Halo Infinite

Halo is one of the most storied franchises in gaming at this point, and one of the most revered. Its impact is certainly well known, both for how much it shaped modern first-person shooters, but also how, in a lot of ways, it put Microsoft's Xbox console on the map. That the Xbox would become as successful as it did alongside Nintendo and PlayStation was never guaranteed, just look to the graveyard of one-generation, failed consoles that litter gaming's past. 

So then, it has been a shame that Halo is a series that has struggled to find its voice for some time. Disappointing sequels have been common ever since the original trilogy (with the exception of Reach) and while it may be unfair to call games that are arguably "great" disappointing, this is a series of higher standards. One where it's Instant-Classic-or-bust every time. It's likely the large reason we only received a single Halo game last generation, Halo 5: Guardians, because Microsoft knows it needs to get these games right. For how little I remember of Guardians, I'd argue I overrated it, but it was still a very solid shooter that provided fun entertainment. But again..."Super Bowl or Bust" is the mindset here. 

With Halo Infinite, the number has been dropped from the title and the game has been rethought from the ground-up. The hype was palpable with this one as the mostly-linear levels of the Halo world transitioned to an open-world map (they're all the rage these days!) and the graphics were getting an overhaul as a flagship title for the new Xbox Series X. Much like the brethren Xbox exclusive, Forza Horizon 5, there was a lot to be excited for.

There's something still so awesome about being on a Halo ring and exploring

As of the time of writing this, I'm actually not done with Halo Infinite's campaign. Sometimes I don't actually need to finish a game to understand what rating I would give it, and in the case of Infinite, several other games have stubbornly gotten in the way (plus I can't stop playing Forza anyway, so...). But in some regards, that I couldn't push myself through to finish the campaign passionately should be an indicator in and of itself. I will someday - likely during the summer when gaming releases are few and far between, but it does show a glaring problem in Halo Infinite: while it's a game with very few things I'd classify as "wrong", it's also a game that doesn't grab you. 

It's a Halo that was mere steps away from achieving Microsoft's goal, but is still, at best, just "really great". That's not a bad thing by many gamers standards, but I'm sure the disappointment is felt by more than just myself. 

For probably the first time ever, I'll actually begin with the multiplayer as its where the most jaw-droppingly bad decision-making is present. I don't sugar coat that because it's so damn frustrating, especially when we live in a time where so many multiplayers do this correctly. Halo Infinite lacks many basic multiplayer features that keep players coming back. The worst part? This multiplayer is FIRE when you're in it. The maps are a blast, gameplay is as crisp as it has ever been, game modes are fun, and games are quick and stand out in a crowded genre. I tended to lean away from the big battles and focus more on smaller arena games like Slayer, Team Deathmatch, etc. but suffice it to say that the playing in multiplayer is top-notch. 

Unfortunately, it's all for nothing. Not only are there frustrating decisions like the inability to select specific game modes to play in (for example, I would have loved to just spam-play Strongholds (think Call of Duty's Domination mode), but there's literally next to no reward for playing games. Even if you do well, there's no XP for killing people, or scoring an objective, or managing a high kill-to-death ratio, or earning a double/triple+ kill...none of it. All multiplayer XP and leveling up is achieved through specific tasks and the rewards are small, to say the least. Perhaps we're spoiled in this day and age from the "good ol days" where multiplayer was for bragging rights and the fun of it. Today we have to scratch the itch of constant unlocks, skins, and power ups. However you feel about that is somewhat irrelevant because the shocking element of all this is still true: Halo Infinite multiplayer was dated the first day it released. It all but ensured its player base would shrink. There's only so much time I was willing to play because it just wouldn't unlock anything for me. Focusing on the XP tasks are obnoxious and even more frustrating, I was good at Infinite's multiplayer. But all for naught. It's especially frustrating because this was purely a business/design decision that they had to know was a bad one. The blueprints of other games nailing this (e.g. modern day Call of Duty's) are out there and based on gamer backlash, they'll hopefully(?) rectify this when "Season 2" drops in several months. By then, it'll be too little, too late for me, but perhaps it will coincide with when I revisit to finish the campaign. 

Classic needler and...a bunch of blue cyborgs?

Speaking of the campaign, it is both a bright spot for the game, but also a sign of more odd decision making, even if their impact is much smaller. The decision to go open world was a benefit for the Halo series and this map of a damaged Halo ring, is honestly quite wondrous. Not just from a graphical perspective, but there's just still something so damn awesome about understanding the architecture and geography of a Halo ring. It's not all that varied - you're basically in a forest/mountainous region the whole time with several trips into alien structures - but surprisingly I didn't find that to be much of an issue. The story we're provided, while I may not be complete with it, is good, but I still found myself in that weird grey area of confusion about why I was doing certain things from time to time (I find this is an issue w/ many FPS games). Luckily, it's supported by thoughtful characters like Master Chief (duh), the Weapon (a sassy/gentle version of Cortana), and a pilot, Fernando, who brings a human element to the whole thing in the face of our super soldier and super AI. The game does a really good job at establishing a core villain with Chief Escharum who at first feels one note, but slowly earns his brutal stripes. I'm not well versed enough in Halo lore to tell you the reasons there are three different enemy races on the ring, but even still, Escharum stays as a focal piece throughout.

