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[BradC00]

Battlefront was called for it but COD basically got a free pass even though it has fewer weapons than ever and it basically ripped off titanfall/destiny with traversal and specials.

blops puts halo 5 to shame in content...zombies, nightmare campaign, 13 maps (all which can be played in all game modes i think), way more game types (i'm sure there's more but this is just stuff i've read and seen online, i haven't played it yet). i enjoy halo 5 as much as the next guy, but if there's one thing you can't really defend 343i is the content. i think maybe they saw the spikes in population after DLC releases and came up with this content release crap, but i wish they would have released more game types and maps right off the bat.

i also haven't played orion since the first week i got halo 5, what the hell. i mean it's a crap map but damn i'm thirsty.

 

[jelly]

Relaxing fun. Halo is a bit serious and competitive, 343 need to bring back the kick back and relax modes. Say what you will about other FPS but you can slide into them more easily and have a good time. 343 have made a good base but it's a bit joyless unless you're in the zone.

The objective of going for the Pro crowd, what were 343 looking to get out of it? Was it the general feel of movement and gunplay that naturally lead to a rather stale selection of game modes. If so, well you got it down, now turn on the fun tap for the majority.

 

[Monocle]

The fun factor is there, is just missing content IMO: Social Playlists, Gametypes, challenges, etc. I can play hours and hours of this day and enjoy it, but thats me that loves Halo, and absolutely find Halo 5 MP to be top notch, but, and no offense to 343, Halo 5 MP looks like more like the first game of a series than the 6th game it looks raw and not with the amount of content we are used to have in Halo, yes, they will come up with those eventually, and I have no doubt in my mind, that when 343 came to decide what was not going to be in the initial release some tears of sadness came down from Frankie and the rest of the team, but the competition out there is relentless with other FPS, and the non hardcore fans (and some hardcore fans) will just go and just move on.

Yep. Like Halo 3, Halo 5's mechanics and sandbox are super fun and highly versatile. But Halo 3 always offered a generous variety of casual playlists, and there was plenty of community-generated content to mess with, even if it wasn't distributed in the best way. The competitive side was always there for people who wanted it, but the goofy fun side was at least as robust. In Halo 5, literally the only game type that lets me play with the full sandbox and a bunch of casual players is Warzone. And like others pointed out, there are just three Warzone maps.

I want to encourage 343 to put themselves in the position of casual fans here. Does Halo 5's content, as of now, give them really compelling reasons to keep playing? Are there are lot of different things to do? Lots of game types for guaranteed madcap fun, like Grifball, Rocket Race, Team Fiesta, or Firefight? A lot of hooks that give a sense of progression and the feeling that new rewards are just a couple games away? (REQ packs as they're currently implemented aren't enough. Who's excited by the idea of opening a Bronze pack, honestly? More scout hogs and needlers, whee!)

I think 343 will find that their current offerings are paltry and repetitive for people who just want to have fun. That's a big problem when Bungie's later Halo games were jam packed with modes, content, and inducements to keep playing. Why does Halo 5 feel downright skeletal by comparison? It's such a waste of the fantastic base gameplay. Worse, it's like a weird denial of the basic essence of Halo, where fun was always paramount. It was never just about racking up the headshots.

 

[Trup1aya]

Hows all that content in Battlefront though?

While I agree wholeheartedly about the game needing more nooblet/casual gametypes I find it odd that other FPS get a pass on this for some reason. Battlefront was called for it but COD basically got a free pass even though it has fewer weapons than ever and it basically ripped off titanfall/destiny with traversal and specials.

I don't think people give COD a pass. It's just that Halo fans are so passionate that we have no choice but to give tough love. The Halo sandbox is deeper and more versatile than any other shooter in the console space, but it's playerbase continues to be eroded by the competition. There is a lot that 343i could learn from those other games to make Halo more appealing to the masses, but It's maddening to see the current developer copy the wrong traits from its competitors in its attempt to remain relevant. And then, when they take steps forward, it's always accompanied by steps backwards.

I dunno, to me, it seems like Halo Reach, 4, and 5 mad some serious data driven decisions that effected design philosophies, but they whiffed on interpreting the data.

 

[AlStrong]

If they wanted to capture the PvE'ers, just look at ME3 MP.

Meh.

 

[BraXzy]

A month after launch and still no way to mute the lobby. Fuck I hate kinect.

Spoiler

Having loads of fun tonight, swapped from my big tv to my comp monitor and the aiming has finally clicked.

