I have waited to make my own personal review until the release of Campaign. Now that it is here, and I have played some good hours and beaten it once already, I have some thoughts that I'm willing to share.

Firstly, the game is astounding. It is very much a Halo game. From movement, to feel, to music. The design choices and visuals all feel like a really solid Halo game. With a twist. It's an open world! For being completely different in the form of mostly linear maps since the dawn of Halo, this is a huge breath of fresh air while still feeling like the beloved old friend that it is. Multiplayer is also very good and it just feels *right*. It's Halo. The story is great. The execution, fantastic. The campaign is phenomenal. The length feels right for a Halo game. Now if you just buckle down and do only missions, it may feel quick. But if you take your time inbetween missions. Fight the Banished in the open world. Do the side objectives and become the hero the game makes you want to be, then that adds several more hours to the length of the game. However, like everything in the world, there is no such thing as perfect. It does have some flaws, some of which might be my own opinion and others being a widely accepted fault.

First off, the map in the campaign isn't entirely available. There is roughly an entire third of the map you simply can not explore. That is a huge bummer and mildly frustrating. It's oen thing to have scenery in the background, it's another to have it available within the map itself. Place down markers. Have a couple missions take place in it and even an enemy stronghold associated with those missions. I looked forward to exploring there after reaching it via missions and beating the game therafter, but as I have found out, this is not the case. A disappointment to say the least. On the bright side, there still is a ton of map to explore. Just don't trust a third of what it shows.

Secondly. There is no option to replay missions as of the time of writing this review. If you missed collectibles, wanted to play particular favorite a couple times, or goof around with skulls once you found them, it is not as simple as being able to load up a completed game and selecting what you want to do. You will have to start a new game, each time, with the settings you have in mind, and play through the whole game just to get to that point you originally wanted.

Thirdly. Vehicle and Weapon variety feels a little slim. While all that is in the game is mostly solid, aside from one or two personal opinions, it just doesn't feel like there is much variety. For every UNSC asset, there should be an equal and opposite Banished/Forerunner variant.

Lastly, some praise it and others loathe it. The customization within the game for multiplayer. Some is great, while others it took a step backwards. Vehicle and weapon customization is A+. Spartan is 50/50. The armor variety and designs are spectacular. Though it feels limited because you can no longer mix and match. If you are both a fan of the ODST shoulders, but also love some of the chest pieces the MK 7 offers, well you best decide which you like more because you can't have both.
Additionally, the color pallets are hit and miss. I understand the mechanics they have implemented makes it difficult to return to the old ways, but not being able to pick individual colors is a bummer. No longer is there a primary, secondary, etc. color pallet. If you like this color as primary, and a different as secondary, you best hope they have a pre-designed color pallet that fits your needs, and that you have it unlocked. As time progresses, more options will become available and this issue might be mitigated, but I feel it is lack luster. I do however enjoy the camo patterns that you can use as a base.
In a similar vein, emblems is a step backwards. No longer can you pick and chose which two styles you like, and the colors to go with it. There is no background/foreground option. Only pre-designed emblems and color pallets. While they do blend more seamlessly and mesh better as a whole, the personality the customization allowed reaches a bit farther than what is currently implemented. And if you like some of the armor to add on to your Spartan, be wary as it can hide the emblem and you won't get to show it off. Design teams didn't think to incorporate the emblem on armor attachments, which is a shame.

For all it's faults, most of them are truly superficial. The campaign elements will hopefully get patched soon, but if that is the worse case scenario, then the future of Halo is looking bright. They got so much of it right and the love can really be seen in this creation. I look forward to many many MANY more hours of Halo!

I have waited to make my own personal review until the release of Campaign. Now that it is here, and I have played some good hours and beaten it once already, I have some thoughts that I'm willing to share. Firstly, the game is astounding. It is very much a Halo game. From movement, to feel, to music. The design choices and visuals all feel like a really solid Halo game. With a twist. It's an open world! For being completely different in the form of mostly linear maps since the dawn of Halo, this is a huge breath of fresh air while still feeling like the beloved old friend that it is. Multiplayer is also very good and it just feels *right*. It's Halo. The story is great. The execution, fantastic. The campaign is phenomenal. The length feels right for a Halo game. Now if you just buckle down and do only missions, it may feel quick. But if you take your time inbetween missions. Fight the Banished in the open world. Do the side objectives and become the hero the game makes you want to be, then that adds several more hours to the length of the game. However, like everything in the world, there is no such thing as perfect. It does have some flaws, some of which might be my own opinion and others being a widely accepted fault. First off, the map in the campaign isn't entirely available. There is roughly an entire third of the map you simply can not explore. That is a huge bummer and mildly frustrating. It's oen thing to have scenery in the background, it's another to have it available within the map itself. Place down markers. Have a couple missions take place in it and even an enemy stronghold associated with those missions. I looked forward to exploring there after reaching it via missions and beating the game therafter, but as I have found out, this is not the case. A disappointment to say the least. On the bright side, there still is a ton of map to explore. Just don't trust a third of what it shows. Secondly. There is no option to replay missions as of the time of writing this review. If you missed collectibles, wanted to play particular favorite a couple times, or goof around with skulls once you found them, it is not as simple as being able to load up a completed game and selecting what you want to do. You will have to start a new game, each time, with the settings you have in mind, and play through the whole game just to get to that point you originally wanted. Thirdly. Vehicle and Weapon variety feels a little slim. While all that is in the game is mostly solid, aside from one or two personal opinions, it just doesn't feel like there is much variety. For every UNSC asset, there should be an equal and opposite Banished/Forerunner variant. Lastly, some praise it and others loathe it. The customization within the game for multiplayer. Some is great, while others it took a step backwards. Vehicle and weapon customization is A+. Spartan is 50/50. The armor variety and designs are spectacular. Though it feels limited because you can no longer mix and match. If you are both a fan of the ODST shoulders, but also love some of the chest pieces the MK 7 offers, well you best decide which you like more because you can't have both. Additionally, the color pallets are hit and miss. I understand the mechanics they have implemented makes it difficult to return to the old ways, but not being able to pick individual colors is a bummer. No longer is there a primary, secondary, etc. color pallet. If you like this color as primary, and a different as secondary, you best hope they have a pre-designed color pallet that fits your needs, and that you have it unlocked. As time progresses, more options will become available and this issue might be mitigated, but I feel it is lack luster. I do however enjoy the camo patterns that you can use as a base. In a similar vein, emblems is a step backwards. No longer can you pick and chose which two styles you like, and the colors to go with it. There is no background/foreground option. Only pre-designed emblems and color pallets. While they do blend more seamlessly and mesh better as a whole, the personality the customization allowed reaches a bit farther than what is currently implemented. And if you like some of the armor to add on to your Spartan, be wary as it can hide the emblem and you won't get to show it off. Design teams didn't think to incorporate the emblem on armor attachments, which is a shame. For all it's faults, most of them are truly superficial. The campaign elements will hopefully get patched soon, but if that is the worse case scenario, then the future of Halo is looking bright. They got so much of it right and the love can really be seen in this creation. I look forward to many many MANY more hours of Halo!