From a gameplay perspective, forgetting open world elements for a moment, Halo has never been better. I was a bit saddened to see that dual wielding didn't make a comeback, but even still the very unique Halo "feel" is untampered with. It feels much different, and slower, than many modern FPS games and you'll be focusing a lot on shields, when to escape, and how to get from enemy to enemy while lobbing grenades like Tom Brady in a Super Bowl. It's all very poetic when you get the hang of it and its a testament to what made Halo so popular in the first place that its core gameplay, now decades old, still feels relevant. 

The plethora of weapons is nice to have, even if I kept a pretty normal loadout the entire time, it was nice to be able to pick up most/some weapons and do damage and their differing ammo types ensures that you'll likely be forced into situations outside your comfort zone as refills can be few and far between in particular areas. Master Chief is also outfitted with some power ups this time out, though they vary greatly in usage. The grapple hook is probably the single best new feature in Infinite, allowing you to hook on to any surface and zoom toward it, including enemies, for massive momentum-backed melee attacks. In addition to that you have a boost, drop shield, and radar, all of which are...fine but I pretty much only ever had grapple equipped. Each of these things + your shields has a very linear upgrade tree with benefits, that is welcome as a very lite RPG element in this open world. 

Why can't I air drop one of these to myself at any point? 

Unfortunately, it's even here too that Halo Infinite dates itself right out of the gate, or at the very least feels compelled to do the bare minimum of an open world. For starters, this open world is large - definitely not the biggest you've ever seen, but probably one of the most barren. Random events are rare outside of "Oh look! A pack of grunts that takes me 10 seconds to eliminate" and there's really not a whole lot going outside of the variety of usual things you're going to do around an open world map. There's not much life to this Halo ring, which - even with the grapple - makes traversal sometimes a bore. And to think, it could have all been rectified with a jetpack (the series has had one before, not to mention think of the grapple hook combos!) and/or a vehicle drop system not tied to bases you've already freed of Covenant rule. I mean...Fernando delivers these vehicles in a Pelican. Why can't he give it to me right where I'm at? Somewhat related, but one of my biggest frustrations of the game, is that despite the shift to open world, Halo keeps the guns you can carry to a minimum. This is Master f**king Chief we're talking about. Why can't he carry 3, 4 weapons? Or 3 weapons and a melee? Because the map is so big, I found I was often without a specific range of weapon, most of the time long, that was frustrating on so many occasions, I lost count.   

Halo Infinite is probably one of the most fun, frustrating games I've ever played and it became more so the more I played it. It's not frustrating in a difficulty sense, but rather by its design choices. Halo is supposed to be the GOAT! Infinite is quite frankly an instant-classic or near-instant-classic game held back by such simple "barriers" (read: dumb decisions) that it's almost begging for an update to overhaul it and provide a better - and more complete - experience. In the meantime, it's become clear to gamers that Halo is no longer responsible for setting the bar, but rather just meeting the bar set by others. That's a shame for a series that is still great, but used to set the world on fire. 

CONS

• Handful of really poor design decisions
• XP leveling in multiplayer is borderline nonexistent. It doesn't scratch that "itch" that gamers look for these days
• Inability to choose game mode(s) in multiplayer
• Barren world with minimal random events
• I can only carry....2 guns? In an open world? 
• Traversal is slow and becomes monotonous. This could have been solved with either a jetpack, vehicle drop anywhere, or both
• Imbalance of suit power-ups. Did anyone really use anything BUT the grapple?!

PROS

• Looks and sounds gorgeous. There were concerns far before release about its visuals but this is a crisp, 4K game that looks amazing on XSX
• Open world is gorgeous, has great verticality and mystery, and remains interesting despite being a big forest. It was cool to explore a Halo ring again
• Story is fairly straightforward with tight focus on Master Chief and the Weapon. Escharum is an imposing villain
• Core Halo gameplay is still iconic, feels great, and is a thing of beauty in motion
• This is particularly true in mutliplayer that feels balanced
• Multiplayer has fun maps and modes and I had a blast with it even if my time was limited
• Was nice to see Halo dip its toes in the RPG "leveling up gear" arena. I wouldn't mind it leaning more into this space

Rath's Review Score | 8/10