Halo 5 Guardians was released on October 27, 2015, and brought with it one of the greatest multiplayer experiences of the year, easily marking itself as the new standard for competitive shooters.

With last year’s release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection falling flat due to the numerous multiplayer issues that plague the game even to this day, many (including myself) were skeptical that Halo 5 was going to satisfy that craving for Halo multiplayer that has not been amused since 2010 with the release of Halo: Reach.

However, surpassing all expectations, Halo 5 manages to stand out as an excellent game, and while it has a few shortcomings, it overall hits the mark as one of the best Halo multiplayer experiences to date, and the best multiplayer game of the year so far.

Halo 5 brought with it a massive change to the movement in-game. Players now have a thruster pack, can hover in midair, clamber up ledges, perform a ground pound, and slide their way across the map. While confusing at first, the controls quickly become second nature, and provide a fluid, yet fast paced experience to gameplay.

As I mentioned before, Halo 5’s multiplayer modes are simply fantastic. Brought back from previous Halo games are classic Arena playlists such as Slayer, Swat, and Free-For-All, which are standouts simply because of excellent map design. A new addition to Halo 5’s Arena modes is Breakout, a single-life elimination mode that is much more intense and requires a lot more skill and teamwork than a Halo game has ever required before.

Halo 5 also brings Warzone, a new game mode, into the mix. Warzone is a 12 vs. 12 game mode on a gigantic map, with AI enemies also populating the area. To win, players need to score a whopping 1000 points by either taking down enemy players or by hunting down large AI targets with bounties on their heads. Warzone includes a new REQ system, short for requisitions, where players spend points on packs that unlock items that can be used mid-game. While the packs sometimes do not provide useful items, their addition makes Warzone much more interesting, as some games will be filled with tanks and gunships, while others are more focused on infantry combat: it all depends on what requisitions the players have.

The campaign of Halo 5 is completely different from the multiplayer, and not in a good way. Leading up to the game’s release the “Hunt the Truth” tagline set the tone for an intense and thrilling tale: previous protagonist Master Chief has gone AWOL (Absent Without Leave) and another spartan by the name of Locke is tasked with hunting him down. Unfortunately this barely happens in the story, and around 80% of the campaign is filler, with only the final three missions actually providing a good story with emotional characters and a plot that matters. Coming from a series where the story has been extremely deep and always well woven, this is especially disheartening.

The look and sound of Halo 5 is astounding. Every weapon feels as though it packs a serious punch, the metal clanging of boots as you run across environments is full and rich, and the game always runs at 60fps, even through the resolution scales. The game is also one of the prettiest Halo games to date, with a variety of gorgeous, colorful environments that bring a lot of life to the surrounding atmosphere of the game world.

Overall, Halo 5 is an interestingly good game. It succeeds in areas where everyone expected it to fail, and disappointed in areas where it was expected to please. While the campaign is very lackluster, the overall gameplay, look, and feel of the game is excellently crafted, and the multiplayer is some of the best multiplayer gameplay from the past few years. For people who enjoy multiplayer, this game is absolutely worth a buy, and for those who enjoy a good, compelling story, Halo 5 is not worth much time, maybe a single playthrough or a rent.

8/10