: I agree with basically everything in this article. I didn't participate in
: the beta for Halo 5, but I watched videos and read opinions. It didn't
: sound good, and I wasn't very optimistic.

: I was pleasantly surprised then, when it turned out to be good. Even though I
: haven't played much of it, Halo 5 is my favorite multiplayer Halo since
: Halo 3, probably (To be fair I didn't play a whole lot of Reach, as it
: dropped when I was in basic training and I fell out of gaming in general
: for a bit). Things that are distinctly un-Halo somehow fit perfectly in
: Halo 5 and help make it a really fun experience.

I don't think "best in years" is accurate, it's a HUGE step in the right direction from Halo 4, that is for sure.

I'm perplexed by it all.

(Good!) On the one hand, I like the way the game feels. I like the base movement, I like the mobility, I like the verticality of it and I like the way the weapons feel.

(Bad) But I hate the campaign story and characters, aside from Blue team.

(Bad) I hate that the "forerunners" are a modern enemy in Halo. (I'd rather have the Flood)

(Good!)But I like the changes they made to the Forerunner weapons. They don't feel like re-skins anymore!

Multi Player

I'm liking the MP quite a bit. I don't like it in the same way that I did Halo 3 (the pinnacle of Halo for me), but it's very fun.

Like, I'm getting into and yelling at the TV "fun". I don't do that with Destiny. In fact, when I die in Halo, I get mad. When I die in Halo, it's because I fucked up an engagement. I lost. I'm being punished. It's great!!

Kills are very satisfying. I don't like how fast it is, but I understand "why" it is and why it needs to be that way.

(Comparing to Destiny because that's all I've really played the last year)

There is way, way less auto-aim and sight "stickiness" compared to Destiny. Halo 5 is not forgiving in a lot of (good) ways. If I get a sniper head shot, it feels GOOD. I cheer! I feel like I earned it.

It just feels....tough. Like, Dark Souls "tough" compared to Destiny. When I die in MP they might as well plaster it on my screen in the same way -YOU DIED- because that's how it makes me feel. So if I do well or I get a double kill it feels like a triumph. In Destiny, I can just run repeatedly into the fray and know I'll get a kill or two, and a free super.

Having played what I've played thus far, Vanilla Destiny MP feels very 'casual' (I don't mean that in a bad way). Vanilla Halo 5 MP feels much more competitive... it feels like Iron Banner all the time. Destiny Trials and Halo 5 ranked feel equal in terms of competitiveness to me, so that's nice.

It feels like anyone can be good at it. The weapon balance is -dare I say- perfect. The AR sounds good and works perfect at the range intended, the pistol can put a BR in it's place, and the DMR feels WORLDS different from the BR. It actually feels like a mini-sniper that it should be, and it's shots feel like they have weight when they impact. Grenades feel on par, nothing special there. The hydra is fun when used right, I have no idea how to properly use the plasma caster in PvP but dammit I try. Carbine feels like it fits between the AR and BR in terms of RoF vs Range, human sniper is satisfying and the beam rifle is still superior.

War Zone

I am really enjoying this so far. More than I thought I would actually. This is close to what I've wanted in Halo for years, Halo+Battlefield.

It does not feel 'pay to win' AT ALL.

In fact, (I lol thinking about it) I've gotten to try out all the neat new guns because I pick them up all over the map from my dead teammates and other players. And I've been on the receiving end myself several times- I had enough points to spawn with a Scorpion on a map and I got cocky and got obliterated a minute after I left the base by a sneak player that boarded me from behind. D'oh!

Speaking of neat new guns, I actually really like the scopes and sights they've added to the AR, BR and DMR. It adds just enough variety to old favorites- and AR still feels like and AR, but when you attach a BR scope to an AR, the way I play with it changes and it becomes this really cool moment where you can mow down a couple of guys from a distance that a regular AR could not and the balance is that if they get close and you try to iron sight them (because that reflex is SO ingrained due to other shooters) it looses it's effectiveness.

And de-scoping.... I LOVE it when I do it to others and I HATE it when it happens to me. So that means it's working. That alone is one of the mechanics that makes Halo feel like Halo, that 'dance' between two opponents.

I'm not leveled very high ( I just hit 15) and since everything is unlocked via RNG req packs (thanks for getting me used to RNG, Destiny) I hardly have anything unlocked, cosmetic or for Warzone. Yet, I don't feel left out because I can still pick up these cool 'Rare' and 'Legendary' guns from dead opponents. It's frustrating that I can't spawn with them when I want to because I don't have the req card, but at the same time the probability of finding one on the ground is high enough that I quickly forget.

I really want to try this mode out with a full team of HBOers. I wish MM allowed for full parties of friends so we could play each other, but I guess that might lead to boosting or something so I can live with it. It's still better than the "rule of 3" that destiny abides by.

Closing

So I'm not a fan of campaign. It looks good, feels good, but the story is Shite and there is no hope of me liking it. It honestly does have it's good moments and small nods to long time fans, but aside from that Halo 4 and Halo 5 (and soon Halo 6) are clearly the equivalent of the StarWars prequels.

As for the MP, it feels good, man. Warzone is NOT invasion, it's different. But I like it on it's own merits. Regular PvP is also fun and challenging, and still feels like 'Halo' to me. The new movement feels natural, and I chock that up to the standards set by other shooters. Knowing that I can still out BR someone without scoping in is great.

I'm earning req packs at what I feel is a fair rate, and if the micro transactions are financing more content, make it so. I'll never buy a req pack, but more power to the people who do. I think 343 balanced them well. You can only use them in Warzone and even then you can't spawn-to-win.

There is potential here. I'm not a forge guy so I can't comment on that, but the forged maps I've played are good.

I'd say at this point, the MP will keep me interested for quite some time. I wish the campaign did the same.