H2A vs Infinite

Games Halo Infinite
1

After playing the first flight I had some mixed feelings about Infinite. It may be an unpopular opinion, but this was the first time I have played a new Halo and was immediately disappointed. I understand it was a test flight but It was not what I expected. So in-regards to the topic, I felt like Halo 2 Anniversary multiplayer was great in a lot of ways. First off, the visuals and sound were perfect. The animations for explosions and effects were by far the best in any of the Halo games. I feel like we got a taste of a potentially amazing version of halo. With some additions like sprint, grapple, and a mix of halo reach, 3, 4, 5, this could have been a masterpiece. I’m not a fan of the aesthetic of halo infinite or many of the gameplay aspects. I realize many of the issues are being addressed which makes me hopeful, and I hope it continues to improve, but right now I feel like there is a reason the game is going to be “Free”. As an OG halo player from 2001, Infinite so far was a big step in the wrong direction for me. I know a lot people say that about halo 4 or 5, but I felt they were good evolutions of the game that made sense. The main thing that lost of most players on halo 5, IMO, was the loss of 4 player split screen. Im just curious of how other players felt who have played classic halo, H2A, and the infinite flight.

Am I crazy or did 343 miss the mark on this one?

2

> 2533274803598488;1:
> After playing the first flight I had some mixed feelings about Infinite. It may be an unpopular opinion, but this was the first time I have played a new Halo and was immediately disappointed. I understand it was a test flight but It was not what I expected. So in-regards to the topic, I felt like Halo 2 Anniversary multiplayer was great in a lot of ways. First off, the visuals and sound were perfect. The animations for explosions and effects were by far the best in any of the Halo games. I feel like we got a taste of a potentially amazing version of halo. With some additions like sprint, grapple, and a mix of halo reach, 3, 4, 5, this could have been a masterpiece. I’m not a fan of the aesthetic of halo infinite or many of the gameplay aspects. I realize many of the issues are being addressed which makes me hopeful, and I hope it continues to improve, but right now I feel like there is a reason the game is going to be “Free”. As an OG halo player from 2001, Infinite so far was a big step in the wrong direction for me. I know a lot people say that about halo 4 or 5, but I felt they were good evolutions of the game that made sense. The main thing that lost of most players on halo 5, IMO, was the loss of 4 player split screen. Im just curious of how other players felt who have played classic halo, H2A, and the infinite flight.
>
> Am I crazy or did 343 miss the mark on this one?

What don’t you like about Infinite’s aesthetics?

(For one example) Imo Live Fire looks like it could have been a H3 map back in the day (but obviously it has better graphics overall than a game that old).

And I disagree about H4 being an evolution of Halo that makes sense. It leaned farther away from equal starts and map control than any other Halo title in the series. H5 tried to bring it back with equal starts, but the movement tricks players eventually figured out made map control itself less important than in the legacy titles.

I don’t want to get a giant classic/modern debate going, but I’m happy Infinite is pivoting back towards legacy titles where the focus is on equal start gameplay where weapons and equipment have to be scavenged from the map, not selected in a loadout or dropped in like a kill streak. I loved H5 MP, but I’m totally fine with us essentially getting a modern day facelift of H3 which is what Infinite felt like to me.

3

I have to disagree with you on this one. H2A is in my opinion way to cluttered with effects. Especially in objective based games it is often hard to see anything clearly at all. Also the game is very blurry, mostly on brighter maps like lockout. Don’t get me wrong, I like the artstyle and the visuals are great for campaign but for mp I need very clear, crisp visuals. Every other halo game has this, but H2A is overshooting the target by a mile. I’m happy with the halo infinite style and decisions e. g. the friend or foe system helps with clear and customizable visuals.

4

> 2533274803598488;1:
> So in-regards to the topic, I felt like Halo 2 Anniversary multiplayer was great in a lot of ways. First off, the visuals and sound were perfect. The animations for explosions and effects were by far the best in any of the Halo games. I feel like we got a taste of a potentially amazing version of halo. With some additions like sprint, grapple, and a mix of halo reach, 3, 4, 5, this could have been a masterpiece. I’m not a fan of the aesthetic of halo infinite or many of the gameplay aspects.

H2A was held back by being built off of Halo 4, both in terms of art style as well as the general engine (lighting for example). It’s gameplay was the best part of it.
Infinite improved upon the visuals but bungled the mechanics, in part because of additions like sprint and bloom.
Sorry, OP, but I absolutely disagree on that. If anything, Infinite should have kept the H2A gameplay and changed the visuals to the ones we have now, not the other way around.

