(This obviously is only a review for multiplayer)

Im an absolutely massive fan of Halo and have been since I was a kid. And it genuinely hurts to write this but I cannot recommend the game in its current state for reasons im about to go over. Full disclosure the gameplay, sandbox, art design, audio design, and core mechanics themselves are really well done and imo in terms of pure gameplay this is the best Halo since at least Reach. They got the hard parts, but failed on things that should be so simple for Halo.

Heres just SOME of what Halo Infinite should as a mainline Halo have but doesnt:

Weapons:
(I actually generally like the weapon sandbox and how many new fun guns are in it, but these all still shouldve been there at launch in a mainline Halo game no question.)

-Classic Covenant Carbine
-Classic Plasma Rifle
-Classic Shotgun
-Classic Magnum
-DMR
-Beam Rifle
-Spartan Laser
-Fuel Rod Cannon
-Bruteshot (We have a Halo game where we fight an edgy brute faction but dont even have one of if not the brutes most iconic weapon?)

Vehicles:

-Falcon (I still have no idea why the flying warthog itself has never returned since reach)

(Why doesnt the plasma pistol EMP vehicles, im genuinely not sure if this is intentional or a bug, either way it needs to be changed)

(Also buff the Banshee missile, its literally the worst in the franchise, a direct hit doesnt even kill)

Gamemodes:
(YOU CANNOT QUEUE FOR THE SPECIFIC GAMEMODES THAT ARE THERE, LIKE ANY OTHER MULTIPLAYER GAME THAT HAS EVER HAD MULTIPLE MODES?)

-Forge
-Infection
-Fiesta (It is there currently but only as a limited time mode for one week)
-Swat
-Assault
-King of the Hill
-Grifball
-Snipers
-FFA
-Team Doubles
-Multi-Team
-Crazy Action Sack Modes
-Custom games that actually work (current custom games are absolutely busted)
(Also no campaign co-op or firefight if you consider those as multiplayer aspects)

Playlists:

-No type of specific playlists whatsoever other then BTB, Quick Play, and Ranked.
(Why in any world is there only two casual playlists besides the event mode...)

More Problems:

Maps:

-For general Arena there is a decent bit of maps, but there really could and probably should be more
-There is only a grand total of 3 maps for BTB, granted those maps are pretty fun, but I cant help but ask why
-The map launch site has ridiculous invisible barriers blocking basic paths for air vehicles
-No map vote/veto system

Business Model (fReE tO pLaY):

-Cosmetic only micros are fine for many or even most franchises but do NOT work in a franchise like Halo that has a 10+ year legacy and history of FREE progression and unlocks, due to the free to play model there is next to none of that, which I will get into more in a bit
-The game basically feels like Halo-Fortnite where the shop page literally looks copy and pasted from the old Fortnite store, along with all of the cosmetics that are in there being disgustingly overpriced and/or underwhelming
-Why does a Halo game need to have a battle pass at all, you compare the Reach progression system to a battle pass and theres just no competition... battle passes are so boring, linear and overdone
(Overall, the multiplayer shouldve been included with the campaign under the $60 price tag so these horrible aspects didnt have to exist, no doubt about it whatsoever)

Customization/Progression:
(The armors themselves look really good, but the amount of actual customization content is pathetic)

-VERY little armor that is actually new, most of what is there is recycled Reach armor, and even then not all the Reach Armor is there and the rest will likely be added later to be sold on the shop for real money
-Basically zero free progression outside of the event again due to the free to play status
-Even outside of the armor itself theres very little to customize
-Once again the vast majority of what is there is locked behind either a paywall, grinding, or both in the case of the battle pass
-Battle pass is tied to challenges ONLY to progress, why... as well as there being no performance based xp system for each game
-Battle pass doesnt give back credits like every other battle pass
-Armor coatings are still here from the previously disappointing news and still have the same problems: They are preset color combos that you have to choose instead of picking your own color combos, this makes customization less interesting not more
-There is a few normal color coatings you get for free, but they are limited to say the least and many of the colors you get are dark and ugly, as well as many basic colors being missing unless you buy a skin that has that color, they are literally paywalling basic colors like white for $20... like... lmfao
-YOU CANNOT MIX AND MATCH ARMOR PIECES/COATINGS WITH OTHER ARMOR CORES, THIS HAS NO REASON TO EXIST OTHER THEN INCOMPETANCE AND/OR GREED, EVEN THE AI HAVE MIXED ARMOR, THERES NO OTHER WAY AROUND IT, THIS IS EMBARASSING

Events:

-WHY IN ANY WORLD CAN YOU ONLY DO 7 TIERS IN THE EVENT UNTIL HAVING TO WAIT TO DO THE REST WHEN THE EVENT ROLLS AROUND OTHER TIMES MONTHS FROM NOW, THIS IS LITERALLY THE WORST IN GAME EVENT SYSTEM I HAVE EVER SEEN

Optimization:

-Needs to be capable of higher fps for full potential on high refresh rate monitors

(This isnt a problem for me personally because im still chilling wtih a 60hz monitor atm, if you only want to reach 60 fps, optimization shouldnt be much of an issue for you if you have even a decent pc)

Other:

-No type of stat tracking other then games played
-No assassinations
-None of the signature overexaggerated blood stains on the ground, this may be a thing due to the T for teen rating which is another decision that has me scratching my head
-No playable elites (Many people have been begging for the return of playable elites since Reach, theres no reason they shouldnt be there at launch, even though I personally dont care for them much)

343, you have had SIX YEARS to make this game, there is absolutely NO excuse for this extreme list of problems and lack of features when the vast majority if not all of these problems werent a thing in previous Bungie Halo titles with a smaller dev team, dev window, and budget. ESPECIALLY since you made many of these same mistakes in previous games like Halo 5. This game at its core is very fun, and is definitely 343s best Halo. But its so much harder to enjoy it when so much of what should be there isnt. Almost all of these are CORE features to the Halo experience, they are a set standard in the franchise, if you cant provide, delay it, which at this point clearly shouldve happened. This game honestly shouldve just been delayed another year straight up. We waited six years just to have a Halo multiplayer that sadly in many ways feels like how most AAA modern titles do: Launch it now, fix it later. Like seriously what were you guys thinking when you released this game a month early? You shouldve taken that time to make the multiplayer launch at least kinda acceptable. Its truly sad how much gaming has declined in terms of quality over the last decade. But hey in before the "yOu ArE jUsT bEiNg NoStAlGiC" and/or "yOu ArE jUsT a SaLtY bUnGiE fAnBoY" line.

Edit: Here I detailed how I thought a year or two down the line it would probably be way better, (though that still excuses nothing in regards to launching a game like trash) and here we are like 2-3 years later and all theyve added is one new gun, some new maps and modes, and ZERO new vehicles despite us seeing the Falcon and other things in leaks nearly fully functional YEARS ago. These unbelievably mid cosmetic events DONT cut it. Ever think about giving us actual content? This game truly does mark the end of ANY hope for the future of Halo imo. The fact as well that leaks show supposedly the next Halo will be a "LiVe SeRvIcE bAtTlE rOyAlE" TRULY tells you everything you need to know about Microsoft and where their priorities are with this franchise. Its dead, and thats coming from a childhood fan...