So I’ve been playing Black Ops 3 recently, and something that struck me is that, aside from aesthetic differences, many of the maps are no different from one another. Why is this? Well, it seems to be the mobility. Black Ops 3’s mini-jetpack and wall-running makes every environment seem like the same set of obstacles, just something you can fairly easily traverse, without much thought given to it. Contrast this with Halo 5, where the environment is a critical part of every game. How to use it, how to climb on it, how to bounce a grenade on it. Every map has its own unique playstyle heavily relying on its structure. Black Ops 3’s maps essentially put junk in your way and make you fly over it, or run on it, thus making Black Ops 3’s maps mindless rehashes, no matter the difference in structure placement.
Halo 5 is much more tactical with its maps, and tries to get the player to think cleverly and use his environment to his advantage.
I just thought I’d share this perspective, and perhaps brighten some people’s perceptions of Halo 5’s supposedly dull map remixes.
(although FYI I strongly dislike Riptide)