I still need to try this but my wiring set up is so annoyingly complicated to do so :3

 

[Princess Carl]

Yep. Like Halo 3, Halo 5's mechanics and sandbox are super fun and highly versatile. But Halo 3 always offered a generous variety of casual playlists, and there was plenty of community-generated content to mess with, even if it wasn't distributed in the best way. The competitive side was always there for people who wanted it, but the goofy fun side was at least as robust. In Halo 5, literally the only game type that lets me play with the full sandbox and a bunch of casual players is Warzone. And like others pointed out, there are just three Warzone maps.

I want to encourage 343 to put themselves in the position of casual fans here. Does Halo 5's content, as of now, give them really compelling reasons to keep playing? Are there are lot of different things to do? Ways to jump into a game and be guaranteed to find the madcap fun you could have in Grifball, Rocket Race, Team Fiesta, or Firefight? A lot of hooks that give a sense of progression and the feeling that new rewards are just a couple games away? (REQ packs as they're currently implemented aren't enough. Who's excited by the idea of opening a Bronze pack, honestly? More scout hogs and needlers, whee!)

I think 343 will find that their current offerings are paltry and repetitive for people who just want to have fun. That's a big problem when Bungie's later Halo games were jam packed with modes, content, and inducements to keep playing. Why does Halo 5 feel downright skeletal by comparison? It's such a waste of the fantastic base gameplay. Worse, it's like a weird denial of the basic essence of Halo, where fun was always paramount. It was never just about racking up the headshots.

Yup, been saying that since release.

The base game is a joy to play, but theres just no content and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many forge maps at launch.

 

[Ramirez]

Halo dropping in the top 10 list is not surprising to me at all, but I am shocked to see BFront so low. I really thought that game would thrash everything just based on SW hype.

 

[Strider]

To be fair 343 was heavily criticized for H4 being too casual friendly.

They just need to find that middle ground between H4 and 5.

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

In regards to Forge, it's sort of sad to me that 343i still seems pretty ignorant of the potential of player-made content to enrich the game. Crowdsourcing has worked for way, way more intense things than videa games, for Christ's sake. You just need to give people the right tools, and they'll work for free. Some of the most popular gametypes (SWAT, Zombies, Grifball...) have come out of the community.

Long overdue.

 

[Calm Killer]

Halo dropping in the top 10 list is not surprising to me at all, but I am shocked to see BFront so low. I really thought that game would thrash everything just based on SW hype.

Not personally surprised. Wasn't that fun or memorable to me.

 

[pieface]

In regards to player population seemingly dropping everyday more and more:

The install base on the Xbox one isn't there, which makes it all the more important for 343 to have a proper launch.

They NEEDED to be perfect, and while they should be commended for a relatively great launch in terms networking and bugs, they failed to deliver a system that keeps casual players coming back.

Halo isn't halo without whacky custom games, silly theater clips and pictures and that colorful, playful art/aesthetic.

It's so serious in tone most of the time and it's really overbearing to be so competitive and serious all the time.

I want to spend 50% of my time playing with a to4 trying to rank up, and the other 50% I want to spend playing hide and seek on backwash, or assault on a proper btb map, hell, even juggernaut on colorful, non competitive dev made maps.

These key experiences are missing, and it's depressing.

It's gone from a fun, playful, yet competitive shooter to an eSport focused game with a super serious atmosphere. Not to mention its viability as an eSport isn't perfect either (powerful autos, strict matchmaking system making it seem dead, radar, etc).

Things like firefight don't keep pros or eSports scenes around or thriving but they keep your population around and makes the game fresh and lively. Weekly and daily challenges, social playlists, whacky gametypes, you know, THE FUN STUFF, is what I miss the most right now.

This sustain plan needs to be shifted and fast forwarded, ASAP.

Sorry for the typos and bad grammar, using my iphen.

Rant over.

Sums up my feelings completely. A few of my friends got quite hyped for H5, but because of how competitive it feels and the lack of BTB and other fun modes they have already given up on it and gone to BLOPS which is so frustrating. Cant help but feel 343 dropped the ball big time. Waaay too much focus on being competitive when the truth is, most gamers play games for fun, not to become tournament players.

 

[TheXbox]

Keep looking for an excuse to go back and replay some campaign missions and I just can't find it. The overwhelming majority of the achievements are for co-op or intel, plus those Warden fights...

 

[Poodlestrike]

Sums up my feelings completely. A few of my friends got quite hyped for H5, but because of how competitive it feels and the lack of BTB and other fun modes they have already given up on it and gone to BLOPS which is so frustrating. Cant help but 343 dropped the ball big time. Waaay too much focus on being competitive when the truth is, most gamers play games for fun, not to become tournament players.

