I thought that Halo 5 was great because it involved new characters and things that were already in the lore; and because it featured a new and interesting threat that really took advantage of the remains of Forerunner civilization. Some other great things it had was the fact that we get to see the Arbiter, see old characters, see new characters, get more lore and story to the franchise, and of course showing how far the UNSC had come, getting ready for the Precursor’s final test to earn the Precursor mantle of Responsibility. I hate it when people make life miserable for the developers because they want something old to come back; the whole Humanity’s back against the wall, facing an unstoppable threat (Covenant) gets old fast; therefore elaborating the Forerunners and their past is super awesome. I really like how the Forerunners have been elaborated and gave them such a good extinct alien civilization, I really don’t how the fans want the forerunners to stay mysterious, there’s a lot of dumb things storytellers do but one of the worst is not enhancing a story by keeping a major factor of the story unexplained; the fans wanted to know about the forerunners and what happened to them. Think what you will, but Halo is better off with new characters, factions explained, and Halo 5 is Halo to a T.
In my opinion, Halo 5 had the best weapon balance and mobility option of any Halo game up to this point.
I liked that they incorporated lore from the books/comics, if not the exact execution of this incorporation.
I agree that the developing story is much better than the lather-rinse-repeat storytelling and gameplay mechanics some people are calling for.
> 2535410239320465;1:
> I thought that Halo 5 was great because it involved new characters and things that were already in the lore; and because it featured a new and interesting threat that really took advantage of the remains of Forerunner civilization. Some other great things it had was the fact that we get to see the Arbiter, see old characters, see new characters, get more lore and story to the franchise, and of course showing how far the UNSC had come, getting ready for the Precursor’s final test to earn the Precursor mantle of Responsibility. I hate it when people make life miserable for the developers because they want something old to come back; the whole Humanity’s back against the wall, facing an unstoppable threat (Covenant) gets old fast; therefore elaborating the Forerunners and their past is super awesome. I really like how the Forerunners have been elaborated and gave them such a good extinct alien civilization, I really don’t how the fans want the forerunners to stay mysterious, there’s a lot of dumb things storytellers do but one of the worst is not enhancing a story by keeping a major factor of the story unexplained; the fans wanted to know about the forerunners and what happened to them. Think what you will, but Halo is better off with new characters, factions explained, and Halo 5 is Halo to a T.
New, doesn’t always equate to good by itself. Things like character development, Pacing, narrative cohesion, etc all matter. All new things need a reason why they are introduced and a reason why the reader/player/viewer should care about those things. I was happy blue team was in Halo 5 for instance, but the only reason they put them in there was because it filled a game mechanic, (squad based gameplay). Not a narrative reason why they were there, and it shows. Same with team Osiris. I don’t think people hate Halo 5 because of new things. It’s how those things are implemented that makes people have disdain for it.
I would lie if I say I didn’t enjoy playing arena online, dismissed the browser and didn’t give credit to the forge for allowing you the most creative potential in the series hands down. And I may not be a fan of most of the other stuff in the game but that’s just me mostly.
What I can not tolerate is how they eviscerated and insulted Cortana and the master chief beyond reapair. The already boring, bland and poorly written story went out of it’s way to give the biggest middle finger ever to a character that I’ve seen in any media. It is a disgrace, it destroyed and desecrated anything anyone could appreciate in the slightest about them. It’s even worse than the kilo 5 books, it is indisputably the black rotten stain in the acclaimed story of a series and I will never forgive it. A pathetic disservice. If Infinite isn’t good, it all ended in H4 for me.
It’s not like people dislike Halo 5 for the same reasons that you like it.
I hear you but I don’t think H5 presented any of these things successfully.
But stick with what you like, don’t let us tell you otherwise. I just don’t agree at all.
I hated Halo 5’s campaign due to the implementation of new story elements/characters because 343 basically required the gamer to be up to date on the Halo lore to understand what was going on; remember that diagram they released showing you what you need to read/watch to follow the story? That’s a big no-no. The characters were not written well, the game relied on “tell, don’t show” (which is bad story-telling), and it just wasn’t fun or engaging (there are many more problems but those are my top 3). The online was fun albeit mixed in its execution. I’ve only played the campaign once and don’t feel the need to go back. The multiplayer I’ll always go back to, although I feel the map design is lacking; I felt the same about Halo 4. I don’t feel like 343 is good at map design IMO.
