In the fall, while most people think of staying inside and laying back with some hot cocoa due to cold weather, gamers think of trekking to the GameStop in Glenwood or browsing Amazon to look at all the new game releases.

Halo 5: Guardians, was released on October 27, and I say it’s the biggest release of the year. All the hype was building up to this release, from the many trailers released and the numerous advertisements on television, this game has a serious expectation from what I saw. I’ve played all the Halo games, and as an avid fan of the franchise, I was ecstatic to play Halo 5. My personal expectations were high for the game, and they were fulfilled.

After a quick glance at the Microsoft Studios homepage, it is evident that the game includes a well developed story. The protagonist of the past games, Master Chief, or Spartan 117, has gone missing along with his entire team, and a new threat is coming into the solar system. You play as Jameson Locke, another Spartan, who is assigned to investigate Master Chief’s disappearance.

343 Industries and Microsoft Studios outdid themselves in the advertising and campaigning of this latest release. Fans are eager for improvement as previous Halo games, such as Halo 4 and the Master Chief Collection, had broken launches. The Master Chief Collection was pushed out to market as soon as possible, leaving many bugs and glitches, and Halo 4 had no advertising, so very few people knew it was released. The Halo 5 campaigning was extensive.

They made a website, Hunt the Truth, on the popular social networking site “tumblr.” It featured voice recordings, giving an in-depth history of Master Chief, and also focusing on another side story, following the fictional journalist and photographer character Benjamin Giraud.

At E3, a national gaming convention held in the Los Angeles Convention Center, 343 and Microsoft showcased impressive gameplay, involving many new game modes and a much more in depth look at the story. They added a leveling system, using a “Requisition” or “REQ” points system, which allows the player to unlock weapons and vehicles. They made numerous advertisements, mostly going on popular websites such as Hulu or Crunchyroll, and even on YouTube and on television as well.

It will have challenges facing up against games like Fallout 4, or even Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. Its main advantage over these games, though, is that the Halo franchise and fanbase is ginormous, giving its hype even more backing. Adults and young adults can play this game, despite the “Mature 17+” ESRB rating, although Halo 5: Guardians only has a “Teen” ESRB rating. That’s the problem with games like Call of Duty; too many kids that are 10 to 12 years old play it, with fewer adults actually playing and caring, giving it no backing from an adult standpoint. With Fallout, too many adults play it, giving it no vibe towards younger gamers.

Despite the challenges that 343 Industries and Microsoft Studios faced in the past with other releases of Halo games, I feel that Halo 5: Guardians had a huge release. The fans love it, even if it isn’t that good, due to all the hype. They’re so excited they don’t care about the flaws, just about how quickly it was made, in 3 years, which is very quick for a game of this quality, and how amazing it is.