‘Halo 5: Guardians’ Beta First Impressions
It’s the season of giving, and what better way to start it with Halo 5: Guardians.
To start, I must say: After more than a month of dealing with the troubles in the Master Chief Collection, coupled with what looked like to be Call of Duty inspired gameplay, I can say I was not as excited for Halo 5 as I could have been. Don’t get me wrong, it was always going to be a day-one purchase, but I could not shake the doubt I had regarding the game’s multiplayer. To those still worrying about Halo 5‘s multiplayer, I say this: wait until you play it before ostracizing it on grounds that “it isn’t Halo,” because let me tell you, Halo 5: Guardians is something to behold for the Halo franchise.
Let me begin with the most paramount changes from Halo 4 to Halo 5. Players will immediately realize a transition to a time before Halo: Reach, a time where every player had even spawns. This means no classes, no abilities other players don’t have, no gun customization or traits; just plain even battlegrounds. As a fan of the franchise since the beginning, this is huge. For the first week of the Beta, players will be treated to two maps with Team Slayer being the gametype. Players may recognize one of them to be the highly anticipated remake of Midship from Halo 2.
The fact that my first match was played on Truth may have had something to do with it, but for the first few minutes on the game, I was able to make a steady transition to Halo 5‘s gameplay, something that took me by surprise. Perhaps the newest and most infamous addition you’ll find in Halo 5 is ADS (Aim Down Sights). This trait is typically found in arcade-like shooters and is most widely recognized in titles such as Call of Duty and Battlefield. The fact that ADS was implemented into Halo made some fans furious, claiming that 343i was conforming to generic gameplay traits. However, after spending some time with Halo 5, I can say ADS does not bother me nearly as much as I thought it would. In fact, I’m not ashamed to say that I kinda like it.
Aiming down the sights in Halo 5 isn’t typical to generic FPS’. For example, in the weapons available in the beta, none of them include iron sights. Instead, when a spartan aims down a sight, a hologram-like HUD will appear above you’re weapon with a steady crosshair for you to use. This is especially noticeable for both the Magnum, Assault Rifle, and Battle Rifle. However, there is little change in scoping in when using the DMR and Sniper Rifle.
Starting with Halo 2, fans have always had to adjust with the shift in controls from one Halo title to the next. Halo 5 is no different. Here’s a peek at the default controls for the Beta. Take notice to the armor abilities listed in the diagram below:
As you can see, along with the slight changes from traditional controls, players will also have every Spartan Ability at spawn. Curious to know just what each ability is? Glad you asked:
After playing a few rounds, I must say using the Thruster Pack in combination with the Clamber ability adds another layer to gameplay. This brings me to the maps. Both Empire and Truth, maps currently in the beta, are tremendously fun. I have to give a shout out to Quinn DelHoyo and his crew for creating two stellar Halo maps. It wasn’t long after my second or third match that I started using some of the new Spartan Abilities. What’s awesome is that each ability felt natural to the map. This is important because not one ability nor one aspect of the two maps felt forced to fit a puzzle. In fact, one can just sprint around and not use any other Spartan Ability and still be in a position to win. It’s up to the player to figure out when and if they should use a ability or not.
Halo 5: Guardians‘ release date has yet to be announced, but one can expect the title to be out fall of 2015. The game still has a ways to go, but it’s clear 343 Industries is on the right track.
Got clips you want to share? Post links in the comment section and stay tuned next week! Till then, be strong, Guardian….er…wrong game….sorry.
