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HALO 5: Guardians on Xbox One takes the franchise in a different direction, the question is if it's towards a place fans want to go.

 

Change appears to be one of the themes Halo 5: Guardians wants to explore.

The Master Chief has gone rogue, Agent Locke is now taking the mantle as Earth’s defender but the campaign itself feels something of a strange beast.

The structure of this adventure is different, there are now eight playable characters across two separate teams exploring different areas.

Blue Team is headed by the Master Chief, while Spartan Locke leads Team Osiris, who are new to the game of saving the galaxy.

Halo 5 is very much a chase across worlds between the two teams but in all honesty, that formula fails to ignite into anything substantial.

 

The greatest hunt in history, it is not, and while the gameplay feels revitalised and engaging, the focus of the story sometimes feels more like a bridge between two worlds.

The subject of the Master Chief being a potential War criminal had all the substance to make the story of Halo 5 one of the best and yet it doesn’t push any boundaries when it comes to the franchise’s lore.

The campaign would have to be described as something of a short but sweet experience, and depending on your age I’m not sure how challenging you will find it.

The pace is well kept and the action is top notch, plus the way in which the story is split means you can engage different events one after another without the Master Chief needing to be flung across the galaxy for it to make sense.

However, there are times when things slow down and you’re forced to talk to random people in combat-free environments.

 

These events add little to the game, they just feel too short to have any impact and really need to be part of something bigger to have any worth at all.

There are also data discs that can be uncovered to reveal more on the game’s backstory but I hardly ever hung around to listen to the full report.

That’s because I was too impatient to get back to what Halo 5 does best, allowing you to smash through enemy lines.

Gameplay wise, Halo 5: Guardians has hit another high-note in the series, bringing in new changes that work and help to make the overall experience function better.

There were only a few moments scattered throughout the campaign where I felt unable to progress without having to find some exploit or safe point and that is good news.

 

Some of the game’s new abilities help you change your tactics, boosting left or right to avoid gunfire, hovering mid-air while aiming to give you the height advantage to pick off that pesky sniper, or ending it with a ground pound to take out those grunts below.

Developers 343 Industries have also tried to move away from the strict linear nature of Halo by providing several routes through a mission.

You can now smash your way through a wall to find a stash of weapons, or head upward onto a shelf to make your way through an area different from your last play-through.

Heading through the campaign with friends is how Halo 5 was designed, even though the AI does a pretty good job most of the time, they can also be pretty useless.

Boss fights are not their strong points and with the game’s revive system needing a teammate to head over and reboot your armour, they can frustratingly slow.

I’ve seen them hit a wall and jump aimlessly around me, leaving the Chief to flop over without the backup needed to continue the mission.

 

The replayability of the missions also feel more rewarding with a friend who can help lay down covering fire so that not every mission to help a fallen Spartan ends in a long line of fatalities. 

where Halo 5 really excels, however, is with its multiplayer offering.

Halo 5 multiplayer Arena now favours loadouts and the scattering of powerful weapons across the map for the classic playlists like Slayer and SWAT, something that fans will appreciate.

More importantly, Halo 5’s multiplayer does well to feel different in a area of gaming that is filled to the brim with alternatives.

And it’s nice that 343 have decided to separate the past for fans to enjoy while also offering a taste of the future.

Warzone is an intriguing step forward for the franchise, giving fans the chance to explore new maps, battle bosses together and capture zones as a team.

 

Objectives will be thrown out and AI enemies in control of vehicles will fly onto the map and mean players can choose between several different things to do.

A team needs a 1000 points to win and this can be achieved by killing opponents, as well as alien bosses and keeping hold of zones.

It means that gamers aren’t just stuck getting pummeled by their betters but can actually go out and do something else that’s useful to help the team win.

Earning requisition points is also a big factor in the new mode, they act like a form of currency which can be used to buy item packs that unlock weapons, vehicles and new looks for your Spartan.

While fighting in Warzone, a player will be able to build level energy, giving them the chance to use cards which can then be used to unleash new arsenals onto the map.