I think they're banking on HCS really taking off. League wouldn't have a tenth of its audience if it wasn't for the competitive scene, they're probably hoping Halo can get a similar (if smaller) boost.

 

[Ramirez]

Not personally surprised. Wasn't that fun or memorable to me.

Well I mean the game is super shallow, but honestly, that seems to be what console players want these days, so I dunno.

 

[VinFTW]

Glad so many of you agree with me.

To be clear, minus a few bad gameplay quirks, I think Halo 5 plays BETTER than any Halo since 2. It's SOOOOO good, but....

...it just needs more content, badly.

 

[pieface]

I think they're banking on HCS really taking off. League wouldn't have a tenth of its audience if it wasn't for the competitive scene, they're probably hoping Halo can get a similar (if smaller) boost.

Thing is, will it though? I mean, I have no interest in watching it and I like the game. Casuals who have already fallen out of love with the game just wont be interested. I don't really get their strategy with this. Though, they will have much smarter minds than mine working on this so maybe it will surprise me. I will be shocked if HCS gives this game a boost at all in terms of bringing players back.

 

[BeforeU]

Relaxing fun. Halo is a bit serious and competitive, 343 need to bring back the kick back and relax modes. Say what you will about other FPS but you can slide into them more easily and have a good time. 343 have made a good base but it's a bit joyless unless you're in the zone.

The objective of going for the Pro crowd, what were 343 looking to get out of it? Was it the general feel of movement and gunplay that naturally lead to a rather stale selection of game modes. If so, well you got it down, now turn on the fun tap for the majority.

I have to agree with you.

 

[TheXbox]

Imagine Halo 5's gameplay and ranks with Reach's feature set. The Halo to end all Halos.

 

[Samurai G0SU]

Havent had this much fun in slayer since halo 2. 3 was okay but the equipment didnt capture the commercial i seen as chief threw it down on the ground to protect him from the wraith. That was sooo epic and gooood.

Mmmm damn.

 

[Bessy67]

Imagine Halo 5's gameplay and ranks with Reach's feature set. The Halo to end all Halos.

Especially Firefight. It seems so weird there's no co-op experience besides campaign in this game especially when REQs would work so perfectly for it. I mean, just throw in waves of AI enemies on the existing Warzone maps.

 

[...Scatter...]

blops puts halo 5 to shame in content...zombies, nightmare campaign, 13 maps (all which can be played in all game modes i think), way more game types (i'm sure there's more but this is just stuff i've read and seen online, i haven't played it yet). i enjoy halo 5 as much as the next guy, but if there's one thing you can't really defend 343i is the content. i think maybe they saw the spikes in population after DLC releases and came up with this content release crap, but i wish they would have released more game types and maps right off the bat.

i also haven't played orion since the first week i got halo 5, what the hell. i mean it's a crap map but damn i'm thirsty.

I have COD but I keep coming back to Halo. COD feels weak to me now and Zombies isn't near as fun as it used to be. Halo 5 won't be as fun if its all veterans frustrating reach other with strong gameplay. Sometimes you want some rookies to beat up on. If you're feeling even a bit off, Halo Arena will crush your soul. These cats are good.

 

[Samurai G0SU]

I have COD but I keep coming back to Halo. COD feels weak to me now and Zombies isn't near as fun as it used to be. Halo 5 won't be as fun if its all veterans frustrating reach other with strong gameplay. Sometimes you want some rookies to beat up on. If you're feeling even a bit off, Halo Arena will crush your soul. These cats are good.

Speaking of cats. I had a match vs some guy nameed. Tickling cat and he wrekt.lol

 

[Demise]

So basically, with everyone understanding that the install base isn't here and that we're not in 360 era anymore where the brand xbox succeed to put its balls on the most powerful brand of VG of all time (Playstation), everyone want to scatter the few XONE players around more playlists than the games already content ? Really bad decision if you ask me.

It reminds me a lot about Titanfall where EVERYONE knew already that all they would play was DEATHMATCH and still asked to death for 10 more modes in the game in order to enjoy it (or feel complete I think). Results : Dev add 7 modes = 90% players played Deathmatch to death, and the situation is still the same today. Deathmatch it is.

I can understand that players want more maps : It's my case too and I'm tired of Forge made map as well. But more modes ? Nah, 343i can't afford to make more modes just for some players around the web to feel complete and play them for 5 minutes before going back to BTB slayer and Classic Slayer (and Breakout, Breakout is a bliss).

