Halo 5: Guardians

DarkZero (10 out of 10)

Halo 5: Guardians’ story flips the script and has galaxy wide ramifications for the Halo universe going forward with an astounding cast voice-acted to perfection, although slight faults in character building leave me wanting. A superb campaign, particularly in its level design, coupled with the all-new Warzone mode and the return of arena multiplayer makes Halo 5 the best FPS game of this generation and possibly the best Halo title ever.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) (9 out of 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.

411mania.com (9 out of 10)

While some may say the campaign is a weak point in Halo 5, considering how much fun it is, that just shows how great 343 Industries did with Guardians. After a few missteps early on, 343 seems to be on the right track now. If you have an Xbox One, this is definitely a title worth adding to your colleciton.

Game Revolution (4.5 out of 5)

As a series, Halo has been the one triple-A shooter that has fans for the story as well as the multiplayer. Depending on where you are on the spectrum between story and gameplay, you can take my grade up or down a half point. If you’re looking for a frag-fest, plus all the enticements of the new Warzone mode, Halo 5 is a must-own. All the new abilities and maps are terrific. Those who care about the single-player campaign might not find the story to be as compelling but will appreciate the treatment of lore and production value. Either way, In the coming months, Halo 5: Guardians will undoubtedly have both supporters and detractors playing and commenting about it for years.

TrueAchievements (4.5 out of 5)

Halo 5: Guardians is the game that 343 Industries needed to release to regain the confidence of gamers in both themselves and the Halo franchise. The campaign is a fast, action packed battle through a host of beautifully designed locations, that offers brilliant pacing and some stunning set pieces. The story may well be confusing – especially for newcomers – and many characters are sadly lacking in depth, but that doesn’t detract from how fun shooting your way through the game’s fifteen missions is when playing solo and even more so with three friends. The multiplayer stays true to the core elements that have made Halo what is today, whilst at the same time adding new mechanics that bring it in line with what you’d expect to see from a modern first-person shooter. The addition of Warzone alone will keep you coming back for more as every game feels different and unique. If you own an Xbox One and have any interest in first-person shooters, Halo 5: Guardians is quite simply a must play.

Polygon (9 out of 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.

IGN (9 out of 10)

In its 14 years, Halo has never felt so good to play. An updated arsenal and great new mobility mechanics give both campaign and multiplayer and modern touch without sacrificing Halo’s classic feel. It fails to introduce its new Spartan characters in a meaningful way, and the story does make some odd logical leaps, but it’s still fast, beautiful, and fun – especially with four-player co-op. Guardians’ multiplayer harkens back to the Halo 2 glory days with tons of balanced maps and fun modes, and the tactical new Warzone mode absolutely steals the show.

Game Informer Magazine (8.75 out of 10)

If the last major entry represented 343 taking possession of the Halo house, this new installment shows it is ready to move the furniture around and make it their own. Some aspects of the game feel different than what longtime players have come to expect, but I’m happy to see a willingness to innovate. Despite some missteps, Halo 5 is an easy recommendation for the predominant moments during which the game shines.

XboxAchievements (85 out of 100)

Halo 5: Guardians is an exciting Halo package, marred only by some questionable design decisions, like microtransactions and some shoddy friendly-AI in the campaign. It’s not a classic Halo, but 343 is moving in a good direction with the franchise.

Computer Bild Spiele (1.8 out of 6)

„Halo 5 – Guardians“ ist ein guter Ego-Shooter, der besonders von den neuen Spartan-Fähigkeiten profitiert und sich mit seiner dynamischen Spielmechanik spürbar von den Vorgängern und anderer Baller-Kost abhebt. Gerade der vielversprechende Mehrspieler-Modus beeindruckt mit Ideenreichtum und frischen Spielelementen. Die stark inszenierte Kampagne wird durch das Vier-Spieler-Prinzip belebt, bietet aber zu wenig Klarheit und auch die neue Hauptfigur, Agent Locke, bleibt blass. Technisch ist das neue Master-Chief-Abenteuer ein zweischneidiges Schwert: Konstant flüssige 60 Bilder pro Sekunde und die kernige Soundkulisse tragen das Spiel, die Grafik enttäuscht über weite Strecken.

4Players.de (83 out of 100)

Die Kampagne von Halo 5 ließ mich ein wenig ernüchtert zurück, im Mehrspieler-Part hatte ich aber schon lange nicht mehr so viel Spaß an einem Shooter: Vor allem im neuen Modus Kriegsgebiet entwickeln sich herrlich flüssige, dynamische und turbulente Massenschlachten mit viel persönlicher Freiheit. Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass 343 Industries die vielen Zutaten zu solch einer tollen Mischung mit Kämpfen gegen Menschen und die KI vermischen kann. Für einen kleinen Dämpfer sorgen allerdings die Mikrotransaktionen, Menü-Fehler und das Streichen altbekannter Modi und Features. Die klassischen Arena-Gefechte auf kleinen Karten passen aber gut zur gestiegenen Agilität der Spartans. Schön, dass die Entwickler wieder eine Alternative zum Freischalt-Trend anbieten, bei dem jederzeit Chancengleichheit herrscht. Auch hier machen sich Microsofts dedizierte Server bezahlt, die im Hintergrund für beinahe lagfreie Matches sorgen.

