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When Halo Infinite was delayed last year for an entire year I told myself it was a good thing. Let's be honest, last year was a very poor showing for such a huge franchise, game looked like a good looking early/mid gen Xbox One game.

343 also mentioned that the game was already playable from A to Z but that they would be using this extra year for polish. Graphically it looks like it's gone from the equivalent of medium settings to high settings. Personally what we have now was the least I was expecting from a Halo game running on Series X hardware.

Still looking forward to seeing a new gameplay trailer though for the campaign because that will give us an even better idea of how much progress they've made.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

 

[Vasto]

"The light is green"

 

[iHaunter]

Definitely an improvement. Glad they delayed the game - having said that, it's just a retexture.

Have they fixed the Brute's face?

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Looks so much better now.

Been playing Halo 5 for some time.

Taking a break now to wait for this.

 

[Krappadizzle]

I wouldn't call the visual improvements "major" by any stretch. I do think they look better, lighting seems to have seen the biggest improvement over the initial reveal, but I'd still only say it looks adequate.

I didn't find the initial reveal to be nearly as offensive as some people did and thought it looked fun though so what do I know?

I do think it looks good and that the art direction does a good job of finding that middle ground between recent Halo's and the classic ones.

I wouldn't prop up the game as a visual showcase based off what's been shown so far, but it does look super damn fun and is probably my most anticipated game of the year.

 

[Mister Wolf]

The most anticipated game of the year. Wish it released sooner. Everything else seems second tier compared to it.

 

[Haggard]

Sounds like quite quite an exaggeration.
In the few snippets we got to see it looked like what you`d expect from a reshade- and texture mod, far from anything "major".
We need a poper gameplay demonstration.

 

[elliot5]

I'm pumped. Some of these comparisons are pretty good because they are in similar lighting conditions / direction of light. Really shows the texturing and material response differences.

Some like Chief in the cutscenes aren't great because they're very different lighting. I still really like Chief in 2020 and hope it's not drastically different from that look in a like-for-like cutscene.

 

[Spacefish]

Went from mediocre to pretty good, nothing mindblowing but I'm kind of ok with that, I don't want to have to upgrade my GPU in this climate.

 

[JOEVIAL]

Definitely an improvement. Glad they delayed the game - having said that, it's just a retexture.

Have they fixed the Brute's face?

Textures and lighting make or break visuals.... yes there is more to it than that, but even even the highest detailed mesh will suffer without good texture and lighting work.

With that said, Halo Infinite is looking just fine. Nothing earth shattering... but it looks good. The art style is looking fantastic IMO... like a modernized original XBOX game. I totally dig it.

 

[mitchman]

Are the trees still static? I noticed in the trailer from 2 weeks ago, they didn't move even though the wind was blowing the smoke.

 

[Silent Viper]

Textures and lighting improvements mostly. You will not different art style or something. It looks better now.


Increase LODs was mostly needed. Multiplayer alone looks much better. So i expect bigger improvements in Sp

 

[iJudged]

2020

2021

 

[Black_Stride]

Damn the lighting in the multiplayer looks better than the lighting in the campaign from last year.
Giving the textures an extra layer of grime/damage was def a good decisions....the game looked alittle too clean in its original showing.
<---Actually liked the clean look.

Def a major improvement.
If they have an RT patch in the works even a screenspace GI solution and this game is going to look stunning.

Good GI makes a world of difference.,

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Two improvements that really stuck out to me were the lighting and color grading; the former looking more natural and with better contrast of lights and shadows (probably due to increases in geometric density), the latter unifying the color palette and temperature together while still keeping a lot of the saturation from before.

I think they have a pretty good mix of the original game's art style but with a healthy mix of design elements from the latter games and some clear increases in visual density & clarity benefited by the current-gen systems. I'm actually looking forward to the game now which is something I couldn't of said last year.

Are the trees still static? I noticed in the trailer from 2 weeks ago, they didn't move even though the wind was blowing the smoke.

Curious of this as well; if they still are I hope they add movement to them as the game's being finished. Would be an oddity otherwise.

 

[Andodalf]

Damn the lighting in the multiplayer looks better than the lighting in the campaign from last year.
Giving the textures an extra layer of grime/damage was def a good decisions....the game looked alittle too clean in its original showing.
<---Actually liked the clean look.

Def a major improvement.
If they have an RT patch in the works even a screenspace GI solution and this game is going to look stunning.

Good GI makes a world of difference.,

they said long ago the only RT would be reflections

 

[Black_Stride]

they said long ago the only RT would be reflections

Booo!!!!!

Wasnt that before they did this whole revamp.
Unlikely to be a full GI pass but maybe a diffuse lighting pass or even a software GI solution.

 

[Dr.D00p]

Lipstick on a pig...

 

[Andodalf]

Booo!!!!!

