So this negative review comes with a heavy heart; I love Halo and to an extent I love this one too. I cannot recommend it though, and honestly I can't really recommend any further Halo game due to how this one has been treated. I'm not sure that it was just me believing that Halo would rise to the greatness it once was but my expectations were met then crushed shortly after release.

The Campaign:
Rather than spoil it for the few who still wish to check it out, I think I'm just gonna describe how I felt about the campaign. Short Answer? I liked it. Long Answer? I felt the story was a bit off brand for chief but I think it's a solid entry, and nowhere nearly as bad as say... Halo 5, which was to me a big nothing burger. The problem with halo infinite is that it requires knowledge from Halo Wars 2 and Halo 5 in order to have context. If a Player had skipped these entries to the series, they could be lost on the significance of some characters and events and will have to go back anyways. I enjoy the cast though and their chemistry, even if a bit of the heart-to-heart moments feel a bit ham-fisted.

Game-play of the Campaign is great. While I'm not necessarily a fan of the fact the opted for a semi-open world approach for this game, it does provide the opportunity to mess with the sandbox. Whether it be loading up a troop carrier with sentinel beam marines or swinging around like spiderman, there's definitely plenty of ways you can play around with your new toys. Unlocking these new toys only feels partially natural, as a lot of the UNSC weapons and vehicles are locked behind valor. Valor is unlocked by doing events around the map like rescuing marine squads. Doing these events tend to be more of the same towards the end, which makes me wonder why they didn't just provide these weapons as the game progressed. Probably to pad out the game to make it a collectathon like most Open world PVE games nowadays. Halo Infinite definitely takes inspiration from the Ubisoft formula at the least.

The big issue is that to me, this game doesn't feel like it's worth 60 dollars, especially when the Multiplayer is free, which is an issue we'll discuss soon. Maybe if Halo was to follow through with the 10 year plan they envisioned and added story DLC, then maybe I would consider it worth it down the line. As it stands though, wait for it to be real cheap if you REALLY want it. I personally think the lack of replay-ability isn;t worth it 2 years later.

Multiplayer:
Halo Infinite's Multiplayer is a mess. Don't get me wrong, the core gameplay and foundation are there and for the most part are solid. What isn't solid is pretty much everything else; from the way it's handled to the very conception of it.

The gameplay itself, to me at least, feels good. Sure I could have a better aim, but the movement feels solid enough, my shots register and the sound design does make guns feel pushy. Infinite once again moved away from a loadout system in order to provide a fair playing field for both teams and all players. Armor abilities have returned, but rather than it being integral like the loadout systems of Reach and Four or Halo 5's system. The abilities function more like equipment like halo 3. Limited use and you have to pick it up. I feel like it's better to have this system as it'll require map knowledge to get the most out of what you pick up. Sure sprinting is still in Halo, but unlike other titles, sprinting is only marginally faster; making only a big difference across longer, BTB orientated maps with a lot of area to cover between firefights.

What the big problem is of Modern Halo infinite, which has been plaguing the player base since launch is the drip feed of content. Aside from the store, content doesn't seem to really come around. TO explain why this is an issue, Halo Infinite is supposed to be a live service game. Much like many other franchises who thought that Live Service is just a money printer, 343i and Microsoft apparently had no long term goal in terms of maintaining the game. Afterall, laying off hired staff in exchange for contractors that only work on the game for a set amount of time then leave was surely a good idea for an engine that was developed in house, so it's not like adding content on a regular basis would be hard right? I jest, but the fact of the matter is much like popeyes chicken, Halo infinite is more breading than chicken. It's hollow and there's not a lot of reason to play outside events and finishing the battlepass. It's not like you can show off your spartan or do things like PVE with them anyhow, so why bother.

On the topic of customization, it's laughable. Not the system itself, as it's more extensive than Halo 5, but there's certainly a lot of practices that are downright scummy. THe first issue is that Halo infinite is the first game that doesn't allow you to change your primary and secondary colors, instead opting for preset armor coatings. Sure, you get a small amount for free off the bat and you can earn more through weekly challenges (visors too) but it's a huge step down. Instead of being able to be a full white spartan, you now have to buy a 20 dollar bundle in game. Which brings us to the store. The store was, much like other live service games, designed to create fomo. High mark up on digital items during a weekly period on order to twist your arm to buy. Sure, it's not necessary but a lot of armors for previous games, which were free mind you, are in this store and that will not change. This store existing is the entire reason Multiplayer is F2P and you cannot convince me otherwise. Afterall, how could they justify selling PIECES of a skin to the playerbase at exorbitant prices. It's expected of Fortnite and Call Of Duty, but at least you pay for a whole body cosmetic in that case on top of other items in said bundle; not to say I defend the practice for them.

Summary:
Halo infinite is a good game riddled with bad decisions caused by greedy execs. I would say not to play this game, but that'd make me a hypocrite. I simply ask you to consider playing other games first before you download and possibly give games that are worth the time your attention. I really wish Halo would bounce back, but I understand that this isn't the 2000's anymore. It's maybe time to move on.