Halo 5 just crossed its 10th anniversary, and to celebrate, a pair of former Halo designers are talking about why the series' earlier cinematics are so much better.
Released in 2015, history hasn't been especially kind to Halo 5, and its flashy, cinematic, ultimately controversial opening scene is either seen as a standout in an otherwise lackluster single-player campaign, or a glitzy prophecy of what would follow. Either way, original Halo: Combat Evolved designer Jaime Griesemer and Halo 3 campaign designer Niles Sankey have thoughts on how it compares to older Halo cinematics.
"For me, this was the moment when Halo went from being a War Story with futuristic elements to a Sci-fi Superhero Story," said Griesemer on Twitter.
"It's an impossible shot. The camera flies around and through objects, time speeds up and slows down at random, the camera anticipates events that are scripted instead of reacting to capture them, there is no sense of space or proximity or cause and effect..."
There comes a time in any beloved franchise, whether it's in film, TV, or video games, that fans feel like it lost its soul. That moment, for most Halo diehards, is the Halo 5 opening sequence.
"It's like they gave the camera to Superman," added Griesemer. "That's all fine in a Superhero Story, but it breaks the stakes of a War Story. If the audience perspective is not grounded, then the stakes of the story are not grounded. It's exciting and flashy, but has as much impact as a kid playing with dolls."
For me, this was the moment when Halo went from being a War Story with futuristic elements to a Sci-fi Superhero Story.It’s an impossible shot. The camera flies around and through objects, time speeds up and slows down at random, the camera anticipates events that are scripted… https://t.co/ErIQVH17OgNovember 5, 2025
Echoing this sentiment in a different framing, Sankey argued that video cinematics shouldn't outdo the actual gameplay, sharing this insight from his time at Bungie.
"A few of us at Bungie had an unspoken rule about Halo cinematics: Never make the player in the cinematic feel more 'badass' than the actual game," said Sankey. "We don't want players thinking 'I wish that's how the game actually felt'. Cinematics should serve the gameplay, not compete w it."
A few of us at Bungie had an unspoken rule about Halo cinematics:Never make the player in the cinematic feel more "badass" than the actual game.We don't want players thinking "I wish that's how the game actually felt". Cinematics should serve the gameplay, not compete w it. https://t.co/BtRhMUSpXuNovember 4, 2025
Indeed, one of the most enduring and persistent paint points about Halo 5 is that the opening cinematic writes a check that the ensuing campaign can't cash. And that appears to be precisely Sankey's point.
"Can you point me to the gameplay clip where players: Airdrop in, slide half way down a mountain, run through rocks, parkour a Wraith, jump into a Phantom while parkouring a Jackal, and then karate roundhouse eject an Elite out the side? I'd love to see that," he wrote in a follow-up tweet.
I'd love to see that too.