Wasnt that before they did this whole revamp.
Unlikely to be a full GI pass but maybe a diffuse lighting pass or even a software GI solution.

I think anything other than maybe RTAO would be over ambitious as a late addition.

 

[Represent.]

Lipstick on a pig...

Indeed.

Blows my mind how 3rd party, multiplat STALKER 2 looks a full gen ahead of Microsofts flagship magnum opus.

 

[Leyasu]

It looks better for sure, but it ain't a looker.

I still think that they will push this out, and upgrade the XsX grfx next year.

I can't wait for this game though.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Lipstick on a pig...

Still delicious bacon regardless.

Indeed.

Blows my mind how 3rd party, multiplat STALKER 2 looks a full gen ahead of Microsofts flagship magnum opus.

So you are surprised a next-gen exclusive looks better than a cross-gen game?

 

[Black_Stride]

Indeed.

Blows my mind how 3rd party, multiplat STALKER 2 looks a full gen ahead of Microsofts flagship magnum opus.

A nextgen game looks better than a crossgen game that runs at 120fps?

You dont say!

 

[Represent.]

Still delicious bacon regardless.

So you are surprised a next-gen exclusive looks better than a cross-gen game?

Horizon 2 crushed the cross gen argument. God of War probably will too.

343 just needs more time. This game has no excuse not to look absolutely bonkers.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Horizon 2 crushed the cross gen argument. God of War probably will too.

343 just needs more time. This game has no excuse not to look absolutely bonkers.

"Crushed" lol. Ok bud. Horizon 2 looks like a half-step above the first game. It looks good, but it doesn't look leagues better than the first game and certainly not much better than what's been shown from many other games. Even that aside, we've not seen last-gen footage to make a comparison. I'll bet that the PS4 version looks pretty damn good too and when it's shown your argument is gonna look pretty funny.

 

[Negotiator101]

Horizon 2 crushed the cross gen argument. God of War probably will too.

343 just needs more time. This game has no excuse not to look absolutely bonkers.

Horizon 2 is 30fps and has limited interaction with foliage, no where near the physics engine of Halo Infinite.

 

[Plantoid]

Looks incredible for a open world game ( multiplayer is 120fps also)

 

[JackMcGunns]

Horizon 2 is 30fps and has limited interaction with foliage, no where near the physics engine of Halo Infinite.

 

[fallingdove]

Horizon 2 is 30fps and has limited interaction with foliage, no where near the physics engine of Halo Infinite.

How does one compare frame rate output and foliage interaction to physics capabilities? Or maybe you are suggesting that 343, of all companies, has built a more capable engine in Slipspace than Guerilla have with Decima?

 

[Negotiator101]

How does one compare frame rate output and foliage interaction to physics capabilities? Or maybe you are suggesting that 343, of all companies, has built a more capable engine in Slipspace than Guerilla have with Decima?

How does one compare a third person open world adventure to a FPS? Ask the person I was replying to.

 

[Codes 208]

Is this a new comparison video or is it the same one that posted right after e3?

Im at work so I can’t watch

 

[fallingdove]

How does one compare a third person open world adventure to a FPS? Ask the person I was replying to.

It doesn't seem like too big of a stretch to compare HFW and Halo Infinite. Both games are open-ish world games with a mixture of organic/mechanical graphical assets. Perspective shouldn't be a major differentiator in terms of visuals. I don't believe that the running/combat animations in HFW's 3rd person perspective compared to Halo Infinite's floating hands would be THE factor in evaluating the graphics between the two.

We are still talking about a console in XSX that is supposed to have a 15-20% advantage in power. If artistic talent and engine efficiency are equal, Halo Infinite should still be the standout in terms of asset volume, lighting, geometric complexity, textures, etc. Halo Infinite has not looked substantially better than HFW thus far.

Still - neither game is out yet so aside from discussing video and screenshots, it's difficult to get the total picture as to what is happening between the two games.

 

[Leyasu]

We are still talking about a console in XSX that is supposed to have a 15-20% advantage in power.

That % advantage is only as good as the people working with it. Halo was either in dev hell, the slipspace engine is not great, they took too long making the engine,something else or a combination of several things. Whatever way you look at it though, 343 needs a management shake up

Put it this way, imagine what Guerilla could do with the XsX if they were making a game solely for that console using their decima engine.....

 

[Negotiator101]

It doesn't seem like too big of a stretch to compare HFW and Halo Infinite. Both games are open-ish world games with a mixture of organic/mechanical graphical assets. Perspective shouldn't be a major differentiator in terms of visuals. I don't believe that the running/combat animations in HFW's 3rd person perspective compared to Halo Infinite's floating hands would be THE factor in evaluating the graphics between the two.

