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Everything wrong with Halo Infinite: (Spoilers) THERE'S A LOT WRONG!

This is the first wall of text from you, and I expect that you're from the UK for some reason. I'll read it because I have so much free time at work now.

I suspect you were waiting to get some free time so you can savour reading this. LMAO.

@OP

This game is flawed no doubt. But it is not boring. It has character and heart. I would call it a "flawed masterpiece".
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Op, I genuinely applaud your commitment to halo. I thought I wad a fan but then I realised there's those on a whole other level. Ever since the game launched I read your posts of sheer disappointment and hatred. If I was you I would just accept that halo is dead to you. That's a lot of dissatisfaction for one franchise.

I thought the game was good. Better than OK but nothing groundbreaking. I've not gone back to the multi but I'm gonna jump in to finish my season pass.
 

TransTrender

Gold Member

I actually did read all that and found it fascinating.

It also never occurred to me English wasn't your first language until I got to the very end. I thought any orthography errors were from typing too quickly because of your enthusiasm, so good job! It was entirely comprehensible and well executed.

I'll try to post my feedback if I have time tomorrow.
 

Dr Bass

Member
I noticed the sprinting thing on my own pretty quickly as well. I felt the fact they added those “wind” lines to try and sell it as being a bit insulting. Like we would be too stupid to notice we are t really running faster. Such bizarre stuff in the game.
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
I haven't played Halo Infinite but I imagine it can't be worse than Halo 5 Guardians which I did finish
 

Calverz

Member
Season 2 Wtf GIF by Parks and Recreation
 

Markio128

Member
I don’t think I could ever trust the opinion of anybody who tried to convince me that Halo Infinite is a good game. I mean, I only paid the price of gamepass to try it and I still felt like I had been ripped off. How the fuck it got so many positive reviews is beyond me. Halo as a franchise is very close to a lot of peoples hearts and I get that, but to basically say to the devs that they have done a great job after spending 6 years on this rubbish is like shooting yourself in the leg.
 

Chukhopops

Member
Also, where is Firefight
My only complaint, I miss the PVE and PVPVE modes from H5 so much…

Firefight was just perfect, short games but with a sense of progression, a bazillion weapons, vehicles and bosses. Can’t think of anything that came close for MP PVE.

For the rest, every great game is going to be controversial.
 
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Vindicator

Member
Just playing Halo to enjoy some nice megastructure views, the combat isn't fun, always feel bad when shooting grunts.
Already have it installed but still need to start it, seems a bit boring as well as it's taking place mostly on the Ring with some interior sections inbetween.
 

OZ9000

Banned
The open world formula in Halo infinite makes most of the game an generic slog. I only enjoyed the first couple and last missions. The game suffers from a typical copy and paste game design you see in every open world game. There were no memorable set pieces or highlights (except the boss battles and when you enter the Banished fortress).

It was a truly lackluster Halo campaign experience. Even Halo 4 is a better single player game.
 

CuNi

Member
Only campaign opinion comming up since I gave up on MP very quickly after I saw I couldn't pick SWAT or other specific modes.

Yes, Explosions, technical issues, flat lightning etc. this all exists and affects the look and tone of the game but I think there are 3 things that have the biggest impact and you named them partially.

1. Open World.
Open world was supposed to grab that "omg it's huuuge!" moment of Halo 1s second mission where you crash on Halo and try to evac all the Marines that drop pod onto the ring like you.
Back then, one was amazed and it had the feeling of a open world level because you could tackle most of those evac by coming in from different directions.
Halo Infinite feels like it tried to take this and turn it up to 200%, but at the same time failed horribly. It has the same issue most open world games has, with some even bigger flaws because of it being a shooter.
It lacks "content". Not in the terms of side missions or anything, but in "why should I drive through the world and engage in fights etc".
The enemie groups are usually tiny and you can clear them pretty easy even on legendary. Sometimes it even feels like you clear them "by accident" when you run half of that group over with a warthog because you simply didn't see them. They don't pose any threat, so why should I engage them? Once you collected the audio logs etc. you don't even have a reason to wander the world anymore.