> 2533274793083462;6:
> I hated Halo 5’s campaign due to the implementation of new story elements/characters because 343 basically required the gamer to be up to date on the Halo lore to understand what was going on; remember that diagram they released showing you what you need to read/watch to follow the story? That’s a big no-no.
What’s funny is that diagram for “Halo 5 related material” was a complete farce. On the contrary, Halo 5 vastly ignores outside material, so if you hope to find answers to your questions in the EU, you’ll be left disappointed more times than not, honestly.
> 2533274851065491;7:
> > 2533274793083462;6:
> > I hated Halo 5’s campaign due to the implementation of new story elements/characters because 343 basically required the gamer to be up to date on the Halo lore to understand what was going on; remember that diagram they released showing you what you need to read/watch to follow the story? That’s a big no-no.
>
> What’s funny is that diagram for “Halo 5 related material” was a complete farce. On the contrary, Halo 5 vastly ignores outside material, so if you hope to find answers to your questions in the EU, you’ll be left disappointed more times than not, honestly.
I’m not sure where you got that perspective. Halo 5 incorporated a fair number of plot points and characters from other sources outside the games, and having read/watched those sources made Halo 5’s story more satisfying than it would be for someone who wasn’t familiar with the related material.
> 2533274851065491;7:
> > 2533274793083462;6:
> > I hated Halo 5’s campaign due to the implementation of new story elements/characters because 343 basically required the gamer to be up to date on the Halo lore to understand what was going on; remember that diagram they released showing you what you need to read/watch to follow the story? That’s a big no-no.
>
> What’s funny is that diagram for “Halo 5 related material” was a complete farce. On the contrary, Halo 5 vastly ignores outside material, so if you hope to find answers to your questions in the EU, you’ll be left disappointed more times than not, honestly.
It’s not so much that you have to know all this outside information in order to understand H5. More importantly, it’s about the fact that you have to know all this outside information in order to appreciate H5.
And by that point you realize how bad Halo 5’s story is and that if you didn’t hate it before, you probably hate it now.
> 2535435902217648;9:
> > 2533274851065491;7:
> > > 2533274793083462;6:
> > > I hated Halo 5’s campaign due to the implementation of new story elements/characters because 343 basically required the gamer to be up to date on the Halo lore to understand what was going on; remember that diagram they released showing you what you need to read/watch to follow the story? That’s a big no-no.
> >
> > What’s funny is that diagram for “Halo 5 related material” was a complete farce. On the contrary, Halo 5 vastly ignores outside material, so if you hope to find answers to your questions in the EU, you’ll be left disappointed more times than not, honestly.
>
> It’s not so much that you have to know all this outside information in order to understand H5. More importantly, it’s about the fact that you have to know all this outside information in order to appreciate H5.
Halo 5 released with stunning visuals, great weapon balancing and character mobility, and a new type of enemy to figure out. There’s a lot to appreciate in this game. The story is a continuation of what we’ve already had, and is understandable on its own, but carries more meaning if the player is also familiar with the other sources that flesh out the characters more. Halo 5 didn’t have quite the best execution of incorporating lore from outside the games, but it’s still a solid, good Halo game like the others. Halo hasn’t had a console release yet that wasn’t a good game.
> 2535435902217648;9:
> > 2533274851065491;7:
> > > 2533274793083462;6:
> > > I hated Halo 5’s campaign due to the implementation of new story elements/characters because 343 basically required the gamer to be up to date on the Halo lore to understand what was going on; remember that diagram they released showing you what you need to read/watch to follow the story? That’s a big no-no.
> >
> > What’s funny is that diagram for “Halo 5 related material” was a complete farce. On the contrary, Halo 5 vastly ignores outside material, so if you hope to find answers to your questions in the EU, you’ll be left disappointed more times than not, honestly.
