Halo 5: Guardians crashes down from orbit tomorrow all across the globe, but in a decent move by Microsoft, outlets are allowed to publish their reviews for Master Chief’s first proper Xbox One outing. We’re still tapping away at our review, so before we drop our review on you lot we’ll leave you with a few scores that have been published so far. It’s looking good. Very. Bloody. Good.
Attack of the Fanboy – 4.5/5
Any worry that Halo might be in the wrong hands with 343 Industries has been wiped out by Halo 5: Guardians. The campaign has some story issues, with Halo 6 promising to really deliver the goods, but the design is impeccable, and will certainly warrant multiple playthroughs.
Hardcore Gamer – 4/5
Halo 5: Guardians is a fine-tuned machine. It has a robust and highly addictive competitive multiplayer component, a large variety of aesthetically pleasing customizations and some of the tightest controls to ever grace a Halo title. Unfortunately, the campaign leaves much to be desired. While it features four player cooperative play through the entirety of the experience, the plot is both poorly structured and awkwardly paced.
Polygon – 9/10
Halo 5 feels like it knows its obligations. The campaign’s narrative is likely to prove controversial, though its biggest sin may be its familiarity. Otherwise, Halo 5 excels under the pressure, providing one of the most welcoming, competitive, balanced and fun games of the year — and providing my personal favorite Halo multiplayer since the series began.
EGM Now – 9/10
The continuation of a new Master Chief saga, the refinement and additions to multiplayer for casual and pros alike, plus a gorgeous presentation made possible by current generation technology—all add up to the makings of a FPS worthy of the Halo series’ best iterations.
Destructoid – 7/10
If it weren’t for Warzone, Halo 5: Guardians would probably be somewhere on the lower end of the franchise’s spectrum for me. It’s still a fantastic and well-oiled machine, but the story falls flat, and the shift in gameplay mechanics result in the loss of some elements that made the series so unique in the first place. Still, if you’re looking to shoot some dudes online, Guardians is your huckleberry.
So, it’s looking pretty good, then? The general consensus seems to be that the Halo franchise is in good hands with 343 Industries, and based on our few hours of gameplay so far, we’d be inclined to agree. We’ll have our review up over the next couple of days (might even get that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 one done as well) so be sure to check back in with The Games Cabin soon.
You can buy your copy of Halo 5: Guardians here from Amazon.