Halo 5 was released in 2015, so, what’s up with a review in 2018? Well, many remember that at launch, H5 was not well received, but it HAS been 3 years, so today we’ll be taking another look at an “old” game.

Halo 5: Guardians is an FPS, following older Halo titles, and follows two teams of “Spartan” warriors during its Story mode, which is a huge difference from the one-man story of previous games. This was not taken well, especially coupled with the abnormally short story. However, a 4 man fire-team in the campaign mode softened the blow of the short campaign slightly.

The multiplayer, however, was received with huge praise. The combat is snappy, precise, and very fast-paced, yet still retains the Halo style of not being taken down with a few shots. There were also many new maps that were accompanied by remastered maps, which the fanbase took a liking to. With recent updates, new weapons and maps have been added, as well as new game modes that optimize the new style of play into its purest form, something that feels like a shooter nirvana when you’re in the zone.

However, the real prize of this title was the new mode, Warzone.

Warzone is a 12-on-12 player game mode based around capturing objectives on a huge map and holding the for points. These games tend to last around 20 minutes, and a remarkable addition is the Requisition system. This system allows “Spartans” to Requisition heavy weapons, armor modifications, as well as land & air vehicles. These are able to through Req. Cards, earned through Req. Packs, which are this game’s version of the controversial “Loot Box.” However, these “Loot Boxes” don’t act as a barrier to gameplay at all, and are easily earned through regular play, which works most certainly to the game’s advantage. I’d argue this is the mode with the most improvement from updates, adding new weapons and more to the game.

Overall, the game seems to have aged more like a fine wine than a wilted flower, and semi-frequent updates have propelled it along the path to a better game. At launch, I’d give the title a 6/10, but with the support it has had it now earns an 8.5/10 from me. So, What’s Up is that Halo 5 has turned into a fine game to play if you want a fast paced snap-shooter that isn’t based entirely on “fire first” play.