Halo 4 brought sweeping changes to the tried-and-true Halo multiplayer formula; changes that put off some longtime fans of the franchise for good reason -- it didn't feel like Halo.
It's something Halo 4 developer 343 Industries is obviously aware of going into Halo 5: Guardians. Microsoft gave Xbox Preview members a sneak peek at the upcoming Halo 5: Guardians beta over the weekend, letting a select few players get their hands on the game ahead of the expanded beta that will run from Dec. 29 to Jan. 18. Even with only one 4v4 gametype and two maps to choose from in this early access preview, it's safe to say 343 has something special on their hands.
Gone are the customizable loadouts and killstreak-esque weapon ordinances seen in Halo 4, which, on the surface, seemed like an attempt to capture the attention of the Call of Duty crowd. Instead, 343 has trimmed the fat and brought Halo back to its arena shooter roots. Every player starts with the same weapons and abilities. Securing victory in Team Slayer means playing as a team and working to secure power weapons that appear on each map.
It's Halo boiled down to its core, but don't think for a second 343 isn't trying to evolve the franchise further. Every player has a number of new abilities at their disposal that do wonders to speed up the overall pace of the game. That's because every Spartan is now equipped with a thruster pack that allows for more maneuverability than ever before. Players with the new thruster pack can dash through the air or to the side with the press of a button, "clamber" up ledges, sprint indefinitely, deliver devastating melee charges and slam into the ground with devastating force. There is also the new "smart-scope" system that allows for every gun to be fired while zoomed, and aiming while in the air lets players hover for a short period of time.
The new features open up a world of possibilities for players. Of all the new abilities, "Thrust Evading" is the one that players will need to quickly master. Dashing to the side is the perfect way to get out of a grenade's explosion radius, or, if used in midair and in conjunction with the clamber ability, makes navigating Halo's vertical maps easier (and faster).
Sprinting was introduced in Halo 4 and it returns here for all players, but with one interesting caveat: a player's shields are unable to recharge while sprinting. This means players who constantly run around the map are more at risk of being gunned down. Instead, smart players will sprint out of harm's way before finding a safe zone to slow down and recharge.
Out of the new abilities, I found the ground pound to be the only one that didn't add much to the overall experience. By holding down a button while airborne, players can aim and then dive into the ground. If you happen to hit another player, it's a one-hit kill, but it happens so infrequently and takes so long to pull off that it doesn't seem like a practical means of securing kills. In my 20 plus matches, I never once killed an enemy with the ground pound, and was only killed by it a handful of times.
By far the most controversial change coming in Halo 5 is the smart-scope aiming system. Players have always been able to zoom in with certain weapons like the classic Halo 1 pistol and the Battle Rifle, but Halo 5 goes a step further by making it so every weapon can be aimed and fired, in what, at first glance, looks similar to the aim-down-sight mechanics seen in other shooters like Call of Duty. Rest assured, ADS this is not, though it will likely go a long way towards attracting players who have always found the lack of "aiming" in Halo troublesome.
The game's default control scheme even maps smart-scope to the left trigger like in Call of Duty, though this can be changed for a more traditional Halo control scheme. Smart link may look new and fancy, but in every way it still plays like classic Halo. Getting shot while zoomed will kick players out out of smart-scope like in previous Halo games, ensuring players can't constantly walk around while scoped. Smart-scope looks like a drastic change for the series, but it's more like a new coat of paint.
That new coat of paint can be seen throughout Halo 5. The game looks stunning and runs far smoother than one would expect for a game that won't be released for close to another year. The two maps available in the beta preview show just how much power can be pulled from the Xbox One as players wage war across a reworked version of Halo 2's Midship (called Truth here) and a new map called Empire. Unlike earlier Halo games that might have multiple power weapons on the same map, so far Halo 5 is playing conservative.
On Empire, two sniper rifles spawn on each side of the map, while on Truth the Prophet's Bane replaces the Energy Sword in the center (though they are basically the same.) With so few power weapons available and the respawn timers on those weapons available for all to see, players and the action naturally gravitate towards the power weapon respawn points. It is as it should be -- after all, securing those weapons for your team will go a long way towards winning the match. More gametypes and maps will be rolled out over the course of the full three week beta starting Dec. 29, but what is here is already a blast to play.
The result of all these changes is a Halo that feels classic yet modern. The speed of combat feels faster than ever before as players dash in and out of combat and clamber up platforms. Coupling the ability to sprint with the ability to recharge shields is a brilliant way to assign a risk-reward element to navigating the map. This is a leaner and more agile Halo in every way, and one that I personally can't wait to play more of.
