Master Chief Returns Baby: Review of Halo Infinite - Walla! The gaming channel

2021-12-22T08:49:28.348Z

Microsoft's new exclusive puts the series back on track and gives players more freedom of action during battle, in addition to fun action in an open world that doesn't feel forced

Master Chief Returns Baby: The Review for Halo Infinite

Microsoft's new exclusive puts the series back on track and gives players more freedom of action during battle, in addition to fun action in an open world that doesn't feel forced

Giving in Nishi

22/12/2021

Wednesday, 22 December 2021, 10:30 Updated: 10:46

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Watch the launch trailer for Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite (343 industries, Microsoft Xbox)

I missed the Halo series and all the hype around it over the years and actually got into all the action only when the corona plague broke out and the first closure went into effect. There was a great sale in sets on the Master Chief Collection, and I was just looking for a new single game to pass with this very long month and a half.

More or less from the first moments of the first game I fell in love with the series and its battle mechanics, the science fiction story depicting a war between humans and the Covanent that evolves from game to game and becomes more and more epic, and I found almost no complaints for the game series I was ashamed to say. . But understand me, most of my life (33) I am a PC gamer with a PlayStation console as a backup to its exclusive, and what I can play with a mouse and keyboard - a priority for me.

I finished the original Bungie trilogy including ODST (HALO 3 expansion pack) and Reach (the prequel to the original series), and just fell in love with everything Bungie has developed in this series.

When the reins moved to 343 industries things changed a bit (and I guess I'm really not the only one) and for me I got bored of a game like Halo 4 and had a very hard time finishing it, and the Gaurdians after that I decided to skip.

When Microsoft first announced a new game in the series for the first time in years and also unveiled a gameplay trailer along the way, I was quite excited and happy to see Infinite return to the formula in terms of design, weapons, enemies, and everything that actually made Halo such a familiar and beloved series.

The big problem that over the last two years has also plagued the game quite a few news outlets that have reported development difficulties and key people who have left, so the big question is has the expectation paid off?

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Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, 343 industries)

plot

Infinite's plot pits Master Chief and the players against the Banished - a group of aliens from the original games that defected from the Covanent Empire and decided to rebel against it.

Already in the opening scene we watch their leader, Atriox, defeat the UNCS army on the Infinite ship and the Master Chief without any effort, and we understand that this is a serious threat to humans across the galaxy.

From there, the game's plot will bounce back in time several months ahead, and we are exposed to the character of a fighter pilot who survived the same attack on the Infinite ship, which finds the faint body of Master Chief hovering in space, and after our hero comes back to life, he encounters the new artificial intelligence named "The Weapon" that is suspiciously reminiscent of Cortana.

From there the three will find their way to Zeta Halo, a new halo ring that contains new technologies and secrets that the Banished want to get their hands on and gain control of the galaxy, and of course our game goal is to defeat and stop the Asterix and the new army.

Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, 343 industries)

One of Infinite's big problems is the long history of the previous games in the series, and although this is a new title that may open a door for new players unfamiliar with the series, 343 industries faced a difficult task. You can not just press the reboot button without providing answers to questions from previous games, and they also had to solve some plot holes that remained open from Halo 4 and Gaurdians - and precisely in these games the plot began to become more complicated and ramified, and less fun and light.

New players to the series that this is their first halo game may enjoy the game and enjoy the story, it may not be particularly complicated, but there are no missing parts in the game that focus on everything that happened in previous titles in the series, and those parts that may make new players wonder what the characters are talking about. Despite everything, the plot does manage to stand on its own, and as it progresses more and more parts will become clearer and answers will be revealed, and we will gain a deeper understanding of the motives of the pilot, of Cortana, of Master Chief and what connects the three.

It may not be the deep plot or story you can get from games like The Last of Us or Red Dead Redemption, but it's still a game whose plot intrigued me and spurred me on, and certainly lacks heart and soul, or exciting and fun moments.

The essence of a character like Master Chief in the HALO universe is to present the ultimate soldier who is considered hope and light for the human race in an unending war, and I think the game has managed to convey that essence in a great way.

Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, 343 industries)

Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, Microsoft)

Gameplay: Back to the classic formula

Part of 343 industries' plans was to get the series back on track, which is exactly what it did. The gameplay in Infinite feels very true to what was introduced to us in games like Halo 3 and Reach, and has been upgraded and adapted in the right places without changing the formula and making it fun and special. The beauty of the battle system of games like Halo (and I'm talking about single player modes) is the fact that the gameplay does not end with "aiming a shot to the head" and moving on to the next goal - the entire battlefield is made up of opponents with different abilities and behaviors. in accordance.

