Halo Infinite is the end of years of discussions – as a veteran, I think this is the best multiplayer

Halo Infinite’s multiplayer test is coming to an end, and it’s time to reflect on what 343 Industries has managed to do with weapon handling, game control, and gameplay. Does it convince us this time or does it leave us frowning again? Don’t worry: it’s the first thing.

Iguess by now, we all know that Halo Infinite is a spiritual reboot of the saga. That does not surprise me at all because it is the trend: no company continues to be friends with numbers, sequels; they want definitive, foundational releases that can be iterated with for a long time. And it seems perfect to me, hey; it is just an observation, not a criticism. The fact is that what I had not seen coming is that the multiplayer was also a reboot, but nothing could be further from reality. For the last few days, I have been completely addicted to experimenting for professional reasons at the first technical testof the game, and I must admit that the last thing I expected was to find myself reliving the sensations that I had playing Halo: Combat Evolved .The multiplayer that the Redmond team has put together feels authentic, traditional, faithful ; But that’s because I’ve been playing CTF on Blood Gulch for half my life and I’m used to walking and aiming from the hip. So entering Halo Infinite PvP has been like opening your front door. No loadouts, no dodges (thrusters), no plummets (groundpounds), no other kind of mechanics “a la 343 Industries” that felt like an elephant in a china shop in the days of Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians. Now, I understand that 20 years have passed and we cannot be with the same old song: that if the sprint is such, that if the Easter goal. So, living up to the original name, combat has evolved. Evolved, I say, which is not the same as changed. Here everything works by the same rules that we had in 2001.And all that means that if you come from sweating the fat drop in Call of Duty: Warzone , then you can also go your way. The game gives you the ability to run freely – in fact, you now heal yourself during sprinting as well – slide or even jump to interrupt a slide, turn a jump into a slide as soon as you hit the ground, and so on. It is what takes, but all that stands on things that we already know and that are still there. “Where are we then, Mario?” because the multiplayer of Halo Infinite is very flexiblebecause it has a very traditional approach that will satisfy any foodie as a humble servant, but at the same time it brings to the table a series of adjustments and improvements necessary to adapt the game to modern times. The key is that these renovations do not step on what was good and worked for everyone: they are add-ons that are respectful of the original material.

How to update a classicSubscribe to the 3DJuegos channel on YouTubeThe gameplay of the Halo saga is so defined and reinforced, that any change is a headache. 343 Industries knows this well, because it has been reading fan reviews for many years, so I think it has done a smart thing which is to add features and possibilities that do not change the metagame, the structure of the game, or how you approach the combat. For example, this series has always had a time to kill(TTK) very high that is solved in a very specific way: using grenades when opening and closing each encounter. No flying punches as in H5. Shields don’t understand headshot damage, so you normally use an automatic weapon like the assault rifle to destroy them and then switch to the Magnum to finish off. That dynamic remains as it is.

That changes? Well, it changes, for example, a sprint system that finally hits the spot: the speed at which you run is not much higher than the speed at which you walk; it’s more of something you do to get back into combat from the spawn point. But once you get to the heart of the matter, you usually prefer to walk because that way the weapon is instantly ready when an opponent appears. Alternatively, you can also chain the sprint with a sliding technique that has been embedded in all modern shooters for a long time. By itself it doesn’t hurt or anything, but it feels modern and I think it adds value to the learning curve of the game because by now we all know that shooting while our character is dragging their butt across the ground is the most practical way to combine attack. and defense.

Halo Infinite: Halo Infinite is the end of years of discussions – as a veteran, I think this is the best multiplayer
Halo Infinite PC
On the other hand, 343 Industries does a very good thing that Ripple Effect has also done with Battlefield 2042 this year, which is to understand its game as a sandbox first and foremost . So, novelties like the deployable barrier or the hook are additional pieces of equipment that appear on the map from time to time and have very limited uses, instead of abilities with cooldowns put with shoehorn in the controls of the character that we all know and we adore. All this is part of what was already the competitive multiplayer of Halo in its beginnings: learning to handle common weapons of little power, control the map, and temporarily acquire weapons or tools that are very powerful but carry more risks. I think that building on that terrain, religiously respecting those bases, is what makes this game click.

