[Slingin]

Just remember that Halo 5 Forge is FREE

So I want to go on record now as saying that Halo 5 Forge shall hence forth be known as Halo 5 PC.  I attribute this entirely to the fact that the custom games browser actually makes this experience feel like a Halo game for PC.  Those of us that have been around since Halo CE and Halo 2 Vista (H2PC) can appreciate this.  I'm going to fill you in on my impressions so far.  In comparison to be fair, I will compare to the Xbox One version of the game.

Okay, so first off I might as well tell you that the experience is far from flawless to this point.  It's kind of disappointing at launch of the update, as it's console counterpart seems to be operating just fine.  I can only assume that the same TLC was not given to Halo 5 PC.  That makes sense, as the console is the flagship for the Halo series as it always has been.  I can't help feeling however, that if 343 wants to capture the PC audience, then this is not a perfect way to start. I from time to time would experience a crash or two, and would be randomly dropped from a game from time to time to find myself stuck at the menu screen requiring a restart.  Don't let it deter you however, as the experience is still leaps and bounds above H2PC's custom games.  Following an update or two, I imagine that this will no longer be a problem anyway.  I just want clear that these problems do not exist with Halo 5 Xbone.

The menu system itself for selecting a game is straight forward however.  It's user friendly and easy to navigate.  I can imagine a tweak or two over time would make it even better.  At any given time there is about 30-60 games or so online.  Which is far behind from its console counterpart.  Numbers will probably increase over time.  Too bad the update didn't launch right behind Halo 5 PC.  We probably would have seen a better turnout.

So how does it play?
!Unfreaking Believable!  .......mostly.  It's like for every big leap forward, there is a small step backwards.  The controls are crisp.  Especially for controller! (Oh wait... Controller).  That's right.  For those of you that play MK for FPS, you will have to deal with the Halo 5 aim assist from those trollers.  It's nothing new for ya right.  However, Halo 5 has a smaller amount of aim assist than any other Halo before it leveling the field some.  If it helps your curiosity, most people that play with controller will have a high Spartan Rank carried over from their Xbone. MK players in contrast, will be sitting very low. All in all the crispness of the controls along with the quick response are a great relief.  It took me from around an Onyx 1800 to near or at Champion status nearly in an instant. Seriously feels like the way it was meant to be played... (when V-sync is off).  So yeah, the V-sync definitely will slow you down a bit, and actually makes it feel a bit more like Xbone.  No problem though, as you can just turn it off.   Then comes that screen tearing with my 165hz monitor... WTF! (Capped at 60).  Why on earth they would do this is odd to me.  My 1080 wants to push 1440p at a much higher frame rate, but I'm unable to do so.  It's only a minor distractor, but it begs the question (Why!?). Again, we must wait for updates.

Halo 5 Xbone runs on dedicated servers. Halo 5 PC will mention servers from time to time as you lose connection, but it plays like a remotely connected host. That being said, I feel much stronger when I'm party leader (but not halo 2 strong). It could be in my head, but I don't assume.

The Diversity in the playing field makes the experience awesome. Diversity of players, game types, maps, and so on. Halo 5 has really become an impressive piece of software. At this point I'm pretty sure that minus a flame thrower, every weapon in Halo history has been added to the game and then some. You can find a remake of any map you want. You can even hangs the games physics to mimic a play style similar to past Halos.

There is friends lists as well as a Spartan Company option as wel to keep track of players.



Ok- I'll sum it up. Halo 5 PC is a welcomed, overdue, insanely fun, crisp/smooth, one hell of a Halo on PC experience that has a few technical shortcomings as of now. It's totally worth the Free Download. A must own.

[SmG Stinger]

Might get it on my laptop then :D

[SmG Blade]

Might do it on my 540M