Once I’ve gone thru the campaign and played more of the multiplayer I plan on doing a review to post on here mainly for 343 to have access to another opinion from a fan. If others want to read then cool. If others don’t then still cool.
Ok here are my impressions so far from someone that’s been playing Halo since CE on the original Xbox. Halo is what got me to buy an Xbox One.
- Normally I start with campaign, but this time all I’ve done is play Warzone and custom games, mess with customizations, and REQ due to so many new features.
- Warzone is fun! It’s a great step forward in multiplayer. I think future Halo games will be able to expand on it more, but it’s fun. It’s like big team slayer (which is fun), but more interesting. Now there are objectives like capturing bases or team power core destruction. And now there is AI too. Nice job 343.
- The networking is great. No issues. Matches connect quick. Matches are evenly matched. Notice very little if any lag at all.
- Graphics are beautiful.
- The biggest hurdle so far has been learning the new control scheme. I’ve been switching between different configurations, and I’ve decided to just go with Default. The melee button has to be mapped to the bumpers or triggers in order to aim while doing the ground pound. But it’s difficult to change muscle memory. That’s why I haven’t gone into Arena yet. I want to get comfortable with the new control scheme. I don’t mind the new control scheme though and the reason is…
- The new Spartan abilities are great. Really great. I like them. It makes it feel more dynamic and interesting. My favorite is probably hovering in the air while holding the smart link button (LT in the default scheme after jumping with A).
- I’m worried about the campaign. I’ve heard the Chief is only playable in a few missions. That I just don’t get. But I don’t want to judge it too early. It might turn out to be great. So please don’t comment on this in this thread please. I don’t want spoilers. I’ve played all of the campaigns, and I’m curious to know what happens.
- I’m looking very forward to trying the Arena and especially Breakout. I’m just waiting on getting used to the new controls which won’t take too long. I’ve just about got it. At first it was zooming with left trigger instead of clicking on the right stick that got me. Now it’s having grenades on LB instead of LT. But couple more matches, and I’ll be fine.
- I’m actually for the most part not using REQ in Warzone and am holding up fine. REQ was one of the things I was most critical of. But it’s not bad I think as of now. It’s nice to be able to respawn with a chosen item. It’s kinda fun to open packs and get cosmetic items. Though I think just progressing toward them would be fine too. And even if someone spawns with something it can be hijacked or picked up if they drop it.
- With so much emphasis placed on armor why isn’t there a way to view everyone’s Spartan while in the lobby? Maybe there is, and I haven’t noticed it. I’ve only done Warzone so far.
- Is it me or has the new verticality made the Spartans a little smaller on the battlefield? They’re a little harder to see. It might just be in my head.
- Does anybody know where there are map layouts of the Warzone maps? I admit I get a little lost on them. I learned to just follow the icons that pop up. Other than that I’m lost on there. The icons or waypoint markers help a lot. They show where enemy ai is or where and when a team’s power core is vulnerable.
Ok that was a lot. So far it’s very fun. I’m looking forward to trying out Arena and campaign.