: This was the new feature of the game that had me the most worried. Before
: playing the beta, it basically looked like 343 looked at how Bungie added
: Armor Lock, Sprint, Jet packs, and roll into Halo Reach and went
: "Fuck it! We can't chooses which ones we want in the game, add them
: all in!!! And let the players do them whenever they want!!"

: To my surprise though, all of these have been pretty well balanced.

First, I agree -- I was surprised at how well things were already fine-tuned. The game played polished to me. I blame it on 343 investing in a pro team to playtest the maps to ensure that they're enjoyable. Probably one of the best decisions they could've made, IMO. (I also hope they mix that pro team with a small few of individuals who aren't pro players, but are huge multiplayer fans, so that population can also have a voice).

Controls

Before I add in my additional thoughts, I just wanted to say that I still was not use to the controls after 3 games. It helped a LOT when I changed the control settings to recon. The only thing I disliked about recon was that sprint wasn't on the left thumbstick, and was X (I think) instead. I believe the thumbstick was groundpound. I would LOVE for those two to change. Then, it'd feel natural and good to me.

Did I have fun?

My experience was not frustrating. In fact, after me and my friends played a decent small amount of games, we went back to MCC. I felt the following:

1. I missed sprint from games when I played Halo 1/2.
   
2. I REALLY wanted to clamber onto ledges. Clamber I think is AWESOME.
   
3. Starting with actual effective weapons. In H5, you don't JUST start with an SMG or an Assault Rifle. You get an AR and a Pistol. And it's not just any pistol. It's a legit GOOD pistol. I feel like I can be competitive with my starting weapons, which I think is a GREAT decision. But, the pistol requires a very steady hand and I believe is 4 shot kill, so if you want to upgrade it, THEN pick up the BR/DMR. That's, IMO, how it should've been the entire time.

   Everyone wants to start with effective weapons. That doesn't mean it HAS to be BR/DMR starts, but at least something we can fight with till we pick them up. Playing Halo 2/3 in MCC and starting with a pitiful AR/SMG was just ... sad face. And, unfortunately, I also dislike ALL games being BR starts because it does get monotone. This is peeeerfect.
   

And, well, that's about it. I was NOT use to thrusting around yet (though I'm excited to learn) -- that was the hardest thing for me to get into my muscle memory. Having it on recon settings, again, helped it feel more natural (like just having a thruster pack in H4), but I probably need to play a solid 6-10 games for me to get use to everything.

Concern

And that leads to my concern: Will this game be too complex?

I have the opinion that the game needs to be accessible for everyone (aka easy to get into/learn). I'm afraid that having ALLLLL these new options and abilities will cause frustrations to new players. We need new players, unfortunately to some, to grow this franchise. Knowing this, even though I found extra abilities like ground pound fun and super satisfying, I think it adds too much.

Overall
I'm excited for the future of Halo -- I feel more confident. As long as 343 can invest more into ensuring the matchmaking experience is not like MCC ever again, I think we can, once more, bring back #weback.

Let's see where all this goes.