343 Industries has yet to explain why they decided to add a second playable character to the Halo franchise. We assume there's a story reason for it. Maybe they wanted a more meaningful co-op campaign.

Or maybe they just wanted to mix things up, much as Bungie did with the Arbiter in Halo 2 and 3.

Whatever it is, everyone can agree that if you're going to bring in a new character to stand toe-to-toe with Master Chief, that character had better be something special.

Master Chief is an icon, every bit as legendary to gamers as Duke Nukem or Lara Croft.

So who is Jameson Locke? Who is this upstart, and why would we want to play as him when we already know how great it is to play as Master Chief?

Halo: Nightfall revealed some of Locke's past, but Halo 5: Guardians takes place some time after those events. In Nightfall he was a UNSC soldier, but by the time the game starts, he's undergone Spartan augmentations, which brings him closer into the realm of Master Chief's abilities.  

Locke's reasons for becoming a Spartan are because of his assignment to track down Master Chief, who's (understandably) gone missing following the devastating events of Halo 4.

Okay okay, so there's the backstory/setup stuff. What gamers really want to know is how he plays. Today, GameStop posted a promotional video for the exclusive the retailer is offering with pre-orders. And you're not going to be wondering why you'll want to play as Locke after you watch this.

The trailer is relentlessly fast-paced, showing one killer move after another as Locke flips and flies and booster-jets his way across an alien landscape to take on enemies galore. Clearly, Locke has access to technology and abilities that John-117 never had, which suggests that he could be a next-generation Spartan, or some kind of prototype.

Halo 5: Guardians arrives exclusively for Xbox One on October 27, 2015.

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