It lacks dynamic events, and I don't mean those random drop ships appearing. Something more to Marine vs Banished fights etc. Maybe even Banished trying to recapture FOBs etc.
It also gives no sense of progression. Yes, you free Marines and get points for that and FOBs are your Mobile Spawns but.. the game world doesn't reflect any of that. You could play through the game never freeing Marines, never assassinating HVTs and not freeing any further FOBs and the game would be exactly in the same state as if you literally decimated every banished 3x on the map. If clearing Banished facilities would weaken the force, or freeing marines would grow UNSC presence in those sectors with increasing amount of events where UNSC attacks Banished patrols etc. then you'd feel like you make a difference. Currently? Not at all so why bother except for the achievement.

2. Weapons
The Weapons were always something very iconic to Halo because of its closed level design. Power weapons were scarse but really packed a punch. It felt great using the Sniper, the Rocket launcher or the Spartan Laser. You felt like this unstopable force that was like a armored John Wick as you plowed through enemies with first UNSC weapons, then you use their Weapons against them but also being very efficient because if you run out of ammo and the only thing lying around are 20 plasma Pistols, you know you're in a tight spot. You had to make your shots count so you could swing from good weapon to good weapon with the occasional driple of power weapons. Sometimes they were tucked away somewhere on the map so you had to do a little bit of exploration, which brought the risk of not finding those weapons but still being forced into enemy engagements.

With the ability to simply restock on those power weapons, they lose out most of their power. It's just no fun if I can tackle every mission from a certain point with a Sniper, a rocket launcher and a Scorpion Tank. It doesn't even fit the story narrative where UNSC are supposed to have been hunted down after a grave and devestating defeat... but somehow one sole Pelican can fly around the map, dropping me a Scorpion whenever I see fit and we have the very best weapons just lying around on piles at every FOB..

3. Enemies
And I don't even mean regular ones. I actually liked that they added something like "classes" to the Brutes, with there being Snipers that all have distinctive looks or the Skimmers. I really enjoyed those, even though it feels like they are just a replacement for the Drones. Why they didn't just use the drones? I don't know.
I mean the Bosses. Healthbars for bosses is, for me, the single biggest issues I have when it comes to gameplay with Halo Infinite. The Story is a completely different issue, but why the healthbars.
I know that "technically" there were bosses before like Halo 2s Tartarus or Halo 3s 343 Guilty Spark. But the addition of having actual health bars displayed is just awefull in my opinion. It just demotivates you so immensely if you empty out a whole AR mag into a enemy and only see it take out like 2% of his health. Without healthbars, you'd have to constantly make the rational decision, do I want to empty out another mag while he charges me and potentially kill him, or do I try to evade and reposition him for another shot. Now, you just have to look up and see all the info. Also, IMHO, them scaling health AND shield was a mistake too.
I am completely convinced that if the Shield would be like the shield of normal elites, it would be already 40% more bearable, but spending so much ammo to chip away the shield only for them to retreat and recharge that shield in 5 seconds is so, so frustrating. On legendary, 99% of the things one shot you, while you do what feels like the damage of a rounding error between 0 and 1. Not much. They have turned the enemies from fearsome bosses into bullet sponges like every other game has them.
 

Pedro Motta

Member
This game is the biggest piece of shit I've seen lately. And I can say it because I finished it to 100% with my OCD making me chase every icon on that boring open world. ALso Platinum 6 in multiplayer.

You can tell when the reviews are paid by a mile, or when a game wins GOTY when just the MP part is out.

I though I was going crazy, but somehow the world is waking up to the huge turd this game is.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Wow, it took me like 1+ hour to read it all, and read the final chapter after doing some work. Well, it's worth reading every single word. This is the most extensive review I've ever read about a game, and very informative not just for Halo fans, but for shooter fans in general. Impressive work and can't say I give a shit about Halo as a franchise but got a lot of great info here, especially the controller part.

I think we need more of these great wall of text, but please hold your horses thicc_girls_are_teh_best thicc_girls_are_teh_best for now as I'm kinda exhausted at the moment.
 
