Halo 5: Guardians: Difference between revisions

|name=''Halo 5: Guardians''

|image=[[File:H5 final cover art.png|300px]]

|developer=[[343 Industries]]<ref name="WaypointGuardians">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo-5-guardians '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Halo 5: Guardians'']</ref>

|releasedate=[[2015|October 27, 2015]]<ref name="WaypointGuardians"/>

|rating=[[Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]]: Teen (T) for Blood, Mild Language, and Violence<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnwFs2172nk '''YouTube''': ''Halo 5 Multiplayer Trailer [Gamescom<nowiki>]</nowiki>'']</ref>

{{Quote|The quest of [[Jameson Locke|the hunter]] and [[John-117|the hunted]] has begun.|Official summary<ref name="WireH5"/>}}

'''''Halo 5: Guardians''''' is the ninth installment in the [[Halo universe|''Halo'' franchise]].<ref name="H5">[http://news.xbox.com/2014/05/games-halo-journey-announcement '''Xbox Wire''': ''The Halo Journey'']</ref> It is the second game in the ''[[Reclaimer Saga]]'' and continues the story of the [[John-117|Master Chief]].<ref name="H5"/> Originally alluded to in a [[Halo Xbox One announcement trailer|teaser trailer]] shown at [[Microsoft]]'s [[Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 Media Briefing]] on [[2013|June 10, 2013]], ''Guardians'' was officially announced on [[2014|May 16, 2014]].<ref name="H5"/> Exclusive to the [[Xbox One]],<ref>'''Microsoft Xbox One briefing E3 2013'''</ref><ref name="H5"/> the game was released on [[2015|October 27, 2015]].<ref name="WaypointGuardians"/> The first major coverage of the game was unveiled at [[Wikipedia:Electronic Entertainment Expo 2014|E3 2014]].<ref>[https://blogs.halowaypoint.com/en-us/blogs/headlines/posts/the-great-journey '''Halo Waypoint''': ''The Great Journey'']</ref>

The game grossed more than $400 million in its opening week, surpassing ''Halo 4''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> record of $300 million.<ref>[http://news.xbox.com/2015/11/04/halo-5-guardians-biggest-halo-launch-in-history/ '''Xbox Wire''': ''Halo 5: Guardians Biggest Halo Launch in History'']</ref> However, it had the weakest opening sales of any mainline ''Halo'' title in the UK and Japan.<ref>[http://news.softpedia.com/news/halo-5-guardians-fails-to-deliver-halo-4-level-sales-in-the-united-kingdom-495651.shtml/ '''Softpedia''': ''Halo 5 Guardians Fail to Deliver Halo 4 Level Sales in the United Kingdom'']</ref><ref>[http://gearnuke.com/halo-5-guardians-worst-selling-mainline-halo-japan-sales-compared-past-halo-games/ '''Gearnuke''': ''Halo 5 Guardians Worst Selling Mainline Halo Japan Sales Compared to Past Halo Games'']</ref> ''Halo 5'' had sold 3.9 million retail copies as of May 2016.<ref>[http://www.vgchartz.com/game/82148/halo-5-guardians'''VGChartz''']</ref>

{{Quote|Peace is shattered when colony worlds are unexpectedly attacked. And when humanity’s greatest hero goes missing, Spartan Locke is tasked with hunting the Master Chief and solving a mystery that threatens the entire galaxy.|Official summary<ref name="WireH5">[http://news.xbox.com/2014/12/games-halo-5-preorder-and-beta '''Xbox Wire''' - ''Halo 5: Guardians Pre-Order Details Released, Multiplayer Beta Starts Today'']</ref>}}

[[File:Halo_5_Guardians_cover_art.jpg|thumb|250px|Full version of the game's final cover art, depicting Spartan Locke, the Master Chief, and their respective fireteams.]]

