In terms of graphics and story Halo 5 is a failure

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

Gotta say, at the risk of being flamed, that technically and in terms of story, Halo 5 is a massive let down for me. Obviously just my opinion but Halo has captivated me for over a decade… until now.

Before I go on… I will say the Arena is a huge success and credit to 343i for that… but the rest of the package, well, it really isn’t.

Warzone and Big team battle look like garbage… the campaign has some great moments and some terrible ones… But what I find most shocking is that Halo 5 looks worse in almost every department than Destiny.

Now… this isn’t a 343i vs. Bungie post. In fact, I only mention destiny at all because it is in the same genre with similar gameplay goals and mechanics.

So let me explain: Destiny is nearly 2 years old. It’s released on last gen and multi format - meaning the team didn’t have the luxury of optimising for just one format. They also didn’t have finished console hardware for the majority of the game’s development… and yet, Destiny looks better than Halo 5 at every single point. Sure, you’ll say halo 5 is 60fps… but Destiny is 1080 / 30 without resorting to dynamic resolution… and Halo doesn’t need 60fps for campaign. It feels very much like they shot the game in the face in some parts just to have a 60fps bullet point.

I really expected 343i would come to Xbox One with a massive bang, just like they did 360 - pushing the format further than anyone else. Instead… it is a whimper. Where Halo 4 delighted technically, Halo 5 merely feels sufficient at best.

On top of this… the pointless shift in story direction when so much of the universe is unexplored, is completely baffling… along with laughable continuity errors:

(exactly why didn’t the Librarian just send Cortana to Genesis when she had her on Requiem if that was always going to be “the plan”?)It’s all so obvious now… We know who the enemy is, why they are doing what they are doing… Where has the sense of wonder and mystery gone? And for all the hype about the Guardians destroying colonies… you didn’t show that in the game once. When chief asks “how many people did you kill?” it feels flat - we never saw a single thing destroyed or anyone killed - just Guardians floating in the sky and moving slowly… which, I might add, is another technical sore point - at no point in the game do they look like massive objects in the distance, they look like small ones closer than you think, drawn to give the illusion they are big and far away (and if they really are huge models far away, you got something really wrong there).

All of which add up to me feeling Halo is being stewarded by a company that seems unable to deliver the full package… Halo 4 was technically amazing and had a great story and campaign… but the MP suffered. Halo 5 feels like they focused on Arena above everything else. And with the massive resources at their disposal and inside access to Microsoft tech, it is not unreasonable to expect the game to absolutely shine visually… especially at this point in the console cycle.

I’ve played less of this than any other halo as a result. And that is a really bad sign - Halo has been a main stay of my gaming life for years. Halo is faltering. Xbox is faltering.

343i the Mantle of Responsibility is on you - when are you going to pick it up?

2

There have been lots of threads like this. What’s the point anymore?

3

> 2533274991067213;2:
> There have been lots of threads like this. What’s the point anymore?

Right - because someone saying one thing once is enough to incite change? The more threads like this the better in terms of making 343i pay attention.

If there’s an “official” or main thread to discuss this then by all means give me a link… I’ll gladly lend my voice to that discussion.

If not… then I am looking forward to hearing what other Halo fans have to say.

4

I don’t really agree, but that’s okay. But what I want to say is in regards to the Guardians killing people. I thought it was fairly obvious and clearly stated considering the convo Osiris had in the elevator and Blue team had in the beginning of Genesis, but they are buried underneath planets, planets that are colony worlds. Activating and releasing them cause them to emerge from the planet destroying it, which is why we had to get the heck off of meridian quickly, hence the levels name Escape. Meridian didn’t suffer as much because they sided with Cortana, but that’s also going against the UNSC(it’s not exactly UNSC friendly as it was an insurrection colony at one point) and a lot of the planets the Guardians were destroying by being activated weren’t exactly traitors to humanity just for their own personal safety. Also a quick note. 343 states Cortana wouldn’t be in Halo 5, this could have changed as the story was written, but there is the chance that this Cortana isn’t the actual Cortana and actually a fragment.

Edit: I personally find the graphics to be amazing and well fit for the game. Destiny a graphics don’t really beat it in my opinion. But Destinys amount of content without paying for any DLC was less than Halos, so graphics don’t really make or break the game. I had a ton of fun on Halo 2, and the graphics are crap when compared to some of the other gamss that were out then on other consoles, so I don’t really worry so much with that. I have always enjoyed halo, and I really am digging what they did with Halo 5. It’s not always everyone’s cup of tea though, and I can understand that.

