So I’ve been playing the Beta, and enjoying it for the most part. It’s a real step forward for 343 to do this, especially after Halo 4’s resounding failure, and the lack of timely balance changes throughout Halo 4’s short life.
The game is obviously a Beta so I know there are going to be bugs, bad balancings, and general weird happenings. I’m going to compile this list once a week (Though because of the Beta I’ll post up my thoughts a few days in and edit as I see fit) as I overcome Halo 5’s learning curve and experience new modes, and give my honest opinion on the pros and cons of Halo 5’s gameplay through the eyes of a casual Halo player who’s been around since CE.
(as a random but important note, There’s a lot of sarcastic quips and the like in here. I had fun drafting this and while I am serious about everything I’m saying, I’m not necessarily serious in the way I say it, so please keep that in mind and don’t be offended or angered by the way I say something, it’s just for effect)
When I drafted this “review” I wasn’t aware of Waypoint’s character limit, so with that in mind I’m going to split this up into… probably three posts is all I’ll need, and I’ll edit them in subsequent weeks as new game modes and changes are made available to us.
So to start, the pros. I’ll make a short list of each for those who aren’t interested in heavy reading and then go more in depth underneath.
-Thruster Pack is the best thing ever.
-Sprint and ADS aren’t as terrible as everyone says, but there are some tweaks to be made.
-In game lighting and graphics are amazing
-The game certainly feels like a return for form, even though it’s a far cry from Halo 2 or 3
-Arena Combat is fast paced, rarely a dull moment.
-Clamber is the other best thing ever
-Number Rankings
Thruster pack is one of those abilities I never used in Halo 4. It seemed so clunky and slow, and while it certainly had its uses, abilities like jetpack, active camo, and hologram seemed to have infinitely more. Thruster pack then, was wasted. But in Halo 5, it feels fluid, an extension of the normal gameplay. You run quicker, react faster, all with the tap of a bumper (It should be noted that I play with the Halo 4 control scheme, as all others are confusing as hell). Thruster pack is seamlessly integrated into your playing, and while in the beginning it certainly takes time to adjust to having it at all times, once you settle into the subconscious use of it you’ll find yourself making clutch saves, whether it’s using it and the blast of a friendly grenade to propel you halfway across the map, or dodging a sword lunge from twenty feet away as Prophet’s Bane often allows, it’s amazing. It’s the missing link that halo needed to keep it fresh.
I love sprint. Ever since Reach added it I’ve used it religiously because it gave the element of speed that halo sorely lacked to keep things fast paced and interesting. Therefore I am obviously not an advocate of removing it though I can see why people would want it. The only issue is that the maps are designed to keep sprint in mind, and while they’re not nearly as large or open as many of Halo 4’s maps were (thank god) sprint is still necessary for the mobility required to keep the game competitive, and not cat and mouse.
ADS is an issue I’m torn on: on the one hand my AR’s effective range is doubled If not tripled with it, but on the other hand… it’s an AR. I shouldn’t be able to cross map. I have no issue with ADS on things like the pistol or BR, but the AR and SMG especially shouldn’t have it. It makes their range WAY too far, and their accuracy greater than it has any right to be. It’s not a con necessarily which Is why I’m mentioning it up here, because I do believe ADS in its current capacity is a welcome addition to Halo, but I do believe that in the case of the AR and SMG it’s too much, even though getting shot de-scopes you, it’s too much.
The in-game graphics and Lighting are great, not much more needs to be said about that. It looks beautiful, and with the exception of the textureless nightfall armour, I love what I’m seeing so far. I only hope that 343 polishes it even more between now and release.
The arena combat in this game, as opposed to older halo games, is great. There’s very rarely a moment to sit back and think, which is perfect. The small scale of the maps we’ve played so far, and the additional mobility provided by sprint, thruster pack, and clamber creates a perfect setup for never being too far from the action to make a difference for your team. Interestingly enough from what I’ve experienced the thing that kills the pace of the game the most is, in fact, sprint, but I’ll get to that in cons.
Clamber is just… oh my god yes. We’ve all had those moments in other halo games where if we’d just jumped a split second later we’d have crossed the gap and got that dramatic game winning double kill, but fail and instead fall to the floor and watch our friend get the final kill. Clamber removes that, but not in a glaringly obvious way. Yes you can climb things, but does it feel weird? Not for a second, it’s the most natural thing in the world, and it’s also easily counter able. You get shot a lot in this game, clamber just leaves you open for another second, and sometimes that’s all it takes for that cross map AR guy. Damn you cross map AR guy. You’re a -Yoink-.
And finally, the number ranking system. Yes, boo hoo, they kept the Spartan rank. I’ve always thought that was a good system for unlocks like armor. It makes sense. But they gave us our number rank, and it’s lovely. While not necessarily represented by a number, there are definite meanings behind each of the symbols, easily recognisable ones just like in Halo 3. With that in mind it’s almost perfect. Almost. And that’s how I’m going to segue into the cons.