I've only just joined these forums after being on Bungie.net for 7 years... I sense a lot of baww'ing already. No offense intended guys but the big man Frankie himself said that if you want to make a big impact you have to make some big plays. Cortana will most likely come back *somehow* but until then, ragging on 343i for "ruining" the game by making some big powerful moves within the story is going to change precisely nothing, and is completely uncalled for. They're just dedicating to their vision of how they see they Master Chief's story playing out, and whether you like it or not, bad things are gonna happen. She's dead for now. I can see why Halo 5 is going to be the "darker" entry in the new trilogy, but I'm skeptical of whether or not people realise that 343i did what they did to wreak havok (no pun intended) with your emotions, and to add to an already compelling story. It's like being angry at them because they made you feel something. Which is the entire point, is it not?
I'm very much looking forward to Halo 5, and seeing how the Chief deals with his loss. This series is in very good hands IMHO, and it was very noble of Bungie to pass it on when they no longer felt they could do it justice. Keep 'em coming.