5

> 2533274899758265;4:
> I don’t really agree, but that’s okay. But what I want to say is in regards to the Guardians killing people. I thought it was fairly obvious and clearly stated considering the convo Osiris had in the elevator and Blue team had in the beginning of Genesis, but they are buried underneath planets, planets that are colony worlds. Activating and releasing them cause them to emerge from the planet destroying it, which is why we had to get the heck off of meridian quickly, hence the levels name Escape. Meridian didn’t suffer as much because they sided with Cortana, but that’s also going against the UNSC(it’s not exactly UNSC friendly as it was an insurrection colony at one point) and a lot of the planets the Guardians were destroying by being activated weren’t exactly traitors to humanity just for their own personal safety. Also a quick note. 343 states Cortana wouldn’t be in Halo 5, this could have changed as the story was written, but there is the chance that this Cortana isn’t the actual Cortana and actually a fragment.

Yes… the destruction is implied… but it is a missed opportunity.

And I agree that we’ll almost certainly find out this isn’t the “real” Cortana… but not because 343i are that cunning… more likely because they are probably frantically writing themselves out of a story most fans really hate as we speak.

6

> 2533274801987576;5:
> > 2533274899758265;4:
> > I don’t really agree, but that’s okay. But what I want to say is in regards to the Guardians killing people. I thought it was fairly obvious and clearly stated considering the convo Osiris had in the elevator and Blue team had in the beginning of Genesis, but they are buried underneath planets, planets that are colony worlds. Activating and releasing them cause them to emerge from the planet destroying it, which is why we had to get the heck off of meridian quickly, hence the levels name Escape. Meridian didn’t suffer as much because they sided with Cortana, but that’s also going against the UNSC(it’s not exactly UNSC friendly as it was an insurrection colony at one point) and a lot of the planets the Guardians were destroying by being activated weren’t exactly traitors to humanity just for their own personal safety. Also a quick note. 343 states Cortana wouldn’t be in Halo 5, this could have changed as the story was written, but there is the chance that this Cortana isn’t the actual Cortana and actually a fragment.
>
>
> Yes… the destruction is implied… but it is a missed opportunity.
>
> And I agree that we’ll almost certainly find out this isn’t the “real” Cortana… but not because 343i are that cunning… more likely because they are probably frantically writing themselves out of a story most fans really hate as we speak.

I will agree they could have done more to show how serious of a threat the Guardians were. Show it instead of a one liner “one guardian can wipe out an entire solar system” from exuberant witness. But I thought the campaign was pretty solid. Only thing I didn’t like about it was the lack of a oh my gosh planet is destroying drive and get the heck outta here, which pretty much every halo has had with exception to halo reach and 2. Heck even halo 4 had the longsword flight on the last level. It’s about being open minded though and I look at the campaign more as an opening to Locke and his team and a setup for halo 6 rather than a stand alone story. Halo 5 is to halo 6 what halo 2s campaign was to halo 3. Not as good as you could have hoped but sets it up so the next game can be better. They did focus more on multiplayer in halo 5 because they screwed up on MCC and needed a comeback. I think they did a good job personally.

7

> 2533274899758265;6:
> > 2533274801987576;5:
> > > 2533274899758265;4:
> > > I don’t really agree, but that’s okay. But what I want to say is in regards to the Guardians killing people. I thought it was fairly obvious and clearly stated considering the convo Osiris had in the elevator and Blue team had in the beginning of Genesis, but they are buried underneath planets, planets that are colony worlds. Activating and releasing them cause them to emerge from the planet destroying it, which is why we had to get the heck off of meridian quickly, hence the levels name Escape. Meridian didn’t suffer as much because they sided with Cortana, but that’s also going against the UNSC(it’s not exactly UNSC friendly as it was an insurrection colony at one point) and a lot of the planets the Guardians were destroying by being activated weren’t exactly traitors to humanity just for their own personal safety. Also a quick note. 343 states Cortana wouldn’t be in Halo 5, this could have changed as the story was written, but there is the chance that this Cortana isn’t the actual Cortana and actually a fragment.
> >
> >
> > Yes… the destruction is implied… but it is a missed opportunity.
> >
> > And I agree that we’ll almost certainly find out this isn’t the “real” Cortana… but not because 343i are that cunning… more likely because they are probably frantically writing themselves out of a story most fans really hate as we speak.
>
>
> I will agree they could have done more to show how serious of a threat the Guardians were. Show it instead of a one liner “one guardian can wipe out an entire solar system” from exuberant witness. But I thought the campaign was pretty solid. Only thing I didn’t like about it was the lack of a oh my gosh planet is destroying drive and get the heck outta here, which pretty much every halo has had with exception to halo reach and 2. Heck even halo 4 had the longsword flight on the last level. It’s about being open minded though and I look at the campaign more as an opening to Locke and his team and a setup for halo 6 rather than a stand alone story. Halo 5 is to halo 6 what halo 2s campaign was to halo 3. Not as good as you could have hoped but sets it up so the next game can be better. They did focus more on multiplayer in halo 5 because they screwed up on MCC and needed a comeback. I think they did a good job personally.