VentureBeat / Gamesbeat (83 out of 100)

I was disappointed because I expected something really significant to happen in the ending, and all I got was a cliffhanger. The saving grace of this game is multiplayer. I love the Warzone combat and hope to work my way up to Arena, where the pros play.

GamesRadar ( )

Certainly not a bad Halo game, but one that succeeds despite its innovations, not because of them. With multiplayer the high point, Halo 5 is worthwhile, if not always truly convincing.

Link Cable Gaming (8 out of 10)

“Halo 5: Guardians is still an enjoyable experience though not the greatest the Halo franchise has to offer.”

Giant Bomb ( )

That frame rate, specifically, goes a long way. Halo 5 looks great and plays very, very well. It even tells a pretty decent story along the way. It's just surprising that many of the weirder multiplayer modes that come to mind when you think of what Halo has done over the years are straight-up missing. And Warzone has some really great ideas about how to present Halo multiplayer on a new scale, but the sometimes-confusing REQ system subtracts more than it adds to that part of the game. There will certainly be some players who find that the specific omissions in Halo 5 are extremely disappointing, and you'll see a rough edge or two, but all in all there's a fantastic big-budget shooter in Halo 5 with lots to see and enough multiplayer options to keep you going for quite some time.

The Games Cabin (8 out of 10)

Halo 5: Guardians keeps the franchise ticking over with some truly exceptional graphics, good old fashioned gunplay, and a story worth investing in. Unfortunately it's marred by a considerably shorter campaign than we've seen in the past. Also, the multiplayer just seem a bit too fast, but that's something to come back to after more time has been spent getting "pwnd" by our peers.

GameSpot (8 out of 10)

In some ways, Halo 5 is the boldest Halo yet. The franchise's multiplayer is at its peak, with a mode I'm sure I'll return to several times over. But then there's the campaign, which introduces fluid new movement and open level design, yet can't tell a coherent story to match. There are signs of a phenomenal shooter here, but certain narrative aspects feel underdeveloped, holding the franchise's newest sequel back from true excellence.

Games Finder (8 out of 10)

From campaign to competitive multiplayer or co-operative Halo 5: Guardians has all the essence fans would expect. Overall it delivers an experience worthy of the Halo tag which is quite an achievement given the length the franchise has been around for.

The Guardian ( )

With so much at stake, Halo 5 needed to be a new perfection of old triumphs, or a landscape-altering revolution. In terms of its campaign it falls short of both of these ideals. Online, however, 343 has taken more significant risks, of the sort that first convinced Apple and Microsoft to place bets on the series. Warzone, in particular, is a kind of bold design that we almost never see in expensive FPS game-making any more. The next 12 months will reveal whether or not the wager will pay off.

The Game Hoard (5 out of 7)

If you judge Halo 5: Guardians by its campaign, you'll find yourself with some enjoyable and occasionally difficult firefights but no memorable setpieces and a story that sometimes seems confused about what it should be doing. The characters in the two squads are mostly flat or not given enough to do, the cliffhanger leaves off at a strange point, and its better moments are often tied to the ambient storytelling rather than the poorly structured plot. Looking over at multiplayer though and you can find all the wonderful weapons, vehicles, movement options, and enemy types working together to make for some exciting and varied ways to fight. While there were many changes to fundamental systems between Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, many for the better even, it still feels like it copied that game's issue of having a poorly composed plot but having exhilarating gameplay and battle systems to still make it worth playing.

Destructoid (7 out of 10)

If it weren't for Warzone, Halo 5: Guardians would probably be somewhere on the lower end of the franchise 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.

The Jimquisition (6.5 out of 10)

Halo 5: Guardians is okay. Its campaign is rubbish, but the multiplayer is solid thanks to the foundation it’s built upon. Warzone is a really enjoyable experience, and while combat is still mostly about tossing grenades and hitting the melee button, the whole Requisition gimmick adds some much-needed flavor to proceedings. It’s just a shame it also adds not-needed money to Microsoft pockets.

Games TM (6 out of 10)

When 343 added post-match high fives and fist bumps to multiplayer earlier this year, fans were understandably perturbed. Those animations (now removed) implied that the studio didn’t wholly understand the property that it was working with, and the final product doesn’t even come close to quashing those suspicions. Halo 5: Guardians exists only because it had to. It isn’t a bad game, it’s just a catastrophically uninteresting one.