I’ve been a long time Halo player. I remember Combat Evolved and connecting with people via system link. So Halo has a place in memory for me and the game evokes a sense of nostalgia. Since Combat Evolved I’ve always looked forward to Halo games. The only Halo game that I did not purchase at launch was Halo 4. I did get a chance to check the game out through the Master Chief Collection on Xbox 1 last fall. So I’ve always had a space for Halo and have been a huge fan of the series.
When Halo 5 was teased at E3 prior to the release of the Xbox 1 I was super excited and couldn’t wait to see what the next adventure would be. Then I got in the beta last December and had a blast with the multiplayer for that short period of time. Then the Hunt the Truth advertisements began to arise and sure enough hype began to build.
But Hunt what Truth? After playing the game for countless hours, completing the campaign and playing multiplayer, I’m hunting the truth of WHAT HAPPENED to this game? Let’s start with the campaign.
Halo 5 Campaign
While I haven’t read all of the books, I’m just not sure what the campaign in Halo 5 was designed to do. When I write something I always ask a few questions: What is this about? Why write this book? Why write it now? Who is my audience? How does my book distinguish itself from others?
As I played through the campaign I had some of these questions in mind. I just can’t seem to conclusions on some of these questions. For instance, how does the story in Halo 5 distinguish itself from others? In my eyes, outside of different faces the enemy in the story has already been done in Destiny. Warden Eternal is The Vex from Destiny, ie, one mind many bodies.
Why write this story? Was it just to introduce us to Locke and fire team Osiris and new characters that will have their own Halo game? Whatever the purpose is, things seemed to hang together quite loosely instead of a tight and riveting story. In the end, the campaign feels like a very linear Call of Duty campaign rather than something that involves deep story telling.
Some players enjoyed the story, others hate it. I’m neutral on it. It doesn’t destroy the game. It doesn’t do much to help it either. It didn’t do enough to make me care about it and it didn’t make me want to vomit either. Ultimately, after all of the marketing hype, the story did feel a little empty. Can the multiplayer make up for the empty feeling? To me part of this is due to not having any care or connection with the characters. I didn’t even care about the long time Chief. I just wanted to see what they were trying to do with the story. Character development is a very weak point here. If Locke is going to be a new main stay, I needed something more to care and I didn’t get it.
Multiplayer
Halo 5 multiplayer holds a great deals of ambiguity together. There is ambiguity between the good and the bad; scarcity and overdone; the pro gamer and the average Joe. Let’s deal with the good and bad first. When 343 announced that they consulted a team of pro Halo players to help with the game, I was not really thrilled with the announcement. After playing the Beta last December/January however, I was quite pleased with where I thought things could go. The game played smooth, fast, and was very competitive. I’d argue that Halo has always had a pvp skill gap and Halo 5 continues that.
I think that the Pro model benefits this game while also maybe creating a problem. This leads us into one aspect of the bad. For instance, Arena games can end up 4 v 1 if players either quit or get disconnected. And there you are as I have been a few times all by myself facing four players. This has been the most frustrating aspect of multiplayer. Was this merely an egregious developer oversight, or was it the result of having a Pro Focus where oftentimes in Pro matches this overcoming the odds is just a part of being a pro?
Another aspect of the Pro circuit that is definitely emphasized in this game is great communication and sticking with your teammates. I connect this to the radar in the game that many users complain about. I even complain about the radar at times. However, I notice I never complain about the radar when I’m with a team that is communicating on the mic as I’ve done from the beginning. Again this is that tension between good/bad and Pro/average Joe. Most of the matches I’ve played I get very little communication from others and those are very frustrating experiences. I’ve made some new friends, which is great and we can team up and communicate to make matches more enjoyable for ourselves. Prior to making these friends their comments were, “hey, I’m going to add you because I can’t get anyone else to talk on the mic”. So for that person out there who doesn’t communicate on the mic with others, you will give up on this game unless you just follow your teammates around. I like this aspect of the game but fully realize that everyone just does not play that way.
Ultimately, I have very few gameplay complaints about the Multiplayer Arena in Halo 5. Stuff like player movement is an acquired taste. Now making sure every game is fair and game mode selection is still a complaint even after the update. I’m a Strongholds player. I love this mode. I love Control in Destiny and Strongholds in Halo. To see Control have its own list in Destiny and Halo 5 lacking Strongholds with the exception of it just randomly appearing in the Arena is a disappointment for me. And no game should ever end up at the beginning 4 v 1.