But even there 343i have not delivered what they said… all through development they said they wanted to tell a more standalone story… that Halo 4 required too much deep domain (no pun intended) knowledge of Halo… and now all they have done is made it even more complex and the story is riddled with issues if you have been following the series.

Not one of the threads from 4 is expanded on in any meaningful way… and so much of the game is wasted… why focus so much on co op and then not including matchmaking for that?

For me the whole thing seems like an almost childish step backwards… so much of the universe is rich and unexplored that ripping up so much seems pointless. Change for the sake of change. This game makes me doubt I’ll have an Xbox by the time 6 comes out. For the first time in 8 yrs I’m considering not renewing Xbox Live.

8

so graphics are that Important? 60 fps is nothing to be displeased about unless you wanted split split screen. the story is hard to follow if you’re a brand new fan and if you don’t follow the books. it is poor of 343 to make a game where you need to read books to understand h5 story but it’s still understandable to a degree. h5 campaign is the worst imo due to lies of hunt the truth where locke and chief were gonna beat the crap out of each other. bringing back a character who was very important in the last halo games and then making them evil, little character info on both Spartan teams in game (once again, reading the books will give you more info on who they are and such). pretty much how the game was setup is why i’m disappointed. however the matchmaking rivals halo 3 so I’m all aboard this train.

9

I agree with OP. The story just seems so scattered and just another tic on the check off list. I understand trailers aren’t cannon, but when you dedicate time and money to make an online episodic show for 2 seasons of story for the game, it’s just a waste if you don’t highlight that in the campaign. After hearing hunt the truth and how epic it was (10/10) I figured Halo 5 would have a phenomenal story. But oh well, moving on…I hate they brought cortana back, it cheapened her death in Halo 4. The only way I can like Halo 5 is if they really nail the story in Halo 6 to where 5 makes since, like 2 did for 3. But I feel 2 did a better job at story telling than 5. I’m left with tons of unanswered questions at the end of 5. Which can be a good thing, but not in this instance. And for me, this didn’t feel like a Halo campaign at certain parts. Just disappointed. I hope Halo 6 makes Halo 5 worth it

10

> 2533274856059836;9:
> I agree with OP. The story just seems so scattered and just another tic on the check off list. I understand trailers aren’t cannon, but when you dedicate time and money to make an online episodic show for 2 seasons of story for the game, it’s just a waste if you don’t highlight that in the campaign. After hearing hunt the truth and how epic it was (10/10) I figured Halo 5 would have a phenomenal story. But oh well, moving on…I hate they brought cortana back, it cheapened her death in Halo 4. The only way I can like Halo 5 is if they really nail the story in Halo 6 to where 5 makes since, like 2 did for 3. But I feel 2 did a better job at story telling than 5. I’m left with tons of unanswered questions at the end of 5. Which can be a good thing, but not in this instance. And for me, this didn’t feel like a Halo campaign at certain parts. Just disappointed. I hope Halo 6 makes Halo 5 worth it

I’m sure it will all come together for 6. Isn’t halo 6 the last one? I swore when 343 first signed on they said they were only making 3 main halo games.

11

> 2533274899758265;10:
> > 2533274856059836;9:
> > I agree with OP. The story just seems so scattered and just another tic on the check off list. I understand trailers aren’t cannon, but when you dedicate time and money to make an online episodic show for 2 seasons of story for the game, it’s just a waste if you don’t highlight that in the campaign. After hearing hunt the truth and how epic it was (10/10) I figured Halo 5 would have a phenomenal story. But oh well, moving on…I hate they brought cortana back, it cheapened her death in Halo 4. The only way I can like Halo 5 is if they really nail the story in Halo 6 to where 5 makes since, like 2 did for 3. But I feel 2 did a better job at story telling than 5. I’m left with tons of unanswered questions at the end of 5. Which can be a good thing, but not in this instance. And for me, this didn’t feel like a Halo campaign at certain parts. Just disappointed. I hope Halo 6 makes Halo 5 worth it
>
>
> I’m sure it will all come together for 6. Isn’t halo 6 the last one? I swore when 343 first signed on they said they were only making 3 main halo games.

