Halo 5: Guardians

Halo 5: Guardians is a masterpiece, and quite possibly the best Halo game so far. The campaign is top-notch, even as Master Chief shares the spotlight, and the multiplayer is largely a return to everything that has made the franchise so beloved to begin with.

Any worry that Halo might be in the wrong hands with 343 Industries has been wiped out by Halo 5: Guardians. Taking what works, removing what didn't, and refining nearly every aspect of the experience, Halo 5 is an immediate classic that is on par with its predecessors.

In its 14 years, Halo has never felt so good to play. An updated arsenal and great new mobility mechanics give both campaign and multiplayer and modern touch without sacrificing Halo’s classic feel. It fails to introduce its new Spartan characters in a meaningful way, and the story does make some odd logical leaps, but it’s still fast, beautiful, and fun – especially with four-player co-op. Guardians’ multiplayer harkens back to the Halo 2 glory days with tons of balanced maps and fun modes, and the tactical new Warzone mode absolutely steals the show.

Halo 5: Guardians is a fantastic and incredibly polished title that's only slightly held back by its lack of expected features and limited multiplayer content.

It's not perfect, but this might be the best single-player Halo campaign ever written.  343 finally feels like it's taking the franchise in a new direction—and it's a good one. Just don't expect closure.

Xbox and Halo, Halo and Xbox, the two are synonymous with each other. When the original Xbox debuted in 2001, so did the original Halo, and since then we’ve seen quite a few Halo games (11 and counting), and the Xbox console is now in its third generation with the Xbox One. So of course it was only a matter of time before fans of both finally got a chance to play a new Halo on Microsoft’s latest console. Halo 5 is Master Chief’s latest adventure, and it is 343 Industries second game (not including the Master Chief Collection) since taking over from Bungie. There is no doubt that expectations a...

A shift in the tide.

With reinvigorated mechanics, Halo 5: Guardians ushers the series into a new era with confidence. The core gameplay has never been better and more involving, and it benefits all areas of the package. While the multiplayer components are the best since Halo 3, the campaign disappoints in a few key areas. It's still enjoyable and exciting on the whole, but it lacks the narrative concentration and the memorable gameplay scenarios to stand neck and neck with the best entries in the series. Halo 5: Guardians still gets a massive recommendation from us for many reasons, though there's certainly room...

Halo 5: Guardians may stumble in regards to split-screen multiplayer, but it's still a game that'll grow in the months proceeding its launch. 15 free multiplayer maps will spearhead this movement, with REQ Packs and new online modes extending the appeal immensely for longtime fans and newcomers alike. This seems like an obvious go-to for shooter and sci-fi aficionados, making Microsoft's latest blockbuster worth checking out.

“Halo 5: Guardians is great if you’re a big fan of its multiplayer modes, but its campaign is the weakest of the series.”

Yes, you read that right, the last time I hopped into the shoes of Master Chief was in Halo: Combat Evolved approximately fourteen years ago. Halo’s sluggish handling and flavourless sci-fi simply wasn’t my cup of tea.

If you’re growing tired of the franchise and were really hoping Microsoft and 343 would hold true to their promise to evolve the formula a bit, be wary that the newest stuff is where the game gets a bit shaky. However, if you’ve loved the Halo blueprint up to now and are looking for an updated current-gen version, there’s more than enough here to offer a solid recommendation. It’s not the best Halo game I’ve ever played, but it is good, delivering most of the Halo essentials without compromise.