The game control like it never did in the Halo franchise, it puts the other FPS to shame in a time when we all thought that the genre was doomed. Give players a solid Classic Slayer/BTB Slayer and then I honestly think that we could all agree that 343i did the job damn fine. (regarding MP at least)

blops puts halo 5 to shame in content...zombies, nightmare campaign, 13 maps (all which can be played in all game modes i think), way more game types (i'm sure there's more but this is just stuff i've read and seen online, i haven't played it yet). i enjoy halo 5 as much as the next guy, but if there's one thing you can't really defend 343i is the content. i think maybe they saw the spikes in population after DLC releases and came up with this content release crap, but i wish they would have released more game types and maps right off the bat.

Sure, but what's the point of adding tons of modes, characters, weapons, 50 hours campaign, when the gameplay feels as cheap as COD ? Halo 5 gameplay is nothing to be compared to COD imo. Titanfall already puts the whole COD multi-bilionaire-most-sold franchise to shame gameplay wise. Halo 5 gameplay is well better than Titanfall, I can't get back to it without feeling the cheapness of the last game...

 

[Juanfp]

I don't understand why 343 do not put more playlist. When they announce the launch playlist I imagine that the will add more in one or two weeks, now we are a month.
Lets hope they add more playlist with forge and not a forge playlist only.

 

[jelly]

The money maker is wrong in Halo, map packs split the community, req packs are Warzone only. They won't go all in with Forge because they can't make money off it. They need to open up to the community and even PC so they can into map and game type creation. Get Forza livery in there and monetise skins like Valve does. I know consoles can be a problem for community content but come on, let the juices flow, get the tools up and most importantly make it a billion times easier for the community to play unique and fun content together. I know this sounds too much like Valve or PC but there should be a bloody snow themed Christmas map and warthogs with antlers and a big red nose heading for bases with Christmas lights and Spartans with Santa hats, yes god damn hats! Christmas pudding grenades. Triple kill, no dead pan MC "Ho Ho Ho". The Gravemind stole Christmas. Protect the Santa Chief game type, ReindeerHog tag. Right, I'm going to stop, that was a ramble.

 

[Nialrot]

Especially Firefight. It seems so weird there's no co-op experience besides campaign in this game especially when REQs would work so perfectly for it. I mean, just throw in waves of AI enemies on the existing Warzone maps.

Oooooh!!!! That sounds awesome. REQs with Firefight sounds so good. Not a big fan of Warzone but I would use all those REQs I have sitting around in some co-op firefight all day.

 

[Monocle]

Keep looking for an excuse to go back and replay some campaign missions and I just can't find it. The overwhelming majority of the achievements are for co-op or intel, plus those Warden fights...

The Warden battles are annoying, but there's no reason to avoid the campaign because of them. Cheese or skip all of the fights, and don't worry about it.

In regards to player population seemingly dropping everyday more and more:

The install base on the Xbox one isn't there, which makes it all the more important for 343 to have a proper launch.

They NEEDED to be perfect, and while they should be commended for a relatively great launch in terms networking and bugs, they failed to deliver a system that keeps casual players coming back.

Halo isn't halo without whacky custom games, silly theater clips and pictures and that colorful, playful art/aesthetic.

It's so serious in tone most of the time and it's really overbearing to be so competitive and serious all the time.

I want to spend 50% of my time playing with a to4 trying to rank up, and the other 50% I want to spend playing hide and seek on backwash, or assault on a proper btb map, hell, even juggernaut on colorful, non competitive dev made maps.

These key experiences are missing, and it's depressing.

It's gone from a fun, playful, yet competitive shooter to an eSport focused game with a super serious atmosphere. Not to mention its viability as an eSport isn't perfect either (powerful autos, strict matchmaking system making it seem dead, radar, etc).

Things like firefight don't keep pros or eSports scenes around or thriving but they keep your population around and makes the game fresh and lively. Weekly and daily challenges, social playlists, whacky gametypes, you know, THE FUN STUFF, is what I miss the most right now.

This sustain plan needs to be shifted and fast forwarded, ASAP.

Sorry for the typos and bad grammar, using my iphen.

Rant over.

Completely nailed it.

 

[Slightly Live]

Sums up my feelings completely. A few of my friends got quite hyped for H5, but because of how competitive it feels and the lack of BTB and other fun modes they have already given up on it and gone to BLOPS which is so frustrating. Cant help but feel 343 dropped the ball big time. Waaay too much focus on being competitive when the truth is, most gamers play games for fun, not to become tournament players.

Launching BTB as a Ranked only, Forge map only playlist? Very questionable decision in 2015 to be honest.

