It has been quite a while since we last thought of playing as Master Chief and it probably will be a while until we can head to the Halo universe again. From what we got at E3 2018, was nothing more than a glimpse at the future of Halo and the engine at 343 Studios that will power the new games. Still, that has not stopped us from speculating about things we will come across in the new game and some feats it needs to perform to gather our attention.
What Halo Infinite can Bring to the Series
In order to really cement its position as the legendary FPS series that started games like Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3, the next game has to take some steps that respect the views of the loyal fan-base and at the same time, brings something innovative and fresh to attract newcomers. This means they will also have to keep things accessible and fairly easy to grasp if they are looking to expand its community.
This was especially emphasized in an interview with the Development Director for the Halo series, Mark O’ Connor who said:
“… But it (Halo Infinite) will be built in a way that makes it a good place to start your first Halo adventure.”
Let us talk about some of the other areas that require a little work.
The Story
We already know the game will be a sequel to the previous entry and will be set years after the event of the first game according to O’ Connor. When we talk about starting the story with a bang, Halo can learn a few things and take similar approaches from the likes of God of War and Gears of War. The former changed quite a bit both in the gameplay aspects and in the personality of Kratos himself.
The game started in a sense to make us feel that this would not be the God of War we remembered; this will be something more mature and rather sad. Without starting from an action fight and rather on a sad moment between Kratos and his son, we were given to feel for a character we could never have before. Of course, then you had the Stranger fight scene that was definitely one-way to keep the players playing.
Gears of War, on the other hand, relied more on nostalgia and what the fans have wanted… and it worked. Starting with an intro that borrows from past events and characters including D-day, playing as Dom Santiago and tipping the hat to Gears of War’s 3 ending.
No matter what approach the new Halo takes, it should make sure to start the game with something that resonates with fans or something new that would be equally emotional and explosive. Maybe start the story but putting us in the shoes of a soldier in the middle of a combat sequence, you know something along those lines.
An intro. that feels like an homage to every important proceeding and event in the Halo series, something to shake the hardcore fans to the core, and something to attract the newcomers straightaway, now that is a home run!
What About Multiplayer?
When it comes to teaming up with or against players and AI, players have loved the multiplayer system of Halo 2 and Halo 3, not so much from the later entries. This is because Halo 5 made the whole combat a lot more aggressive and faster where killing times were reduced so you could think of something like Call of Duty.
This is Halo; let it remain the classic and beloved Halo.
This one thing they could do is to increase kill time so to allow for people to react carefully and then register a response. You would definitely not want to step into the round and get sniped out of a spot that quickly. A slower-paced combat system in the game will benefit either the players or opponents.
As for the Firefight Mode, where you tackle waves of enemies with friends, fans were not impressed with the tough bosses and a large number of players on a given map. Halo 3 and Halo Reach both had maximum of 4 players while Halo 5 upped that number to 8.
Moreover, it felt like the game was borrowing too much from Destiny in the sense that the small but enjoyable mini-bosses were replaced with the frustratingly tough chieftains and enemy bosses. Maybe they should stick to what made the mode popular.
Content Right from the Start
Now, this is the most important. A recent trend in the gaming industry has it that games, even unfinished ones, are being shipped with limited modes and content in hopes for maximizing profits by rolling out paid DLC and additional content later on.
Capcom kept a similar strategy when it launched Street Fighter V, even though the modes have now been available for free and characters, costumes, and stages can be earned in-game without the need to spend actual money.
Halo 5 took a similar approach in the sense that it lacked Forge/Infection modes and had a messy Theater Mode. These are the things fans have come to expect from each Halo game and if you will not be delivering on the promises, you are not doing the community a good deal. Halo Infinite has to ship with everything available at launch, a tonne of things to do right at launch.
This is not to say, fans could be treated to additional maps, weapons, and customization options as we proceed through the game’s cycle. This is actually encouraged to make sure players keep returning and there is support for the game from the developers’ way after it was released. Rockstar has done some quite good things when it comes to GTA Online. Halo Infinite should take a similar approach.
Splitscreen
What seems like a dead idea now in video games was much popular in the start. Games like the Resident Evil series, Gears of War, and the Halo series itself were a blast to play with friends. Local couch co-op is only now being promoted by the Borderlands series, one that actually launched on last-gen consoles.
Split-screen multiplayer is a big deal when it comes to introducing your friends to a game or when you just have them over on a fun weekend. There is something rather fun and classic about couch co-op instead of just a standard online session. Halo 5 did not have the feature on the excuse (most probably) that it would mess with the framerates. Hopefully, the new Slipspace Engine of Halo Infinite would solve the problem and allow the game to run on 60 FPS while up to 4 players can play on a single couch.
That is it, folks, here’s to hoping Halo Infinite delivers, and it delivers big-time. With so many disappointments from Xbox this generation, we do not want to come across another one. Especially when it is the fan favorite that urged us to buy the original Xbox and Xbox 360 in the first place. Do not let us down 343 industries!
