The campaign also feels unfinished, as if leaving things open for DLC, which is likely the case given that Halo Infinite has also been touted as a platform for future updates. These include the ability to play the campaign in co-op as well as the creative Forge mode that lets players create their own custom maps and game modes, which would surely be what makes Halo actually infinite. Set a fire in your heartĭespite being delayed by a year and missing its launch for Xbox Series X|S, Halo Infinite also arrives somewhat unfinished or at least lacking the features that fans have come to expect as series staples. For old-fashioned Halo veterans who remember the days of just playing as the same Spartan model in Red team versus Blue team matches, you’ll be better off ignoring these modern-day trappings and simply play for the fun of it. Perhaps this is just the necessary evil of making Halo Infinite’s multiplayer free to play. While there have been some adjustments so that you can at least gain XP for simply playing matches, the cosmetic items you unlock are laughable if you’re playing for free, which feels like a cynical way to lure people into ponying up for the £8 premium season pass. The only thing that spoils it is a miserably designed battle pass and progression system, which doesn’t correspond to the medals you get during a match for doing cool things. And yes, if you’re dealing with a menacing Banshee in the skies, you can even hijack them with a well-aimed grappleshot. If someone lobs a grenade at you, you can knock it back at them with a repulsor. Yes, killing sprees are a great achievement, but you can also chuck a threat sensor at an opponent, which gives away their position and possibly their teammates’ too. Multiplayer madnessĪs solid as Halo Infinite’s campaign is, and the open world means you’ll have reason to return to mop up collectables or outstanding objectives, or just attempt that Legendary run, the real mainstay is multiplayer, which is also free to play for the first time in the series.įrom its tightly designed 4v4 arena maps to the more expansive 12v12 Big Team Battles, the core mechanics translate over perfectly, such as the aforementioned abilities, which also transform matches into mini sandbox experiments. Fortunately, they work even more effectively when transferred to multiplayer where each has limited uses, giving you something akin to the abilities of a hero shooter. As your starting ability, the Grappleshot is perhaps too good that other abilities you unlock, including a drop wall shield and threat sensor, pale by comparison. Sure, Doom Eternal got there first, but in Master Chief’s hand, it has some ridiculous versatility not just in combat for closing the distance on an enemy but also for finding shortcuts as you traverse the world.Įven more transformative is the way you can use the grapple to pick up weapons, the many energy tanks lying around doubling as makeshift explosives, and hijacking enemy vehicles becomes laughably overpowering to do. The most revelatory and disruptive addition to the series’ revered “golden triangle” (that is guns, melee and grenades) however is the Grappleshot. Better still is that, while you can aim down sights like with any modern shooter, in Halo tradition you don’t need to do this to still be a crack shot. Gunplay remains a high point, from the moment-to-moment strategy of switching weapons since you can only carry two at any time to the terrific audiovisual feedback when your shot lands a kill. But the best reason for exploring this beautiful ring world is that, more so than the challenges and rewards, Halo Infinite just feels fun at giving you that singular satisfaction of killing anything that moves. The story missions, while funnelling you through tighter levels up towers or underground, do also contain some of those great expansive elements, such as giving you multiple targets to take down across the map in any order you choose, with plenty of weaponry or vehicles to make use of. You’ll nonetheless get some cool perks out of it, while finding Spartan Cores can also be used to upgrade several of Master Chief’s core abilities. You’re never walled behind some arbitrary level cap nor will you be at a disadvantage for not clearing the numerous Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) or enemy outposts. The good news is that the world, all lush pine forests and mountains, isn’t overwhelmingly huge, and if you do just want to follow the story, you can. After all, Halo’s always excelled with well-paced linear story missions – even if some of the most memorable missions do have a degree of openness to them, which surely would be spoiled by trying to be like Far Cry distracting you with a lot of icons and objectives?
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