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Ozriel

M$FT
OP basically wrote a thesis to say “if you enjoy it, you’re wrong. My point of view is the only one that matters!”

Wow, it took me like 1+ hour to read it all, and read the final chapter after doing some work. Well, it's worth reading every single word. This is the most extensive review I've ever read about a game, and very informative not just for Halo fans, but for shooter fans in general. Impressive work and can't say I give a shit about Halo as a franchise but get a lot of great info here, especially the controller part.

I think we need more of these great wall of text, but please hold your horses thicc_girls_are_teh_best thicc_girls_are_teh_best for now as I'm kinda exhausted at the moment.

“I didn’t play the game, But OP your review is spot on!”

😂
 

jigglet

Banned
OP basically wrote a thesis to say “if you enjoy it, you’re wrong. My point of view is the only one that matters!”



“I didn’t play the game, But OP your review is spot on!”

😂

He's right though, it's hard to deny. The best reviews come from games you haven't played, cause you are not bound by any bullshit like "reality".
 

Ozriel

M$FT
they did.
It's called gran turismo 7, and the moment it came out people shat all over it.

GT7 came out to strong critic and user reviews. Nobody ‘shat’ on it until the always online debacle forced it offline, plus the extremely controversial addition of MTX post release.

People lying over video games will never stop being fascinating to me.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
OP basically wrote a thesis to say “if you enjoy it, you’re wrong. My point of view is the only one that matters!”



“I didn’t play the game, But OP your review is spot on!”

😂

I just wanted to know how "technically" bad the game is. I mean giving this a title of GOTY was already a massive crime to the gaming community here. After the Slipstream CGI I was seriously considering the game, and have played it back in 360 with my cousin's Xbox360 and it didn't grab my attention. I like sci-fi stuff, but man those goofy encounters were shocking, only to know that they existed since Halo was a thing which made it out of my plans forever.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
This game is the biggest piece of shit I've seen lately. And I can say it because I finished it to 100% with my OCD making me chase every icon on that boring open world. ALso Platinum 6 in multiplayer.

You can tell when the reviews are paid by a mile, or when a game wins GOTY when just the MP part is out.

I though I was going crazy, but somehow the world is waking up to the huge turd this game is.

CGcn19Y.jpg


I don’t see any ‘waking up’, though. mainly angry fanboys, the crew at r/halo and the usual contingent of console warriors.
 

BigLee74

Member
That’s a very wordy OP, containing a lot of repetition, that could easily be boiled down to a few bullet points - the same bullet points that most people would loosely agree with.

I am sure heads have rolled, or will be rolling, at 343 due to the current state of the game. Its clearly a framework with a barebones implementation, but I reckon it can and will be salvaged given some time.

People will come back.

PS. This is still a very good game, and nowhere near the train wreck a select few would have you believe it is.
 
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BlackTron

Member
You're right, and a lot of what is wrong with the game is extremely maddening and frustrating.

That said, the game still does enough right that I play BTB nearly every day. It's not the Halo I wanted exactly, but it's the best Halo I have now and its good enough to have some fun with the MP.

Biggest issue for me is aiming/input, it's the one problem that nearly killed the game for me. The rest of the issues are just things that were done better on old Halo's which is embarrassing but I could live with it. Like the less good physics/explosions.

Mario Odyssey was no Mario 64 but I still got my kicks from it. I guess I've just accepted that I can't expect games to be made the same way they used to. I can just accept modern games for what they are or drive myself crazy yearning for past greatness.

I have to admit, dealing with bloom and controller players with aimbot for months has me ready to play some Overwatch again where I could enjoy shootouts without the BS.
 

NahaNago

Member
It was an interesting read. Hadn't heard anything about that mp achievement grinding before. I wonder what happened with the game to get it to this state. I keep getting the feeling like the game's development got reset after the first trailer considering how long it took to eventually come out and missing so many features.
 

Lone Wolf

Member
Halo 5 Firefight was awesome. Where is it 343? I hate the weapons in Halo Infinite. The vehicles suck too. I want my Oni vehicles back. 6 years and we got a stripped down game.
 