It’s vital that this hasn’t overwhelmed the rest of Halo and is essentially separate from Arena, allowing fans to enjoy the past without having to deal with an overreaching future.

If anything, Halo 5 proves that the Xbox exclusive title has a big future, multiplayer is back on form alongside core gameplay.

What can’t be overlooked, however, is the fact that the campaign’s story falls flat.

But even there, fans can take solace in the fact that it’s setting up for something much bigger.

HALO 5: Guardians has been hit by a multiplayer progress reset that has seen Xbox One players wiped of their rank, commendations, REQs and other items.

 

UPDATE ONE: Halo 5: Guardians' first post-launch content drop has been confirmed as Battle of Shadow and Light and is set to add new Shinobi ninja-themed armor, legendary Light Rifle firepower and the recently announced Big Team Battle maps and modes.

Microsoft has confirmed that the first four maps being added are available in both Custom Games and matchmaking and will be added to over time.

A new assassination move - Shove It - is also being added and is currently rated as Uncommon, while the 48 new REQs can be checked out below.

A 343 Industries statement explains: "Our promised commitment to meaningful post-launch support and expanded free content begins this month with our first drop: Battle of Shadow and Light, which adds the stealthy new Shinobi ninja-themed armor, some legendary Light Rifle firepower and perhaps most importantly, the arrival of Big Team Battle maps, modes and mayhem to Halo 5: Guardians.

"There are tons of new REQs added to this month’s drop, including ones that might give you access to the Ultra Rare Shinobi armor and Legendary Dying Star Light Rifle (to name but two). We have Tundra and Woodland-themed vehicle skins, a brutal (and occasionally hilarious) Shove It assassination and dozens more items to unlock, discover and utilise."

 

While some users have reported issues playing Arena and Warzone online, other have seen everything they have built up since Halo 5 hit Xbox One, disappear.

One fan using the game's official forum reported: "I just launch halo 5 and all multiplayer progress from the past few weeks has been reset. Can anyone explain why?"

While another added: "Me too! I finished a warzone match my post game wasn't loading then my 67000 save req points disappeared and it says I'm level 1. What's up here. I never quit or team kill or any of that."

Developers 343 Industries informed fans affected by the new bug that they were investigating what had caused the online issues, before confirming that they had successfully fixed it.

 





"We believe this issue has been resolved," the message from 343 reads.

"If you're still experiencing issues, please create a new thread in the Halo 5: Guardians support forum."

Players have reported since that all online content has reappeared, although it is still unclear what caused the problems in the first place. 

 

"We’ve brought some of the community’s top Forgers in the studio: Warholic, The Fated Fire, The Psycho Duck, Nokyard, and Ducain23.

"As you saw in the Forge reveal, these gentlemen provided feedback on Forge tools and features that ultimately resulted in a wide variety of improvements across the feature set. 

"As you saw in the latest episode of The Sprint, each map maker selected a classic map on which to base their Big Team Battle map design. These guys built day and night, continually preparing and perfecting their maps for the next playtest with the multiplayer and level design teams.

"At the end of the week, we had solid canvases that offered a wide variety of BTB combat, and this meant that it was time for the maps to be handed off to the 343 team for continued iteration and development. The Forgers continued to provide feedback and direction for the map, and the team here at the studio continued to iterate on flow, polish, spawn and objective placement, look and feel, and more.

"For the past few months, these maps have been playtested and polished in preparation for the release of Big Team Battle." 

 

HALO 5: Guardians has been smashing sales records on the Xbox One for Microsoft since its launch, while developers 343 Industries have been focusing on clan warfare.

 

According to the tech giant, one week after launching worldwide, Halo 5 has become the fastest-selling Xbox One exclusive game to-date, adding up to more than $400 million in global sales of games and hardware.

The UK saw a day one gross revenue exceed the first day box office revenue for Spectre – the new James Bond film – with £7.7 million compared to £6.3 million respectively.

