Something... Two (+Players)... Competitive: Halo 5
Something... Two (+Players)... Competitive: Halo 5: Guardians
I tried, okay
We've reached the end of my blog posts once again and we're ending it with one of my favorite franchises of all time, Halo. I actually haven't played as much Halo 5: Guardians as I have some its predecessors (namely Halo 3, and Halo: Reach) but do still enjoy the game.
Oh! Just a heads up, I rarely play real competitive things since I'm not a huge fan of overly competitive games in general, but here we go!
Halo 5: Guardians is a first-person shooter released worldwide on October 27, 2015, for the Xbox One. It was published by Microsoft Studio and developed by 343 Industries. It received a T for Teen for it's ESRB rating, the first FPS in the Halo franchise to do so.
Just a heads up, I won't go into the main campaign today since this post is about the competitive portion (although I do have plenty to say about the campaign... Like seriously, why not make it two games like with Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST. Halo 5 for the Chief and Blue Team and Halo 5: Guardians for Osiris... I'll stop now).
Let's keep it short and sweet after last weeks post. On to the good stuff!
Honestly, it wasn't bad. Most other FPS's that I've played use left trigger to zoom and left stick to sprint so that was an easy transition. What wasn't easy was the fact that interact/reload was now X and thrust was B. That... that wasn't super awesome for me. I kept punching stuff I didn't mean to and froze every time I needed to thrust since I knew it was a different button. I feel like that's more on me not expecting Halo to not use RB as interact since that's how it's been since Halo 3 for me.
Since it was similar to most other FPS's I'll give the default layout a pass... but Recon is the proper way to play, I'm just saying.
As for learning curve... ehhhhhh. For the most part, it's fine. Just stay away from ranked. Far, far away from ranked. Those players are always way too experienced to play with even when you're a veteran and that's just not fun. As my brother puts it, "they're too sweaty." Play social, get used to the controls and maps, then have fun in Ranked.
Outside of that, there's really nothing special that stands out to me in the multiplayer side of things. Most of the maps look fantastic. I love playing in the Breakout maps because it really feels like the battle simulator the multiplayer is supposed to be (more on that later).
I guess the only negative I have is in a lot of the armor variants. Not only are some of the models absurd, but some variants use different (darker) colors than everything else. So if I want to use the Vigilant chest and the Mark VI helmet, I can't because the colors don't match and it bugs the SHIT out of me. Look at it! It's disgusting!
Aaaaand now we're at sound effects. So... I really don't like the gun sound effects. The pistols and DMRs especially seem really wimpy. I've shot a Glock 17 before, it was a bit beefier than 'poot poot poot'. I dunno it just doesn't seem right. Hard meh from me.
There is a bit of story over in Warzone, and by a story I mean you're being tested as a large group instead of small ones and there's AI thrown in, but that's about it.
As for characters... Commander Palmer is technically in the game at the start of Warzone... but she doesn't say much and since I'm not going into the campaign... no comment. So I'm goona go N/A for that category... unless you want to count real people. Then it's a toss-up.
I like a nice distribution of wins to loses. I don't like dying without even seeing who's shooting me. Plus, since in elimination you get one life per round, I was dead most of the game. One time by a hail mary grenade the second the match started. I dunno, I guess I just don't like playing a game where I have to take it too seriously. I'm fine with some friendly competition, but this was a bit crazy for me.
Did I mention that the player we kept getting matches with was a Diamond 3 (a really high rank) and we didn't have ranks? No? Well, we did... and that just doesn't seem right to me.
It can get intense like a real competitive match, but it's more friendly... and there are less "sweaty players."
Sure, some of the games are kinda lame, *cough* Pyramoid Soccer and Get Off My Lawn *cough*, but most of them are really fun. In one game, Phaseshift, you get to swap between two different maps at will and see an echo of the players on the map opposite you. It's really cool and I'm explaining it horribly.
Anyways, I was in the winter version of the map and an enemy echo walked by. So, like the goof that I am, I started jumping knowing they would see my echo bouncing up and down on their end. Que bounce party. I made a new friend. It makes me happy.
I also wish the armors had the same color scheme. I like my bright aqua stripe. It's not bright aqua on some armor that I really like. It's kinda a shame. OH! Better audio. That would be nice too. :)
Seriously, though, Action Sack is probably one of the best things ever. If you ever played Halo 3 custom games, you have to try out Action Sack. It's got weird Grif Ball. Nuff said. If you like FPS's at all you have to give it a try. (Plus Halo 5: Guardians is in Game Pass, so if you have Game Pass you have no excuse.)
Just ignore the campaign and you'll be fine.
So yeah, that's Halo 5: Guardians.
Oh! Just a heads up, I rarely play real competitive things since I'm not a huge fan of overly competitive games in general, but here we go!
Halo 5: Guardians is a first-person shooter released worldwide on October 27, 2015, for the Xbox One. It was published by Microsoft Studio and developed by 343 Industries. It received a T for Teen for it's ESRB rating, the first FPS in the Halo franchise to do so.
Just a heads up, I won't go into the main campaign today since this post is about the competitive portion (although I do have plenty to say about the campaign... Like seriously, why not make it two games like with Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST. Halo 5 for the Chief and Blue Team and Halo 5: Guardians for Osiris... I'll stop now).
Let's keep it short and sweet after last weeks post. On to the good stuff!
Controls and Learning Curves
Okay so, as an OG Halo player I always set my controls to Recon... but just for you, I played a game with the original controls.Honestly, it wasn't bad. Most other FPS's that I've played use left trigger to zoom and left stick to sprint so that was an easy transition. What wasn't easy was the fact that interact/reload was now X and thrust was B. That... that wasn't super awesome for me. I kept punching stuff I didn't mean to and froze every time I needed to thrust since I knew it was a different button. I feel like that's more on me not expecting Halo to not use RB as interact since that's how it's been since Halo 3 for me.
