![]() ![]() And by “a lot,” I mean “running over Jackals in a Banished crotch rocket.” ( Halo Infinite screenshot) Zeta Halo is full of secrets, challenges, upgrades, optional fights, and Easter eggs, with a lot to see and do, and a lot of flexibility about how you get around each zone. In a first for the Halo series, you’re given downtime between major story missions where you can roam freely across the surface of Zeta Halo, which 343 has said is the biggest map it’s ever built. The other big difference between Infinite and its predecessors is that much of its setting, the previously-unexplored Zeta Halo, is also open for exploration. They’ve got their uses, especially once cloaked assassins start to come after you, but they don’t have the sheer utility of the grappling hook. There are several other pieces of equipment you can find and equip to the Master Chief’s armor, such as a threat detector that counters enemies’ active camouflage and a portable energy shield. ![]() Even if I could only use it for deviant anti-aircraft purposes, it’d be worth it. I’d go so far as to call the grappling hook the single best thing about Infinite, and I would pay an exorbitant amount of money to have it added to past Halo games as DLC. You can also upgrade the grappling hook into a giant taser, which I can’t stop using. I used to hate seeing an enemy Banshee in Halo 4, but in Infinite, I get to hookshot right onto them and kick their pilot in the face. You can even use it to jump onto and hijack enemy vehicles, which is a huge tactical upgrade. You can say a lot of things about the Master Chief, but he’s never been particularly fast or agile, and the grappling hook addresses that. With the hook, you can scale walls, get onto high ledges, grab distant objects, zipline yourself out of (or into) danger, or pull yourself straight towards an enemy so you can chin-check him with a rifle butt. You start the game with it, and it immediately redefines how Halo‘s combat works. The first of two big differences between Infinite and the previous games in the series is its relative flexibility, courtesy of the grappling hook. You’re once again playing as the Master Chief, up against a force of ex-Covenant aliens, fighting across the surface of one of the ancient alien Halo rings that gives the series its name. If you’ve ever played a Halo campaign before, you should be on familiar ground with Infinite right from the start. If I had to describe the appeal of Halo Infinite as simply as possible, I’d say “It’s Halo, but now you have a grappling hook.” Sequel hook It’s my sniper’s nest now, lunch meat! ( Halo Infinite screenshot) It’s still got a few lingering issues, though, not least of which is how obviously it’s servicing the Halo brand. Infinite‘s campaign mode is easily the best single-player Halo campaign that 343 has made yet, with a few levels that are among the best in series history. It’s meant as a “spiritual reboot” for the series, continuing Halo‘s story but hitting a reset switch on its overall gameplay. Infinite, by comparison, feels like 343 made a deliberate attempt to boil Halo down to its essentials, then build on that foundation. I played Halo 4 and 5 in preparation for Infinite, and didn’t really care for either Halo 4‘s campaign comes off like it was made as a contractual obligation, while Halo 5 tries to do some new things but doesn’t stick the landing. Under 343’s development, Halo‘s multiplayer has been as good as it’s ever been, but its campaigns have been in rough shape. Infinite is the final game in Halo‘s informal “Reclaimer Trilogy,” a new plotline that began in 2012 with Halo 4. Microsoft subsequently founded 343 to continue work on the Halo franchise. Halo was originally created by Bungie, which split from Microsoft in 2007 and ceased working on Halo after 2010’s Halo: Reach. This is the third original game in the core Halo series by the Kirkland, Wash.-based 343 Industries, a first-party Xbox studio. At its worst, it feels like it’s going through the motions, content to invoke nostalgia and sustain the brand. Halo Infinite‘s campaign, in its best moments, makes me remember why Halo became popular in the first place. ![]() Master Chief, 2021 edition, and the Weapon. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |