Halo Infinite: Why it must Succeed

It is no surprise to anyone that Microsoft spent the Xbox one/PlayStation 4 generation playing catch up.

Microsoft made big changes to their company from dropping high up employees, appointing Phil Spencer to lead The Xbox division trying to get it back on track and introducing game pass to pull players back into the Xbox ecosystem.

I played the Xbox 360 almost exclusively during that generation of consoles. When the PlayStation 4/ Xbox one were first shown I decided to go with the PlayStation 4. I was looking for a console to play games and the Xbox One seemed more focused on movies and tv.

I have been impressed with the direction that Phil Spencer and the Xbox team has taken over the course of the last few years. Purchasing talented studios like Ninja Theory, Obsidian and Bethesda to compete with the exclusive studios that Sony has cultivated over the years.

Xbox Series X and Game pass currently is the most excited that I have been for a Microsoft console since the Xbox 360 days. I look forward to picking up a Series X and game pass as soon as possible.

Yet, I think that Microsoft has one area where they must succeed if they are to truly compete with PlayStation, they must release an amazing Halo game.

Halo has been a pillar of the Xbox roster. Thinking back to the nights of playing Halo 3 multiplayer with friends, playing through the campaign of Halo Reach online and staying up way to late after in Firefight.

Yet, Halo has not been considered the game that it once was since Halo Reach. Halo 4 and Halo 5 Guardians were met with a lot of disappointment within the Halo community. 343 has had an up hill battle when it comes to telling their vision of Bungie’s Sci-fi shooter.

343 needs to succeed in many different areas with Halo infinite. Microsoft knows that they can not have another bad/mediocre Halo game which is why they delayed Infinite last Fall. So, what does Halo Infinite need to succeed?

1. Campaign

Halo Infinite needs to tell an interesting and somewhat simple story. I even think that using infinite as a launching point for new players may be a wise decision. There are plenty of people in the world that have either never touched a Halo game or are lapsed players due to Halo 4 and 5 not being games that interested said players.

I think ideas like open worlds, tackling objectives in the order the player wants and the grapple device are all great ways of expanding on what Halo can be without the gaming looking like a whole new series. I just hope that 343 can finally deliver on the story side of the campaign as well.

2. Multiplayer

This is an area where I feel that Halo needs to accomplish a few different miracles. I think that they need to deliver on the classic Halo multiplayer experience for those of us that enjoyed playing the original halo games with our friends.

Yet, the year is also 2021 and 343 has already implemented interesting changes to the multiplayer experience of Halo. In Halo 5 Guardians they had the mode Warzone, this was a neat PvPvE idea that with improvements could be a neat mode in infinite.

There are also other successful changes in games like Call of Duty. Large scale modes like Ground War/Fireteam have made for larger battles in multiplayer shooters, this is something that Halo Infinite could definitely implement in multiplayer.

The biggest thing that I am looking for in multiplayer is just the drive to keep picking it up. I want it to feel like the good old days of Halo 3 multiplayer and to have some iteration of Forge.

3. Battle Royals/ New Experience

In 2021 games come and go about as fast as we read the name of the game for the first time online.

There have been so many popular games that have taken the world by storm over just the last year. Whether it was Fall Guys, Among Us or now Valheim. The games that are the most popular are the ones with stand out features that streamers and players can experience with their friends.

I feel that if Halo is going to return in such a way that truly takes Halo back to its glory days it is going to need a feature that makes it popular with the general gaming audience. Whether this feature is a battle royale or it is some new coop looter shooter gameplay experience that is not connected to the campaign. Halo needs a way to pull in a new crowd to ensure the future of the Halo brand.

Halo, Goodbye

Ultimately, Halo is in a really great place right now and I am very happy to be excited about a Halo game and the Xbox platform again.

I hope that we get the ultimate Halo experience this Fall that really shows us that Microsoft and 343 are capable of making a Halo experience that rivals what Bungie did over a decade ago.

Want to read more of my gaming opinions? Check out my other articles! Want to discuss Halo? Leave a comment on this article or hit me up on Twitter @zombiesoundwave