Bringing in so many pro players? Self-funding e-sport pushes?

Feels like Halo's multiplayer has been pushed to an extreme competitive place, that obviously doesn't sit well with the larger player base.Then you have the opposite extreme with Warzone - with too much unique content and zero ability to use outside of that exclusive mode.

I just want my bread and butter Halo experiences. Halo 5 has the best Halo sandbox, the best and tightest controls, the best online backend. It has a lot going for it but it lacks meaningful central content - and too much exclusive edge content.

• Warzone should be a customizable experience to play with friends
• BTB should have been available at launch with developer made maps
• Social playlists should have been present from day one
• Breakout should have been kept out of Arena
• Forge should have been available day one
• We finally have the netcode tech to make Firefight work on a technical level - where the hell is it?!
• All REQ content should be available across all multiplayer modes
• Oddball, Assault, Infection, Griffball - all these playmodes should have been available day one with an Objective playlist

I mean, why bother making so many variants of weapons and vehicles if you can never use them? Custom game variants and maps could be flourishing with that kind of content.

Halo 5 has all the ingredients to make a perfect Halo game. A game that would appeal to casual players, hardcore fans, competitive types and everyone in between. The game deserves to have a healthier post launch life than Halo 4.

 

[Gnome Scat]

I hope they put out action sack soon as a social mode.

 

[Lucky Seven]

May be buying the game tomorrow. Super excited to get back into the series and community.

 

[Monocle]

The money maker is wrong in Halo, map packs split the community, req packs are Warzone only. They won't go all in with Forge because they can't make money off it. They need to open up to the community and even PC so they can into map and game type creation. Get Forza livery in there and monetise skins like Valve does. I know consoles can be a problem for community content but come on, let the juices flow, get the tools up and most importantly make it a billion times easier for the community to play unique and fun content together. I know this sounds too much like Valve or PC but there should be a bloody snow themed Christmas map and warthogs with antlers and a big red nose heading for bases with Christmas lights and Spartans with Santa hats, yes god damn hats! Christmas pudding grenades. Triple kill, no dead pan MC "Ho Ho Ho". The Gravemind stole Christmas. Protect the Santa Chief game type, ReindeerHog tag. Right, I'm going to stop, that was a ramble.

I'm really feeling it!

No, srsly, I want all of this.

 

[arimanius]

Hows all that content in Battlefront though?

While I agree wholeheartedly about the game needing more nooblet/casual gametypes I find it odd that other FPS get a pass on this for some reason. Battlefront was called for it but COD basically got a free pass even though it has fewer weapons than ever and it basically ripped off titanfall/destiny with traversal and specials.

There is no content in battlefront. I've complained about battlefront a lot. COD has a lot of content compared to most fps nowadays.

 

[Double Donut]

There's people who betray for power weapons... and those people are assholes.

But there's an entire circle of hell reserved for obnoxious motherfuckers who betray in Breakout over the goddamned battle rifle.

Pathetic.

 

[Bessy67]

Launching BTB as a Ranked only, Forge map only playlist? Very questionable decision in 2015 to be honest.

Bringing in so many pro players? Self-funding e-sport pushes?

Feels like Halo's multiplayer has been pushed to an extreme competitive place, that obviously doesn't sit well with the larger player base.Then you have the opposite extreme with Warzone - with too much unique content and zero ability to use outside of that exclusive mode.

I just want my bread and butter Halo experiences. Halo 5 has the best Halo sandbox, the best and tightest controls, the best online backend. It has a lot going for it but it lacks meaningful central content - and too much exclusive edge content.

• Warzone should be a customizable experience to play with friends
• BTB should have been available at launch with developer made maps
• Social playlists should have been present from day one
• Breakout should have been kept out of Arena
• Forge should have been available day one
• We finally have the netcode tech to make Firefight work on a technical level - where the hell is it?!
• All REQ content should be available across all multiplayer modes
• Oddball, Assault, Infection, Griffball - all these playmodes should have been available day one with an Objective playlist

I mean, why bother making so many variants of weapons and vehicles if you can never use them? Custom game variants and maps could be flourishing with that kind of content.

Halo 5 has all the ingredients to make a perfect Halo game. A game that would appeal to casual players, hardcore fans, competitive types and everyone in between. The game deserves to have a healthier post launch life than Halo 4.

I agree with a lot of the stuff you said, except having REQ content available across all multiplayer modes. That crazy OP stuff is fun in a big mode like warzone where individual spartan kills really don't count a ton towards the overall score, but in arena it would suck.

