Story stuff

*I really liked the idea of Cortana rallying the AIs to claim the Mantle. It’s one of those good twists that you (or at least, I) didn’t see coming, but once it’s there you realize that every part of it is drawing from something that was already established. Well played.

*I feel like the story would have been stronger without the last level (which wasn’t much fun, incidentally). The last Blue team level (forget what it was called) was a bit of an emotional journey, with both Chief and Cortana refusing to admit that they’re no longer on the same page, and the Warden doing his darndest to get in between them and under both their skins. And then it ends with Cortana betraying the Chief, herself feeling that he betrayed *her*. I mean seriously, damn. Right in the feels, as they say.

That would have been a great place to end the game. Cortana is taking over the galaxy or whatever, AND the last, best hope for humankind is trapped in her clutches, in a cryptum. Not only does that leave us hanging at the absolute low point, but it nicely parallels Halo 2 when Cortana was trapped in the clutches of the Gravemind, and we had no idea what we would do without her. As it stands, Osiris rescuing Blue Team right away seemed like a cop out.

*Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing back English-speaking enemies. This is one of the big things that made Halo 2 and 3 great. The huge variety of situational dialogue transformed enemies from dudes to shoot into individuals with histories and perspectives. I’ve yet to play a game that accomplishes that the way Halo 2, 3, and now 5 have.

*At the end of the credits, there’s a thank you note from 343 that ends with something to the effect of “We can’t wait to show you what’s next. See you on Sanghelios.” How much can we read into that? I’m working under the assumption that Halo 5: Guardians has a subtitle because 343 plans to release multiple games under the Halo 5 banner, presumably with the same engine and assets. May I be so bold as to speculate that a Sanghelios-heavy game is around the corner?

Gameplay stuff

*Multi-Warden fights are terrible and I hate them.

*Praise where it’s due for the most explorable Halo game yet. I’ve played through three times, and every time I’ve discovered tons of new routes and locations I didn’t know existed. And nearly all of them are filled with some juicy lore tidbit, either through special dialogue or just the design of the space – it seems like every room was designed with a distinct history and purpose.

*The squad mechanics work fine, but unfortunately sacrifice coolness in the process. In Reach, noble team wasn’t terribly useful but at least they looked awesome – posting up behind cover, soaking up plasma with their shields flickering, etc. In Halo 5, your Spartan buddies scurry around the battlefield, barely animated. They don’t look like weighty, armored supersoldiers at all when they move around. Yes, I know that long, expressive animations would prevent them from, say, reviving you in time. Dunno what the solution would be here.

*I’m not totally on board with the revival mechanic, at least playing solo. Mostly because it means our unconquerable hero, Master Chief, spends a great deal of time rolling on the ground helplessly. In previous games, the “canonical” playthrough (that is, the one where you don’t die) is the one where the Chief spends the whole time on his feet kicking ass.