THE BEST DEALS OF THE DAY
Practical information about the exam
Game time : N / A
Platform: xbox series x
Anyone who knows the Master Chief of Halo knows that the 7-foot Spartan is a man of few words. So, in the mind of John-117, I'm going to cut right to the chase: Halo Infinite's campaign has the potential to be the biggest entry in the series yet.
It may sound hyperbolic, blasphemous even to those who still consider titles from former developer Bungie to be the crème de la crème of Halo campaigns. But after completing the first four missions of the Halo Infinite campaign, which launches on December 8, 2021, believe me when I say that the game's single-player experience has taken my admittedly cautious expectations and sent them into the stratosphere.
The Ghost of Halo 5: The Guardians' Monotonous, Uninspired Campaign, which has hung over developer 343 Industries like a dark and ominous cloud since 2015, has finally been exorcised. The horribly convoluted story, endless gunfights, and nonsensical characters are gone. In its place is a game that captures the very essence of Halo: Combat Evolved and offers something the original title could never have achieved: true player freedom.
- XBOX Series Halo Infinite (Gold download) on Amazon for €59.99
Halo Infinite price and release date
- What is it? A first-person shooter and the sixth main entry in the Halo series.
- Release date? December 8th 2021
- What can I play in? Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
- Prize? €59.99 / €54.99 / €79.95
Comrades in arms
While I won't dwell too much on the main story elements of Halo Infinite (although I will say I was hooked from the opening scene), I am referring to the final three members of the Halo Infinite cast: The Weapon, The Pilot, and Escharum. .
Halo veterans will instantly gravitate towards the game's new AI companion, The Weapon. She is full of charisma and almost feels like a familiar face due to his similarities to Cortana. However, he is not just a carbon copy. The weapon is much easier to live with than its holographic counterpart (especially given Cortana's dramatic character change in Halo 4 and Halo 5) and has a habit of bringing out a more playful side of Master Chief that players have rarely seen.
The new AI is noticeably more naive than Cortana ever was, and like you, the player, is slowly trying to piece together everything that's happened since the Banished, a powerful army of Brutes and Alliances. . From his witty interjections to his thoughtful observations, it's great to have a little voice in the Chief's head again.
The pilot, likewise, is also oddly likeable right off the bat. Desperate to return home to his family, the pilot strives to help the leader eliminate the outcasts and seems to add a solid perspective to the super soldier's relentless pursuit of duty. Although the pilot plays a supporting role at first, I can't wait to learn more about the story progression from him as the game progresses.
What about the antagonists of Halo Infinite, the Banished? Well, let's just say I can't remember the last time I was really intimidated by an enemy in a Halo game. That was until the deep, guttural tones of the banished chieftain Escharum graced my presence. He is a terrifying brute and is established early on as a formidable foe.
Halo reborn
Therefore, the story of Halo Infinite is very promising. But I would argue that the series' lore isn't exactly the main reason so many gamers fell in love with the original game 20 years ago. No, it was the moment-to-moment gameplay that really cemented Bungie's first-person shooter in the annals of video game history. And I'm happy to report that it's better than ever in Halo Infinite.
Halo Infinite's campaign begins in a starkly linear fashion as you mow down waves of animated Grunts, Rugged Brutes, and Deadly Elite aboard a now-ravaged starship. However, you are quickly introduced to a number of new gameplay mechanics and design decisions that have a dramatic effect on how Halo fundamentally feels and plays.
The first change seems pretty insignificant, but it's something I never got tired of during my hands. You can now pick up various explosive bombs and throw them at enemies. We've been popping red barrels and stuff in video games for years, but being able to catch and throw those environmental hazards in front of a running Brute is incredibly liberating. And luckily, there's also a handy way to grab those volatile shells from a distance.
Already rightly praised in Halo Infinite multiplayer, the Grappleshot is nothing short of a revelation. You can shoot guns and cartridges at him; easily scale heights and buildings that were previously impossible; Throw around corners to escape danger and shoot enemies for a satisfying kill.
