Halo

Oh, there's been plenty said. For what it's worth, they have at least done a lot with the REQ system to completely undermine the point of even having this stupid in-game slot machine in the first place (almost as if this was a publisher mandate that doesn't fit). Despite Halo 5 having a competitive multiplayer, I actually think it's possible that the buyable REQ packs might even have less of an effect on gameplay than their closest progenitor, Mass Effect 3. I don't know for sure, mind you, as it all depends on exactly how scarce this REQ economy is.

That being said, it is a slimy practice and definitely sealed my decision not to buy this game right away (though I do have it in the GameFly pipeline so I can see how the story goes and if it plays better than it did in the beta). There is no real reason for this system to exist other than avarice, and (in converse with my above thoughts) the REQ system's obtuse complexity seems to be solely to balance a feature that nobody asked for. And while this point is largely presumptuous, I am also worried given 343i's track record of marrying Halo with modern trends to some disastrous results.


Overall, I would like to be hyped, but I was also hyped for Halo 4 and the MCC, and I don't think either of them turned out as well as the marketing claimed they would. And at least for those, I either hadn't yet played it or already enjoyed the core experience. Halo 5 doesn't have that luxury; I have played it, and I didn't really like what I played.