Halo Infinite is a live service aimed at competing with gaming giants like Fortnite and Apex and I am convinced that the core gameplay and precise physics of infinite are more than capable of doing just that.
Live service games are very popular because players love them and investors love them. A steady flow of new things to do and unlock for players and a nonstop flow of profit for the bigwigs.
Now live games also are infamous for a couple things, bad launches and hackers. Two things we know well as Infinite players, However just like Apex and Fortnite these issues are polished away with time.
We are so content starved in Infinite right now and it honestly reminds me of the early days of Fortnite when customization was basically not even an option and even now you just have premade skins to choose from rather than actual “customization” just like Apex and Warzone even. Halo Infinite is set to be the ONLY triple A live service game on the market with actual customization options, a level creator, a co-op campaign, huge lists of community playlists, and much more and I am 100% certain that 1-2 years from now Halo Infinite is fully capable of holding the most played game spot consistently.
TLDR: Halo Infinite is a live service and every live service launches with nothing. Don’t compare it to Halo reach or Halo 5, compare it with Apex and Fortnite. Infinite will get better I promise.
Totally respect your opinion and in many aspects totally agree with your description of what a live service game should be. But just think for a moment…Infinites Live Service additions and updates in the foreseeable future (i.e. season 2 and 3 as far as we know, but little is a known on the whole) are just core features that should have been included in the multiplayer and campaign at launch (like all previous Halos “ish”) Forget F2P , at least then include with the campaign, which i might add was full price minus multiplayer, forge, and some sort of third mode like Warzone, Along with unannounced changes to core gameplay and lack of game variations, this is why people are so disappointed and this comes out in frustrated rants on the forum. With no road map and no communication (Live Service remember) this is no surprise.
I can agree that a roadmap is much needed just so we’re not fumbling around in the dark asking where’s the content and what is it.
But I know they have talked about the roadmap and said they need more time to give us an accurate roadmap we can rely on.
I’ve also seen gamers say “they should’ve just taken more time instead of rushing this” about so many different things in gaming, and it seems 343 has decided to take that advice and I believe that in time we will appreciate that decision.
It’s actually a perfectly valid argument considering they’re two different gaming platforms. We have moved from a one time purchase full release designed to last 2-3 years tops to a live service foundation for easy updates and additional content designed to last for the next 10 years.
You’ve mentioned Apex Legends and other popular live service games - the thing is, Apex was a new IP and had barely lost any playerbase right after launch and the population skyrocketed shortly after that.
CS:Go had a small population at the beginning and have gained a lot of players since then.
Fortnite got so big by setting a new trend. I could go on and on, every game did something right to maintain and grow their playerbase.
Halo on the other hand was extremly hyped before the game had even launched. It went F2P, the PC was about to get Halo Day 1 for the first time. The numbers were enormous, way bigger than most of the competition on day 1.
343 couldn’t take advantage of this situation. I mean I don’t want to be too pessimistic, I want Halo to succeed, but the first months into this games lifespan were a bad experience for the consumers and the numbers replicate that. Absolutely nothing about losing 90-95% of your playerbase in any shape or form is considered “normal” - a slight drop after day 1 is pretty normal and to be expected, but not that much. And I’m aware of the fact that there are more console players out there, but the problems remain the same.
Halo Games without the label “live service” had way more “live service” than a game marketed as the ultimate live service experience.
That’s actually a relevant point, changing a non F2P game into one to compete with the best, you would think a lot more effort would have gone into the actual Service part of the title and of course people are going to compare this Halo with others because for many its in their blood…I know this sounds crazy but that is what playing Halo for 20 years and believing you are actually Master Chief John-117 when you have the controller in your hands does to you.
6 years since the last release and don’t forget this is the Reclaimer Saga, so development and planning started with Halo 4…any excuse for not having a road map is like…hmmm yeah ok
No, Live service is an excuse to launch a game in a broken dysfunctional state with no content so they can get a huge profit on bare minimum. I will keep comparing it to other games i.e Halo Reach and Halo 5 because they launched with larger amounts of content and got content support after that. Call of Duty MW was live service and it was great at launch, loads of content.
“Live service game” Translation: We have no idea what we’re doing so well just wing it
No thanks. If you think this is anywhere near competing with games like Fortnite or apex, then you’re just completely off your rocker.
They thought they could make a quick buck with Fortnite kids. Those kids dipped and now halo fans are stuck with a mess.
Nobody asked for this game to be live service except for Microsoft’s overlords. I just wanted a good halo game that wasn’t worried about a stupid popularity contest.
But here we are. Going down with an already sunken ship.
IMO the most successful “live service” game is rainbow6 siege its been out for quite some time (its in year 7) and Ubi. consistently poops out content for it (some of it is good some bad so there’s really no better way to describe it). its not free to play either but it has a system where you can either unlock a new character with real money or grind them out through playing.
it has one of the most player friendly stores i have ever used. with very reasonably priced items and just the right amount of FOMO that keeps you coming back to check on it, but not so much that you have to check every day (there’s still a few items in its store that were available day one.),
it also has one of the best ranking systems in gaming where you either win as a team or lose as a team
halo Inf so far is pathetic in all of these areas, ALL OF THEM. halo Inf.'s MP seems to just be a weak AF cash grabbing store attached to a bland, boring, and generic shooter with a halo name. the campaign feels halo-ish and is so much better than the MP side of the game but that’s not saying much, and it still falls well short of all the other halos, even the much hated Halo 5.
Don’t compare a Halo game to another Halo game
…the logic that’s NOT here. Who cares if it’s a live service game. The end of the freaking day it’s HALO and in no shape or form should stuff they implemented before with no problem in Halo 4 should be an issue releasing here. For gods sake.
Yes, it will get better, no doubt. I seen a lot of people saying this. That’s not the point though, the point is that people don’t want to wait two years minimum to play their game.
I get where you’re coming from, but I dislike this whole “live service” gaming agenda. You shouldn’t launch a game with no content. It can get more players as it goes on, but it’s also in big danger of losing players like me who don’t want to wait for the game that they purchased, whether it was free or not.
What seperated Halo for me was how different it was from other franchises. That unfortunately died with Halo 4. Now 343 are doing the same thing that has been done to death with so many other games, relying on updates. Not even mentioning the cat ears, dandelions, and “fractures” armor that they’re adding in MCC and Halo Infinite. I don’t mean to sound like an old timer who likes to rant on about how “this isn’t Halo”, but that’s all I’m really left to do at this point.
It’s a good game, but it’s not for me. 'Nuff said.
I’m with you 100 percent. I hate for example samurai armor with a neon Mohawk and visor in the game, omg! I cringe every time. Its just not Halo for me. If you want to get immersive, originally multiplayer was the training ground for Spartans…and all these stupid (my opinion) new armors and cosmetics is not what a Spartan wears… just isn’t the direction for Halo I can stomach, I’m so disappointed.