When it comes to determining a game's value, length is typically cited as one of the first reasons to buy or pass on a game. For the most part, the Halo games have always had relatively lengthy single-player campaigns: while they obviously can't rival something like Final Fantasy, most Halo games end up being longer than their contemporaries.
Halo 4 is a perfect example of this: the game wasn't afraid to take its time to slow down, and it wasn't afraid to throw players on the far side of lengthy battle. Even compared with other Halo games, Halo 4 was pretty lengthy — and, if the latest rumors are true, 343 Industries is stepping things up for Halo 5: Guardians.
According to GamesRadar, not only will Halo 5: Guardians be longer than Halo 4, it'll also be roughly twice as large. At some point in development, Halo 5: Guardians was roughly three to four times bigger than its predecessor.
While the video doesn't go into much detail on why Halo 5 is so much longer than the previous game, some assumptions can be made. For example, the introduction of Locke's Fireteam Osiris doubles the number of players — while this may not result in the campaign doubling in size, it's likely a factor.
There's also the fact that players will be moving between different planets: while Halo 4 focused solely on the Forerunner world known as Requiem, Halo 5 will see its heroes jumping between human, Covenant and Forerunner worlds. If the campaign is actually twice as long as Halo 4's, then it's almost guaranteed that 343 Industries really wants players to get to know these new locations.
What's even more surprising is that earlier in development, the game was even longer. Why these extra sequences were cut is unknown, but building a game as big as Halo 4 took nearly three years — building one four times that size in the same amount of time just doesn't seem realistic.
However, as with all games, "length" is a relative factor. Different players means that a single sequence can take vastly different amounts of time to complete: Player One may beat a boss in 30 seconds, while it could take Player Two half an hour. That's not to say that Halo 5: Guardians won't be longer than Halo 4 — it's just that "twice as long" is far from a strict measurement.
Even if the game's not technically double the size of Halo 4, a longer campaign is always good news. Plus, it won't be all that long before players can finally get their hands on it: Halo 5: Guardians is due out on October 27.
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