I think the opening cinematic is a bit … awkward. It is oddly paced when it pans though each spartan one at a time as they do their little “taunt”. It looks like something out of a comedy sketch or something. It mostly comes down to the fact the other three spartans just stand there while the fourth does his taunt. Not to mention, this makes the intro needlessly long.
I happened to load into a game where the cinematic was half way done and the only thing I saw was my squad enter their running pose and the camera zoomed in. That looked much better imo. It is short, to the point and I still saw what everyone looked like. I love that. If the taunts must stay - probably because we can customize them - then I think it would be great to have them all play at once so the pacing is less awkward. But if we cannot customize them, I think they can be cut (sorry animators).
There are also the shots of the map itself. I like how these work as loading screens in Infinite instead of having to sit through the same shots each and every game like in Halo 5. They are also calmer and less in-your-face with blaring music - which I like.
However, I otherwise prefer Halo 5’s cinematics. The shot of the team was much faster and less awkward looking. It was badass and less corny. I liked seeing the whole team in BTB rather than just my squad; I think this will look cool with everyone in their own colors. I also liked how you could place where the team was positioned anywhere in the map. I had fun placing them down in creative locations on my map such as locations otherwise inaccessible during a match or have the two teams face each other down. However, since the cinematic is also where the player’s spawn, this freedom will probably be removed.
That being said, while the Halo 5 features are nice, I could live without them. I just figured I would bring it up since I am talking about the cinematics. The only thing I really want is for each player’s taunt to happen at the same time so the into does not take as long or look as awkward.
Thoughts?