But in Halo 5, you’re never on your own, and there’s never a sense of awe about, well, anything. That loneliness in the face of insurmountable odds, coupled with a sense of awe at the sheer immensity of this strange, new world, has always defined Halo for me. But the allure of Halo has always been that sense of being on your own in a vast, alien environment. This introduces some strategic elements (you can issue simple orders to your squad mates and heal each other in the midst of battle) and as an added bonus, Locke’s squad features Buck from Halo 3: ODST, voiced by fan-favorite Nathan Fillion. Regardless of whether you’re playing as Locke or the Chief, you’re always accompanied by three other Spartans. My other issue with Halo 5 is its reliance on squad mechanics. I’ll confess that by the game’s end, I don’t even really care about the storyline anymore - which sucks considering the poignancy of Halo 4’s ending. As for Cortana’s endgame concerning the galaxy, it involves more Forerunner-related technobabble that’s bewildering even if you’re a Halo lore nerd.
The few scenes between the Chief and the resurrected Cortana are the game’s best because of the emotional heft, but that’s ultimately lost because of the game’s focus on Locke. But because the Chief is in the background for much of the game - Locke spends as much time battling Forerunners and helping the Arbiter reclaim his home planet as he does pursuing the Chief - it never hits hard. This revelation should be a huge blow to the Master Chief, and we’re told it is. But Halo 5’s campaign storyline is a mess, especially when Cortana does return - not as the Chief’s trusted AI companion, but rather, as a tyrant seeking to instill peace in the galaxy with a digital fist. There’s an interesting story idea there, one that even touches on the shady dealings of ONI, the Earth military’s shadowy intelligence agency, and I applaud 343 Industries for trying something new. Instead, you play mostly as Locke, another Spartan who’s tasked with bringing in the Master Chief after he goes AWOL upon receiving a message from the (apparently) resurrected Cortana. It doesn’t help that Halo 5 essentially sidelines the Master Chief. However, it just doesn’t feel like a Halo game. All of these combine to make you feel like even more of an unbeatable super-soldier. The gameplay’s often fast and furious, the levels are huge, the graphics look great, and the game boasts some fun updates (e.g., weapons and equipment are highlighted so you can grab them more easily in the heat of battle, every weapon can be sighted, you can dash and smash through objects and enemies). Make no mistake: Halo 5 is a lot of fun to play. Finally, and this should really go without saying, the following contains lots of spoilers.
#Halo 4 chief update#
And I’ll update this post with Halo Infinite’s ranking after I’ve had a chance to play through its campaign a few times. That, and get caught up on everything the Chief’s done prior to his December arrival on Zeta Halo.īecause of that, I’m only reviewing the Master Chief-specific campaigns, which means no Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, etc. I’ve invested more time in the Halo franchise than any other video game, so I wanted to reflect on the Halo games and note where they succeed - and fail. (Some people play Halo for the multi-player, but I’m only ever interested in the single-player campaigns.)
With Halo Infinite’s release less than a month away (December 8 to be precise, mark your calendars), I’ve been playing through the previous Halo campaigns in preparation for the Master Chief’s next adventure. The Halo franchise contains some of my favorite video games, so I’ll be posting a few articles on Opus to mark the occasion - and to prep myself for December’s release of Halo Infinite. November 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Halo: Combat Evolved.
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