Review: Halo 5

*Minor Spoiler WarningRegrettably, the latest installment of the legendary Halo series has, in the opinion of this reviewer, been underwhelming. But only slightly. Indeed, it pains me to say it, but the highly anticipated continuation of the Master Chief’s journey has failed to jump on a few obvious opportunities. Let me explain. Firstly, to clarify, the game runs beautifully. The dynamics and fluidity of gameplay greatly bolster the overall experience, and this is particularly applicable to the multiplayer element of the game, which is outstanding. Indeed, I consider it to be the best Halo multiplayer yet. However, if you’re like me, you will have procured the game for the campaign - for the gripping story. This is where Halo 5 begins to fall short. The return of Blue Team was known and consequently every die-hard fan (i.e. those who read all the Halo novels) was thrilled. Unfortunately, 343 Industries have, to a degree, made the same mistake that they had made with Halo 4 – they relied too heavily on material from the expanded universe without explaining it within the game itself. If one had read all the novels, watched Halo: Nightfall, and followed the excellent audio series Hunt the Truth, then they would be fine. Committed fans like myself will have done this, but alas, we are a minority. Most players will commence the campaign completely unaware of the immeasurable scope of events which have occurred within the books: all of which have a direct impact on the game’s plot. And this brings us to something which particularly annoyed me, though some might disagree with the point. Blue Team just appear, as if they’ve always been there, without any introduction. No mention is made to who they are (initially), where they’ve been, or why they are significant. If you’ve read the books you know and it’s not really a problem. But most players haven’t read the books and so the extraordinary relevance of the characters of Fred, Kelly, and Linda is completely overlooked. Indeed, I for one hoped for an emotional reunion in the opening scenes. No such luck. Furthermore, the game lacks any truly meaningful interaction between Chief and Blue Team. Sure, there are a few tense moments, but it was not at all reflective of the scenes depicted in novels such as Halo: The Fall of Reach. Additionally, we never see their faces, and I felt this was a real disappointment. I do hope 343 reconsider their approach in the next game, as they had no reservations in the past about revealing their faces, unlike the Chief of course. Finally, despite an impressive opening scene, neither Blue Team nor Team Osiris did enough ‘spartan’ stuff throughout the game. The opening awesomeness seemed to fade, as the legendary prowess expected from Blue Team (and Team Osiris I guess) didn’t re-emerge, at least not in a spectacular fashion. The actual plot is interesting while dependent largely on events from the novels and audio series. Though, the reveal (which I won’t spoil) regarding the antagonist was, for me anyway, unexpected, and in hindsight, the choice was brave but logical (in my opinion). Anyway, irrespective of all of the above, the game feels great to play and the multiplayer is outstanding. It is certainly evident that, within the campaign, great effort has been made in terms of detail. There are a multitude of references made, such as to Blue Team’s past, which the enthusiastic fan (who has read the novels) will notice. A review of a Halo game cannot neglect the soundtrack, and indeed, the OST of Halo 5 is amazing (as is to be expected from any Halo title). The gameplay has been refined beautifully, and of course, we can enjoy the introduction of a revolutionary new forge mode later in the year, which promises to be a magnificent leap forward. Unfortunately, the menu interface lacks the accessibility of that of Halo: Reach, though this is merely a minor annoyance. I have only played through the campaign once, so perhaps on my second playthrough, I will enjoy it more. Halo 5 certainly has its moments but, in conclusion, it didn’t seem to contribute to gaming with the same indescribable majesty that the likes of Halo 2 and Halo 3 did.