Invasion was Bungie’s attempt to incorporate something new as well as canonically relevant into Halo’s multiplayer. After all, the Battle for Reach is arguably the climax of the Human-Covenant War, so it was only appropriate to include a gametype which pitted Spartans against Elites in objective gameplay in large maps.
However, Invasion’s great potential was squandered due to the lack of attention it received from Bungie, even now in the ownership of 343 Industries. the gametype has only two maps (since the DLC one is so difficult to play on during matchmaking games), and various flaws which were not fixed since Reach’s release.
Invasion’s principal failure was its lack of map variety. Bungie (and now 343i) should have released free maps which would have been integrated into the matchmaking experience. These new maps would be exclusively for Invasion and related gametypes and would enrich the playlist since everyone will be able to play them. While the prospect of “free content” is not desirable from a business’s perspective, in the case of Invasion, it would have increased the popularity and longevity of the playlist. Releasing certain free maps is not new to the industry; after all, DICE releases free maps for Battlefield, and Halo could have benefitted from the same.
What is probably more troubling, however, is the lack of developer support the playlist received post-release. This is not only troubling because of the direct impact it had on the longevity of the playlist, but also because it is an indicator of negligence toward certain components of the game’s multiplayer which could persist in Halo 4. As a concrete example, consider the map Spire during an Invasion game. The Banshee is completely unprotected from Spartans taking it, and the Elites have practically no way of disabling an even semi-competent flier since the only Covenant weapon effective against would be the Plasma Launcher. Even so, the sluggish movements of the grenades can easily be dodged by a flier who sees it coming. Even if the Elites manage to get the Banshee, the Spartans spawn with DMRs which can cause significant damage to the vehicle, and also have the Sniper Rifle.
This was not addressed at all, and has resulted in some incredibly unbalanced games in the playlist. Boneyard fares better, but since it is the only other map, the problem of repetitiveness aforementioned surfaces.
Seeing as 343i wishes to integrate the canon and the multiplayer for upcoming Halo 4, it is inexcusable that they haven’t paid any attention to the only playlist in Reach which does exactly that. It is imperative 343i does not repeat the same mistake with Halo 4.