Mircosoft and 343 industries decided to drop another trail of breadcrumbs about the premise and identity of Halo Infinite going forward before it’s slated to release in the window of the 2020 holiday season. As of today, the title has been delayed to 2021.
Now many are left questioning if this delay will increase the value and experience of the long-awaited title. The tweet below is from the team and the explanation to why they decided to enact the delay.
In addition to the news of the delay, fans will be happy to know the next chapter of the Halo franchise will still be released on Xbox one, Series X and, surprisingly, windows 10 on Microsoft. For those who don’t know, Halo Infinite is not only the next installment in the long-established series but it will also have the tough sell of being the launching point for the next 10 years of the franchise.
Especially coming off the track record of past installments of Halo 4 and 5 and the crucial divisive feedback both garnered. Many fans griped about the adaption of gameplay and how both titles felt like they were moving away from the integrity of what “made Halo stand out from its competition and why it thrived for long”.
A quote from IGN perfectly illustrated the image of this being different and unique from when they sat down with 343 industries.
“It is both the conclusion to what has to date been known as the Forerunner Saga, and it also sets a course for new stories.”
IGN
It feels from that Infinite may be trying to sew up the events spanning from Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians but also at the same time.
One interesting thing to note is that 343 reiterated the fact that infinite is accessible to a long time die-hard or the casual new-comer. Lee added, “It’s setting the foundation for future storytelling as well as tying some of those threads from the past.
You don’t need to go through the whole franchise to learn and understand the fiction coming in, but if you do have that knowledge we want to reward that.
You’ll see these [extended universe] elements and nostalgic moments. There have been a lot of goosebumps in the studio as we have [finished] different scenes and things that are in the game.”(IGN)
In many ways, it feels almost that Infinite is essentially a blueprint or launching pad for the next phase of the historic franchise. To many, the Halo series has been close to the heart and soul of gamers.
The franchise has always been creative in storytelling and adaptive in gameplay to the point of it not feeling stale.
However when the company 343 industries took over the license from Bungie. Many were worried and the reception to past titles helped cause doubt to form in the mind of many.
Listen Halo and the recognition of Master Chief is a huge deal in the gaming community especially to those who support the Xbox franchise.
In the eyes of many Master Chief has always been portrayed as a stoic yet vocal protagonist, but also has been seen as the poster child of Mircosoft and the Xbox ever since his inception.
Now of course getting back to the topic on hand, in addition to the story details being slowed pieced together from the cryptic conversation, 343 industries decided to show off some gameplay from the holiday title.
It came off as a short eight-minute demo but in reality, it was just a tease of what’s to come.
From first glance, you get the atmospheric sensation of euphoria rushing back to you as a child playing the original Combat Evolved. The colors look blended and well-executed and Chief’s armor looks slightly different from his past appearances.
He looks slimmer and less militaristic. Another thing to add was the inclusion of grappling hook, and how it felt similar in flair to Bethesda’s Doom Eternal. For example, the pistol also looked like it was trying to be similar or reshaped as the original Bungie trilogy of Halo.
However, things did feel smooth and the product looked and felt like it was a remake of the original; or in simpler terms a spiritual successor.
In addition to the gameplay, we were given a glimpse of the new enemy type the Banished and we learned a little about the new foe. They are a group of elites from the covenant and they debuted during the events of Halo Wars 2.
Now many will ponder do I need to play that title to understand the lore of this sequel. 343 stated in the previous quote you do not need to play that title to embrace the full extent of infinite.
One detail that should be mentioned is that the title did receive a dose of criticism in the gameplay department alas the graphics. Mircosoft responded to these claims with this quote “Listen, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic,” Greenberg explained.
“It’s July, we’re far from [launch in] Holiday, you’re seeing a work-in-progress game.”
“Go back and look at the game at 4K/60, we did that deliberately,” he continued. “It’s very hard to show the full power and graphic [sic] fidelity of what Xbox Series X will be able to deliver for you over a stream.”(Gamespot).
In closing, as of now ‘Halo Infinite’ will in release 2021 year and will launch on Xbox One; Xbox Series X; Xbox Game Pass, and windows 10.
“I mean if they feel they need more time to work on the game more power to them… but like something tells me that this will affect the initial series
– Joseph Torres
The quote my fellow content creator, Joe made was critical but also truthful. As of now the internet and the fans are voicing their opinion. I feel though the writing was on the wall especially due to the influx of criticism surrounding the concern of graphics.
Regardless the Xbox series will not launch with one of their mainstream icons this holiday season and fans of the franchise will have to wait a little longer before they can continue the fight.
