343 Industries Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One)

Halo 5: Guardians is a first-person shooter, the fifth main game in the futuristic Halo series. It is the second game in the Reclaimer Saga, a new sub-series created by 343 Industries after they took over development from original Halo developer Bungie. The game is set in the year 2558, eight months after the events of Halo 4's Spartan Ops game mode. The game's story relies heavily on the player's knowledge of the lore, past events, and spin-offs, and does not repeat what has happened before.

The main campaign consists of fifteen levels that can be played solo or with up to four players online with drop-in/drop-out multiplayer and four difficulty levels. It is played from the alternating perspectives of two Spartan fireteams. The first, the Spartan-II Blue team, consists of Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, Linda-058 (sniper), Kelly-087 (scout), and Fred-104 (CQB specialist). The second, the Spartan-IV Osiris team, is led by ONI agent Jameson Locke and consists of Holly Tanaka (engineer), Vale (pilot and translator), and Edward Buck (soldier). When playing alone, teammates can receive orders to attack specific targets or move to specific locations. They will also revive the player character if he is downed. In cooperative multiplayer, each player can freely choose and control a team character with specific skills and weapons. The game begins with the Osiris team eight months after the destruction of the shield world Requiem. They must infiltrate enemy lines to extract the criminal Doctor Elizabeth Halsey, who wishes to return to the UNSC and has information about a new threat. Meanwhile, the blue team investigates the ONI research station Argent Moon, which has been occupied by The Covenant. After a series of events, the blue team goes rogue and disobeys orders, and the Osiris team is ordered to hunt them down as a larger conspiracy unfolds with the Forerunners as the main enemy.

The game has a linear design with several interconnected open areas combined with scripted sequences. Although the game is played entirely from the UNSC side, it is designed so that the player will often have to use weapons and technology from the Covenant and Forerunners as well. During missions, optional collectibles such as skulls and mission information can be picked up. The gameplay focus for this title is on faster mobility. In addition to many different vehicles and turrets that can be manned by the team, the tank abilities have been replaced with Spartan abilities. They provide an engine pack with a boost that can be used for omnidirectional movement both on land and in the air. A character can sprint, quickly jump over ledges, and jump for cover. Sprinting is still present with rush and slide abilities, but shields do not regenerate when sprinting. A first for the series is a scope, referred to in the game as a "smart scope". In addition to grenades and ranged weapons, there is a melee attack and a move to smash enemies into the ground.