I typed this out in another post but feel like others might have a reaction to it. I have seen a wide range of reactions to the game, some good, some bad, some hopeful and some doomsayers. All of the reactions are valid in their own ways. but the idea that what infinite has shown is inherently bad for halo and or not halo at all just seems like an extreme reaction.
Here’s the thing, the halo community is a prissy bunch. No matter what 343 did, they would not be able to please the community, what’s left of it anyway. So what’s the best route? Try to evoke the feeling of older halo games while adding more systems into the combat to make it interesting to new players. I have seen plenty of reactions to the game, and as I see it, there are 3-4 camps:
- People who reject the gameplay (this could be bungie purists, 343 purists or others who just don’t find it interesting which is perfectly fine in all camps) - People who are skeptical but still excited and or open to see what it feels like with the other systems added (Chris Ray Gun for example, he’s super skeptical but given the reimplementation of the sandbox focus and focus on map pickups in multiplayer for items like grapple, possibly thrust or whatever, he does not reject it outright) - People who are very interested in the game (this is a mix of halo fans like Ubernick and people who either have not played halo or have not played in a while such as kinggothalion, asmongold, prof broman etc) - People who just have an issue with the graphics (this is iffy as it still plays into the other 3)At the end of the day, 343 is trying to make their version of halo while also pulling from systems that people enjoyed about the OG trilogy. They need to make a game people find appealing. This does not mean just the halo community. At the same time, the game has to feel like halo. They are doing this through the melding of H3 systems (equipment), the sense of awe and mystery on being on a ring (Halo CE) and a more non-dated combat system (h4 and H5 though arguably more like H5 but less floaty). I love the OG halos and I am well aware of the issues some movement mechanics have on map design. Honestly, I don’t care, my issue with h5 (and somewhat H4) was its reduced focus on the external sandbox. Since infinite is going back to that while also having some advanced mobility (does not seem as weightless as it did in H5 which is a good thing), I won’t be going up in arms over it.
343 is in a tricky spot as they need to get more people to play halo and or at least want to try it. They cannot appease everyone so making a game that does not require past games to be played and one that uses both new and older systems is the best route to go. If your going in expecting to be disappointed, you’re going to be, as you are already shutting out any avenue for new experiences. Is it gonna be perfect or revolutionary? Doubt it, but will it be something that can make people halo fans that were not before? Hell ya and I am all for that.
Just want to add this too, do you think this game can look awesome to someone younger or even someone who has never played halo before? I think as older halo fans, we have to consider that sometimes the best thing for an IP that we grew up loving, is to allow it to be appealing to others and to be open to those changes. Of course, criticize it where it needs when we get hands-on, but don’t push back on it trying something new just becuse its not “exactly” as the past games. That new thing, may just make other people a halo fan like CE, 2, 3, reach or even 4/5 did for many.