You may look back and groan at all those lacklustre Arbiter missions in the campaign, yet there’s no denying Halo 2 has one of the most important online modes of all time. Halo 5 isn’t necessarily a bad video game, but it’s unquestionably a deeply compromised one. Even Warzone, a commendable, sprawling new online mode, feels outdated placed next to the ever evolving FPS treats of Destiny.

Master Chief has to share the spotlight with new spartan protagonist Locke, Cortana is kinda the baddie but not really, while the game’s controls crib on Call of Duty (Halo finally gets iron sights) and Titanfall (note the boost dash) without ever fully convincing. Fight against one of the campaign’s dratted Wardens – a infuriating breed of mini boss who can only be hurt from behind as your allies distract them from the front – and you’ll know exactly what kind of tiresome grind Halo 5 is when ‘enjoyed’ on your own.ĭespite Microsoft throwing an insane budget at Xbox One’s first proper Halo, every part of Guardians feels confused.

Make no mistake, Halo 5 was designed to be played with three online chums by your side. Here it is, ladies and gents: the first (and hopefully only) Halo campaign that’s simply no fun to play on your lonesome. Halo Wars 2 may continue to try and fill a gap in the market that probably doesn’t need plugged, but it still serves up a decent slice of strategy. The army-building antics of the new Blitz mode are also worthy of praise – recruiting enormous UNSC armies by building decks of cards is a really cute spin on the RTS formula. The story the Creative Assembly manages to spin is surprisingly decent too, and Blur Studio’s gorgeously rendered cinematics ooze big budget sleekness. New control groups make waging battles a more nuanced affair, and splitting your army into separate groups leads to multitasking alien murder on an epic scale. The original is one of the few games in the genre that feels comfortable played on a controller, and this sequel subtly evolves the control scheme, giving you a streamlined strategy title that never feels like it needs a mouse and keyboard – though the PC version does support them.

Do you really need another Halo real-time strategy game in your life? Probably not, right? Well, you’re getting one anyway, champ! In defence of Halo Wars 2, it continues to get one thing absolutely right: it’s an RTS that works really well on a pad.

Where to buy halo 2 pc