 

[NullPointer]

The Warden battles are annoying, but there's no reason to avoid the campaign because of them.

I think what they needed to do was to have the Warden's form change between fights. He can be a singular mind with endless bodies, but at least give him very different bodies so the fights can play out differently. As it is it does hurt the replayability - three runs of the campaign is what, 20 fights with him?

Edit: At the very least, a patch to keep the AI from being so easily insta-downed by his sweeping melee attack would be a good thing.

And +1 to Warzone PvE Firefight. Its the one thing that I'd be interested in checking out anyway. That and finding a solution to quitters in the other modes. The ability to quit the game without penalty when another player drops out would be great.

 

[Demise]

Halo 5 has all the ingredients to make a perfect Halo game. A game that would appeal to casual players, hardcore fans, competitive types and everyone in between. The game deserves to have a healthier post launch life than Halo 4.

I don't think so. Halo 5 base gameplay is not a type of gameplay that could appeal to the casual you are talking about regardless of the content. Past Halo were pretty straight forward and slow paced regarding gameplay, it was all about strafing from distance with BR and map controls.

Now you need reflex (fast paced game), creativity (Dash, Ground pound), iniative (Spartan charge or not ?) among other things and BR (aka perfect precision gun) isn't always here to make up for your bad aiming. You still need good understanding of maps control (weapon, symetry, spawn...), trifecta and strafing. It's the hardest of all Halo MP.

Halo was already considered as being a hard game, and Halo 5 is way harder than past games. I don't think you can make it up for it by adding fun modes, casual players won't even bother with them.

It has been made clear I think that Halo 5 wasn't a flop financial wise, it's quite the contrary actually. Why caring about casual playing the game since 343i already made a whole lot money with it ? All we need is solid base of good players to consider the game healthy, not 14 years old bragging on the mic and breaking the team-play. Quality over quantity is what I need to consider the MP being healthy.

 

[Karl2177]

In regards to Forge, it's sort of sad to me that 343i still seems pretty ignorant of the potential of player-made content to enrich the game. Crowdsourcing has worked for way, way more intense things than videa games, for Christ's sake. You just need to give people the right tools, and they'll work for free. Some of the most popular gametypes (SWAT, Zombies, Grifball...) have come out of the community.

To add to this, it's a real shame that Forge won't have any of the weapon or vehicle variants from Warzone. It would be great to have a Tundra Warthog on Glacier maps or have Whiplash be a power weapon on maps. Going a step further, these weapons won't even be possible in custom games at all. Real shame, because I think the community can come up with some really cool things with all of the things that 343i added to Warzone.

 

[Princess Carl]

Launching BTB as a Ranked only, Forge map only playlist? Very questionable decision in 2015 to be honest.

Bringing in so many pro players? Self-funding e-sport pushes?

Feels like Halo's multiplayer has been pushed to an extreme competitive place, that obviously doesn't sit well with the larger player base.Then you have the opposite extreme with Warzone - with too much unique content and zero ability to use outside of that exclusive mode.

I just want my bread and butter Halo experiences. Halo 5 has the best Halo sandbox, the best and tightest controls, the best online backend. It has a lot going for it but it lacks meaningful central content - and too much exclusive edge content.

• Warzone should be a customizable experience to play with friends
• BTB should have been available at launch with developer made maps
• Social playlists should have been present from day one
• Breakout should have been kept out of Arena
• Forge should have been available day one
• We finally have the netcode tech to make Firefight work on a technical level - where the hell is it?!
• All REQ content should be available across all multiplayer modes
• Oddball, Assault, Infection, Griffball - all these playmodes should have been available day one with an Objective playlist

I mean, why bother making so many variants of weapons and vehicles if you can never use them? Custom game variants and maps could be flourishing with that kind of content.

Halo 5 has all the ingredients to make a perfect Halo game. A game that would appeal to casual players, hardcore fans, competitive types and everyone in between. The game deserves to have a healthier post launch life than Halo 4.

In regards to player population seemingly dropping everyday more and more:

The install base on the Xbox one isn't there, which makes it all the more important for 343 to have a proper launch.

They NEEDED to be perfect, and while they should be commended for a relatively great launch in terms networking and bugs, they failed to deliver a system that keeps casual players coming back.

Halo isn't halo without whacky custom games, silly theater clips and pictures and that colorful, playful art/aesthetic.

It's so serious in tone most of the time and it's really overbearing to be so competitive and serious all the time.

I want to spend 50% of my time playing with a to4 trying to rank up, and the other 50% I want to spend playing hide and seek on backwash, or assault on a proper btb map, hell, even juggernaut on colorful, non competitive dev made maps.