There is a quality of life issue for workers who have to make this game.

Imagine working on a Fornite, you get to model blue pants for Dwayne Johnson, or do Lara Crofts forehead today versus....you make another space motocross helmet. But going further risks making it not Halo.

I like Halo and even I would kill myself at that job. The game is tied to the old ways, and should not be modernized. It should do interesting things for a small community of people that want to stay stuck in time.

I honestly think they killed new games for themselves. It can't fit in today for new reasons, and it couldn't be COD either when that was needed.

I think it could be awesome as a retro throwback multi sandbox thing with actual content. Ot seems they can't make content now, so scale back to when you could. Maybe some Doom style single player experiments every few years, but don't put to much effort there because the universe has zero stories to tell.

What is Infinite about what we have today?
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
Yeah man, nice write up.

I read a very interesting Reddit comment on r/halo that basically said that this game should have been the Smash Ultimate of Halo.

I agree 100%.

It should have launched with Forge, custom game browser, Warzone Firefight, the DMR and Spartan Lazer.

It should have launched with fully remastered versions of Halo’s best ever maps. Sandtrap, Valhalla, The Pit, Guardian, Lockout.

It should have had a robust selection of playlists with weekly alternating special playlists from Shotty Snipes, Griffball, Duos, Infection.

343 spent 6 years delivering what we have now and really it is absolutely not good enough content wise.
 

Hezekiah

Banned
The biggest issue is that the game feels rushed and unfinished.

The production values are missing for a big AAA game, with bland, repetitive visuals, and a lifeless open world in the campaign. Multiplayer got boring for me after about 25 hours with nothing like enough variety and volume of content.

The best thing are the guns (shame you run out of ammo every two mins, but this was my first Halo game so I guess that's a consistent and deliberate design choice) and the combat.
 

Dynasty8

Member
I played through the campaign and a very good amount of the multiplayer, but I am officially done. The fact is, it's not enough. It's catering entirely to nostalgia and not offering enough new things. This is the one time I'll admit that the hardcore fans are wrong and should not be listened too. Since 343 took over, fans have been DEMANDING old school Halo....and well, infinite is basically just that. An old Halo game with a few new things and a fresh coat of paint.

No matter how much people want to say Halo doesn't need any MMO aspects or Battle Royale, they're wrong. Those things would have worked perfectly for a Halo title and kept players playing instead of leaving in large numbers like they have since launch. Infinite doesn't need grinding, but it could have had raids and dungeons similar to Destiny, it could have had its own unique take on a Battle Royale/survival mode, it could have more unique PvE content that keeps players engaged and properly rewards instead of the laughable "challenges" and cosmetics we have now. It could have so much more, but it's so fucking basic.

Most of the past posts I saw from Halo fans since 343 took over the series were 100% content with just an old school campaign, multiplayer and forge. Maybe that's enough for them, but most of us long time fans have moved onto other games that simply offer more. A lot more. I love Halo... the combat has probably evolved in the last 10 years, but the games most definitely haven't.
 

th4tguy

Member
I played through the campaign and a very good amount of the multiplayer, but I am officially done. The fact is, it's not enough. It's catering entirely to nostalgia and not offering enough new things. This is the one time I'll admit that the hardcore fans are wrong and should not be listened too. Since 343 took over, fans have been DEMANDING old school Halo....and well, infinite is basically just that. An old Halo game with a few new things and a fresh coat of paint.

No matter how much people want to say Halo doesn't need any MMO aspects or Battle Royale, they're wrong. Those things would have worked perfectly for a Halo title and kept players playing instead of leaving in large numbers like they have since launch. Infinite doesn't need grinding, but it could have had raids and dungeons similar to Destiny, it could have had its own unique take on a Battle Royale/survival mode, it could have more unique PvE content that keeps players engaged and properly rewards instead of the laughable "challenges" and cosmetics we have now. It could have so much more, but it's so fucking basic.

