Halo 5: Guardian Review

Halo 5: Guardians strives to live up to the legacy established by its predecessors. If you made a list of the best shooters of all time, Halo: Combat Evolved would be at the top of the list. Unfortunately, we live in a post-destiny world. With Bungie (the original Halo developers) at the helm of another franchise making leaps and bounds and breaking new ground, Halo 5 feels like a relic of the past.

There are some incredible moments in this video game and the multiplayer is a step above most other space shooters. Halo 5 is certainly not a failure in any way, but it just doesn’t pack Destiny’s punch (especially Destiny 2). When you have endless options grabbing your wallet, it’s hard to feel a strong pull towards it.

History

Halo 5: Guardians opens with a cinematic flex. Most of the main characters are introduced to us, including the interpretations of Nathan Fillion, Ike Amadi and Keith David. We are introduced to the “Osiris team”, an elite group of Spartans. The only one lacking action in this opening mission is the Master Chief, whom we’ll meet later in Mission 2. It’s a compelling start to a very exciting single player campaign.

Among the various twists, I was often convinced that the game was going in a certain direction. Guess what? It era! Not to say that every game has to brutally move away from conventional sci-fi storyline cliches, but Halo 5 fits comfortably into a storyline that offers an excellent multiplayer hub. You won’t be raising the Halo 5 storyline at dinner trying to reconnect with your separated stepfather. The good news is you’ll probably forget it immediately, leaving plenty of room for more great fiction!