The Grappleshot adds so much player freedom and crossover options that it's hard to imagine how Master Chief and the Halo series as a whole could have done without. Not once does he feel stuck or unnecessary. Instead, it's something that never fails to evoke a giddy sense of satisfaction when you use it to unlock a new level of vertical combat in Halo that wasn't previously possible.
From the trunk
After a familiar introduction and familiarity with the new Master Chief toys, the world of the game, and what you can do about it, opens up. Much like that moment when Link stands atop the Grand Plateau in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Halo Infinite's Zeta Halo will likely evoke the same mind-boggling reaction in many gamers: it longs to be explored and it's fascinated. for its beauty. .
When you walk into the game's first open area and see countless enemies dotted around the environment and scattered far and wide, Halo Infinite presents your first opportunity to really flex your legendary sandbox muscles.
You'll have various Spartan weapons and abilities at your disposal to help you take out the enemy, but how you approach them is completely up to you. Perhaps you want to take out The Banished from a distance using a long-range weapon? No problem, use the Hookshot to get to a higher vantage point and get there.
But what about these newcomers inside these buildings? Your trusty assault rifle should be able to deal with them with melee attacks at the right time. Under fire from enemy reinforcements? Drop a shield and turn the tide of your enemies. Enter a large group of Grunts? Drop a fiery blue plasma grenade into the mix and watch them scatter.
These constant moments of freedom offered to the player are immensely satisfying, made easier by Zeta Halo's massive scale and new destruction tools like the Grappinshot.
That blank canvas that Halo Infinite almost gives the player, unsurprisingly, leads to the kind of in-game moments you just want to share with others. One of my highlights was throwing a plasma canister at a group of Brutes disembarking from a plane and watching them explode on impact. Unfortunately, I couldn't capture this moment on my Xbox Series X due to preview playback, but rest assured, I did let out some enthusiastic curses when it happened.
A walk in the woods
But how does Halo's open world work in a series that has traditionally always pointed the player in a clear direction? Well, there are still more story-based quests to complete, but this time you'll have a number of optional side activities that you can tackle.
The most important of these secondary activities revolves around the capture of Forward Operating Bases (FOBs). Take out a bunch of enemies from a FOB, and not only will you reveal more areas of interest on the map, but you'll also be able to use your new outpost to summon vehicles, weapons, and marines to help you fight. However, to use the best equipment, you need to gain value.
Bravery can be earned by completing various missions, such as taking out high-value targets, overthrowing banished fortresses, and rescuing captured marines. You can also find Mjolnir armor lockers that contain cosmetic items that can be used in multiplayer, data blocks that extend the game's lore, and Spartan cores to enhance your abilities.
The more value you gain, which basically acts as a reputation gauge of sorts, the more firepower you can bring to the banished forces. And when you have a Razorback full of Marines and a SPNKR rocket launcher on your back, the odds can shift dramatically in your favor.
Now, I admit that the gameplay loop above may sound too familiar for open world gameplay. But Halo Infinite's emphasis on player freedom and sandbox gameplay is the perfect combination. You don't have to do these quests, but naturally I found myself chasing down all the targets, strongholds, and armadas that needed help, as the gameplay is so finely tuned that every encounter was new and exciting. Here, we don't just scale elaborate towers and jump on wheelbarrows full of hay.
For story-driven missions, the game cleverly rewrites and takes you through impressive internal structures and complete objectives as you go. So it's classic Halo, but it definitely looks new at the same time.
environmental wonder
Halo Infinite's rewarding gameplay and gripping story are backed by truly premium sound design. It may seem superfluous to some, but Halo Infinite looks absolutely phenomenal. I've always loved good sound, but it's as if Halo Infinite was specially designed to take full advantage of Dolby Atmos and spatial audio. It's a heavenly listening experience.
From the ability to locate enemies with amazing accuracy to…