>
> It’s not so much that you have to know all this outside information in order to understand H5. More importantly, it’s about the fact that you have to know all this outside information in order to appreciate H5.
I agree with your first point, but even after reading all the outside information I still don’t quite appreciate every aspect of Halo5.
> 2533274883501878;8:
> > 2533274851065491;7:
> >
>
> I’m not sure where you got that perspective. Halo 5 incorporated a fair number of plot points and characters from other sources outside the games, and having read/watched those sources made Halo 5’s story more satisfying than it would be for someone who wasn’t familiar with the related material.
Sure thing. I’ll extrapolate on that.
Just so I’m clear on this matter, I’m not insinuating Halo 5 does not require any outside sources. I simply take particular issue with the constant purporting that Halo 5 requires people to delve deeper to understand its story. It’s a mess no matter how you cut it.
Halo 5 completely dropped the ongoing conflict with Escalation (a major lore-progressing material at that point). Jul, his quest for vengeance against ONI; his eroding Covenant forces thanks to Sali 'Nyon; and Halsey’s guise of compliance to use him (which is years of build-up at this point), was dropped one level within the game. The Janus Key was nowhere to be found, which itself was a three-year long plot thread. This is what I mean by vastly ignoring outside material. It doesn’t negate it, certainly, but the entire conflict was ushered in anew while ignoring Halo 4’s, Spartan Op’s, and Escalation’s ongoing narrative.
I can only think of two previously-established bits of lore that were plot points in Halo 5: Arbiter’s SoS and the Domain. The issue with the Domain is that, at the time of Halo 5’s release, we were under the impression it was destroyed, shortly after the revelation that it was Precursor. Our answer wouldn’t come for another year until Promises to Keep. You’d be less confused about the Domain simply hearing it from Halsey than knowing about it going into Halo 5.
Everything else: Cortana’s return, her interfacing with the Domain, the Warden Eternal, the awakening of Guardians, and her newly formed Created who were oh-so-eager to abandon humanity were introduced in the game itself, (I mean, technically the Guardians were in the marketing material). This had minimal, if any build-up beforehand.
If you found satisfaction with the characters, more power to you, but I was left rather disappointed at the major shafting of Blue team (who were little more than warm bodies filling a co-op roster for 3 missions) or the superfluousness of Osiris’ introductory stories tying into Halo 5. I can’t say, after experiencing their stories, that it really enhanced them any more-so going into Halo 5. I’m saying this as someone who really likes Osiris.
> 2535435902217648;9:
> > 2533274851065491;7:
> >
>
> It’s not so much that you have to know all this outside information in order to understand H5. More importantly, it’s about the fact that you have to know all this outside information in order to appreciate H5.
I’m not so sure delving into the deeper lore would actually make one appreciate Halo 5 more. The general consensus within the lore community (obviously I’m not going to speak for everyone here) at the time was that it was just as disappointing or confusing experiencing Halo 5 as the casual-going fan. The Domain was Precursor and destroyed, but wait! it’s back and referred to as Forerunner now. When the Janus Key arc in Escalation has come almost to a head and the game releases and there’s not even a passing mention of it… When all of Jul’s scheming and plotting against the UNSC throughout Escalation is slapped off to the side almost immediately, it just doesn’t bode well.
> 2533274851065491;13:
> > 2533274883501878;8:
> >
>
> Sure thing. I’ll extrapolate on that.
>
> Just so I’m clear on this matter, I’m not insinuating Halo 5 does not require any outside sources. I simply take particular issue with the constant purporting that Halo 5 requires people to delve deeper to understand its story. It’s a mess no matter how you cut it.
>
> Halo 5 completely dropped the ongoing conflict with Escalation (a major lore-progressing material at that point). Jul, his quest for vengeance against ONI; his eroding Covenant forces thanks to Sali 'Nyon; and Halsey’s guise of compliance to use him (which is years of build-up at this point), was dropped one level within the game. The Janus Key was nowhere to be found, which itself was a three-year long plot thread. This is what I mean by vastly ignoring outside material. It doesn’t negate it, certainly, but the entire conflict was ushered in anew while ignoring Halo 4’s, Spartan Op’s, and Escalation’s ongoing narrative.
