Iiiiiiit's baaaaaack! The biggest evolution in the Halo series is set to hit the shelves in just a few weeks time, and the anticipation is already tangible. With tonnes of new information spewing out of Microsoft HQ as the game's 27th October release draws near, we thought we'd bring you a quick update about Halo 5, and how it plans to rock the shooter world.
*Heads up for spoilers if you haven't finished Halo 4 yet!* The ending of Halo 4 left many broken hearts, when we saw series protagonist and all round good egg Master Chief's (now broken) artificial intelligence companion, Cortana, say goodbye to him after ultimately saving his life. Now, some three years later, we finally get to pick up that story and find out what's next for Chief. As it stands, in Halo 5, a mysterious force has arrived to threaten the galaxy, while Master Chief is missing and his loyalties and motives are questioned. Could Cortana have been the one that kept him sane? The one that reminded him what to do for the good of the galaxy? Has he broken down now he's completely alone? It's yet to be set in stone as to whether Cortana really IS gone (we hope not!), as it's been rumoured and speculated that she'll have a part to play in the new Halo - but we'll just have to wait and see if this is true *fingers crossed*.
Old favourite enemies return
One of the defining pillars of Halo has been its co-op gameplay, and it's here that Halo 5 looks to push the boat out. Ramping things up, there's now a 4-player cooperative drop-in/drop-out story mode, allowing you to explore and get sucked in to 3 different worlds with friends. Each mission has been designed with co-op play in mind, with multiple paths on the map so that each team member may take their own approach to battle. The amount of enemies in the world will also determined by how many players are in your fireteam - the more of you there are, the more enemies you'll come across - simple! The only down side is that one of the main reasons for buying a Halo game - the split-screen play - has been removed from the game's story, cast by the wayside in favour of hitting a target frame rate.
In that respect, it's probably lucky, then, that those who end up playing on their own can play with a fireteam of artificial intelligence teammates instead. Developers 343 Studios, have put a big emphasis on adding replay value for Halo 5, with wider, more open levels, and different paths to be taken. Enemy encounters, too, promise to be more varied in their outcome, with cleverer AI ensuring no two battles work the same. The new emphasis on exploration means that there are now many collectibles to try and find, as well as hidden power weapons (did someone say achievement hunting?!). You may choose to play the game solely on foot, or with vehicles. You may jump right in to the action, or order your fireteam to clear out rooms before. The possibilities of how you play and how you choose to shape your Halo world seem endless.
How many will be in your fireteam?
One of the key aspects of the story this time around is that it'll be being told from two perspectives - one side from the Master Chief's point of view, and the other from Spartan Locke. Promising a twisting and turning narrative, full of red herrings, it's up to you to get both sides of the story, and figure out the truth for yourself. There have been many teasers about what's in store, with different trailers and game adverts showing how this might work in game. Perhaps the easiest way to show this is to take a look for yourself:
Here's Master Chief's variation of the trailer:
And here's Spartan Locke's:
The trailers along with #HUNTtheTRUTH are being plastered everywhere online, and all signs are pointing to a majorly bumpy plot. We've always been on chief's side, but could that all be about to change in this next instalment?
Of course Halo wouldn't quite be complete without its multiplayer modes. The Arena mode is Halo's well known skill-based 4-vs-4 competitive mode, with an all new seven-tier skill rating system in place to judge how well you do in game, with the intention being to place you with other players of a similar skill. There's also matchmaking and dedicated servers, as well as a selection of game types: Breakout, Capture the Flag, Strongholds and Slayer. Another multiplayer option is Warzone, which is a new massive-scale mode that will challenge two teams to complete various objectives, with support for 24-player battles that will see human players fighting alongside computer controlled teammates (at least then we might actually have a chance to kill something before being killed ourselves!)
There's also a brand new rewards program called The Requisition System being introduced. Players will earn REQ points after each Warzone or Arena match, which can then be used to purchase REQ Packs that'll contain REQ Cards in the form of unlockable items such as armour, weapons and vehicles (Did I say REQ enough times?). There'll be over a thousand items available at launch, with more being added in the 8 months to follow. Which is nice.
But for those of you for who simply buying the game isn't enough of a way to show your love for the chief, Microsoft are also preparing a wide variety of Halo related limited edition packs and bundles to try and part you from your money.
First, there's the limited edition Halo themed 1TB console and controller bundle which comes with a full download of the game (of course) as well as:
- A Spartan themed SteelBook (beacuse what else would you store a digital download card in?)
- A Warzone REQ bundle with 14 premium REQ packs to get you started.
- The animated series of Halo: The Fall of Reach
- A Guardian Model by Metal Earth
- Spartan Locke's Classified Orders
- Dossiers on Blue Team and Fireteam Osiris
- 14-Day Xbox Live Trial
This bundle is available only at GAME and is looking set to be quite limited, so if you're interested, you should probably pop down to your local retailer and plonk down a pre-order! The price of the console is looking to be around the £400 mark with a deposit price of £20. Also available are two limited edition controllers - one designed for Spartan Locke, and one for Master Chief.
The console itself, in fetching shades of grey.
The game itself will come in multiple editions. Along with the standard version of the game, there's a limited edition which comes in a nice Spartan themed steelbook and has all the same extras that the console bundle comes with (minus the console and controller… obviously). But for the collectors and Halo enthusiasts among us, there also a Limited Collectors Edition available, which includes the same content as the Limited Edition and Console Bundle - only this time, you also get a commemorative statue of Master Chief and Spartan Locke for your money. There's something special about this statue, too, as while Chief and Locke initially appear together as a team, the statue can also be split, and they can be separated in a stance ready to face off against each other.
That's a lot of stuff
Which scene shows the true story? That's up to you.
If money is no object, though, there's also a fourth Halo 5 bundle available, which includes everything in the limited collectors edition, plus a Needler gun replica, so you can truly bring out the Halo in you...
Everything is available for pre-order now, and bonuses for plonking a pre-order down include a Spartan Locke armour and Battle Rifle set, as well as the Rampant Visor and Emblem Pack!
So what are you waiting for? Whose path will you choose to follow? Are you Team Locke or Team Chief? Are you ready to take on this epic journey? And lastly, are you ready to #HUNTtheTRUTH?
