Halo 5: Guardians – PAX East 2015 Hands On

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As an admitted avid Halo fan since the original Halo: Combat Evolved, I have been just as guilty as the rest of the internet when it came to worrying that Halo would turn into a Call of Duty clone (especially after the popularity of Activision’s annual franchise shot through the roof with Advanced Warfare). This worry also shot to a fever pitch after seeing that 343 Industries added an “aiming down the sights” mechanic, much like COD. However, after playing it this morning at PAX East, I’m relieved to say that playing Halo 5 is like slipping on a comfortable old glove. It’s still Halo, and it’s still fun.

For my demo, I played a standard, 4v4 Team Deathmatch in a remake of the classic Halo 2 map, Midship. The level itself feels larger than the original midship, which was assumedly intended to allow players to take advantage of their spartans’ new mobility. Getting around in Halo 5 is not a problem, especially with the boost ability, mapped to the B button. It not only helped scoot out around corners quickly to get that last headshot on an escaping target with no shields, but it came in especially handy when trying to escape hairy situations while taking incoming fire from an unknown direction.

But let’s talk about one of the biggest changes: ADS. To aim down the sights of whatever gun you are holding, much like other shooters, you pull the left trigger, which is typically mapped to grenade tosses, a vital part of the Halo experience. The ADS mode of Halo 5 feels very akin to simply aiming via the scope of the DMR or BR from previous Halo titles. It’s not necessary, and I only used it when targets were far away. Plus, mapping it to the left trigger also made moving in and out of the sights more seamless, doing away with that all to familiar situation of accidentally entering the scope mode by clicking in the left stick during a hectic firefight. Also, grenades are now mapped to the left bumper, which can literally be pressed without taking your finger off of the left trigger. While it did feel noticeably different, it was not uncomfortable at all.

During our match (which we sadly lost by only 9 kills) I spawned with the assault rifle and the BR, both of which felt very familiar. I also managed to get my hands on a DMR, which also seemed effective for long range kills, but I preferred the 3-round burst of the BR. I also didn’t notice the DMR’s reticle “bloom” as it used to. I briefly got my hands on a sword, which got me a few satisfying kills before I was mowed down for getting too greedy, and a single SMG. While I only got to use the SMG once, it’s extremely high rate of fire was a lot of fun to dish out on close range enemies.

All in all, I must say that even though my love for the Halo series has waned since Halo 2, I am excited to see what Halo 5 has in store.Halo 5: Guardians is tentatively scheduled for release fall of this year. For the full review, check back here this fall. Halo 5 has the familiarity of previous games and it looks like it could bring new life to the series, be on the look out for more Halo 5 news right here at BagoGames. For more PAX East 2015 coverage, keep your eyes glued here, or for live coverage check our Instagram feed!