The Janus Key story line is wrapped up in the comics, as is the rest of Jul’s story, right up until Fireteam Osiris kills him at the start of Halo 5. Of course, my opinion is that a story arc begun in a game should carry through in games rather than shift over to a comic series, then back to another game for the end, but it’s not like the story wasn’t told at all.
> 2533274851065491;13:
> I can only think of two previously-established bits of lore that were plot points in Halo 5: Arbiter’s SoS and the Domain. The issue with the Domain is that, at the time of Halo 5’s release, we were under the impression it was destroyed, shortly after the revelation that it was Precursor. Our answer wouldn’t come for another year until Promises to Keep. You’d be less confused about the Domain simply hearing it from Halsey than knowing about it going into Halo 5.
> Everything else: Cortana’s return, her interfacing with the Domain, the Warden Eternal, the awakening of Guardians, and her newly formed Created who were oh-so-eager to abandon humanity were introduced in the game itself, (I mean, technically the Guardians were in the marketing material). This had minimal, if any build-up beforehand.
Locke’s origin as an ONI officer is in the movie Halo: Nightfall.
Buck’s journey from the ODST in Reach to being a Spartan is in the novels.
The idea of the Mantle is from the Forerunner Saga.
Every belief Cortana takes as her own in Halo 5 is either one the Gravemind told her in Human Weakness, or a belief the Ur-Didact held after his unknowing infection with the Logic Plague after his interrogation of the Primordial in the Forerunner Saga…So she’s clearly unknowingly doing what the intelligence behind the Flood wants her to do.
Also, UNSC AI have fragmented in the lore before, and the pieces act as independent AI (Such as in Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian), and we knew in Halo 4’s ending that only one piece of Cortana stayed behind to rescue Chief, leaving the question open as to whether the others could have survived, especially since the Didact survived his fall into the portal for another showdown with Blue Team in the comics after he kills Black Team.
The other stories weren’t hints or spoilers for Halo 5, but having read/watched them provides much more context for things revealed in Halo 5.
> 2533274851065491;13:
> > 2535435902217648;9:
> > > 2533274851065491;7:
> > >
> >
> > It’s not so much that you have to know all this outside information in order to understand H5. More importantly, it’s about the fact that you have to know all this outside information in order to appreciate H5.
>
> I’m not so sure delving into the deeper lore would actually make one appreciate Halo 5 more. The general consensus within the lore community (obviously I’m not going to speak for everyone here) at the time was that it was just as disappointing or confusing experiencing Halo 5 as the casual-going fan. The Domain was Precursor and destroyed, but wait! it’s back and referred to as Forerunner now. When the Janus Key arc in Escalation has come almost to a head and the game releases and there’s not even a passing mention of it… When all of Jul’s scheming and plotting against the UNSC throughout Escalation is slapped off to the side almost immediately, it just doesn’t bode well.
As stated, Janus Key and Jul resolved in Comics (not how I’d have done it, but it’s what they did).
Domain was restored in Promises to Keep (probably should have been released before Halo 5 because of the Domain question, but we did get it) Also, characters calling it the Forerunner Domain don’t know about the Precursors, so it’s character misunderstanding.
> 2533274883501878;14:
> The Janus Key story line is wrapped up in the comics, as is the rest of Jul’s story, right up until Fireteam Osiris kills him at the start of Halo 5. The story’s told. Of course, my opinion is that a story arc begun in a game should carry through in games rather than shift over to a comic series, then back to another game for the end, but it’s not like the story wasn’t told at all.
Yes, it was wrapped up in a rushed, anticlimactic manner after three years (four, in Jul’s case) of build-up. One of the taglines for Spartan Ops was ‘continuing the story into the sequel,’ and when Spartan Ops Season 2 was cancelled and turned into Escalations, fans were under the impression that the events that transpired within would be important. Dropping practically all plot threads regarding it didn’t endear a lot of people.