Everything is so dynamic at any given moment, and identical battles can occur each time differently just because the players made moves and reacted differently and they can approach the situation in a variety of ways.

In Infinite the situation remains the same and upgraded in some respects in my opinion, and even after a few hours of play the game still managed to surprise me the moment Brute throws a small soldier at me holding two grenades and eliminates me, and such moments are what make each fight feel different from its predecessor.

Part of the changes that stressed many players was the fact that the new game is becoming an open world, but don’t worry, this is not really a tin breaker.

Players who are interested in a classic halo experience and want to experience the single-player plot without all the side content will still be able to do so, and get a playing time of about 7-8 hours.

Classic halo playing time.

Those who decide to do all the rest of the content will probably finish the game within 18-20 hours.

Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, Microsoft)

Another open world, but not one that feels forced

The side content of the open world includes the release of captured Marines, including battery takeovers and elimination of targets - which feature slightly longer and tougher action moments in the open world - and those elements that I think managed to strengthen the formula and give more expression to players' freedom of action. As we perform more side missions and release more Marines, we will get more manpower, equipment, weapons and vehicles to help us effectively explore Zeta Halo, and they can also help you perform all those remaining side missions, or stock up on your next mission.

Players who explore the map will be able to find recordings that will expand the story and universe of the game (similar to what was done in ODST) and they will find quite a few upgrades that will help them during battles and may also influence the way they play and make decisions in battle.

Not one of the more welcome additions is the Grappling Hook that has been added to Master Chief's arsenal, giving players the ability to navigate themselves during battles efficiently and utilize it to capture weapons or explosive devices from a distance, paralyze enemies and so many other fun options.

Really, since the days of Titanfall I do not understand how it did not become standard in every game that comes out.

Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, 343 industries)

Diverse and fun freedom of action for the player

Here's a personal example that occurred to me and illustrates how much the gameplay in Halo was upgraded and made several times more enjoyable: a sniper who was in a high position managed to stab me behind a shelter while on the ground there were quite a few soldiers firing in bundles, and I could not get my head out without finding my death Around the corner (literally). All I had was a short-range plasma rifle and a sword. I managed to "dilute the herd a bit" with a grenade, get out of the shelter, send the catch hook on a tree located next to the damn sniper, flip myself in the air above it, land on it with my sword, and finish the work on the ground with his sniper.

For me, it was absolutely one of the most enjoyable and badass moments I have ever had in every shooting game I have played, and he is not one of the only ones where the actors create such "personal stories" for themselves.

The beauty is that the game did not tell me to do it.

He introduced me to dynamic game mechanics that I knew how to utilize as a player at the right moment, and this is in my opinion the great thing about playing like Halo against the variety of different shooting games that currently dominate the market.

It's a shame that games in the genre do not learn from him, or even from Doom Eternal, who also managed to make an equally impressive and enjoyable comeback.

Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, Microsoft)

But not everything is perfect

One of the main claims that is made is that Zeta Halo is actually a boring and not unique open world, and the truth is not too far away. Most of the world map shows some beautiful landscapes and impressive buildings, but the problem is that they repeat themselves very quickly, and I would have been happy to see a little more diversity. The side missions aren't too innovative either: taking over fortresses doesn't involve much more than a few battles and performing simple actions that amount to the push of a button, or elimination targets that are on the map and are considered a bit tougher boss battles. While there is nothing new on this front, the content that has been found manages to generate enjoyment, and did not feel to me like a to-do list like (Ubisoft games, for example), perhaps mainly because the battle system is just fun and dynamic.

There was no shortage of information revealed in your last two years and reported that quite a few key people left the project at one stage or another, and that about two-thirds of the game was cut before release.

Many were confident that Infinite was going to fail, and honestly, in some places the game felt a bit "scattered" in terms of its content and coherence, and elements like the open world could meet more modern standards and feel a little more alive (and no, that doesn't necessarily mean more activities on the map ).

But in the end, I think 343 Industries has managed to meet the task they set for themselves - and that is to get the series back on track, and ensure it has a better future.

And even if it's not perfect, it's definitely well made and extremely enjoyable, and most importantly: balanced.

Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, Microsoft)

Multiplayer: Promising launch, improvement needed

Infinite's network status was released just a few weeks before the main campaign was launched, and overall this is not a bad start at all, but it does require improvement. I'm not a devout network player, but from the few hours I've been playing it seems that the players' progress system is quite slow and unfocused, and the game does not allow players to choose which game modes they will play, and it's a matter of Russian roulette. The prices in the digital store are also exaggerated and inflated, and although I personally am not a player who approaches digital stores, I really do not think that players who do pay should pay these prices.

A problem I encountered as a computer player is that Halo's style of play is much less suited to keyboard and mouse, and players who play in sets or game passes (like me) may notice that during the game's 'attrition battles', the aim assist gives the ex a significant advantage. Box using the remote. It's just part of the way Halo acts as a game, because the players have to actually "exhaust" the opponent instead of giving him one shot in the head and finishing the job, which is a balance that is very difficult to maintain.

Beyond these claims, the multiplayer managed to provide me with a few hours of enjoyable play, and I did not encounter any connection issues or serious bugs or bugs, and this is one of the smoother and more successful launches we have experienced. Certainly if we compare it to another competing shooting game, like Battlefield 2042. Really with some improvements in future updates, I think 343 Industries can stabilize the game and keep a steady audience of players. But as I mentioned, I'm not a devout network player.

Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, 343 industries)

Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, Microsoft)

graphics

Halo is considered Microsoft's flagship game, just like Sony's exclusive games.

One of the things Sony fans liked to point out was a specific frame from the gameplay video when the game was first announced, featuring a famous Brute soldier nicknamed "Chad", who claimed to prove how poor Microsoft's game quality was compared to Sony's exclusive.

So I can reassure everyone and say that all these problems have been fixed, and Halo plays beautifully.

Two years have passed since that exposure video, and there is no doubt that Microsoft and 343 industries have listened to criticism and claims.

All the animations and details of the characters in the game including the various Banished soldiers have been refurbished and upgraded, and see that hard work has been done by the developers to give the human character realism and credibility, and a sense of fear and terror on the part of the bad guys. Occasionally the pilot or "weapon" animations can be overly expressive, but this is not a consistent issue but a few individual frames, and although this is not a game that competes head-to-head with games like Sony's Last of Us, it's still an exclusive that looks just fine.

Although I have argued before that the map is not diverse, that does not mean that it is not impressive and beautiful. The graphics in Halo do not have to be realistic, and it has its own style that leaves it unique, and the landscapes that the map presents are simply beautiful. There is something very fun and relaxing to climb to a high vantage point that overlooks the map with the help of the perception hook, and just enjoy the view of Zeta. In moments like this, by the way, the developers also put the famous melody of the game into the background to introduce you to the experience.pleasure.

Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, Microsoft)

Performance and platforms

Halo Infinite is available for all Xbox platforms, and it includes not only the new generation consoles, the Series X \ S, but also the Xbox One S \ X.

I ran the game (mostly) on my PC using my Game Pass account (it is also available on the sets platform and in the Microsoft store) and with the RX 5700 XT card I ran the game smoothly on relatively high (not maximum) settings with no glitches or crashes Redundancy under 60 frames.

When trying to break the 60-frame barrier, then the jerky and stutterers will start, but this happens mostly when you are on the open world map and the game is full of details.

I also tried to play the game on the Xbox X / S Xbox consoles I have, and in quality mode the Series X is able to run the game on 4K at 60 frames per second, and on the Series S at 1080P at 30 frames per second.

If selected in performance mode, the Series X will run the game on 60 frames at 1080P resolution, and in the Series S the resolution is dynamic and also maintains 60 frames.

I do not think it necessary to point out that the Series X also has a significant advantage in loading times and image quality compared to the Series S, which despite everything managed to surprise me with its performance.

Halo Infinite (Photo: Official Website, Microsoft)

In conclusion

Halo Infinite did come out relatively late this year, which is why it did not compete in the gaming awards ceremony for this year's game.

But for me, he is not only a worthy candidate he is also winning the title for me for 2021 (Deathloop, originally).

For me it is a perfect halo game and the proper sequel after the previous two games in the series, which manages to get the series back on a positive track, and I enjoyed playing it no less than any exclusive title Sony offered.

That means a lot in my opinion.

He does not reinvent the wheel, which he does but he performs in a good and fun way.

The open world manages to do well with Halo's formula and gives even more freedom of action to players than before.

This is another exclusive title that Microsoft can be proud of in the current generation, and I hope to see these highlights in their next games as well.