Even though we’re still a few months away from the launch of Halo 5: Guardians, that didn’t stop 343 Industries from unleashing the opening cinematic for the title earlier than expected.
Focusing on new protagonist Spartan Locke, the clip is an explosion-filled delight. Tasked with rescuing a captured scientist, Locke and Fireteam Osiris, which includes Nathan Fillion, literally jump into action. After dropping from their aircraft, the Spartan team goes to work, mowing down any Covenant foe that dares try to stop them.
Despite his known presence in the title, it’s odd not seeing series star Master Chief show up during this cinematic. With that said, Locke, who made an appearance in the recent Halo 2: Anniversary, looks to be an adequate replacement for the missing legend. Of course, Chief will still play a huge role in the Halo 5: Guardians saga, we just don’t know exactly how much he will factor into things.
While it’s not surprising that this cinematic doesn’t feature any in-game footage, I’m still impressed by what I saw. This is a stunning piece of action, with the photo-realistic Fillion not even being the highlight. The explosive carnage unfolding on screen is some of the best work 343 Industries has done, and I was already impressed with their work on the re-release of Halo 2 last year. The clip doesn’t really go into the storyline of the title, but it does showcase where the type of action you can expect from the adventure.
Halo 5: Guardians is currently set to launch on October 27th exclusively for the Xbox One.