Halo 5 - A "Good" Different Feel

Just got done watching the ViDoc and I must say I am -Yoink!- impressed with what 343 has done. This is also recreating my thread that got locked, and yes I know I should’ve slapped a better title on it. Warzone alone convinced me to come back to Halo and this has convinced me even more.

I put in my title A “Good” Different Feel because this is exactly what Halo 5 is. It’s different from it’s predecessors but it’s a good different feel. 343 is stretching Halo beyond it’s limits and that’s a good thing. Halo has the chance to be seen in a different view and 343 is taking that chance and I will say that I am behind them 110% this time, as I for one have wanted this. To see Halo in a new and different view then what it has been, and if that view can wash the stain off this franchise then I will be behind that. Some people might say that the new AI co-op in Campaign is too much like Mass Effect,or even it’s just a Halofied SW Republic Commando, when yet it’s more of an improved version of Halo 3’s 4 player co-op in general. Some may dislike one of the leads on the Campaign worked on Republic Commando, but so what, if it can make Halo have a more exciting Campaign then I’m all for it. Plus the new Spartan Abilities can show off just how much of a force to be reckoned with a Spartan is. Yeah the AA’s in Reach and Halo 4, aren’t even in comparison to the Spartan Abilites in Halo 5. Who knew a Spartan could charge through a broken wall with just a simple charge? Or how Locke smashed through a building in that Gamestop commercial let alone? 343 is literally showing us that this is what you could do as a Spartan before, but heres what you can actually do as a Spartan.

Then theres the multiplayer, of course Warzone’s been the focus of E3 and SDCC. But this mode is what possibly every BTB and Firefight’s fan dream was. With Warzone, you don’t only have the other team to worry about, you have the Covenant and Prometheans themselves to worry about. If theres Ranked Warzone, I think a lot will be on top of that and that can get very competitive. Yeah REQ cards like Titanfall but those might surely be tailored to that mode as will likely be the different weapon sights. It’s a new, interesting and different take on Halo’s multiplayer. Yeah they may be trying to compete with Battlefield, but Warzone takes vehicular warfare and Firefight and basically hits a home run. Then least of everyones worries the microtransactions, but in the end, all that money is going towards the HCS prize pool if HCS will be in Halo 5 and what doesn’t add more excitement then a bigger prize pool? In ending, it goes toward a good cause.

So all in all, yeah I’ll be buying Halo 5, and a new Xbox One to replace my trade in. I’ll be buying it because it’s a different take on Halo I can stand behind because I believe it can be successful. Yeah the Campaign Demo at E3 wasn’t good as it could have been, but showing off Warzone then the ViDoc, really made up for all that. It shows that 343 is willing to prove, they can not only pull Halo into a new different kind of light, but also prove they can do it right. Can it be enough to defib the Halo franchise? That’s soon to be judged, because we’ve still seen so little. But if it can, then let the might banhammer break down the doors of it’s rightful throne room.

This Spartan, is returning to the battlefield.

Cannot wait to see more 343.

I played the Beta and, in short, it was refreshing. It felt new and responsive yet a lot like older Halo games. Sprint wasn’t a perfect getaway like it was in Halo 4 and all abilities are useable by everyone. It felt really balanced. AR > BR > DMR at close range and the opposite for long range. Everything felt refined and good. I’m really looking forward to this game.

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> I played the Beta and, in short, it was refreshing. It felt new and responsive yet a lot like older Halo games. Sprint wasn’t a perfect getaway like it was in Halo 4 and all abilities are useable by everyone. It felt really balanced. AR > BR > DMR at close range and the opposite for long range. Everything felt refined and good. I’m really looking forward to this game.

Though I didn’t play the beta though I was pressing X button on the beta screen on MCC like a maniac yelling LET ME IN!! But I agree it was refreshing, and while I’m still not a big fan of it, they built a drawback into it, and a good drawback at that. The ViDocs themselves show however, just how much 343 is putting alone into this game because they want to prove that this can be a good Halo to the community.

Yeah I’m pumped, a short list of reasons why in no particular order, starting with a list of things I’m still worried they haven’t addressed:
That the dedicated servers won’t work in Australia
SFX aren’t as bad as Halo 4 but still aren’t up to scratch (explosions, weapons fire effects)
Boring Bullet Sponge Promethean enemies like Halo 4
Lack of splitscreen - can live without it but makes couch sessions twice as difficult.
Not worried about lack of firefight or spartan ops. Hoping firefight will be a warzone variant, spartan ops story was great but gameplay was blunt and boring.
Paper Mache vehicles like halo 4
Dumb warzone AI that just sit there and wait to die, that they become a map resource rather than an interesting dynamic element unique to warzone where you feel like it’s actually a battlefield with aliens dropping in and out and assaulting while marines are defending.

List of reasons why I’m pumped:
Dedicated servers
Aim assist mostly gone, better hitboxes in (skill gap)
Sprint done well
Arena with a decent ranking system, finally
Warzone looks hella fun
Free DLC, finally we can all just get on with enjoying the game
Campaign looks to be great - excited to continue the story and in co-op.
Balanced weapon sandbox
Breakout seems like it could catch on as a less arcadey version of SWAT that draws from the success of other elimination based CFPS
Graphics look outstanding (Apart from the SFX)
Back to a weapons-on-map Arena style design with power weapon spawns and map control, maps that are designed with this in mind with callout locations built in
BR feels fantastic (well it did in the beta)
Focus on equal starts - back to the core of Halo design
No flinch and de-scope and de-sprint are great balancers.
New and exciting vehicles
Time to Kill a great balance between more agile Spartans and classic halo gameplay.
Blue Team
Cool new guns, Splinter Cannon, Plasma Caster, Hydra
REQ packs look like a bit of fun for warzone, and a way to have unique and awesome weapon customisation in Arena
New and improved Forge (details yet to be released)
Sound design and music looks to be outstanding
JIP in casual Warzone (hopefully balances the game as players join, hopefully you can’t join a heavily-losing or almost-over match), No JIP in Arena
Thruster adds an extra layer of strategy and movement
Clamber and Smart Scope are just quality of life improvements really, we’ll find new skill jumps and the AR/SMG are viable in the sandbox now.
Maps look like they’ve been really, really thought out and well designed.

Things I think would really help it become truly great:
Custom Games Browser
343i File Share with the best of the community made maps and variants and screenshots and clips showcased every week.
Post Launch split-screen
Firefight implemented within warzone
Invasion implemented within warzone

This is probably the first time that I’ve ever been this excited for a halo game.

Even if the beta felt good, i’m worried they will muck it up with post beta changes. They might just start thinking too hard about stuff, and start tweaking stuff for the sake of it.

I have to agree. Halo 5 feels like a fresh new experience but also feels like the classic halo days. I love how much more skill is involved in the game and im also happy its not just halo 4 over again. The beta was so much fun and getting kills felt so rewarding. The whole atmosphere of the game just felt so good. I just cant wait for the 27th of October so i can play more.

The main thing that makes me feel confident about the game is all the needed changes that 343i has been implementing is shaping halo 5 into the halo game that we have been wanting/missing. I’m just happy 343i is listening and making us happy =]

I love how now players sit facing the back of the mongoose, and that a 4rth player can sit on the front of the warthog. Its gonna be awesome.