These key experiences are missing, and it's depressing.

It's gone from a fun, playful, yet competitive shooter to an eSport focused game with a super serious atmosphere. Not to mention its viability as an eSport isn't perfect either (powerful autos, strict matchmaking system making it seem dead, radar, etc).

Things like firefight don't keep pros or eSports scenes around or thriving but they keep your population around and makes the game fresh and lively. Weekly and daily challenges, social playlists, whacky gametypes, you know, THE FUN STUFF, is what I miss the most right now.

This sustain plan needs to be shifted and fast forwarded, ASAP.

Sorry for the typos and bad grammar, using my iphen.

Rant over.

Great points.

To whoever decided not to delay the launch:

I don't a believe the flagship title of your game console should have launched in the condition Halo 5 launched in. The game should have been delayed to properly flesh out a complete multiplayer experience and really give it the polish that elevates it above simply being a well scored video game.

I really hope you guys turn it around, it's a really fun game.

 

[doniewhalberg]

Playing a lot of Gears 3 these days now that BC is live, really makes me realise how big a whole no firefight has left for me with the last two Halo's. It's really great to have a mode like that after you've had a losing run on competitive and you just need a break from getting stomped, but want to continue gaining exp, or gaining REQ points, or whatever. Play a game, see how many waves you can get through, and then head back to competitive when you're done. I honestly think Halo 5 is a fantastic game, imo some of the responses to it have been confusingly negative, but my personal critique is that it doesn't feel like as full a package. Reach really went there. Campaign, competitive, firefight, all hooked into the one progression system with daily challenges for all modes, I'd love to see 343 realise their own version of this with Halo 6. I don't necessarily think the REQ system is superior to how Gears or Reach did it, but whatever, that's their thing, I'd take that.

Great, great game though, team arena is awesome.

 

[Samurai G0SU]

I love getting reversals

Sooo satisfyingly spine tingling. >=D

 

[arimanius]

Playing a lot of Gears 3 these days now that BC is live, really makes me realise how big a whole no firefight has left for me with the last two Halo's. It's really great to have a mode like that after you've had a losing run on competitive and you just need a break from getting stomped, but want to continue gaining exp, or gaining REQ points, or whatever. Play a game, see how many waves you can get through, and then head back to competitive when you're done. I honestly think Halo 5 is a fantastic game, imo some of the responses to it have been confusingly negative, but my personal critique is that it doesn't feel like as full a package. Reach really went there. Campaign, competitive, firefight, all hooked into the one progression system with daily challenges for all modes, I'd love to see 343 realise their own version of this with Halo 6. I don't necessarily think the REQ system is superior to how Gears or Reach did it, but whatever, that's their thing, I'd take that.

Great, great game though, team arena is awesome.

I'm hoping they can add a firefight mode and challenges in an update. I can't wait till Halo 6.

I love this game just need more of it.

 

[E92 M3]

In regards to player population seemingly dropping everyday more and more:

The install base on the Xbox one isn't there, which makes it all the more important for 343 to have a proper launch.

They NEEDED to be perfect, and while they should be commended for a relatively great launch in terms networking and bugs, they failed to deliver a system that keeps casual players coming back.

Halo isn't halo without whacky custom games, silly theater clips and pictures and that colorful, playful art/aesthetic.

It's so serious in tone most of the time and it's really overbearing to be so competitive and serious all the time.

I want to spend 50% of my time playing with a to4 trying to rank up, and the other 50% I want to spend playing hide and seek on backwash, or assault on a proper btb map, hell, even juggernaut on colorful, non competitive dev made maps.

These key experiences are missing, and it's depressing.

It's gone from a fun, playful, yet competitive shooter to an eSport focused game with a super serious atmosphere. Not to mention its viability as an eSport isn't perfect either (powerful autos, strict matchmaking system making it seem dead, radar, etc).

Things like firefight don't keep pros or eSports scenes around or thriving but they keep your population around and makes the game fresh and lively. Weekly and daily challenges, social playlists, whacky gametypes, you know, THE FUN STUFF, is what I miss the most right now.

This sustain plan needs to be shifted and fast forwarded, ASAP.

Sorry for the typos and bad grammar, using my iphen.

Rant over.

That is well put - everything is super serious.

 

[BraXzy]

[*]All REQ content should be available across all multiplayer modes

You make some valid points but this is a silly suggestion imo. Keep Arena competitive and balanced, lets not throw one shot snipers and such into it.