There are some things that don’t fit me, too, that have nothing to do with the fact that this test corresponds to an old version of the game. For example, I am a bit shocked by the pitch effect when sprinting, or that the glide is as long and firm as it is. In general, games tend to favor quick, short and precise maneuvers. I remember last year I interviewed Treyarch about the mechanics of CoD Black Ops Cold War and they told me that they had touched on that aspect specifically, which is quite square to me. But I understand that the most competitive sectorof the community is the one who has the last word on this matter, so I am not going to give it more importance: take it more as a simple sensation. I just think that if you combine the pitching, sliding and clambering animations at the end you get the idea that the game could be more responsive.

Anyway, any complaint you can make about this is like running your finger over all the furniture in the house looking for a speck of dust: trifles. The game is great , and I can’t even remember when was the last time I saw its community of fans vibrating with the energy I’ve seen on social media throughout the weekend. I think I’m not exaggerating if I say that it is the best reception that Halo Infinite could aspire to, and it is a huge success considering the controversy that its first gameplay trailer brought.

Maps, weapons and features
Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite’s multiplayer tech test was quite limited in terms of content – the only available mode was Slayer vs. Bots, and only Live Fire, Recharge, and Bazaar maps were accessible. The latter seemed very curious to me, because it looks like DUST 2 from CS: GO visually (it even has the criss-crossed doors and the chickens of that one) but in reality it is set in Mombasa and you can even see how they rebuild the elevator that is destroyed in the campaign of, if I remember correctly, Halo 2 . They are all very well and I don’t want to get too into that conversation because I want to keep this article as impressions, but what has caught my attention most strongly are the weapons . In a figurative sense, because of how they work, but also in a literal sense because they sound absolutely beastly: if you have had the opportunity to shoot the BR75 or the S7 sniper you will know what I am talking about.

Unfortunately, the gravity hammer has let me down a bit because the usual melee blow can no longer be used while wearing it and because a part of me wanted it to send the bodies of the victims flying at full speed. The main attack of the weapon is slower, too, or so it seems to me. Compensating for that, other new weapons are very interesting. For example, the VK78 Commando rifleIt’s kind of like saying, “Why choose between an assault rifle and a pistol when I can equip both at the same time?” I think on its own, it’s not as good at breaking shields as the quintessential primary automatic weapon, but it does do a very good thing which is to kill with a single headshot when that protection wears off. An all-in-one that earns its space in the sandbox with all the right. I also think that about the Heatwave or the Skewer , although the latter generates doubts because it is above all an anti-vehicle weapon with registered fire: you do not have to calculate the trajectory. It sounds very strong to me, but we’ll see.

Halo Infinite PC
The new weapons are very interestingThere are some things that are added to the sandbox that do not affect combat, such as the possibility of dropping weapons on the ground or the signaling mechanics (ping) that I really liked, especially because the latter is like a warning in itself: the system notifies allies of how many enemies you have seen and where they are, in addition to obviously leaving a visual marker on the site itself. Somehow it eliminates the need to use the microphone. On the other hand we have the bots , which until now had never been part of the multiplayer mode. Frankly, I didn’t have any kind of hope about it because I still have nightmares about Kat’s driving skills in Halo: Reach., but I think that all the guests to the test have ended up pleasantly surprised with the intelligence of the bots . I’m not just talking about aiming and shooting, because that can be done by anyone, but rather knowing how to throw the grenades at the beginning of each encounter or when to retreat, that kind of thing. Very good result!

One last detail that I really liked and that I totally intentionally save for last is the AI. No, not the bots, but the ones that act as a commentator . It goes without saying that Jeff Steitzer returns to sing you double bass with the usual fury, but apart from his voice there are also some small companions with contextual lines that complement the narrator with their own style, personality or flavor. Some have the sadism that you would expect from GLaDOS and others are more direct, but all have their winks and details. They comment on the casualty you just hit with a grenade, or they get excited when you find a powerful weapon on stage. I remember that in 2019, Jon To from Bungie brought an interesting presentation to the GDCabout the narrators of PvP matches and how they can be integrated into the experience, in case you are interested. Some Blizzard games also demonstrate how efficient this matter is.

What do we keep from the test
Halo Infinite
Taking stock of the many good things and the few bad things that this first contact with the multiplayer of Halo Infinite has left me, I think there is every reason to be optimistic. It feels very respectful of the traditional modus operandi and has reinforced it with many enhancements that feel natural, necessary, and at the same time unobtrusive. There is something special about the dreampop music that now accompanies the menus, in having a button that waits for you to be ready to search for the next game, in having an AI that comes to the top every time you hit someone with a hammer. All this leaves very, very good feelings. I hope that the game has the success that we all expect from it not only because it deserves it, but also because I want its great battle pass model become the norm for all games.

Here are some key points in summary: