You have likely heard about Halo 5: Guardians' disappointing campaign, but have you heard about its smooth launch? Probably not. The truth is that a lot of gamers like to focus on the negative qualities of a game, and given Halo's prominence it has been particularly subject to undeserving hate. But that doesn't change what it is. Its multiplayer mode, gameplay, and feature elements are some of the best you'll experience in a modern first-person shooter, and it merits praise.
Below are the great things about Halo 5: Guardians that you probably haven't heard about.
Halo 5's Smooth Launch and 10 Other Great Qualities That Are Being Overlooked
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Arena ranks balance the competition
Halo 5's Arena mode is highly competitive. Naturally, it's important that players are paired with and against equal skilled teammates and enemies. In an effort to provide balanced competition 343 Industries has implemented a seven-rank system that starts you off by having you play through 10 preliminary matches. From there, you battle for promotions. The result is an environment where you're always being challenged by similarly skilled players, and as you improve you'll see yourself rewarded with higher ranks. -
Endless customization
As you play the game and open Requisition Packs, you'll find yourself earning hundreds of collectibles. These range from armor, helmets, and visor colors to emblems and even assassination animations. It's addictive to earn Requisition just to see if you can earn rare items to change how you look on the battlefield. It's also a system that is fun without becoming invasive to the gameplay, something Call of Duty, Battlefield, and other first-person shooters have veered toward with their long lists of gameplay unlockables. -
True dedicated servers
In a world where dedicated servers are becoming increasingly rare, Microsoft has spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to host games from several data centers. This mitigates the frustrating peer-to-peer style of games like Call of Duty where a host can have a ping advantage and even close a game prematurely. Halo 5's environment rids itself of server frustration, and is a great place for competitive players who don't want to question the game when something doesn't go their way. -
Drop-in/drop-out co-op
While Halo 5's Campaign doesn't have local co-op, it does have online co-op. Made better, it's equipped with a seamless drop-in/drop-out system that allows a friend to instantly take control of an A.I. teammate at any moment. It works remarkably well, transforming the campaign into an easily shareable experience. -
Gameplay depth
Halo 5 is a game with a very high skill ceiling. On one hand, new players might be frustrated by how experienced players can dominate them. On the other hand, working hard to improve has much greater results than most FPS games out there. It's similar to Counter-Strike where, while simple on the surface, there's always ways to improve. Some of this comes from aiming precision and thoughtful Spartan Ability usage, while some of it comes from weapon design, such as the precise and headshot-oriented Magnum. -
Punishing toxic players
In most other FPS games if a player is toxic they aren't punished in any meaningful way. They might find themselves kicked from a server for team killing, but not much more. In Halo 5 justice is served on a golden platter. Players who negatively impact the experience of others will find themselves banned from queue for several days at a time. At launch some players are quitting Arena matches without a second thought, but once the consequences are experienced by these toxic players they'll think twice about their bad decisions. -
Requisition packs
With hundreds of unlockables available to be collected, it's exciting to earn enough Requisition Points to purchase a pack. Opening these is similar to opening a pack of trading cards. If you're lucky you'll find some rare and useful items that you can equip with you on the battlefield. With so many options, everyone is able to display their tastes in a unique way, too. -
Smooth launch
Some gamers were skeptical that 343 Industries could provide a smooth launch for a Halo launch after Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Thankfully, their skepticism was all for naught. Halo 5 has had one of the smoothest launches in AAA multiplayer gaming history, and it should be commended for it. -
Great Spartan Ability design
Whether it be the Thruster Pack, Ground Pound, Sprint, Slide, or Charge, each of the new Spartan Abilities are very well designed. It comes as no surprise to those who knew that 343 Industries enlisted the help of professional Halo players to aid in designing abilities that would be welcomed by the competitive community. The result is fun and varied gameplay that has plenty of exciting moments. -
Time to kill
FPS launches are usually ripe with gamers complaining about TTK. Many games don't quite get the health pool of players right, where you don't get slaughtered by campers, but feel like you actually do damage when you fire your weapons. 343 Industries hit the sweet spot with this release. -
Warzone innovation
It's easy to just say that Warzone is a Battlefield clone when you haven't played it. But really, it feels a lot more like a focused Planetside 2 with far better gunplay. It's epic, very free-form, and exciting to win. It's also well balanced with symmetrical map design and equal opportunity for both teams to earn Victory Points. It offers a great way to enjoy Halo 5's gameplay when someone is looking for a casual experience.
