When a game is fan favorite since the game's first release, you know you have a lot in your hands since this is going to be the most defining thing in your life. If you mess up, you will be looked down upon. Change something about the game that defined the series, you will be hated, make the game into something you think is better, you will never be liked. 343 took Halo in their hands and threw it in the trash can as they tried to manufacture something similar to what they threw away. Hello and welcome to this completely strange thought blog.
I had the game a long time ago, when the game first launched. I say long time ago because I haven't played it since launch. When I actually did, my original thoughts, where the company is trying to destroy the original franchise, making it their own, were almost gone. I still hold somewhat the same mindset, but I have different opinions about it. The story, to begin with, is a bit boring. "Well, that's typical, StarterPack!" I know, but that's just about it. You can play the game's campaign with the same amount of fun as any other good Halo game, but if you bought the game for the story, that's long gone. I mean, it's still enjoyable and the company who owns it did a good job with the gameplay, with a fair balanced damage system with each difficulty, good enemy health and largely funny comments from both enemies and allies in the game. If you came for nostalgia, there is barely any of it since almost every asset from the original games are gone, sound effects, character designs, weapons, everything is gone, replaced with something else, to some may say is a good thing. It truly makes me mad to see some of the good things in the games just not there anymore, but to those new to the game or just looking to play alone, Halo 5 is a good game to play.
The only problem I see about this game's campaign was how they excluded splitscreen multiplayer. I know that's a big topic that a lot of people have already talked about, but I just don't see why 343 thought it would be fun to do this. Halo has been the only game that encouraged and kept splitscreen for how fun it was to play with someone right next to you. Seeing that gone with this game, in the hands of a new company seems very disconcerting. I really saw it as them saying that it was their game now, kind of an insult to veteran players of the series. But at least we can play all together online in the campaign with more than two players on screen! Wait... The only friend I have who has Halo doesn't own... Xbox Live... Damn...
And if you want me to talk about the Locke/Chief thing, I want no part in it. I thought it was stupid how they had to advertise it like their was some kind of real debate who was better. Of course everyone is going to say Chief! Chief is life! He is love!
Other than that, the game's multiplayer changed dramatically. Fun, but completely different. It felt like a Call of Duty clone than anything else, with the boost mechanics, a lot of camping spots as I noticed, the CoD-like points that buy you CoD-like battlepacks, etc.. The old gameplay was gone. The suit power ups, something that can define the game itself, was built into the player's abilities, unable to be able to choose one from a large variety. The jump pack was already on you, the sprinting the module was on you as well (Either for the better or worse, whatever you think), it felt so different and new. You can say so many things about how that can be bad or good, but I'm just going to say it's still fun. I think it was funny how for a while, Forge and few other modes from the original games were gone during release. Took a while to respond, but they managed to do some of what we missed... I want splitscreen again...
I mean, if you like CoD's gameplay to some kind of degree, then this might be the game for you. If you want to play a newer and better looking Halo, then this is not the game for you. You can play some of the forge levels made by awesome players from the community, that's the only that adds a positive outlook on the game for me since that seems like nothing has changed. You can play on classic maps finally, with a look of the same graphics from the Xbox and 360. "But StarterPack, what about the Master Chief Collection on the Xbox One? That has all the great games from the original maps and guns with new or old look graphics, depending on how you want to play." That game has been dead since the middle of last year. And they still haven't fixed the searching bug! Or... Maybe they did and everyone doesn't play it anymore... I still don't like that and it's sad to see that great collection be so barren. I miss the old gameplay and it seems that it's harder to find anyone in that game than the original Titanfall... It takes hours to find a match in that game, while it takes days in Halo.
Back to the original game, I really don't like the REQ packs in the, having players try and buy new looking weapons or try to unlock a weapon they don't have yet through a roulette wheel of unfairness. Basically every roulette wheel. Anyways, it feels like the developers want more money out of the game that has already sold millions of copies. And seeing that the untouched Halo, that has followed tradition for years as Bungie had it in their hands. Boxes just destroy the purpose of trying to level up and earn things through that. I know this is a very common thing to say about a "Loot Box", but what else am I suppose to say? I'm a freaking Halo fan!
All together, I like the game a little bit, but enough for me to add it to my top ten, but enough to say it's fun. What do you guys think? Does any of you still play Halo? Does anyone even play on the Collection here? I want to know! Please! 'Til - "Wait!" What is it!? "What do you think of the assassination kills and their animation? They're cool,the one thing they followed from the originals that just felt so satisfying to perform. And 'til next - "Wait!" What now?! "What about the new aiming mechanic?" It's hit and miss. 'Til... You're not going to do it again? "No..." Okay, 'til next time...
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