Since it was similar to most other FPS's I'll give the default layout a pass... but Recon is the proper way to play, I'm just saying.
As for learning curve... ehhhhhh. For the most part, it's fine. Just stay away from ranked. Far, far away from ranked. Those players are always way too experienced to play with even when you're a veteran and that's just not fun. As my brother puts it, "they're too sweaty." Play social, get used to the controls and maps, then have fun in Ranked.
Graphics
The graphics are pretty much standard realistic for the last couple of years. I will say I love some of the customizable bits they've added for map makers. I'm a huge fan of Retro-Futuristic Synthwave art and one map maker made a Husky Raid map that's just that. It makes me so happy. Unfortunately, it appears my recording cut out so I don't have a picture of this one.Outside of that, there's really nothing special that stands out to me in the multiplayer side of things. Most of the maps look fantastic. I love playing in the Breakout maps because it really feels like the battle simulator the multiplayer is supposed to be (more on that later).
I guess the only negative I have is in a lot of the armor variants. Not only are some of the models absurd, but some variants use different (darker) colors than everything else. So if I want to use the Vigilant chest and the Mark VI helmet, I can't because the colors don't match and it bugs the SHIT out of me. Look at it! It's disgusting!
Audio
Alright, here we go. I LOVE HALO MUSIC. I've been trying to get one of my conductors to play Halo music for years (I'm a cellist). It's always fantastic. You don't get to hear much of it during multiplayer, but they did a good job with what there is and the background ambiance of maps.Aaaaand now we're at sound effects. So... I really don't like the gun sound effects. The pistols and DMRs especially seem really wimpy. I've shot a Glock 17 before, it was a bit beefier than 'poot poot poot'. I dunno it just doesn't seem right. Hard meh from me.
Story and Characters
So multiplayer doesn't really have a real story per se, but it is supposed to be training exercises between Spartan IVs on the UNSC Infinity. Which I really like actually. It explains why Spartans are fighting each other for seemingly no reason and I'm a sucker for lore and canon stuff. Plus, who doesn't like a good old fashioned knock off holodeck?There is a bit of story over in Warzone, and by a story I mean you're being tested as a large group instead of small ones and there's AI thrown in, but that's about it.
As for characters... Commander Palmer is technically in the game at the start of Warzone... but she doesn't say much and since I'm not going into the campaign... no comment. So I'm goona go N/A for that category... unless you want to count real people. Then it's a toss-up.
Overall Gameplay
Alright, here's the beefy stuff. I played several different games with Andy and Martin. Mostly Ranked Elimination, Social Husky Raid, and Social Action Sack. So, here's my take away from those.Ranked Elimination
This is the section with ranks and stuff. Like I said, I'm... not a real big fan of the real competitive game modes... I didn't really enjoy it that much. We ended up only playing a few games of this since we kept getting matched with... really good opponents. I think we won one game by the skin of our teeth and after that one of the other players must have gotten mad because he went ape on us.I like a nice distribution of wins to loses. I don't like dying without even seeing who's shooting me. Plus, since in elimination you get one life per round, I was dead most of the game. One time by a hail mary grenade the second the match started. I dunno, I guess I just don't like playing a game where I have to take it too seriously. I'm fine with some friendly competition, but this was a bit crazy for me.
Did I mention that the player we kept getting matches with was a Diamond 3 (a really high rank) and we didn't have ranks? No? Well, we did... and that just doesn't seem right to me.
Social Husky Raid
Let me get this out of my system. I LOVE SOCIAL MODES SO MUCH MORE THAN RANKED. Alright. I'm good. So, Husky Raid can get a bit competitive, but it's still really fun for me. If you haven't played it, it's basically a really intense capture the flag. This is also the game type that had the cool map I mentioned earlier. Not the best to play on, but really fun to look at.It can get intense like a real competitive match, but it's more friendly... and there are less "sweaty players."
Social Action Sack
This is the minigame playlist and by far my favorite. One of my favorite things in Halo is the custom games and this is that but online and for XP and RP. Win-win. You have games like Mongoose Sumo, Duck Run,Sure, some of the games are kinda lame, *cough* Pyramoid Soccer and Get Off My Lawn *cough*, but most of them are really fun. In one game, Phaseshift, you get to swap between two different maps at will and see an echo of the players on the map opposite you. It's really cool and I'm explaining it horribly.
Anyways, I was in the winter version of the map and an enemy echo walked by. So, like the goof that I am, I started jumping knowing they would see my echo bouncing up and down on their end. Que bounce party. I made a new friend. It makes me happy.
Changes
Honestly, after playing with the default controls I wish the controls were customizable. I kinda liked using the left trigger to zoom, but I don't like using X to interact. I wish I could make my own control scheme. It seems almost silly not to be able to considering how many games do, and how many different control schemes they did include. It's not like they're going for consistency. Nothing is consistent when you have Southpaw.I also wish the armors had the same color scheme. I like my bright aqua stripe. It's not bright aqua on some armor that I really like. It's kinda a shame. OH! Better audio. That would be nice too. :)
Yay or Nay
Yes. I'm totally not biased at all. I don't know what you're talking about.Seriously, though, Action Sack is probably one of the best things ever. If you ever played Halo 3 custom games, you have to try out Action Sack. It's got weird Grif Ball. Nuff said. If you like FPS's at all you have to give it a try. (Plus Halo 5: Guardians is in Game Pass, so if you have Game Pass you have no excuse.)
So yeah, that's Halo 5: Guardians.
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