If there is one word that I can use to describe Halo 5 it’s fantastic. A massive improvement over Halo 4 (even though I didn’t hate as much as other people did), and is the closest 343 has gotten to the what made Halo so magical. Though improved yet still flawed, a few aspects hold this Halo back from being a near perfect capture of the original that range from minor to large. If you didn’t play the campaign there will be light spoilers ahead, so be warned. It is advertised that Chief has turned rouge against the UNSC, a betrayal so deep that he is deemed a traitor and a group of high ranking Spartan 4’s are tasked to hunt him down. Though in game Chief just turns his back to pursue his own mission, that’s it. They never even call him a traitor, Captain: Lasky calls it “Absent without leave.” Chief is accompanied by the three last members of Blue Team, Fred, Kelly, and Linda on his mission to investigate a weird vision Chief had to got to the colony planet Meridian, who gave him this tip? None other than Cortana. Shocked at the possibility that she is alive they go and investigate even though disobeying orders to do so. That’s the story from Chiefs perspective, I have to say the missions with Blue Team are the best in the game, the chemistry between Chief and his fellow Spartans is just unbelievable and well done, these are men and women who were kidnapped as kids and been though almost everything imaginable together and them accompanying Chief to help him on his mission just feels right, and the moments when Chief is faced with what Cortana has become is really emotional and deep, so the real traitor isn’t Chief it’s Cortana. But these missions are overshadowed and few compared to the missions with team Osiris. Consisting of Vale, a women who learned Sangheli culture while trapped in deep space, Tannaka a technician, Buck the former ODST commander of Alpha Nine turned Spartan 4, and Agent Locke a former hitman for ONI no tasked to lead this team to hunt chief. All have interesting backgrounds but are weak characters(except Buck he is the most developed) but each don’t have no reaction or objection I’d expect from hunting down a legend. All they want is to complete their mission, noble but they don’t even have their own reasons. They all don’t have chemistry and they are so bland, though more interesting characters join them like Hasley, Palmer, and the friggan Arbiter. But even they don’t object to what to hunting down the Chief, even the Arbiter helps them with out asking why Chief has done what he has done. And the ending is the biggest cliff hangar since Halo 2 though I’m not going to spoil it, it’s not that good, but the legendary ending how ever is more well done a cliff hangar still but it gives you the proper amount of foreshadowing and shocking enough to leave you speechless. The campaign a disappointment all that is left is the multiplayer, and this alone enough to have you drop 60 dollars guilt free. Let’s address the negatives first and get them out the way, yes there is no split-screen but it had to be cut and you can paint what ever picture you have of 343 all you want but they’re not dumb enough to cut it if they didn’t have a valid reason too, though it may have been necessary I also see why people complain about it, but I heard and don’t quote me on this I’m just a guy from the internet, 343 MIGHT work on a patch for Halo 5 to add split-screen and I also read an article online that Halo 6 MIGHT have split-screen too. And if you have been in the dark with Halo related news and bought Halo 5 you may have been shocked to have seen that Forge is absent, but don’t fret it is coming in December of this year for free and I’d rather have it then than now because we don’t want it to be broken, especially the fact it’s being built from the ground up and looks so amazing. Custom Games however are still here and they are better than ever, there are so many variables you can customize it’s just so great and fun to come up with a crazy gametype to play with your friends and will get better with the release of Forge. Arena is your classic 4v4 competitive Halo equal loadouts. Ranking in Area is now based on skill you rank up in a playlist by winning games and drop down by loosing, but say if you were a diamond in Slayer you’ll drop to a platinum. As I write there is your classic Slayer, free for all, and swat. There is also the new Breakout mode and that is easily my favorite, There is also a Team Arena mode that combines Slayer, breakout, strongholds, and CTF. There is also Warzone, and let me tell you have not lived till you played it. The new REQ system is pretty cool and rewarding. All in all this Halo is for the fans of the multiplayer and will it capture the interests of old players? that’s up to you I highly recommend it and you should check it out.
I have questions about your reading of the story.
Is Buck the most developed character in Osiris because he’s the best written, or because we’ve known him longer than the others?
You suggest things get better as Halsey, Palmer and Arbiter appear. Same deal? We’ve known them longer, are more invested in them, so it feels subjectively better when they’re around?
Exactly who has Cortana betrayed?
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> I have questions about your reading of the story.
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> Is Buck the most developed character in Osiris because he’s the best written, or because we’ve known him longer than the others?
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> You suggest things get better as Halsey, Palmer and Arbiter appear. Same deal? We’ve known them longer, are more invested in them, so it feels subjectively better when they’re around?
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> Exactly who has Cortana betrayed?
You have a very good point. But at the same time I felt more character when Hasley was introduced last game and the same with Palmer. But that’s only because we knew what they both beloved in and how those ideals conflicted with other characters and their missions. Locke and team Osiris are all one sided they want nothing but to complete their assignment and I expected a confliction between ideals of what is right and wrong because they’re hunting Chief. And for Cortanas betrayal, she helped defeat the Didact in H4 and now it seems she’s picking up where the Didact left off and now she wants to cleanse humanity, and ultimately replace them by perfect specimens