''Halo 5: Guardians'' features the largest ensemble cast of characters in any ''Halo'' game yet, with both new and returning characters.<ref name="salient9039">[http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=168316428&postcount=9039 '''NeoGaf''': ''post #9039 by Josh Holmes'']</ref> The primary protagonist of the ''Halo'' series, [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan-II]] supersoldier [[John-117|Master Chief Petty Officer John-117]], returns in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' following the end of ''Halo 4''. It has been noted that John has begun to question all of his former beliefs<ref name="E32014"/> following the events of ''"[[Halo: Escalation Issue 8|The Next 72 Hours]]"'', a story arc of the comic series ''[[Halo: Escalation]]'' during which he reunites with his long-time Spartan-II unit [[Blue Team]], comprising [[Kelly-087]], [[Fred-104]] and [[Linda-058]]. ''Halo 5: Guardians'' marks the in-game debut of Blue Team, who fight alongside the Master Chief throughout the campaign.<ref name="gi h5"/><ref name="gi blue">[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/06/11/halo-5-guardians-the-spartans-tough-enough-to-work-with-master-chief.aspx?PostPageIndex=2 '''Game Informer''': ''Halo 5: Guardians – The Spartans Tough Enough To Work With Master Chief'']</ref>

[[File:H5G-connections.png|thumb|left|''[[Halo: The Journey]]'', a multimedia series leading up to ''Halo 5: Guardians''.|250px]]

''Halo 5: Guardians'' also features another playable protagonist,<ref name="NightfallPanel">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaZOLp6pYCE&feature=youtu.be&list=UU7NCg0venpKJg3kuJojKlbQ '''YouTube''': ''Halo: Nightfall Panel - SDCC 2014'']</ref> [[Jameson Locke|Spartan Jameson Locke]], a "legendary manhunter" on a mission to find the Master Chief after Blue Team disappears and several colonies are unexpectedly attacked.<ref name="MCtrailer">'''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection announcement trailer]]'''</ref><ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/halo-nightfall '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Halo: Nightfall'']</ref><ref name="WireH5"/> Locke is accompanied by [[Fireteam Osiris]], which includes Spartans [[Edward Buck]], [[Holly Tanaka]] and [[Olympia Vale]].<ref name="gi h5"/> Locke's role in the story is to act as a counterpoint for John-117's legendary and larger-than-life character, as well as a vehicle to contextualize both the Master Chief and the wider story from an outsider perspective.<ref name="gr frank">[http://www.gamesradar.com/halo-5-frank-oconnor-interview/ '''Gamesradar''': ''343 chats to GR+ about Locke and Master Chief's mystique in Halo 5'']</ref> Locke was introduced in [[Wikipedia:Ridley Scott|Ridley Scott]]'s digital series ''[[Halo: Nightfall]]'', which has narrative connections to ''Halo 5''.<ref name="machinima">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crDIiFV-Wmw '''YouTube''': ''Every. Halo. Ever. E3 2014'']</ref> 343 Industries stressed that Locke would not be replacing John-117 as the protagonist;<ref>[http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=115503489&postcount=606 '''NeoGaf''': ''Frank O'Connor on Locke and Master Chief'']</ref> much like that of ''[[Halo 2]]'', the campaign of ''Halo 5'' alternates between the perspectives of the two main characters.<ref name="gi h5"/> Locke was first shown in [[:File:Halo 5 Guardians.jpg|promotional artwork]] unveiled with the game's formal announcement.<ref name="H5"/> He is also featured in ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Terminal/Halo 2: Anniversary|terminals]] and new bookend cinematics, which have links to the story of ''Guardians''.<ref name="IGNinterv">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcSk8Rx_JTo&t=10m30s '''YouTube''': ''Halo 2: Anniversary - Cairo Station Campaign Gameplay and...'']</ref>

In the initial teaser trailer, the Master Chief is seen in the possession of an empty [[data crystal chip]] on a chain, alluding to his loss of [[Cortana]] at the end of ''Halo 4''.<ref name="trailer">'''[[Halo Xbox One announcement trailer]]'''</ref> Regarding Cortana, ''Halo'' Franchise Development Director [[Frank O'Connor]] stated that ''"her fate is obviously very clear at the [[Midnight|end of Halo 4]]"'' and claimed that the story of ''Guardians'' would explore her legacy in the form of the long-term impact her sacrifice had on John-117, and how he ''"copes with loss and how he deals with his memories."''<ref name="gi h5"/>

Piano music plays in Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]]'s office on [[Reach]] as she looks at a smiling [[Cortana]] just before she transfers to an [[armored matrix]].

