Halo infinite is a Top 3 Halo and could become Top 1
I want to preface this post with the fact that I’ve been wearing my Halo 3 colored glasses since I was four back in 2008. However, every night when I log on to Halo infinite, I can’t help but to think about just how fun and whole this game now feels. If I had to rank all of the Halo games I think infinite would be just behind halo 3 and halo 2 and just ahead of CE. Honestly it would beat out halo 2 if it weren’t for H2’s tremendous campaign.
What does Halo infinite need to be the best?
(Many of these things will never happen, but if 343 could accomplish most of this list, I truly believe Halo infinite could be the best Halo.
- Playable Elites (Back in the H2 to reach days it felt as though about half of the player base chose to play as elites. This is something that would require a lot of work from 343 but I still feel like this is pretty likely to happen)
-Lobbies (One of infinites weakest aspects is it’s sense of community. It’s extremely rare to hear voice chat in game and there’s no time to even interact with other players as the lobby disbands immediately after the match. I honestly don’t think this will change anytime soon. It seems the entire industry has shifted to engagement based matchmaking (sbmm) as opposed to a more social experience.)
-Firefight (I know firefight is already confirmed for the season 5 mid season update but I want to make the point that once dev made firefight launches there will be no arguing that halo infinite is feature-complete)
-True Coating Customization (Halo infinite’s coating system has the potential for the greatest and most fully fledged customization in a halo game. However, right now coatings are very restrictive. Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure there is no solid black coating. Imagine if it was up to the player to color every individual piece of the armor. It’s the same way with the emblems which are laughably shallow. I understand why it’s setup like it is now but it is very unfortunate when considering this systems potential. )
-Fully cross core armor ( I think that this will eventually happen. It will probably take the next few seasons or so but when it does happen Infinite will easily have the most armor combinations in any halo game.)
-Campaign DLC (We all know this probably isn’t going to happen. Halo infinite had a very solid foundation in its campaign. When you combine the setting, art direction, and enemy ai (which I think is the best in the series) you have a very solid start. However I don’t think that the story or environments were executed perfectly in infinites campaign. It would be fantastic to have a new experience in different biomes. Think back to levels like The silent cartographer, The ark, the covenant, cortona, and Halo. Imagine unique and interesting environments like that in a halo infinite campaign. This might just be a personal preference but hopefully the story would be a little broader and more focused on the unsc and chiefs struggle with the banished and Zeta Halo. Halo is supposed to be an epic space opera and a little less character focused in my opinion. )
-Halo Infinites mark on Halo
(Every Halo game has innovated in some way over the last and had its own big mode. Halo 2 was the introduction and bolstering of online multiplayer. Halo 3’s was forge and theater mode. Halo 3: ODST was firefight mode. Halo reach was invasion? Halo 4 essentially revamped the entire multiplayer with war games and infinity slayer. Halo 5s was warzone. So whether it’s a BR or some other mode, infinite needs its own identity. It’s own mark on the series. (You could argue that forgeable AI is this for infinite but right now a I think it’s a little to early to make that call))
Let me know if I missed anything. Also I want to take a second to give thanks to the guys at 343 like Pierre Hintze that have breathed new life into the franchise that we all love.