Halo 5 Guardians
For: Xbox One
From: 343 Industries
Rating: (TBC)
Four and a half stars (out of five)
Obviously, being built for Xbox One you'd expect it to look better than previous incarnations, but the designers have done themselves proud - from the opening scenes the landscapes are fantastically detailed, brilliantly lit, hugely populated and really well laid out.
The old foes, the covenant, Forerunner and Promethean are also back in stunning detail, this time with a few new guns and much smarter AI.
A couple of new features stand out straight away: firstly the animation, especially of the weapons.
Maker 343 has obviously spent a lot of time and effort to make this look as good as possible, and it works.
The way guns open and close when you reload or aim is fantastic.
It might sound like a small thing, and it is, but it makes a huge difference in gameplay - if you jump and then pull the left trigger to look down the sights, you briefly hover, giving you an extra split second to take aim.
The landscapes, while being unmistakedly from the Halo universe, are pleasingly varied, and you get to battle through some amazing locations from ancient ruins through space stations to lush green environments.
Although you do play as Master Chief for part of the game, along with his Blue Team, the majority is spent as Spartan Locke, the leader of Fireteam Osiris.
Both get the addition of a couple of new features, along with the hover mentioned earlier.
There's a quick dash, a ground pound and a handy melee smash which can not only down enemies but also break through walls.
The team set-up points to the fact that the game is designed for online co-op and multiplayer which, despite the great campaign mode, is this game's crowning achievement.
Maker 343 has absolutely nailed the online game.
The standout for me was Warzone, a well-balanced 24-player battle with the addition of a few NPCs set on huge (especially for Halo) maps.
You also get Arena, a 4 v 4 kill-fest and old favourites capture the flag, Slayer and SWAT.
One negative for me was that the story for the campaign mode was massively complex.
Now, I've played all the Halo games and thought I had a rough idea what was going on, but a fair amount of story must have passed me by because I got lost, confused or both on several occasions.
It's not a big thing, but it is a shame because the rest of the game is so well presented. If ever there was a case for the game starting with ''Previously on Halo ...'' this is it.
Overall, easily the best Halo game to date and the best game I've played so far this year.
- Simon Kemp
