The landscapes are very like his concept paintings but the Halo 5 style buildings are also very like his concept paintings. So, to me, the good and the bad are both contained in his paintings.

But I don't recall him painting the Knights or the Warden Eternal or the Cave-Troll-Grunts. I don't think that they were that bad because that's want he wanted. AFAIK he was in charge of Halo 5's art but maybe he has been told to reign that stuff in, to take more charge of what his team gets up to.

Getting back to his concept art. Some of it is very busy. I like a lot of his work and I was impressed by the area in the Argent Moon where there was a ship being assembled? disassembled? They really caught the essence of his art style, particularly the blue white colours. I like those in his paintings but I found them too harsh on the eyes when you are actually inside those worlds, when you are trying to shoot at enemies and walk up ramps with those intense lights in your eyes. At times my eyes HURT during that level.

What makes good paintings does not necessarily make good levels.

: Also, I'm intrigued by the suggestion of an open-world Halo game.

I hope that there will be something worthwhile to do in them. Halo 3 had beautiful levels but once I had achieved my objectives I didn't really want to stay too long in them. The worlds feel more alive when you are blasting through them and are just aware of them from time to time. And Destiny really put me off the idea of beautiful levels on their own being enough to keep me playing.

Not that I think that everything is doomed just because Destiny's bounties bored be to death. I still like to roam the streets of New Mombassa whilst playing through the campaign story. I still enjoy that lonely night time emptiness.