Halo Infinitehas proven to be popular mainly within theHalocommunity, despite drawing some controversy. 343 Studios have been criticized for their era story-wise with the campaigns ofHalo 4andHalo 5: Guardiansbut had made big promises forHalo Infinite.
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Fans were expecting a much more Master Chief-centric storyline forInfiniteand were expecting some development on plotlines established in the previous two games. It was a surprise to a lot of fans when the game instead moved on to a new conflict between the UNSC and the Banished.Infinitealso saw massive changes to the structure of the game, with the franchise moving from linear, instance-based missions to open-world. WhileInfinite’ssingle-player needs fixes, it is worth playing for anyHalofan as well as those looking to get into the series at a jumping-on point.
8Loved: The Banished
The Banished is a Brute faction that has been warring against the UNSC, denying the Human-Covenant ceasefire. While primarily being comprised of Brutes, they have also got some Grunts, Elites, even humans. Led by Atriox, players take down the Banished across a Halo Installation Ring, taking down their camps and leaders. The faction is one of thebest things introduced to the lore.
While a lot of fans wanted to see development on the plot line of AIs taking the Mantle of Responsibility, they were impressed with the Banished and felt they were an appropriate successive villainous faction to the Covenant.
7Didn’t Love: Lack Of Forerunner Elements
Despite being controversial,Halo 4has gone on to be more fondly remembered since its release. The Didact was the main antagonist of that game, being an ancient Forerunner Warrior who had been locked away for hundreds of thousands of years.Halo 4also featured the Librarian, who assists Master Chief and is the enemy and wife of the Didact.
SinceHalo 4, there hasn’t been much of a Forerunner element. With the developers promising thatInfinitewould be the most groundbreakingHalogame, a lot of fans expected there to be more expansion on the Forerunners.Halo Infinite’sbosseshave been well-received overall by fans, but many would have liked a Forerunner boss such as the Didact to have appeared.
6Loved: Open-World Gameplay
Halohas long been established with linear, instance-based campaign levels that tell a connected story as the player progresses through various missions.Halo Infiniteswitched up the formula and was open-world, offering players a chance to traverse a massiveHaloinstallation ring. Players can take on the story and side-missions in whichever order they choose, giving complete freedom over their experience.
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The switch to open-world has proven to be one of the most popular features of the game, with most players praising the freedom in exploring the installation ring as they see fit. It also complements treasure hunters who like to look forEaster Eggs acrossInfinite’smap.
5Didn’t Love: Repetitive Locations
The bane of all open-world games is repetitive locations. These can make a player feel bored in no time if they go through multiple areas that look completely the same. WhileHalo Infinitemostly does a good job in giving different sections of Zeta Halo a distinct look, there are definitely times when enemy bases look the same.
It’s a sign of lazier game development and one that eagle-eyed fans are not likely to miss. With audio logs and Easter eggs dotted all around the map, players pay extra attention to all the map elements, leading to repetitive locations becoming a problem quite quickly.
4Loved: Master Chief’s Mechanics
The mechanics around Master Chief are impressive, and one of Halo Infinite’s saving graces. Gone are the days of clunky, slow movement for players controlling the Spartan. InHalo Infinite, Master Chief feels fluid, responsive, and his grappling hook helps to add dynamics to traversal that are genuinely fun.Master Chief’s toolshave given a sense of progression for players, and helped to make the gameplay feel more varied.
One of the things people loved aboutHalo 5: Guardianswas how it felt mechanically, so it’s great to see that this has been streamlined further and refined forHalo Infinite. With the number of combat situations players face in this game, responsive mechanics are crucial.
3Didn’t Love: Budget Cortana
Cortana had appeared as the trusty sidekick to Master Chief right from the first game,Halo: Combat Evolved. Throughout the years she has been built up as a fan favorite, and her evil turn inHalo 5: Guardianstook the story in a new way that many were unhappy with.
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InHalo Infinite, the Master Chief is assisted by a new AI called “the Weapon”. The Weapon is based on Cortana in her coding and appearance, leading many to view her as a discount, budget version of Cortana. Many fans weren’t happy with this new AI so blatantly being Cortana 2.0, as it threatens to detract from the emotional weight of the original Cortana’s rampancy and Chief’s loss of her.
2Love: Weapons
The weapons inHalo Infinitefeel distinct, refined, and fun. With many of the weapons seeing upgrades and some seeing downgrades compared to their previous appearances in the series, it feels like 343 has managed to strike a balance that makes all weapons feel viable in certain combat situations, with thebest single-player weaponsbeing great for ANY combat situation.
Whether hanging back and sniping Banished villains to even the odds, or running in guns-blazing with a Mangler, players can choose how they approach bases and missions and use the weapons that feel right to them. Because the game is open-world, it means that players don’t have to worry about a mission changing over and their weapon being replaced as with olderHalogames.
1Hate: Time Jump
Halo 5: Guardians, for all of its controversy, established interesting plot developments that had huge ramifications for the overall story moving forward. Cortana had assembled an army of AIs from all over the universe, deciding to take the Mantle of Responsibility for themselves and utilize the Guardians, huge robotic creatures created by the Forerunners, to achieve peace across the galaxy and stamp out any dissent. Fanswish they knew before startingInfinitethat this plotline would be abandoned, to save disappointment.
Rather than deal with anything established in the previous game,Halo Infiniteinstead jumps forward 18 months, explaining away the conflict with Cortana and the AIs off-screen. This time jump was extremely anti-climatic and annoyed most fans. It is not known why 343 decided to take this route with the story, but it’s been proven to be a mistake, as it left the majority ofHalo’sfanbase confused and apathetic to the franchise’s continuation.
Halo Infiniteis available on Xbox One Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