Most of the past posts I saw from Halo fans since 343 took over the series were 100% content with just an old school campaign, multiplayer and forge. Maybe that's enough for them, but most of us long time fans have moved onto other games that simply offer more. A lot more. I love Halo... the combat has probably evolved in the last 10 years, but the games most definitely haven't.
You are absolutely wrong. Infinite is nothing like old halo games. 343 has not listened to fans and that was apparent from the moment chief sprinted in the reveal demo.
Halo fans for a long time have hated on
Bloom
Sprint
Clamor
Aiming down sites

What really fucked over infinite is insisting on building a custom engine alongside the game and sticking with “modern mechanics” that never fit the halo core gameplay that fans loved.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
2b3.gif


From the opinions i heard so far, the problem is that Halo Infinite is a good game, but Halo is supposed to be much more than a 'good game'.
More objectively, while general gameplay is pretty great, story is ridiculously terrible and the level design and variety is so-so, definitely below Bungie Halo.
 

oldergamer

Member
People overreact when its halo in a irrational way. Single player game is fun. Could they have done more? Always. However games need to ship. Part of this is finding out what was scaled back. Multiplayer needs more love but its the single player game that most care about. Multiplayer in general wore off for me 10 years ago.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
You are absolutely wrong. Infinite is nothing like old halo games. 343 has not listened to fans and that was apparent from the moment chief sprinted in the reveal demo.
Halo fans for a long time have hated on
Bloom
Sprint
Clamor
Aiming down sites

What really fucked over infinite is insisting on building a custom engine alongside the game and sticking with “modern mechanics” that never fit the halo core gameplay that fans loved.

Lmao. The fact that there a tiny, vocal minority that remains desperate to keep this series rooted in the early 2000s will never cease to amaze me.


Imagine being upset because a genetically enhanced warrior can run fast, and can pull himself up on a ledge.

This is why 343 needs to drown folks like you out. They’d never have put a grappling hook if it were up to you
 

Stuart360

Member
Nice to see that all the Sony boys littering this thread all seem to of played the game.

Al;so writing an essay on the subject doesnt mean its true. And why do you care so much that many people like the game?.

I'll just say what i said in one of the many other halo saltmine threads, i played through the campain twice, and put 80 hours into the MP. I thought what we got was pretty damn good.
I'm sorry if that view triggers you so much.
 

Aion002

Member
kenan and kel nicksplat GIF


And I agree.

Initially I enjoyed the game, but after 2 or 3 hours I just quitted... The gameplay is fun, but everything else is boring and the story didn't grab my attention on the sp, while the multiplayer rewards progression is worse than f2p games.


I rather play Destiny 2 than this.... Better gameplay, multiplayer progression and stuff to do.
 

STARSBarry

Gold Member
Even with its flaws, its still NeoGAF's best game of 2021. Thats how good it is.

2021 was truly terrible if the best it could manage was a good game and zero greats.

It speaks volumes that out of people posting in "Game of the Decade" their 3 pics and 2 runner ups that no one even in the runner ups have selected Halo Infinite for "game of the decade" not a single person at least on the forum.

I am sure it will get some votes perhaps from people that are not posting there selections in the thread, but the point still stands. People have just forgotton about it outside of dedicated threads about its issues. Yet multiple people have voted for other games that same year as "game of the decade" Forza Horizon being the obvious one.

I finished it on Legendary, got to level 70ish in the battlepass and dropped it during there fake esports push week. The game is a solid 7/10 but nothing more, the only thing it has going for it is brand name and a grapple hook that's purpose is so you don't notice how empty the environments are as you rapple past them. Forza Horizon was robbed.
 
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Krappadizzle

Gold Member
I agree that the game is in a shit state, and I feel your criticisms are pretty spot on. The campaign never having it's "Flood" moment really let me down, it was just average at best.

That said, I paid $15 for the month of gamepass so I don't feel like I bought a mediocre product, just that I rented one.

I do think the game's "gameplay" feels mostly pretty good and the bones are their for something great to build on. Your issues with controller aiming and other slight tech hiccups just never were problems for me. I'd constantly be top 3 of any match I played and I'd even say I played on older hardware than probably most diehards.

I don't plan on going back to Infinite until co-op at a minimum. So who knows that'll be.
 
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