Halo 5 is a science fiction styled FPS (first person shooter). It shows the stylistic conventions of the genre by having futuristic weapons and abilities called "Spartan abilities". This fits into the conventions of the genre by giving different dynamics to the typical shooter game play, making it more entertaining and engaging. This game sits well with other games in its genre, being rated a 4/5 on metacritic and adds new features to game play that further develops its genre and helps it stand apart from other titles in the same genre.
Narrative
The story of Halo 5 is that Master Chief has gone rogue to try and track down Cortana, who through the use of the advanced Forerunner artefacts known as the Guardians. However the UNSC views this as Master Chief betraying humanity, and send Spartan Locke along with Team Osiris to apprehend him and bring him back. The story informs the gameplay by introducing you to new enemies, weapons and vehicles throughout the story. Such as the new vehicle the Phaeton, an advanced forerunner gunship with heavy weaponry that is revealed to you through playing the single player campaign. The story affects my approach to the characters by making the online player vs player combat based around a simulation used to train Spartans. This makes the multiplayer seem more like a competition than just a casual game making the player want to try harder at the game and improve. The story connects with the target audience by the feeling of wanting to defend your home from people who would destroy it, and uses the grief of Master Chief over Cortana as a way to connect with the character and make him seem more human.Production Process
Halo 5 was developed by 343 Industries and produced by Microsoft. Halo 5's ip is owned by Microsoft. It uses an new un-named engine that boasts the ability to change the resolution of the video to always keep the gameplay at 60fps. This was done because the game would play smoother at 60fps. Other than that, not much has been revealed about the engine.Characterisation
The most relevant characters to the audience would be Master Chief and Cortana, as they are the fan favourites of the Halo series and have been in the series from the beginning. They are relevant because Chief was always the protagonist , a good character, but this time has apparently gone rogue in search of Cortana, who has become the antagonist of the series. A new character Sparta Locke is introduced, and becomes relevant to the audience as he is the protagonist. He is also portrayed as being skilled and being tasked with the capture of the rogue Master Chief. This gives the audience the opinion that he is strong enough to capture Master Chief while also braving any other challenges along the way, while also being trusted enough with the secret that the Chief has gone rogue.This characterisation of the protagonist goes well with the conventions of a the FPS genre, as they would have to be strong and skilful which Locke is portrayed to be. Furthermore through the fact that Locke and his Spartan team take out an important target almost at the start of the story, a target that has eluded capture for a long time and has caused many problems for the UNSC, shows that they are strong, especially so as it wasn't the main objective.
Gameplay
The challenge of the game is to fight through a variety of different enemies which vary in number and difficulty, which naturally get harder as the story progresses. Also the challenge of the multiplayer section of the game is to defeat enemy players who control the same type of character as you, with the same abilities. Some of these abilities are:
Ground pound - When at a high enough point in the air, the player can preform this ability to launch themselves at an area on the ground, causing damage to anyone to where the player lands.
Spartan charge - This ability is an enhanced melee attack that is used when sprinting. When activated the player will preform a shoulder bash into anything in front of it.
Clamber - Gives the player the ability to pull themselves up ledges that would have been previously untraversable in former halo games. Through the use of this new feature creates more fluid and natural combat while giving the player more manoeuvrability in combat.
Slide - When the player is at full sprinting speed this can be activated to slide a short distance, dodging incoming fire.
Smart scope - Some weapons such as the Assault Rifle and the Magnum feature a new scope feature, previously only available to a select few weapons. This increases the accuracy and tools available for the player. also when looking down the scope when jumping, it will activate your jetpack and allow you to hover in place while aiming.
Sprint - A change to the sprint ability that stops the recharge of shields while sprinting. This affects the gameplay by making players choose between running away vulnerable, or waiting behind cover for shields to recharge.
This challenge engages players because once the campaign has been completed the multiplayer is continuous and players will increase in skill over time, this gives the player an engaging and long lasting challenge as it creates a competitive environment to improve your skill to defeat enemy players. The gameplay engages with the narrative in the campaign by getting from one part of the story to another, clearing through enemies in a level to advance the narrative. There aren't any choices to be made that affect the narrative, such as with games like mass effect. However the multiplayer engages with the narrative by being a Spartan Training simulation, which as well as giving it more of a narrative feel rather than a shoe-horned in feature, also makes it feel like more of a competition. This means players would want to play to better themselves and defeat opponents. The gameplay changes in the campaign by adding more difficult enemies and in greater numbers, while also providing new weapons and vehicles along the way to keep the player interest throughout. However with multiplayer its different, there isn't so much of a linear progression. The thing that constantly changes to keep players interested would be your skill level and the skill level of your opponents. This makes you want to better yourself, while also changing up the gameplay as you learn new ways to play and different tactics.