> 2533274883501878;14:
> Locke’s origin as an ONI officer is in the movie Halo: Nightfall.
But not really necessary for the plot of Halo 5. It’s understood from the game Locke is from ONI and is skilled enough that he was poised to assassinate Arbiter. His mission to the Alpha shard in Nightfall is inconsequential to Halo 5.
> 2533274883501878;14:
> Buck’s journey from the ODST in Reach to being a Spartan is in the novels.
Not really relevant to Halo 5’s plot, though. His journey doesn’t relate to the return of Blue team nor stopping Cortana.
> 2533274883501878;14:
> The idea of the Mantle is from the Forerunner Saga.
> Every belief Cortana takes as her own in Halo 5 is either one the Gravemind told her in Human Weakness, or a belief the Ur-Didact held after his unknowing infection with the Logic Plague after his interrogation of the Primordial…So she’s clearly unknowingly doing what the intelligence behind the Flood wants her to do.
The thing is, we still don’t have confirmation whether Cortana in Halo 5 is acting under the Gravemind’s influence. And if so, why? The Domain cause it? A seed of corruption just waiting to sprout? A wacky fragment gone off the deep end? The Didact himself pulling the strings?
We’re going to have to wait for Infinite to give the answers because for the past 5 years this has been an ambiguous heel-turn for her character.
> 2533274883501878;14:
> Also, UNSC AI have fragmented in the lore before, and the pieces act as independent AI (Such as in Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian), and we knew in Halo 4’s ending that only one piece of Cortana stayed behind to rescue Chief, leaving the question open as to whether the others could have survived, especially since the Didact survived his fall into the portal for another showdown with Blue Team in the comics after he kills Black Team.
I mean, yes, that’s been established before, but it’s been established on a ship not about to be blown asunder by a Havok nuke. The foundation laid for Cortana’s return was a forum post (one of the obscurest of obscure sources) made by Catalogue nearly two years after Halo 4, and was also during the time where statements like ‘her fate is pretty clear’ and ‘after Cortana’s sacrifice’ were being made.
> 2533274883501878;14:
> Domain was restored in Promises to Keep (probably should have been released before Halo 5 because of the Domain question, but we did get it)
I know. I made mention of PtK and how that answer took an entire year to be revealed.
> 2533274883501878;14:
> Also, characters calling it the Forerunner Domain don’t know about the Precursors, so it’s character misunderstanding.
I understand from an in-universe perspective the labeling of the Domain as Forerunner, but when the fans are under the impression it’s been destroyed and was Precursor, it raises questions whether Halsey is talking about the same entity or if another has taken its place, (obviously PtK answers this).
> 2533274883501878;11:
> > 2535435902217648;9:
> > > 2533274851065491;7:
> > > > 2533274793083462;6:
> > > > I hated Halo 5’s campaign due to the implementation of new story elements/characters because 343 basically required the gamer to be up to date on the Halo lore to understand what was going on; remember that diagram they released showing you what you need to read/watch to follow the story? That’s a big no-no.
> > >
> > > What’s funny is that diagram for “Halo 5 related material” was a complete farce. On the contrary, Halo 5 vastly ignores outside material, so if you hope to find answers to your questions in the EU, you’ll be left disappointed more times than not, honestly.
> >
> > It’s not so much that you have to know all this outside information in order to understand H5. More importantly, it’s about the fact that you have to know all this outside information in order to appreciate H5.
>
> Halo 5 released with stunning visuals, great weapon balancing and character mobility, and a new type of enemy to figure out. There’s a lot to appreciate in this game. The story is a continuation of what we’ve already had, and is understandable on its own, but carries more meaning if the player is also familiar with the other sources that flesh out the characters more. Halo 5 didn’t have quite the best execution of incorporating lore from outside the games, but it’s still a solid, good Halo game like the others. Halo hasn’t had a console release yet that wasn’t a good game.
I disagree that H5 was a good Halo game. It was a great game in general. It was well made and visually impressive. But it just wasn’t a good Halo game imo. All the wonder and mystery surrounding the original trilogy, ODST, Reach, and even H4 fell flat for me in H5.
