Halo 5: Guardians
Overview -
343 Industries, a subsidiary of Microsoft, was given control over the 'Halo' franchise in 2012. They took over the reigns from Bungie, who had separated from Microsoft after 'Reach' and went their separate way to release 'Destiny'. As custodians of 'Halo', 343 has released several games, most notably 'Halo 4' in 2012 that received strong reviews. 'Halo 5: Guardians' is the first original game in the series for the Xbox One, following the 'Spartan Assault' mobile port and the 'Master Chief Collection' compilation.
Video Review
343 put a higher priority on performance than they did on resolution, and to this end they implemented a scaling visual arrangement. The framerate tends to stay at 60fps or quite close no matter what is happening onscreen, but as more assets and effects are visible, the visual quality drops. Throughout most of the running time, it’s either not easily noticeable or not a big deal. There will be odd animation twitches or artifacts at the edge of the screen in the middle of intense firefights, but nothing that affects gameplay. The framerate stays steady, and especially in multiplayer, this is the more important statistic if one needs to be sacrificed. Even with the modular resolution in tow, 'Halo 5' is one of the better-looking shooters on the One. The cutscenes are beautiful and the character models are highly detailed, especially the iconic Mjolnir armor which only gets cooler with each release.
Audio Review
Several longtime 'Halo' voice actors reprise their roles, such as Keith David (the Arbiter), Jen Taylor (Halsey/Cortana), Nathan Fillion as Buck, and of course Steve Downes, the DJ who has voiced the Master Chief for 14 years. They all do a great job. The audio in general is very nice, with a strong score by Kazuma Jinnouchi and stout sound effects throughout.
Final Thoughts
'Halo' becomes more agile as 343 works on it, both in design and in gameplay. There are some story issues that keep 'Halo 5' from being a top-notch sci-fi epic, but the campaign is still a pleasure to play, especially with others. The multiplayer is hearty out of the gate, with the hypercompetitive Arena suite alongside the more bombastic, arcade-oriented Warzone. 'Halo 5: Guardians' has a lot to offer the consummate shooter aficionado.
