On the parts of the Zeta Halo that you explore, everything is either forests or futuristic steel structures. If you’ve watched a trailer, you know what the game looks like. Halo Infinite is, simultaneously, an ambitious work and one that 343 obviously stripped down to its essential parts. Instead, those complaints are about the things Halo Infinite doesn’t even attempt. But those shortcomings have little to nothing to do with the actual execution of this project.
Right now, though, its shortcomings are still too fresh. In hindsight, I bet I will remember it that way. For me, it borders on something even beyond that: one of the best Xbox games ever made. As a single-player campaign, Halo Infinite is great. Halo Infinite’s campaign has a few minor flaws But that stuff is a huge afterthought for me because I’m simply enjoying playing the game too much. Multiplayer could use some new modes and some more options for how you play. This combination of qualities has made Halo Infinite one of the best hang-out games I’ve played in years.
And since the game is free-to-play with full cross-play (and cross-progression), you don’t have to leave anyone out. And the best thing about Infinite is how accommodating it is to group play.īetween the 4-player-team Quick Play and the 12-player-team Big Team Battle, you will probably be able to get everyone on your Discord into a match. Getting over that learning curve is easy, however, if you play with friends. You need to know where equipment and weapons spawn. The challenge - especially if you’re playing alone - is learning the map. You now have something like the grappleshot, which synergizes well with close-range weapons like the energy sword or the shotgun. Instead of shying away from that longer time-to-kill to edge closer to something like Call of Duty or Battlefield, Infinite gives you more ways to approach its elongated fights. A one-on-one battle can last 15 seconds, which is an eternity when your auto rifle runs out of ammunition.īut this is what I mean about Infinite leaning into Halo’s strengths. Instead, you need to have a plan and you need to be able to think on your feet. In Halo Infinite, you do not simply spot and kill an enemy in a blink of an eye. The higher time-to-kill in Halo is something that takes some getting used to, but it also makes each encounter with an opponent an opportunity for a story. That includes fun weapons, great vehicle action, and a slower-paced movement that makes engagements more deliberate and thrilling. What is odd is that most of the magic is the same elements that has always made Halo special. Infinite is the most fun I’ve had with Halo multiplayer, and it’s my favorite competitive shooter since Titanfall. The gunplay feels amazing, the synergies between different weapon types is more pronounced, and now you have equipment like the grapple shot that enables even more creativity.Ībove: Come out, come out, wherever you are, Craig! Halo Infinite’s multiplayer makes it easy to find the fun The multiplayer has similar emergent moments, but 343 also gave it an extra coat of polish. For the campaign, those expansions include a larger playground to explore and new tools that inflate the possibility space. The changes that 343 made expand the boundaries of Halo by wisely leaning into its strengths. In other words, everything in this package is Halo-ass Halo.Īnd yet if it were simply another Halo, I wouldn’t have had as good a time with it.
On both sides of the Halo Infinite equation, the takeaway is that 343 Industries has updated and modernized a familiar formula without abandoning that core Halo feeling. That is thanks to Halo Infinite’s fun multiplayer mode and satisfying campaign. What’s exciting is that I do love the franchise now. I won’t bore you with my history with the series. Join gaming leaders, alongside GamesBeat and Facebook Gaming, for their 2nd Annual GamesBeat & Facebook Gaming Summit | GamesBeat: Into the Metaverse 2 this upcoming January 25-27, 2022.