> 2535435902217648;16:
> > 2533274883501878;11:
> > > 2535435902217648;9:
> > > > 2533274851065491;7:
> > > > > 2533274793083462;6:
> > > > > I hated Halo 5’s campaign due to the implementation of new story elements/characters because 343 basically required the gamer to be up to date on the Halo lore to understand what was going on; remember that diagram they released showing you what you need to read/watch to follow the story? That’s a big no-no.
> > > >
> > > > What’s funny is that diagram for “Halo 5 related material” was a complete farce. On the contrary, Halo 5 vastly ignores outside material, so if you hope to find answers to your questions in the EU, you’ll be left disappointed more times than not, honestly.
> > >
> > > It’s not so much that you have to know all this outside information in order to understand H5. More importantly, it’s about the fact that you have to know all this outside information in order to appreciate H5.
> >
> > Halo 5 released with stunning visuals, great weapon balancing and character mobility, and a new type of enemy to figure out. There’s a lot to appreciate in this game. The story is a continuation of what we’ve already had, and is understandable on its own, but carries more meaning if the player is also familiar with the other sources that flesh out the characters more. Halo 5 didn’t have quite the best execution of incorporating lore from outside the games, but it’s still a solid, good Halo game like the others. Halo hasn’t had a console release yet that wasn’t a good game.
>
> I disagree that H5 was a good Halo game. It was a great game in general. It was well made and visually impressive. But it just wasn’t a good Halo game imo. All the wonder and mystery surrounding the original trilogy, ODST, Reach, and even H4 fell flat for me in H5.
Halo has been about “Combat Evolved” ever since that was the subtitle to the first game, and true to form our options in combat have expanded since we were first introduced to the world. And while some mysteries have been resolved over the course of the franchise, and others have arisen. Halo 5 initiated what is likely the end-game for the Flood, the setting up of Humanity to face the final test of worth to see if they’re worthy to hold the Precursors’ Mantle. Cortana was manipulated into being the face of an AI uprising, threatening life in the galaxy much as the Flood was doing when humanity passed the first test by self-sacrificing in the attempt to create a cure for the Flood to save the other races.
The deeper you dive into the lore, the more nuance you’ll see in Halo 5. It was a good Halo game.
> 2533274883501878;11:
> > 2535435902217648;9:
> > > 2533274851065491;7:
> > > > 2533274793083462;6:
> > > > I hated Halo 5’s campaign due to the implementation of new story elements/characters because 343 basically required the gamer to be up to date on the Halo lore to understand what was going on; remember that diagram they released showing you what you need to read/watch to follow the story? That’s a big no-no.
> > >
> > > What’s funny is that diagram for “Halo 5 related material” was a complete farce. On the contrary, Halo 5 vastly ignores outside material, so if you hope to find answers to your questions in the EU, you’ll be left disappointed more times than not, honestly.
> >
> > It’s not so much that you have to know all this outside information in order to understand H5. More importantly, it’s about the fact that you have to know all this outside information in order to appreciate H5.
>
> Halo 5 released with stunning visuals, great weapon balancing and character mobility, and a new type of enemy to figure out. There’s a lot to appreciate in this game. The story is a continuation of what we’ve already had, and is understandable on its own, but carries more meaning if the player is also familiar with the other sources that flesh out the characters more. Halo 5 didn’t have quite the best execution of incorporating lore from outside the games, but it’s still a solid, good Halo game like the others. Halo hasn’t had a console release yet that wasn’t a good game.
“understandable on it’s own”. That is just outright false. My brother knew exactly nothing about what was going on. Didn’t even know who team Osiris was, why the covenant was fighting against the Prometheans when they worked together in the last game, didn’t know how cortana survived, why are we not killing Halsey when they were going to do that at the end of 4, etc etc. And even I didn’t have all the answers for him. So not only are we pausing the game for me to try and explain things, the characters also don’t stop expositing dialogue, even during firefights. Which means he lost even more information cuz he was trying not to die. This is textbook bad storytelling 101.
