Halo 5's Cinematic Trailer is Cool, Wish We Could Play That Game
Fireteam Osiris makes a stunning debut doing things you'll probably never do in any Halo ever.
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If you haven't seen it yet, Microsoft and 343 Industries debuted an excellent cinematic trailer for Halo 5: Guardians. The trailer shows off one-half of Halo 5's campaign, Fireteam Osiris. Led by Agent Jameson Locke (Halo: Nightfall), Edward Buck (Halo: ODST), Holly Tanaka (Halo: Escalation), and Olympia Vale (Halo: Hunters in the Dark) are a team of Spartan-IVs outfitted with new technology to hunt down the Master Chief's Blue Team. This trailer is the second time we really get to see Fireteam Osiris in action and it is glorious.
After a few character moments and a dropship jump, Fireteam Osiris proceeds to wreck havoc and destruction on an untold scale. They cut a swatch of carnage through an existing battle, destroying Covenant and Forerunner alike. It's pretty awesome from beginning to end.
Sadly, that's a game we'll never get to play.
The Halo 5: Guardians trailer is aspirational. It's the kind of trailer that makes you want to take control of these characters, to do the same things they do. "If you buy this game, you can do this too," it says. You can't though. This is generally why players dislike non-gameplay trailers. Why get me hyped for something I can't do?
Which is not to say Halo 5: Guardians won't be good. Based on what we've seen of the single-player campaign, there will still be some great action set pieces. The difference is Halo in cinematic is lightning-fast action and Halo in-game is a slower, more methodical affair. The trailer is a Platinum game, while 343 Industries makes a more much traditional shooter.
I'm still excited to play after having dipped out of the Halo games after ODST. At some point, I figure I'll pick up the Master Chief Collection and play the catch-up game in time for Guardians. I can enjoy what Halo 5: Guardians is, while also wishing that perhaps the series could spin-off into a different experience. Something a bit more like the trailers they show us.
Halo 5: Guardians is coming to Xbox One on October 27, 2015.