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Halo 5 Is Already in Trouble Because of Halo

Halo 5 Is Already in Trouble Because of Halo

[ Note, 01/11/2014, 14:37 GMT: This article’s title is not its original. ]

No doubt this is the kind of question that’s gonna get me flakked from left, right and center, but I think there’s merit to being concerned about such a thing. I mean, there’s only so much blind faith you can perpetuate without at least questioning one or two things.

And Halo 5 is indeed something I’m questioning right now. Not in an overly negative way, just in a critical, concerned way. By the time the game actually releases I’ll probably (hopefully) have nothing to worry about, but until then I think it’s a question worth answering.

Could the inclusion of “ Halo ” in Halo 5’s title actually hurt the game? Well, that really depends on whether or not recent evidence turns out to be true. Specifically, I’m talking about X-One magazine’s recent interview with Mike Colter, the guy taking on the role of Agent Locke in both the TV series, Halo: Nightfall , and Halo 5: Guardians , where it was hinted that Halo’s protagonist, Master Chief, won’t be the main character in the next Halo sequel.

The validity of this is still up in the air since I last checked, but it nonetheless gave me pause about Halo 5 , and whether or not it would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the previous main games in the Halo series. Similarly to how Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and the next Mass Effect didn’t include “ The Lord of the Rings ” and “ Mass Effect 4 ”, perhaps–for the sake of debate– Halo 5 might fair better if it didn’t include “ Halo ” in its title.

Because it’s tied to the main Halo canon, a lot will be expected from Halo 5 , and partly because of “ Halo ”. Shadow of Mordor and the next Mass Effect were given their names (or lack thereof in the case of Mass Effect ) so that they would be recognized in the universe they belong in, but not tied into any previous games in their respective franchises. Too much expectation on a title because of its affiliation to a previously established game or series might hurt it severely, like with Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs .

Because A Machine for Pigs had “ Amnesia ” included in its title, a hell-of-a-lot of expectations were pinned on it due to it being affiliated to the first game, Amnesia: The Dark Descent . In the end, it turned out that a fair amount of A Machine for Pigs didn’t relate all that much to The Dark Descent , and it arguably flopped because it didn’t live up to the bar that the first Amnesia game set.

In saying that, the Halo series has had its spin-offs in the years it’s been circulating (such as Halo: ODST and Halo: Reach ), and those games have become successful in their own right; the inclusion of “ Halo ” in the previous games–as a selling point–have helped to push those titles.

Halo 5 Is Already in Trouble Because of Halo

While all this is indeed wild speculation, there’s probably not all that much to fret. Halo 5 is the sequel to Halo 4 , which is the continuation of the Halo canon and Master Chief’s story. Because Halo 5 is the continuation of the Halo story, it only makes sense to include “ Halo ” in its title, because it’s not a standalone set within the same universe, like how Shadow of Mordor is with The Lord of the Rings . Perhaps the game will do just fine with Agent Locke as the main character instead of Master Chief ( ODST and Reach did relatively well without him).

It’s something to consider, but regardless of what I’ve pointed out, I reckon Halo 5 will do fine as is. If Agent Lock is the main character in the next Halo game, perhaps its campaign may be something similar to that of Halo 2’s , where it rotated between the Master Chief and the Arbiter.

Since it’s still a long while before Halo 5: Guardians becomes available (currently slated for Q4 2015), I don’t think we should be all that concerned this early on in the game.

What do you think? Am I talking a load of rubbish, or am I right to be concerned? Let us know in the comments below.

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