Halo 5 Co-Op Lets You Revive Fallen Teammates Like Gears of War

This story contains some Halo 4 spoilers.

Microsoft's upcoming sci-fi shooter Halo 5: Guardians will include a new feature never before seen in the franchise but commonplace in one of the company's other blockbuster series.

Game Informer's July cover story on Halo 5 reveals that, in the game's co-op mode, players will be able to revive their fallen squadmates. This mechanic has been a staple of Gears of War since the first game. It's typically seen as a means to encourage players to work together instead of taking a lone wolf approach.

In Halo 5, you'll always have three companions. They are controlled either by other human players (online only, as there is no local split-screen) or by the computer. If you're playing alone and a teammate goes down, you can command a squadmate to save them; AI-controlled team members are also capable of reviving you.

Presumably, revives will only work if completed in a certain amount of time.

In previous Halo co-op campaigns, a fallen friend could only spawn back in when the area became "safe." Fans will no doubt recall how frustrating this could be in some situations, and the new revival system sounds like a nice solution.

Halo 5's online co-op mode requires Xbox Live Gold, despite an earlier report that said it wouldn't.

Game Informer's Halo 5 story also reveals that Cortana, an artificial intelligence who essentially "died" in the events of Halo 4, will play some role in Halo 5. She's depicted in the game, at least in the scene that Game Informer saw, as a silhouette on a rock. Microsoft previously teased that she would appear in some manner.

Separately, The Guardian has some additional Halo 5 details, including the fact that The Arbiter and Promethean enemies will return.

We're expecting a lot more Halo 5 news next week at E3, including the first details about an "epic" multiplayer mode that incorporates all aspects of the Halo sandbox for the first time. But for now, check out some recent Halo 5 stories below.

• In Halo 5's Campaign, You'll Always Have Three Companions
• Actually, Halo 5's Campaign Co-Op Does Require Xbox Live Gold
• Halo 5 Sees Actor Nathan Fillion Return, This Time to Hunt Down Master Chief
• Halo 5 Getting 15+ Free Maps
• After Halo Collection Issues, All Future Halo Games Will Have Betas