Halo 5: Guardians is coming soon, and it looks to be the most technically impressive feature-filled Halo to date. That’s an obvious statement really, given that it’s the newest game in the series, and the first real new one on Microsoft’s new hardware.
There’s one major shortcoming though, an area where he game genuinely feels like it’s taken a step backwards, paradoxically, in the name of progress. It’s nixing the game’s split-screen, removing the once popular feature, destroying the couch-based co-op and adversarial multiplayer that was once one of the space shooter’s defining features.
It’s a move being implemented to make the campaign, and by extension the multiplayer, more grandiose than it’s ever been, and it’s one that gotten right up the nostrils of many couch-bound Spartans. Here’s the thing though, as much as everybody likes to complain, it’s something that hardly anyone uses, says Microsoft’s Phil Spencer. He insists that the very loud, very angry people decrying the loss of Halo splitscreen are very much in the minority.
“We see the robustness of what Xbox Live is today and where people are playing across Xbox Live – you at your house, me at our house. We know that’s the vast majority of the co-op play,” he told Gamespot.
The decision to drop split screen was to make for a better game.
“With Halo 5, the team really wanted to focus on making that experience great, both visually on the screen that you’re looking at, and all the systems in place,” he said.
I get that. I do believe that it’s code for “The Xbox One isn’t quite powerful enough to deliver the game we wanted in splitscreen!” but that would be awfully presumptuous of me.
I’m genuinely upset by the removal. While I’m not the biggest fan of Halo r its universe, it’s one of the very few shooters I allow my younger son to play, and we’ve had a great time playing through the Halo games cooperatively via splitscreen.
Last Updated: September 28, 2015
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:04
EA said the same thing about split screen racing, yet everyone goes aapkak about the fact that Gran Turismo has it.
Personally split screen works when I’ve got a few friends over and just want to have a beer and have a few laughs, but I also don’t really think that’s enough reason to include it. The market isn’t actually big enough for it.
Left for Dead 2 split-screen on pc was also great fun, but if it didn’t have it, it wouldn’t really be an issue.
Brady miaau
September 28, 2015 at 08:22
So, if you use it on occasion, how do you then think the market for split-screen, unlike split-peas, is not big enough?
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:24
Well, I used it about a year ago. So if I use it once a year compared to an hour a day playing online with friends instead it kind of weighs in favour of online.
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 08:07
“The Xbox One isn’t quite powerful enough to deliver the game we wanted in splitscreen”
Oh you!
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 08:08
The last time I played split screen….was in Wacky Wheels.
Now THAT game needs a HD re-release
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:08
Big Red Racing was also great
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 08:14
The vast majority don’t care about Halo
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:17
The US does, that’s where Microsoft’s main interest in gaming sales lie though.
I’ve played two Halo games. Found it to be not much different to other shooters of the same genre.
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 08:18
Sweet Lords above! I’d rather play a Call of Duty game twice than try and sit through a Halo game again.
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:19
It does seem quite generic.
A bit like Unreal Tournament for people who can’t aim. (which kind of makes it sound perfect for me, but it’s not)
Weanerdog
September 28, 2015 at 12:15
You are meant to aim, now I know what I am doing wrong.
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 14:16
XD
Brady miaau
September 28, 2015 at 08:20
My Gran said this once:
So, old friend of my mom is visiting and she is nattering on about how they eat right, go to church and help out at an orphanage AND at a soup kitchen, full weekends. So my dear, sweet, old Gran pipes up and asks my mother to get headache pills for the friend. The friend says, no, she has no headache. My gran says she must do, as her Halo is on FAR too tight.
Relevance?
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 08:21
I haven’t had my coffee yet, so the only thing I can rightly say is your Gran was/is a very funny woman and I am genuinely sad I will never get to meet her in my life!
Brady miaau
September 28, 2015 at 08:27
Me too. My daughter is named after her, my wifes idea. My Gran, my wife wanted the name. The lady touched all her entered her circle, in some way. And blood relatives we know about, on the entire planet? Myself and my siblings. That is it. But she still moved a lot of people. Also, she was not the image of the kindly old Gran people have. She was, somehow, more real than that. Also, not as kind, in the traditional ways. She taught you things.
I learnt about people from her, via Mythology, Greek, Roman, Germanic, Norse. From age 3-4. Important skills that, she wanted me to have a well rounded education, know a little bit about everything. It worked, under her guidance. And my sister, she treated totally differently to me, each to their own and what we needed. My sister is an artist, in the true sense of the word, I am most certainly not.
Also, total lack of racism was great. Um. Total lack in the South African sense. The events of the 2nd world still shaped her views of the world, to her last day.
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:37
Now that’s the kind of stuff you need to hear about as a kid (the mythology). More enthralling than most other stories people tell their kids at that age.
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 08:41
I like explaining everyday questions my daughter has (which is a lot) with totally absurd explanations. After which, when I see that she doubts it, I give the real explanation.
I like it that she questions things that sound cruy cruy
Brady miaau
September 28, 2015 at 09:00
Yeah, that is the point. Question, do not accept.
I am a very different person because of that.
Brady miaau
September 28, 2015 at 09:02
Yes, but they can become a bit x-rated or “adult” concepts at times, which my gran neatly translated on the fly.
To this day I believe some of my better qualities (people or soft skills) are at least partly honed by those stores.
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 08:39
No relevance, but a damn funny story
Ryanza
September 28, 2015 at 08:17
How the fuck can they use Xbox Live to see who using split screen? Offline gamers, the ones with no fucking internet and not on fucking Xbox Live, those are the people using split fucking screen. And saying that offline gamers don’t matter, that’s just fucking insane.
Don’t Support fucking DRM.
Brady miaau
September 28, 2015 at 08:21
You mean, sort of like how SABC knows if you watch TV at home without paying your license?
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:23
As little as I agree with the TV license, since I don’t watch it. The TV license in SA technically includes your radio service fee. Years ago they used to be two different licenses. Now they’re coupled into one.
I don’t listen to radio either, so I’m not really sure where I’m going with this statement..
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 08:25
TV Licenses are a pain in the ass. But what can you do? I do not watch broadcast TV at all, nor do I listen to radio. Still, try and buy a TV with no license…
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 08:26
Indeed, they have you by the balls right there. And I hate them even more for it
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 08:29
No offense meant Admiral, but Steam got your balls a long time ago, and with every Steam sale it just squeezes them ever so slightly… 🙂
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:38
But he likes it.
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 08:38
Well, the grip has released significantly, have not purchased a single thing on Steam this year
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:40
That’s because you’ve been getting so many things for free. ;P
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 08:42
True dat, true dat. Also, HUMBLEBUNDLE!
Come to think of it, I’ve not bought anything there as well this year….
What a strange year 2015 has been
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:44
Strange indeed. I think BundleStars got me this year.
I’ve bought a few titles in 2015, with only Witcher 3 really standing out between them so far. 2014 had better little gems that 2015 seems to be lacking.
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 08:46
2015 has been my knock-games-off-ye-olde-backlog year
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:49
Good idea.
I’m trying, but Witcher 3 and soon Fallout 4 will make it difficult.
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 08:56
Yeah, I’m hitting my backlog hard now
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 08:53
If I have to be honest, I think I bought into the PS4 hype a bit too soon. RIght now, that console is gathering dust.
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:55
Oh wow. I wouldn’t have though that, to be honest.
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 08:56
Make no mistake. I sunk a few hours into MK X and I loved it. But for the most of it… Let me put it to you like this: I have not even switched on that console this weekend.
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 09:02
I guess fighting games only keep you so long.
Well, good for your backlog then, I suppose. Plus now you have me intrigued with Sims 4.
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 09:06
I am not going to tell you to rush out and buy it. I have been a fan of the Sims since the first one. And a lot of complaints have reached my ears about the Sims 4 being a bit of a downgrade from The Sims 3.
But it kept me entertained these last few weeks/month. A lot. Even felt sad when my Sim that I started out with, died.
Brady miaau
September 28, 2015 at 09:19
old age or neglect? No idea, never played anything remotely like this.
May just bring out the Machiavelli in me.
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 09:25
LoL. She shagged herself to death… I think my love for the game is due to the fact that yes, we might be on the fourth Sims game, but there isn’t a lot of games like this out there.
Weanerdog
September 28, 2015 at 12:21
Wait… what?
Ryanza
September 28, 2015 at 09:30
Makaveli Killuminati
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tupac+hail+mary
RYanza
September 28, 2015 at 09:31
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 10:00
I also pretty much played each one from the start, so it’s always been something I enjoyed.
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 08:53
It has been! This entire year I bought a few games, to be honest. Ended up not playing a lot of them. And the last month or so, the Sims 4 has been handing Geralt his ass. Would you believe me if I tell you I have logged about an hour or two on the Witcher 3?
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 08:57
Well that is your own fault.
If you choose Sims over Witcher, you should get in the sea, slowly
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 09:01
Or maybe The Witcher just isn’t all that much fun? I am a jaded gamer my friend. And a game has got to be seven levels of awesome to draw me in. The Witcher 3? It’s The Witcher with Skyrim bred into the mix.