5

It makes sense you’d like H2A gameplay as it uses the same engine as H4, which you also like. Unfortunately for you, that’s also probably the least popular Halo game from a gameplay standpoint, specifically in multiplayer. I’d say as a general rule more people are happy with Infinite’s gameplay than aren’t, where people aren’t as happy is the systems surrounding it. Hopefully there’s a game mode in Infinite that caters to your play style a little more, but if I were you I wouldn’t expect the gameplay to change much from what we’ve seen so far

6

> 2614366390849210;2:
> > 2533274803598488;1:
> > After playing the first flight I had some mixed feelings about Infinite. It may be an unpopular opinion, but this was the first time I have played a new Halo and was immediately disappointed. I understand it was a test flight but It was not what I expected. So in-regards to the topic, I felt like Halo 2 Anniversary multiplayer was great in a lot of ways. First off, the visuals and sound were perfect. The animations for explosions and effects were by far the best in any of the Halo games. I feel like we got a taste of a potentially amazing version of halo. With some additions like sprint, grapple, and a mix of halo reach, 3, 4, 5, this could have been a masterpiece. I’m not a fan of the aesthetic of halo infinite or many of the gameplay aspects. I realize many of the issues are being addressed which makes me hopeful, and I hope it continues to improve, but right now I feel like there is a reason the game is going to be “Free”. As an OG halo player from 2001, Infinite so far was a big step in the wrong direction for me. I know a lot people say that about halo 4 or 5, but I felt they were good evolutions of the game that made sense. The main thing that lost of most players on halo 5, IMO, was the loss of 4 player split screen. Im just curious of how other players felt who have played classic halo, H2A, and the infinite flight.
> >
> > Am I crazy or did 343 miss the mark on this one?
>
> What don’t you like about Infinite’s aesthetics?
>
> (For one example) Imo Live Fire looks like it could have been a H3 map back in the day (but obviously it has better graphics overall than a game that old).
>
> ------
>
> And I disagree about H4 being an evolution of Halo that makes sense. It leaned farther away from equal starts and map control than any other Halo title in the series. H5 tried to bring it back with equal starts, but the movement tricks players eventually figured out made map control itself less important than in the legacy titles.
>
> I don’t want to get a giant classic/modern debate going, but I’m happy Infinite is pivoting back towards legacy titles where the focus is on equal start gameplay where weapons and equipment have to be scavenged from the map, not selected in a loadout or dropped in like a kill streak. I loved H5 MP, but I’m totally fine with us essentially getting a modern day facelift of H3 which is what Infinite felt like to me.

Personally I just feel like the game looks to much like COD or battlefield now. The armor designs are fine, but the overall look to me felt flat, and for lack of a better term, I guess it just feel like it lacks personality. I’m sure once Infinite goes live, I will be playing it. I just personally felt it was too different from previous titles to still be called Halo. Maybe call it Halo ODST 2. Because it felt more like that to me, and I didn’t really enjoy ODST.

7

> 2533274855648543;5:
> It makes sense you’d like H2A gameplay as it uses the same engine as H4, which you also like. Unfortunately for you, that’s also probably the least popular Halo game from a gameplay standpoint, specifically in multiplayer. I’d say as a general rule more people are happy with Infinite’s gameplay than aren’t, where people aren’t as happy is the systems surrounding it. Hopefully there’s a game mode in Infinite that caters to your play style a little more, but if I were you I wouldn’t expect the gameplay to change much from what we’ve seen so far

I agree with you. I don’t expect any changes I was just curious If others shared my opinion or had other thoughts.

8

I liked Infinite’s MP but I think I like H2A more. Maybe I’ll change my mind on that after a while though.

9

H2A looks gorgeous, I will need to wait and see HI finished product before we compare but I do enjoy H2A aesthetically.

The guns are too easy, BR and Sniper are hard to miss with.

H2A Hardcore is one of my favourite ranked playlists though.

10

I have to, respectfully, disagree :slight_smile:

I loved the Flight, the feel of it was crazy smooth.

I do agree that H2A feels fantastic too, but I was genuinely blown away by how good the Flight felt to me.

11

> 2570804787293416;10:
> I have to, respectfully, disagree :slight_smile:
>
> I loved the Flight, the feel of it was crazy smooth.
>
> I do agree that H2A feels fantastic too, but I was genuinely blown away by how good the Flight felt to me.

Yeah I’ve heard a lot of people say that, but I just couldn’t get into I guess. I’m really hoping my opinion changes with the next flight. Unfortunately I’m a creature of habit and change is hard. Heck, I’ve been playing Halo since I was in High School with the same 3 people for 20years. We still play 4 player split screen once a week. So I get that people like it, and I’m sure I will eventually.

