As most of you are probably aware by now, the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta wraps up today on Xbox One. Over the span of three weeks, 343 Industries introduced us to new gameplay mechanics, new maps, and new modes. And now, we’re ready to give you are final impressions.
Connection
With the problems that plagued Halo: The Master Chief Collection’s multiplayer at launch, server connection was easily our biggest concern heading into the Halo 5 multiplayer beta. On the brightside, we were able to play the game, so that’s promising. Unfortunately, we did encounter our fair share of matchmaking issues, especially early on.
At the start of the beta, matchmaking often resulted in lengthy search times and horrible wait periods. That improved as time went on, but the constant disconnecting when in the stats screen/lobby persisted throughout the beta. At the conclusion of a match, I was more often than not booted to the main menu screen and forced to rejoin matchmaking.
Of course, it’s important to remember that this is just a beta, but there’s certainly reason for some concern following the matchmaking issues that plagued The Master Chief Collection’s launch.
Gameplay
I know it’s still early, but it looks like 343 Industries has found a nice sweet spot between classic Halo gameplay and modern shooters. Halo has traditionally been a slower FPS experience, especially when compared to Call of Duty or the more recent Titanfall. First-person shooters nowadays emphasize quick movement. Halo 5 still isn’t completely up to their speed, but the addition of sprint and thrusters definitely give it a more modern feel.
What’s really neat about the implementation of these features is that 343 Industries has still kept some checkpoints in place that ensure players don’t completely lose that iconic Halo experience. For instance, sprinting prevents your shields from recharging, discouraging players from simply using it to run away from a firefight if losing. If anything, the addition of sprint encourages combat, allowing them to reach objectives or weapons faster.
Thrusters are another new feature that I felt enhanced the overall gameplay experience. Again, 343 Industries has taken a page out of the modern shooter book and given players more freedom over movement. Thrusters allow for a plethora of gameplay opportunity, but most people used them to dodge incoming fire. That being said, you can find yourself performing some pretty cool stunts with it, like shoulder tackling an enemy or a air-to-ground melee attack if you can manage to get one off without dying in mid-air.
Another big change, which we mentioned in our original preview, is that every weapon now has zooming capabilities, even the traditional Assault Rifle. This is another one of those things that help modernize Halo; but, with hip firing being just as effective (at least in my experience), the zoom feature is more of a preference thing, designed to appease those used to Call of Duty. The option is there for those who like it, but it’s not a feature that drastically alters the gameplay experience.
Overall, I found myself pleased with how Halo 5’s gameplay performed. It was smooth, quick, and, most importantly, fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed Halo multiplayer, but these new additions breathe new life into the game for me. I’m still not good by any means, but at least I feel like I’m sucking at a new game.
Maps and Modes
Throughout beta we were introduced to seven maps (Truth, Empire, Regret, Eden, Crossfire, Trench, and Pegasus) and three game modes (Slayer, Breakout, and Strongholds). All game modes were played in a 4v4 setup, which I assume most Halo players prefer. I personally enjoy the big team modes, but it seems — judging by the map design and gameplay — that Halo 5 has a much bigger focus on competitive eSports.
The Maps
Most of the maps have a symmetrical design which, again, seem to cater towards that eSports style, but I prefer a more natural flow. That being said, the maps were pleasing aesthetically.
Empire and its remix Eden, have urban feel to them, with a grand city skyline in the background. The problem with these maps was that the associated mode only allowed human-designed weapons, like the assault rifle and battle rifle, which kind of took away from the whole sci-fi feel to Halo. Thankfully, the alien-themed aesthetics of Truth (a remake of Halo 2’s Midship) and its remix Eden reminded me that I was still playing a Halo game.
An ambush on Crossfire.
Crossfire and Trench have a Tron-like feel to them, which I absolutely loved, while the actual layout is reminiscent of something you’d see in a speed paintball course. These were by far my favorite maps, though I didn’t necessarily love the game mode associated with them (Breakout).
And lastly, Pegasus was introduced in the third week and features a very vertical design with raised platforms that are perfect for snipers. The multi-leveled design made for some interesting strategies and fun gameplay using the thrusters.
The Modes
As I mentioned, three modes were available in the beta. The most recognizable was 4v4 Slayer. Slayer is, by far, the most Iconic game mode in Halo and probably the one I found myself playing the most. It’s straight-up deathmatch. Unlike previous games though, it seems like Halo 5 will ditch the armor abilities in loadouts. In the beta, every Spartan spawned with the same weapons (which varied depending on the map) and the same abilities. Though it takes away a customization option, I’m all about balance. And for a game that’s seemingly emphasizing eSports, you need that competitive balance.
The other two modes — Breakout and Strongholds — are completely new to Halo. Breakout is a round-based mode in which teams race to win 5 rounds. Each Spartan has only one life for each round; when you die, you are done for that round. The team left standing at the end of the round, obviously wins that round. And as someone not good at Halo, I obviously hated this mode. But if you find yourself to be a skill Halo player, I’m sure you loved it. To each their own I say.
Strongholds builds off the strengths of the team-based Slayer mode and is much more my style. It’s basically a zone-control game, but the catch is that only the team that controls two of the three zones can score points. So rather than attempting to control the entire map, you’ll want to fight for the two zones that make the most strategic sense for your team. The first team to score 100 points, wins the match.
Graphics
As a beta, this is the least important aspect for me. First off, the beta only went up to 720p, while 343 Industries has already promised 1080p for full release. Halo 4 looked fantastic on Xbox 360. The Master Chief Collection looks stunning on Xbox One. So I’m not really too concerned about the rough textures and aliasing in Halo 5’s beta. I’m much more impressed with 343 Industries delivering us a smooth 60 frames per second beta experience. I just hope Halo 5 can continue to deliver this same gameplay experience when it is bumped up to 1080p.
Final Thoughts
343 Industries isn’t completely abandoning the roots with Halo 5, but they are slowly moving away from it. And I think that’s a good thing. Halo’s gameplay, for me at least, was getting stale. With games like Advanced Warfare and Titanfall emphasizing quick movement and unique and exciting weapons, 343 Industries had to make changes. Spring is a must-have feature at this point, and while the addition of thrusters isn’t exactly a ground-breaking feature, it’s at least an attempt to keep up with the big boys.
Halo 5: Guardians won’t likely release until November 2015, so I’m sure a lot will change between now and then. It’s possible many of the things we’ve seen in this beta will be different by the time the holiday season rolls around. But the foundation is set, and it’s clear 343 Industries has a specific vision in mind for where they want to take this iconic franchise.