It should be noted, however, that comparing triple-A content that retails for £44.99 ERP, to cinema ticket sales makes for a strange comparison.

According to Microsoft, Halo 5 was also the most played of any game on Xbox One, as well as the most played on Xbox Live, with fans logging more than 21 million hours of total gameplay, including 12 million hours in campaign mode alone.

 





“The success of ‘Halo 5: Guardians’ is a testament to the innovative work from the entire team at 343 Industries to bring this installment to Xbox One and the incredible community of fans who have come to love the story, characters and gameplay central to the franchise,” said Phil Spencer, head of Xbox.

“The game represents all the possibilities of Xbox One and has earned its place as the anchor title in the greatest holiday games lineup in Xbox history.”

Developers 343 Industries, meanwhile, have seen the creation of an online tool to help gamers across the world make recruitment ads aimed at finding the right players for their squads in multiplayer.

 

It means Xbox will run ads made via Squadvertiser.com, an interactive site where Halo players can create and share their recruitment ads, as billboards, press, social, digital out of home and web banners across the world.

Players can select from a range of visuals, player types and other criteria, as well as writing their own text, to make an official Halo ad to find the right squad members.

Squadvertiser, which is being run in nine countries, also features a job board where Xbox One gamers can browse and apply directly to the ad’s creator.

There are currently over 1500 ads being run as of now in Great Britain, although the site also requires access to see the email addresses in your profile.

Halo 5 reviews covering the game on Xbox One has seen favourable scores for the title, with many praising the game's new Warzone multiplayer game.

 

XBOX ONE news this week includes a Fallout 4 warning, Halo 5's deadly message and Mass Effect 4's Andromeda push.

 

Fans have been warned that their Fallout 4 Xbox One preloading may not have gone to plan.

Bethesda has confirmed that some users may have downloaded a stub file if they started the preloading process before October 27.

"If you’ve digitally pre-ordered the game on Xbox One on or before 10/27 and are NOT using Instant On power mode, you may still have an incorrect “stub file” for the title, which is simply a placeholder file," a post from the studio explained.

"Players that have this particular version of the stub file will be required to delete it, and reinstall the title.

"If you’ve pre-ordered on or after 10/27, you should be ready to download the necessary updates as they become available. Once these updates have been installed, you’ll then be able to play Fallout 4."

 

This could prove a painful subject for those who haven't noticed and wake up on November to find they need to download the whole game.

Several reviewers have reported issues with frame rates and glitches within the game, something that can be expected to be fixed over time.

Speaking of the game's performance on Xbox One and PS4, Digital Foundry reports: "It's far from a perfect situation on consoles as far as frame-rate consistency goes, and neither can truly latch on to a rock-solid 30fps reading.

"Moving between major city areas is a particular strain on the engine, causing PS4 and Xbox One to drop to 20fps in matching spots on the map."

 





Some rather unlucky Halo 5: Guardians fans have stumbled across a new deadly message from developers, 343 Industries.

If you've ended up killing yourself multiple times using a frag grenade or such, you will have gone through the shaming process of being kicked from a game.

The limit has been set to three deaths, after that you will be sent back to the lobby to find a message waiting for you.

A placecard called 'Unnatural Selection' greets you with the accompanying message: “You were returned to the lobby for repeatedly committing suicide.

"A prerequisite for ‘Survival of the Fittest’ is survival."

 





BioWare kicked off their N7 Day celebrations this year with a final message from Commander Shephard via a new teaser trailer.

There was no new footage of the game supplied, just a voiceover explaining the push toward Andromeda and how humans are born to travel the stars.

Some new Mass Effect 4 art was also listed on the game's official site, along with the message: "We look to our past and learn what we can, saying goodbye to our comrades in arms, and prepare ourselves for what comes in the future.

"We hope that you can join us in this journey to explore Andromeda, and all its secrets."

Mass Effect: Andromeda is set to be released in the 2016 holiday season, although BioWare has yet to set an official date.