What Changed?

Halo Infinite.

I'm REALLY enjoying it!

I can't even put my finger on it necessarily, because very little has changed since the Technical Test that didn't impress me much. Gamepad feels more refined, less inconsistencies in aim accuracy. Couple weapons have been subtly tweaked for balancing purposes it seems. There's weapons that previously weren't available such as the Disruptor, Mangler, and Cindershot. All the maps are now available, so there's more to play than just Fragmentation BTB.

By in-large however, it's mostly the same game. I mean, would adding a couple maps or letting me use the Sentinel Beam really have made my last experience that much better?

…Yes.

I mean, the Sentinel Beam fuckin slaps.

Okay, no seriously, it has to be more than that right?

Well, one thing that helps is having my expectations set. I'm now entering this game knowing what I fundamentally dislike and enjoy, rather than just relying on everyone else's hype on Twitter. I know the Gravity Hammer's sound is fantastic. Most of the weapon sounds aren't. I enjoy Recharge and Live Fire, I don't much care for Behemoth. I like the art-style's cleanliness, I don't care for its inconsistencies.

It means though that all of my biggest critiques of the gameplay have been set. They're nothing new. They're set in stone. I don't need to keep focusing on how all the guns sound too flat and uniform, because it won't change. I had issues with sound-design in Halo's 1, 2, and 3, I still played them for hundreds if not thousands of hours.

The other thing is adding more maps, modes, and weapons, gives more opportunities to demonstrate the game's unique sandbox. Slayer's great, but I didn't really develop innovative strategies or techniques with friends while playing. Playing Stockpile on Highpower led to us discovering the Razorback has two slots on the back to hold the Energy Cells; it was new, exciting, and totally in-keeping with Halo's gameplay framework.

I previously complained about Infinite's seemingly incoherent blend of old and new mechanics, but while playing a match of One Flag CTF, we had seconds left on the clock when I grabbed the flag as an attacker. Knowing enemies were right behind, I said fuck it, and used sprint, marking my location. Except, I was sprinting, while timing slides with steep inclines and tossing the flag while sprinting. It pushed the flag just far enough so that when I died, we were close enough to the base for a teammate to pick it up and complete the capture.

That little 2% movement boost really was the difference in that scenario, but the moment still felt classically Halo.

The changes Halo's gone through over the years gave 343 the privilege of cherry picking elements from everything. The Ordinance Drops are straight Halo 4, but they've been repackaged to be immersive elements of the maps and modes themselves rather than an abstract killstreak reward or marked pickup. Weapons like the Heatwave & Dynamo grenade are retoolings of the Scattershot & Pulse Grenades. The Sentinel Beam's Halo 2 Anniversary. Equipment's Halo 3(ish).

What it really means is that at least at the moment, this might be the best weapon sandbox a Halo's had. Everything feels useful. There's no jack of all trades weapon that dominates 90% of games. The Bulldog & Heatwave are maybe a little underpowered for Shotguns, but isn't that a better problem than them breaking the balance in two? And… you're still gonna use em. They are preferable to your Pistol and AR at close range.

Even the mixture of abilities equipment offers is something I've come to appreciate. It's not Halo 3's, it's better. Halo 3 didn't have equipment that lead to their own truly unique gameplay opportunities like attaching yourself to a fleeing Warthog with a grappling hook to let you hijack the driver and stop its passenger with the objective.

What I think I've finally got for Halo Infinite is context. At first glance, I was viewing this game like Halo's Force Awakens. A cheap throwback that isn't a new Halo but another Halo.

Halo Infinite though is a new Halo…

In gameplay.

What I worry about is how that new gameplay will be discarded if there aren't enough maps, modes, and playlists to keep things fresh for people. Especially with the lack of Co-op, Forge, and a decent progression system. I also worry about the game's art-style, and that it's going to go through all the same Gingerbread costumes and awful movie tie-ins that infect everything these days.

That's for the near future though.

Presently, I'm enjoying Halo Infinite.

What changed?

I guess I did.