Halo Infinite Tech Preview Review
I’ll start with the good:
<ul class=“ul1”> - Clean and pleasant to use UI / Menus - Academy & Bots are great for new players or warming up your shot - Lobby music is immersive & nostalgic - Weapon balancing is pretty close to being on point (some of the new guns, such as the Heatwave or Ravager feel underpowered, Needler and Commando feel a bit too OP, and I think the BR needs to feel more powerful compared to the pistol) - Equipment feels fun to use and the new way overshield & active camo works is a good evolvement for the franchise - Love all the controller, gameplay, video & audio customisation options - Overall, it feels pretty smooth to play[/list]
Now on to the bad:
<ul class=“ul1”> - The maps feel bland, uninspired, boxy, and do not capture the Halo aesthetic well. Someone watching gameplay could easily mistake it for COD or another shooter franchise, and that’s not a good thing. I really hope the final game will include more vibrant, sci-fi and symmetrical maps, with curved shapes and emphasis on verticality (eg Guardian, Midship etc) - There are numerous audio issues, such as the sounds of your Spartan being shot (“Uhh”, “Ahh” etc) being way too loud in the mix and the gun impacts sound strange at times, kind of wet or something, not sure how to explain it - The medals you receive during the match need a bit of a rework. In their current state, they feel way too small, dull and insignificant. If a player achieves an overkill or killing frenzy, it should feel like a big deal and be highlighted on the screen. This would increase the fun factor exponentially - I personally cringe at the AI voice lines and find them annoying, would love to have a way of turning them off or lowering the volume[/list]
I am primarily a competitive player and I have several concerns for ranked / comp:
<ul class=“ul1”> - I really dislike the fact that the announcer calls out when the power weapons spawn and that you see their timers on the screen. I know this is a 343 staple and has been put in place to give newer players a chance to obtain them, however a big part of what gave the original games such a high skill ceiling, was their ability to correctly time the weapons for themselves without external aid. If your goal with competitive is to make a casual experience, then I’m done with Halo, but if you want the game to have a unique competitive edge and maintain some of it’s original integrity, please consider making this part of the gameplay again. There are so many competitive games out there now with really complex mechanics to master, if you want to pull players like myself and others from games like Apex (or even MCC), give us something that’s hard and different to what’s already out there. It’s one of the reasons I keep coming back to playing H3 Hardcore 2v2 and 4v4, as I cannot find this style of competitive play anywhere else. Embrace and emphasise what makes Halo unique - I am glad most of the advanced movement mechanics have been removed from H5, however I will still stand by my point that sprint and clamber do not fit in Halo and do not make the gameplay more fun. Clamber takes the fun and skill out of having to practice successfully landing skill jumps. This was an integral part of the original games and I remember spending countless hours in custom lobbies on my own, practicing and learning to crouch jump, so I could pull them off in the heat of battle. It felt so satisfying to land a difficult jump during a proper match, but that entire gameplay aspect, which provided hours of fun, is wiped by the introduction of this mechanic. What does it really add to the game? It makes the gameplay feel brainless and doesn’t punish a player for messing up, which is bad game design in my opinion. I know you’ve given the option to turn off auto-clamber, but why would I put myself at a disadvantage as a competitive player? I’m not going to bang on about why sprint doesn’t belong in Halo, as it’s a topic that has been discussed to death (Favyn’s YouTube videos summarise my points nicely if you haven’t seen them already). It’s a good thing that sprint has been nerfed, but now it hardly increases your movement speed and so seems kind of pointless, like it was only added in to tick off a box and make Halo not feel too different to other shooters (which is exactly what I think the game should do, to be unique and stand out against a crowded and saturated market) - Please turn off radar and Spartan chatter for ranked / competitive. Players should never be given free info on where enemy players are if they didn’t have to work for it or obtain that information through some sort of gameplay mechanic or teamwork aspect. Radar dumbs down the abilities to successfully flank and slows down the gameplay. I want to be looking at what’s in front of me and at my opponents, not at a little circle on the bottom left corner of the screen. - BR starts is a MUST for competitive play, it’s iconic and a welcomed change after pistols in H5. AR starts is unacceptable and would be the easiest way to upset the competitive community again. Starting with a precision weapon seems obvious I know, but had to mention it as this was not the case for so long with pro play for H5. - Please listen to the pro / competitive community for advice on settings, maps and game types and don’t try to force your own ideas in to the game, if the players say it doesn’t work. I hope that’s something the devs in charge of the pro scene have learned after the luke warm reception of Reach, H4 & H5. Give us the tools we need to improve the game and make it more fair, balanced and competitive with Forge. The original Halo esports scene arose organically by MLG and the players continuously improving on the settings and building their own maps in Forge. MLG V8 is still used for H3 competitive and holds up today, it feels super refined and fleshed out. Allow us to reach that place once again.[/list]
Even though it’s a technical preview, I think it gives a pretty indication on how the full game will be (it’s only 4 months away from release after all) and unless some of these changes are addressed, I unfortunately do not see it pulling me away from Apex or H3. I know a lot of other competitive streamers who I’ve been watching, feel the same way. I don’t want to end my review on a negative tone, so I do want to say that I’m optimistic and that there aren’t as many stand out issues as Reach, H4 or H5. Please take my perspective as that for Ranked and competitive, and listen to the broader community for pubs, casual play. I know a lot of them want Assassinations or playable Elites, something I personally don’t care about, but think is important to address!
Thanks for reading and thanks for the technical preview invite!