Every shooter released today is the shooter that came before it with only a new coat of paint slapped on and a gimmick or two if you are lucky.
Sorry. I am complaining again.
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 09:08
So, give it 10 hours, but fully get in the game, read the lore, do the quests, craft the armour, slay the monsters, and let us talk again
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 09:15
Maybe you are right. But ten hours to give to a game with the way my life is going right now is a hard sell. I dunno. I am at a point in my life where I feel a lot of time is wasted playing games.
Like that time and money could be better spent, you know?
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 10:24
Geez, who walked over you recently?
Time playing games is only wasted if you play sims, heh.
Jokes aside, maybe you need to find another type of game to get out of this slump
HairyEwok
September 28, 2015 at 09:23
You haven’t bought anything because they’re all being delayed into 2016…….
Grand Admiral Chief
September 28, 2015 at 10:25
Only one game I care about has been delayed
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:26
Exactly. Sure, it’s very little money a year to pay, but what exactly am I paying for? It’s money in the water.
Dutch Matrix
September 28, 2015 at 08:28
I kind of wonder, of all the people complaining about money in the water for paying a TV license, what does their backlog in steam look like. (Just pondering. Not fighting.)
Brady miaau
September 28, 2015 at 08:33
I know and I pay. it is important, for licensed bandwidth.
Also, like your cellphone?
Commander JJ of the Normandy
September 28, 2015 at 08:36
:DCellphone makes for a good alarm though 😉
WitWolfy
September 28, 2015 at 08:29
“We have a console for people who cant go online or dont have internet, The Xbox 360” – Don Mattrick (2013)
Ryanza
September 28, 2015 at 08:23
It will be interesting to see how this Halo 5 will sell. A – not a Bungie game and B – Xbox One not selling like PS4. Will Halo 5 be a console seller like the other Halo games? I think not.
You basically need internet to get the Xbox One working. So Xbox One is not for offline gamers and that is why they not bothered with offline features like split screen.
Soon they will not be interested in offline features like campaign stories.
Don’t Support DRM.
WitWolfy
September 28, 2015 at 08:30
It might not be a Bungie game, but Halo Reach was very well received from gamers and reviewers back in the day, and that was a 343 game.
Plus if the day ever comes of them going online DRM, I’ll wait for a glitch chip and go the JTAG route. I promise you that.
Ryanza
September 28, 2015 at 08:41
I’m not sure. I’ll start off with that. Bungie created a new or improved their gaming engine for every main Halo game. And was Halo Reach not just the engine that Bungie created.
343 still has a lot to prove. I still see them as Halo paint job. If Halo 5 is using an engine that Bungie created, then 343 can fuck off.
But no Halo for me this time around because Xbox One can just get in the sea.
Ryanza
September 28, 2015 at 08:44
Why am I saying Reach. 343 didn’t do Reach. Bungie did Reach. Halo 4 is what 343 worked on.
making me use my brain on a monday.
WitWolfy
September 28, 2015 at 09:00
I wouldnt say Halo 3 looked THAT superior to Halo 2.. From a graphically perspective. The both looked exactly the same to me, Halo 3 just had a 720P skin.
Heck even sites went as far to say that time something like.. “where it lacks in graphics it made it up in gameplay” That must be a big blow especially for a first party game. Plus Halo ODST didnt even bother upgrading the engine either. It was still the same darn thing.
If I’m not mistaken REACH was a whole new engine build from scratch… Sure the Dev tools were a lot better then compared to 2007 but Halo 3 never looked great for me to begin with. Its marketing was brilliant though…
Ryanza
September 28, 2015 at 09:08
It’s not just about looks. Technically Halo 3 was good. All the small little things add up.
And I said every main Halo game. So Odst doesn’t count. odst was just something to play while we waited for the Halo game.
WitWolfy
September 28, 2015 at 08:25
If it isnt such a big feature then why the hell do they have to keep explaining why it isnt such a big feature every other week? If the console cant handle it, then the console cant handle it. Dont be beating around the bush.
Plus why the hell is The MCC’s MP still broken?!?!?
Chris A. Faux
September 28, 2015 at 09:37
Ultra-Squint. Yes i’m looking at you, 343. You should know better. You are guys that grew up playing Halo on the Couch with your friend. Be ashamed.
veggiesaurus ZA
September 28, 2015 at 12:43
This decision is the reason why I won’t be getting an Xbox One any time soon. Halo split screen was the best.