’s Bane: There’s not much to say here. They both function the same way and are just fine. My only complaint is that Prophet’s Bane looks too much like an onion
Other stuff: -
Assassination moves: I find the assassination moves unnecessary. Sure, they look cool, but performing an assassination puts you in danger and it’s easy to accidentally perform such a move. When flanking several opponents’ I prefer shooting even if I had the perfect chance to melee them all.- Armor: The new armor pieces look a lot better than the ones we had in Halo 4.- Controls: I find the new controls fantastic and I think they suit the game perfectly, except for the ground pound and auto-level. They don’t seem necessary as both put the player at a disadvantage. Well, at least auto-level can be turned off in the options menu.So far, I am mostly impressed by the beta. There are some things that need tweaking and some bugs that require fixing(such as game crashes, falling out of a friend’s lobby and frame rate drops), but it seems 343i took a step into the right direction this time. I didn’t expect the game to be as good overall as it is, and I have only played the beta version.