We are still talking about a console in XSX that is supposed to have a 15-20% advantage in power. If artistic talent and engine efficiency are equal, Halo Infinite should still be the standout in terms of asset volume, lighting, geometric complexity, textures, etc. Halo Infinite has not looked substantially better than HFW thus far.

Still - neither game is out yet so aside from discussing video and screenshots, it's difficult to get the total picture as to what is happening between the two games.

Nice little breakdown, the graphics so far seen from both are running at very different frame rates. Unless you are suggesting Halo would look the same if it was running at 30fps?

 

[Vasto]

 

[fallingdove]

Nice little breakdown, the graphics so far seen from both are running at very different frame rates. Unless you are suggesting Halo would look the same if it was running at 30fps?

I don't think frame rate matters at this point given we don't know how performant the titles will be. I think you can compare these two companies and their visual capabilities based on existing footage of these games and their historical releases though. I also think you can make valid visual comparisons regardless of player perspective. Right now, Halo Infinite and Slipspace are less impressive than HFW and Decima.

 

[JerryinSoCal]

It doesn't seem like too big of a stretch to compare HFW and Halo Infinite. Both games are open-ish world games with a mixture of organic/mechanical graphical assets. Perspective shouldn't be a major differentiator in terms of visuals. I don't believe that the running/combat animations in HFW's 3rd person perspective compared to Halo Infinite's floating hands would be THE factor in evaluating the graphics between the two.

We are still talking about a console in XSX that is supposed to have a 15-20% advantage in power. If artistic talent and engine efficiency are equal, Halo Infinite should still be the standout in terms of asset volume, lighting, geometric complexity, textures, etc. Halo Infinite has not looked substantially better than HFW thus far.

Still - neither game is out yet so aside from discussing video and screenshots, it's difficult to get the total picture as to what is happening between the two games.

Halo is the ish game there HFW is open world but the comparison is silly as there are a lot more details in the character models in HFW than their are in Halo.

 

[Negotiator101]

I don't think frame rate matters at this point given we don't know how performant the titles will be. I think you can compare these two companies and their visual capabilities based on existing footage of these games and their historical releases though. I also think you can make valid visual comparisons regardless of player perspective. Right now, Halo Infinite and Slipspace are less impressive than HFW and Decima.

Frame rate matters greatly in pushing graphical fidelity, a 30fps game has twice as much time to render the image over a 60fps game and 4 times as much over a 120fps game. I was impressed with both games but for different reasons and I look forward to seeing more of both.

 

[ZywyPL]

I see Tony Hawk doing his 900 degree spin :/ But I'm not a Halo fan so maybe that's why.

 

[Dave_at_Home]

Anyone else think it's really difficult to "improve" the look of Halo. Halo has such a distinctive look with simple geometry, muted color palette, and funky looking enemies. The whole package is in service of the more wider mapped and slower pace of combat. I dunno . I just don't have any interest in Halo being pushed into a more fast paced Call of Duty arena. I hope the team proves the hardcore wrong and nails this one.

 

[Salz01]

Anyone else think it's really difficult to "improve" the look of Halo. Halo has such a distinctive look with simple geometry, muted color palette, and funky looking enemies. The whole package is in service of the more wider mapped and slower pace of combat. I dunno . I just don't have any interest in Halo being pushed into a more fast paced Call of Duty arena. I hope the team proves the hardcore wrong and nails this one.

Ah, they could have done it like this to improve….

 

[Deputy Moonman]

Indeed.

Blows my mind how 3rd party, multiplat STALKER 2 looks a full gen ahead of Microsofts flagship magnum opus.

To me Stalker 2 looks like a sad clone of previous corridor shooters with little imagination or scope. Come back to us when it expands to large scale battles with better enemy AI and tighter, faster gameplay. When you wander around a map in slow motion in a limited space or environment it's not hard to focus on graphics much.

 

[Nocturno999]

MS shouldn't have overpromised 4k @120 FPS in an open environment.

 

[elliot5]

MS shouldn't have overpromised 4k @120 FPS in an open environment.

They literally never claimed 4K120 in campaign. Idk if they even claimed 4K120 for multiplayer and just said 120fps. But sure as hell never campaign

 

[Umbasaborne]

Textures look great on mp maps, but they are still hiding the campaign...

 

[Yoboman]

Looks significantly better, but just highlights how bad it looked to start. It looked straight up Xbox 360 quality in areas

 

[Yoboman]

Ah, they could have done it like this to improve….

MS dont get called out on their fake ass CG trailers enough

 

[elliot5]

MS dont get called out on their fake ass CG trailers enough

It was an in-engine trailer from 3 years ago bruh things change during development.

 

[ripeavocado]

This looks like astroturfing, half assed comparisons my armchair “experts” saying that a game that still looks bad for an old gen console is now looking much better.
There may have been some improvement but this game needs a miracle.

If people starts to convince themselves of this it’s going to be so sad and embarrassing.