Originally they said trilogy, but changed that to a “saga” because they didn’t want to limit the reclaimer story to just 3 games

12

Also, this is the xbox one right?? Why does this game fail to look impress for NEXT GEN, but also is lack-luster compared to the past. Why isn’t there an advancement in levels. Where is the epic scale. Why isn’t there better missions than the ones we got in the past. 343 failed to ask themselves, how can someone have fun with the campaign. How awesome would it be if he had to scale a Guardians and destroy it. Why don’t we see the true destruction a Guardian causes by destroying an entire city. Why don’t we actually do the platforming at the end of unconfirmed or why don’t we actually play the opening cut-scene. Why don’t we actually fight Chief with some slight fighting mechanics. Just imagining all of this in my head would be absolutely mind blowing if it happened. NO, they decided to be cheap and have all of this stuff be either cut-scenes or not in the game. Gosh the campaign story telling is not only stupid and bad, the levels feel linear and boring as hell to play.

13

> 2533274964075626;12:
> Also, this is the xbox one right?? Why does this game fail to look impress for NEXT GEN, but also is lack-luster compared to the past. Why isn’t there an advancement in levels. Where is the epic scale. Why isn’t there better missions than the ones we got in the past. 343 failed to ask themselves, how can someone have fun with the campaign. How awesome would it be if he had to scale a Guardians and destroy it. Why don’t we see the true destruction a Guardian causes by destroying an entire city. Why don’t we actually do the platforming at the end of unconfirmed or why don’t we actually play the opening cut-scene. Why don’t we actually fight Chief with some slight fighting mechanics. Just imagining all of this in my head would be absolutely mind blowing if it happened. NO, they decided to be cheap and have all of this stuff be either cut-scenes or not in the game. Gosh the campaign story telling is not only stupid and bad, the levels feel linear and boring as hell to play.

Initially when you find Intel and skulls, the missions aren’t linear. But once you got all that, the missions are very linear. More than one pathway doesn’t mean non-linear in my opinion. You still get from point A to point B

14

The game looks good enough. It doesn’t need to have super high-res textures to be playable. 60 fps makes a huge difference. It’s really difficult to go back to Halo Reach at 30 fps.

15

I think the graphics are great, Sangheilios, that’s all I need to say. But the graphics, to an extent, are personal preference. For example I highly dislike Destiny’s art style. As for the story I agree with you.

16

> 2533274856059836;11:
> > 2533274899758265;10:
> > > 2533274856059836;9:
> > > I agree with OP. The story just seems so scattered and just another tic on the check off list. I understand trailers aren’t cannon, but when you dedicate time and money to make an online episodic show for 2 seasons of story for the game, it’s just a waste if you don’t highlight that in the campaign. After hearing hunt the truth and how epic it was (10/10) I figured Halo 5 would have a phenomenal story. But oh well, moving on…I hate they brought cortana back, it cheapened her death in Halo 4. The only way I can like Halo 5 is if they really nail the story in Halo 6 to where 5 makes since, like 2 did for 3. But I feel 2 did a better job at story telling than 5. I’m left with tons of unanswered questions at the end of 5. Which can be a good thing, but not in this instance. And for me, this didn’t feel like a Halo campaign at certain parts. Just disappointed. I hope Halo 6 makes Halo 5 worth it
> >
> >
> > I’m sure it will all come together for 6. Isn’t halo 6 the last one? I swore when 343 first signed on they said they were only making 3 main halo games.
>
>
> Originally they said trilogy, but changed that to a “saga” because they didn’t want to limit the reclaimer story to just 3 games

Thanks for letting me know this.

17

I agree with most of the complaints here. The campaign was not good at all, in fact I haven’t finished it which is absolutely boggling. I have beat every campaign within 72 hours of release and I just can’t be bothered. Poor effort all around, way too much hype. Story is non sensical, none of my friends playing knew what was going on and we’re all smart 30 year old guys who have played all the games.

Multiplayer is good, but REQ’s ruin armour customization, maps all look the same, and way too many features/gametypes are missing.

Essentially it was just OK by today’s standards, but it’s funny because Halo is the ONLY reason I have an xbox and xbox live. I doubt I’ll be getting sucked into Halo 6 - I told myself 5 was the last chance to win me back and it’s not bad at all, but it’s not Halo we want or expect.

18

Even though they have been working on this game for years, the campaign feels very hastily out together and, as you said, it’s graphically very badly optimized. Halo 3 was released with very similar circumstances to halo 5, and was and still is, better in every way.

Only difference is it does not have a multitude of shiny REQs that you tubers wet themselves over.

19

I’ll agree with you on pretty much everything here. Though I feel while the story team dropped the ball the campaign level design team kept it rolling. Some of the areas in the campaign were tons of fun to play through, like the ruins of Sangheilios and the areas on Genesis, this is the one aspect of the single player that I feel is an improvement over Halo 4.

20

Enjoy Destiny & Call of Duty then.