So…I have my share of “likes”:
- the new pistol feels fantastic and balanced
- the AR actually being formidable for once
- the TTK
- grenades are feeling solid
- most of the power ups are useful
And “dislikes”:
- coatings - I shouldn’t have to unlock color combos…I should be able to choose any colors I want from the get go like every other Halo ever made (the concept was trash in Destiny and it’s trash here)
- the new shotgun is awful, barrel needs to be implanted in an enemies windpipe for any affect, not an adequate stand-in for the usual pump shotty
- the needler detonation effects are noticeably weak, if not almost visually nonexistent (usually my favorite weapon so, this sticks out for me)
- Explosions…how is it that Bungie managed to have better explosions over a decade ago than 343 has ever implemented in any of their outings?
Granted, mostly everything not regarding weapons or gameplay is merely something I’m just not impressed with aesthetically. Which leads me to something that does impact gameplay and more specifically game types. It is my biggest concern for Infinite and it was the one thing I really hated about Halo 5’s multiplayer: there was not a single playlist dedicated solely to Objective game types. Sure, you could possibly catch a CTF match or Strongholds or Oddball…but there was no way to guarantee it because you would always have Slayer pop up every other match. Every single playlist has some form of Slayer/TDM hamfisted into it. There’s a huge portion of the community that cannot stand playing Slayer and has solely played Objective game types since Combat Evolved LAN parties. My friends and I would literally quit out of Halo 5 matches when Slayer pops up because it’s inevitable and we were given no other option. We’d rather take a miniscule ban hammer (grab a drink, take a smoke break) than to ever have to play Slayer. In every other Halo up until Halo 5, there was dedicated Objective mode playlists that didn’t include any form of Slayer match types.
So, to sum it up, the absence of a dedicated Objective Playlist in Halo Infinite is a major concern of mine, as it has never been added over the course of Halo 5’s six year lifespan and the Infinite Flights have done nothing to alleviate said concern as of yet. I know it’s just a flight and the playlist options will be much more plentiful when the final product is released but, this is the place to come to have your feedback heard and I would not have been able to stomach it had I not put it out there. I don’t want my time playing Infinite to be a constant game of holding my breath between each match hoping it’s not Slayer/TDM, and crossing my fingers that it’s CTF or something else Objective based. Mindless killing just isn’t fun to some in the fanbase. I don’t want to be forced to quit out of playlists because I’m having a Slayer match rammed down my throat. Same goes for Big Team Battle. There should be an Objective BTB playlist sans any type of Slayer.
The game will be FTP and its cross-gen so any player population concerns shouldn’t exist. Objective Playlists are greatly wanted, objectively needed, and entirely possible. Maybe this entire post is all for naught. Maybe 343 is already planning to put in Objective mode playlist because they’re aware of its all too obvious absence in H5 OR maybe this post goes unseen by anyone in a place to change it and remains a glaring oversight for a second game in a row. Either way, I love Halo and I want it to be the best it can possibly be for each and every fan out there. Eagerly awaiting release. Good luck.