Halo 5: Guardians

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. Guard...

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.

Halo 5: Guardians isn't 343's first Halo game, but it's the first that really makes the series its own. This isn't a reflection of Bungie's efforts, or a remaster, or stage-setting. The studio has put its own identity on this Halo game with smart moves like a more identifiable story and a wider array of multiplayer options, along with increased polish like Guardians' incredible visual punch and im...

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 c...

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 th...

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 bl...

“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 Hal...