12

you typed a hefty paragraph but you didn’t really list any reason as to why you feel that way about infinite aside from you not liking the aesthetic or “gameplay aspects”. was it ttk? recoil? movement speed? weapon balance? aesthetically I feel like the game looks identical to reach with better lighting and higher res textures.

13

> 2533274803598488;11:
> > 2570804787293416;10:
> > I have to, respectfully, disagree :slight_smile:
> >
> > I loved the Flight, the feel of it was crazy smooth.
> >
> > I do agree that H2A feels fantastic too, but I was genuinely blown away by how good the Flight felt to me.
>
> Yeah I’ve heard a lot of people say that, but I just couldn’t get into I guess. I’m really hoping my opinion changes with the next flight. Unfortunately I’m a creature of habit and change is hard. Heck, I’ve been playing Halo since I was in High School with the same 3 people for 20years. We still play 4 player split screen once a week. So I get that people like it, and I’m sure I will eventually.

It takes all sorts to make a world. Nothing wrong with a difference of opinion or taste :grin: I hope you do end up enjoying Infinite, hell, I hope we all do! All I know is: the Flight felt good to me. Really good.

Like you, I’ve been Haloing since day dot, like you, I’m still playing it with the same few people.

But, for me, as games have advanced, I find myself unable to go back. I love CE, but playing the multiplayer feels like having my hands and feet tied :joy: I still love it, but the advancements in interface, control, movement etc, have spoiled me :joy: I envy those who don’t have that, because my rose tinted nostalgia glasses are unkind to games I once adored :joy:

Despite our love of Reach, CE, H2, H3, etc, my group just mainlines H5 Fiesta, in hopes of getting CTF Fiesta madness on those really short, mirrored maps. We all really struggle playing the older multiplayers (not the campaign’s weirdly, they’re fine) for some reason, we all just really feel constrained by the older movement mechanics.

I liken it to when I used to Marshall a paintball site: you get so used to being able to do anything as long as you can physically do it: slide, roll, crawl, sprint, jump etc, that when you play a shooter and you can’t… It just feels like arbitrary restriction.

For me, the Flight was the closest I’ve yet played to a game where I forgot I was holding a controller. The last time I remember that feeling, was H2…

14

> 2533274953195665;12:
> you typed a hefty paragraph but you didn’t really list any reason as to why you feel that way about infinite aside from you not liking the aesthetic or “gameplay aspects”. was it ttk? recoil? movement speed? weapon balance?

It was mostly visual things, and audio. I felt game play was ok. I wish run was faster, I didn’t like the outlines around players. I hated the HUD of infinite. I don’t know exactly how to put my finger on it, but infinite just felt soft, or like an open-source pc game or something. Over all I enjoyed infinite enough. I just wasn’t a huge fan of a lot of the cosmetic and audio bits. I don’t want to criticize gameplay too much, as I know 343 as already said they are making some changes so I’ll wait for final product before final judgement on gameplay. Again just my thoughts…what’s yours?

15

H2A is a beautiful game although the lighting sometimes takes away some of that glory. Gameplay wise I’m glad it’s not the direction Infinite is going. The massive auto aim and magnetism lead to a smaller skill gap.
Don’t get me wrong; I love it and it’s a very comfortable game but for Infinite’s competitive future the current direction with less AA and magnetism seems favoured.

16

> 2533274803598488;14:
> > 2533274953195665;12:
> > you typed a hefty paragraph but you didn’t really list any reason as to why you feel that way about infinite aside from you not liking the aesthetic or “gameplay aspects”. was it ttk? recoil? movement speed? weapon balance?
>
> It was mostly visual things, and audio. I felt game play was ok. I wish run was faster, I didn’t like the outlines around players. I hated the HUD of infinite. I don’t know exactly how to put my finger on it, but infinite just felt soft, or like an open-source pc game or something. Over all I enjoyed infinite enough. I just wasn’t a huge fan of a lot of the cosmetic and audio bits. I don’t want to criticize gameplay too much, as I know 343 as already said they are making some changes so I’ll wait for final product before final judgement on gameplay. Again just my thoughts…what’s yours?

to me it feels like halo modernized in the right ways. infinite trimmed off everything that makes halo 3 feel clunky and outdated while it’s core principles have been preserved. map control feels important, equipment is fun, the BR feels skillful again requiring you to micro-adjust your aim mid burst, and sprint is de-incentivized. the strafe acceleration is snappier, movement feels more fluid as a whole, while the pace of the game isn’t detrimentally faster. so far infinite feels like the correct way to evolve halo imo. though of course the flight was marred with bugs and aiming/performance issues, everything should be smoothed out for launch.