Halo 5: Guardians Hands-on review (beta)

Halo 5: Guardians has not even been released, but the Xbox One owners that have the Master Chief Collection can now sit the bullet in other Spartans in beta multiplayer. The 343 Industries opened the testing phase on 29 December and wants to keep it open until the 18th of January this month. Check out our impressions of the anticipated FPS game.

It is easy to find other Spartans

Before any initial impression on the technical aspects of the game, we must emphasize the great work of 343 Industries. After all, the company released the beta version with a fully stable connection, different from its newly released compilation.

The difficulties that affected (and still affect) the matchmaking Halo: The Master Chief Collection - the excellent collection that brought the classic numerical Microsoft's mascot -, it seems, have made the development team had much more careful the new game connection.

Although it is a trial, the Halo community will certainly be quite optimistic with the material, since there are virtually no problems related to creating matches and location of players - even if certain rounds linger a little longer to start.

Modernizing the franchise

In addition to an impressive and worthy of the new generation visual (even running at 720p and 60 fps - final game should run in 900p and 60 fps), Halo 5: Guardians brings several significant changes to the classic gameplay of the franchise. Now, the player is able to aim more accurately (the developer dubbed the technique of "smart targeting") using the trigger "LT", as in Call of Duty, Battlefield and Destiny.

The zoom can be used by any player and in virtually any weapon, but, as in Halo 2, if you take a shot, the gun needs to be disabled, just to simulate the impact of enemy bullets. The feature is a great novelty and should help the novice gamers, but the open sights remains the best option for running multiple slaughter.

Unlike all other games of the series, the multiplayer of Halo is much more frenetic and intense. This is because now the player can run rampant for scenarios without the need for a specific skill to perform the action.

However, the shield does not regenerate as the character runs, which means that the player will have to decide if it is worth running away from a rival or whether it is better to keep hidden in a corner to completely recover the meter. If you want to get rid of deadly head shots, remember that you can slip on the floor after a race to surprise the opponent.

Besides the possibility of running, you can use the dash of skill with the "B" button to quickly escape DMRs and Precision Rifles and Light. In addition, the direct skill in the position of an enemy, you can break the shell rival at the same time, facilitating the move to a run in the ass.

Another interesting action that opens new possibilities for the games is the ability of Spartan hang in the air for a while (press the "LT" to remain static for a few seconds). There is still a difficult move to master, whose aim is to exterminate the enemy at one stroke.

The play consists of an air strike, which is activated when you press the right analog stick while in the air. With the soaring character, you must set the trail of destruction desired. This type of strategy will certainly be widely used to exterminate opponents armed with body attack weapons the body.

Maps, modes and weapons

At the moment there are only two types of modes available: Assassin and Fugue. The first is nothing more than classic mode, granting a victory to the team to reach 50 points first. Runaway, died already was - anyone out there remembers Counter-Strike? The game does not have spawn therefore the winning team is the one that survives for a greater number of rounds.

New maps are periodically made available every week. Some maps are still awaited by players, but we can say that all we played yet have the essence of the franchise.

The environments are not great. In fact, these are small battle arenas with several layers, hiding places, paths and possibilities. One of the highlights is by Eden account, a futuristic space station full of rooms, corridors and open platforms, perfect for Rifles performances Accuracy and Battle.

The Regret map deserves all possible praise. Besides being a beautiful and visually detailed scenario, composed of a kind of sacred garden in the central region, it provides a lot of fun vertical confrontations.

We are sure that the arsenal of weapons of Halo 5: Guardians will be considerably expanded, but for now, the set consists of the very best of the past: DMRs, Precision Rifles, Light and Battle, pistols, Energy Swords , Grenades Plasma and, of course, SMGs.

In fact, the submachine gun is much more aggressive closely and may exterminate opponents in a few shots. The launcher grenades Hydra is a pleasant surprise and, fortunately, is not an "overpower" weapon as many fans thought.

Promising future

Halo 5: Guardians has everything to be the biggest and best exclusive Xbox One promising this year to the world of games. The 343 Industries is taking a big step, and from what we've seen so far, a firm and precise step. Evolution is natural, modernization is required; but the characteristic feeling of the Microsoft franchise remains untouched.