Fireteam Osiris is deployed by the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} to [[Kamchatka]] to extract Halsey from [[Jul 'Mdama]]'s forces because she has information on a series of Forerunner attacks on [[human colonies]]. Fighting their way to Halsey’s coordinates, they find that [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction|the Covenant]] are under attack from their own [[Promethean]] forces which have inexplicably turned on them, weakening ‘Mdama’s hold on the Covenant. Fighting through Covenant and Promethean forces, Osiris finally kills ‘Mdama and his guards and secure Halsey. Arriving on ''Infinity'', Halsey immediately begins asking Captain [[Thomas Lasky|Lasky]] “how far has she gone,” to Osiris’s confusion.

Meanwhile, [[Blue Team]] insert onto the captured ONI research vessel ''[[Argent Moon]]'' to secure it from the Covenant forces that are stripping it for parts. While fighting through the Covenant scavengers, [[John-117|the Master Chief]] experiences a vision of Cortana activating an [[Guardian|enormous winged machine]] and telling him that “[[Meridian]] is next.” Recovering, he and Blue Team continue the mission, deciding to scuttle ''Argent Moon'' to deny it to an incoming Covenant fleet. Blue Team set the reactor to overload and prepare to leave aboard an experimental ONI [[prowler]], with the Master Chief reassigning them to Meridian against their superior's orders, hoping to get there before whatever team the UNSC decides to send and investigate whether Cortana is really still alive.  

Aboard ''Infinity'', Halsey reveals that Cortana has somehow gained access to the [[Domain]], a galaxy-spanning repository of Forerunner knowledge. Worried that she is manipulating the Master Chief, Osiris is sent after Blue Team with orders to bring them back, hoping to neutralize them with [[armor restraint]]s. Arriving at Meridian, they descend the Meridian's [[space elevator]] and are contacted by [[Governor Sloan]], who grudgingly accepts their presence in exchange for assistance fighting off Promethean forces attacking the colonists. Fighting with the colony’s [[Liang Dortmund Corporation]] security forces, Osiris fend off the Prometheans long enough for the colonists to get to safety, discovering that “Governor” Sloan is actually an aging [[smart AI]] undergoing [[rampancy]], and pick up clues that lead them to [[Apogee Station|Apogee]]. Governor Sloan arranges for a [[D79-TC Pelican|Pelican]] to take them to Apogee, where they find the Prowler and that Blue Team has already descended into the planet, seemingly without opposition. Osiris follow, fighting through more Promethean forces, including the [[Warden Eternal]], who introduces himself as Cortana’s servant and engages Osiris to prevent them from catching up with Blue Team. Defeating the Warden, Osiris catches Blue Team moving through a series of [[Teleporter|portals]] to try to reach the Guardian. Locke is the only member of Osiris who is able to reach Blue Team, and engages the Master Chief in hand-to-hand combat. He is defeated after damaging the Master Chief’s armor, neutralized with his own armor restraint, allowing Blue Team to board the Guardian which begins charging its slipspace drive, devastating Meridian with EMP shockwaves. Governor Sloan reveals that Cortana had contacted him earlier allowing him to evacuate as many of his people offworld as he could, and that he intends to join her “new dawn,” disappearing during the evacuation as Osiris climb the space elevator to reach their Pelican. Aboard ''Infinity'', Halsey deduces that another dormant Guardian lies beneath the surface of [[Sunaion]] on [[Sanghelios]]. Moreover, [[Roland]] figures out that the distinctive sound the Guardian gave off during its activation was actually a set of slipspace coordinates, and that if they can feed it into the Sanghelios Guardian they can follow Blue Team to their destination. Captain Lasky hopes that Osiris can catch a ride aboard it to Blue Team’s location, but is reluctant to involve the UNSC in Sanghelios’s civil war.