Halo 5 overall had amazing gameplay and the multiplayer was great. With forge aswell you could do such in depths creations. Warzone was ruined because you could spawn things in that you earned from packs so if you spent money on packs you could get better reqs which ruined it completely.
Halo 5s campaign was terrible. The story overall was absolute crap. Cortana turning evil made no sense whats so ever. Master chief aswell, in Halo 5 he suddenly became a different person and then in halo 5 he went back to how he was before. Also the warden was the worst boss I have ever seen. They just used him to make the game last longer. I mean you had the same boss fight like 7 times and nothing changed each time except once there was more of him which also made no sense because yes he can regenerate but that doesn’t explain how he duplicated himself? Halo 5s storyline was just thrown together and was explained in such a bad way and the plot they were trying to create was absalute crap and its an insult to what Halo is supposed to be. The multiplayer on this game if they didn’t have reqs then it would be a perfect halo multiplayer experience.
> 2533274883501878;17:
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> > > 2533274883501878;11:
> > > > 2535435902217648;9:
> > > > > 2533274851065491;7:
> > > > > > 2533274793083462;6:
> > > > > > I hated Halo 5’s campaign due to the implementation of new story elements/characters because 343 basically required the gamer to be up to date on the Halo lore to understand what was going on; remember that diagram they released showing you what you need to read/watch to follow the story? That’s a big no-no.
> > > > >
> > > > > What’s funny is that diagram for “Halo 5 related material” was a complete farce. On the contrary, Halo 5 vastly ignores outside material, so if you hope to find answers to your questions in the EU, you’ll be left disappointed more times than not, honestly.
> > > >
> > > > It’s not so much that you have to know all this outside information in order to understand H5. More importantly, it’s about the fact that you have to know all this outside information in order to appreciate H5.
> > >
> > > Halo 5 released with stunning visuals, great weapon balancing and character mobility, and a new type of enemy to figure out. There’s a lot to appreciate in this game. The story is a continuation of what we’ve already had, and is understandable on its own, but carries more meaning if the player is also familiar with the other sources that flesh out the characters more. Halo 5 didn’t have quite the best execution of incorporating lore from outside the games, but it’s still a solid, good Halo game like the others. Halo hasn’t had a console release yet that wasn’t a good game.
> >
> > I disagree that H5 was a good Halo game. It was a great game in general. It was well made and visually impressive. But it just wasn’t a good Halo game imo. All the wonder and mystery surrounding the original trilogy, ODST, Reach, and even H4 fell flat for me in H5.
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> Halo has been about “Combat Evolved” ever since that was the subtitle to the first game, and true to form our options in combat have expanded since we were first introduced to the world. And while some mysteries have been resolved over the course of the franchise, and others have arisen. Halo 5 initiated what is likely the end-game for the Flood, the setting up of Humanity to face the final test of worth to see if they’re worthy to hold the Precursors’ Mantle. Cortana was manipulated into being the face of an AI uprising, threatening life in the galaxy much as the Flood was doing when humanity passed the first test by self-sacrificing in the attempt to create a cure for the Flood to save the other races.
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> The deeper you dive into the lore, the more nuance you’ll see in Halo 5. It was a good Halo game.
I take issue with the argument “Halo is about Combat Evolved”… Yeah the first name of the first game in the franchise was Combat Evolved. It’s a tag line, not an argument. This franchise deserves more than to just say that all evolution is good evolution. Some changes are bad and some are good.
The rest of your post about the Flood, Cortana being manipulated, and the Mantle is largely speculative. And tbh, there really wasn’t a whole lot of nuance in H5. The story basically was “go to X and do Y”. The characters were boring and didn’t really have anything to say outside of exposition. We didn’t know anything about the enemy faction within the game, so we really didn’t have a reason to care about our “heroes”.
And having to dive deeper into the lore is exactly the problem with H5. You shouldn’t have to buy several books, comics, and other ancillary material to appreciate a game. It’s kinda sleazy of a company to sell you an incomplete story (advertised as a whole story), and then sell you additional material to complete that story. You can play Halo 2 without reading Fall of Reach and First Strike. Why can’t the same apply to H5?