The skins from Req stuff? Sure. I want to pick up a Sniper and have it reskin to Nornfang once that bad boy is unlocked.

The money maker is wrong in Halo, map packs split the community, req packs are Warzone only. They won't go all in with Forge because they can't make money off it. They need to open up to the community and even PC so they can into map and game type creation. Get Forza livery in there and monetise skins like Valve does. I know consoles can be a problem for community content but come on, let the juices flow, get the tools up and most importantly make it a billion times easier for the community to play unique and fun content together. I know this sounds too much like Valve or PC but there should be a bloody snow themed Christmas map and warthogs with antlers and a big red nose heading for bases with Christmas lights and Spartans with Santa hats, yes god damn hats! Christmas pudding grenades. Triple kill, no dead pan MC "Ho Ho Ho". The Gravemind stole Christmas. Protect the Santa Chief game type, ReindeerHog tag. Right, I'm going to stop, that was a ramble.

I would pay serious money for Christmas Reindeer Warthogs.

I agree with everyones comments about the lack of fun, silly stuff that the game desperately needs. Maybe not silly, just not super ultra MLG competitive. Don't get me wrong, the competitive aspect of this game is fantastic. Arena is brilliant and the sandbox is the best it has ever been. But on top of that the fun stuff needs to be put in.

Daft events for holiday stuff similar to what happens in MMO type games would be great to see.

 

[Ont]

The objective of going for the Pro crowd, what were 343 looking to get out of it? Was it the general feel of movement and gunplay that naturally lead to a rather stale selection of game modes. If so, well you got it down, now turn on the fun tap for the majority.

Going for the pro crowd was the right decision.

If the game is too casual it will not have a long lifespan. Games like Quake 3 and CS last decades because becoming good in those games takes time. I keep coming back to Halo 5 because of the tight gameplay and not because I want to unlock more stuff.

I can easily see myself playing Halo 5 for many years which is not something I can say about most console shooters.

 

[Samurai G0SU]

Well atleast with 6 they can announce..

-60fps! *again
-Splitscreen!
-Two campaigns. First is master chief and his journey. "Lol" 2nd is a between blue team and osiris.
-Firefight
-Ultra warzone. Bigger, badder, and more badass reqs.
-Brutes!
-Flood!
-Halo ring!

5 is the first few steps of a marathon

 

[BraXzy]

I too miss Firefight, or a PvE only type mode.

I long for some basic AI stuff in Forge after seeing some of the awesome custom games in Dota 2. Not really looked at the tools available to make the actual custom games but damn.. people turned a MOBA into a dungeon crawler, a tower defense game, a firefight game, a boss fights in waves game. Some really cool stuff.

 

[RaySpencer]

So I got one of these new xbox controllers with the headphone jack, is there an easy way to get it to stop sending sound out to my speakers and just to my headphones?

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

Ordnance Drops are cool and need to return in a new Firefight mode. Allow REQ's to be used as you do in Warzone, and create a gametype that's similar to Gears Judgment's OverRun mode, then watch $$$ roll in.

Imagine that shit? Starting off as a simple Grunt, Jackal or Elite, then upgrading throughout the match to equip better weapons or more powerful enemies like the Hunters or Knights. You guys need to get on this train, seriously.

 

[RespectThySole]

Playing a lot of Gears 3 these days now that BC is live, really makes me realise how big a whole no firefight has left for me with the last two Halo's. It's really great to have a mode like that after you've had a losing run on competitive and you just need a break from getting stomped, but want to continue gaining exp, or gaining REQ points, or whatever. Play a game, see how many waves you can get through, and then head back to competitive when you're done. I honestly think Halo 5 is a fantastic game, imo some of the responses to it have been confusingly negative, but my personal critique is that it doesn't feel like as full a package. Reach really went there. Campaign, competitive, firefight, all hooked into the one progression system with daily challenges for all modes, I'd love to see 343 realise their own version of this with Halo 6. I don't necessarily think the REQ system is superior to how Gears or Reach did it, but whatever, that's their thing, I'd take that.

Great, great game though, team arena is awesome.

This is exactly what Halo needs! Plenty of people play Black Ops 3 just for zombies and I know I'll probably be playing Gears 3 horde on BC until Gears 4 comes out.

I completely agree that it's too serious. I miss infection, oddball, grifball, etc. None of my real life friends are still playing this anymore and it's sad because Halo 2/3 used to be our go-to game. The game has superb mechanics and movement options, but it's missing the great maps and modes to go along with that base. I'm not super into Slayer like I once was and Warzone/Breakout feel like quick diversions rather than modes with any real staying power.