Support NeoGAF

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

So even I thought, visually, Halo Infinite was not exactly a powerhouse. That expectation could've been on me (the fact none of the other MS 1st party had gameplay compounded this for me further), but rewatching the footage again, one thing I CAN say is...at least the game actually looks fun. If they can manage to polish some of that pop-in more before launch, and maybe another showcase that shows more of the exploration aspect of the game design...I think things are going to go quite well for the game.

Because, again, it looks quite fun to play, and I'm not even a big Halo guy. The pacing of gameplay also looked promising; not hectic fast but not slow as paint drying, either. I think there's some stylistic changes they can edit though, like the UI bar (at the top center of the screen) sound upon a full refill. It's...a tad too much. Just watching some Halo 3 footage again and I prefer the sound of it in that game by far, it's less distracting.

Overall, aside of the visuals not being quite up to the level I was expecting (Bright Memory Infinite blows this away graphically. Then again it beats pretty much every other next-gen gameplay footage I've seen so far...yes that includes Sony's stuff, too) and the demoed section not quite showing off some aspects of the exploration the way they could've...the game looks fun to play. Which is more than I can say for a certain other major game that came out last month. Ultimately it's the fun factor that means the most to me, so provided they don't botch Infinite's story I see it going over very well.

 

[Denton]

I look forward to it. Gameplay looks like Halo, which means fun.
That said I do hope it will have good atmosphere, soundtrack, and some more interesting quests/missions/objectives than

Destroy AA battery 1
Destroy AA battery 2
Destroy AA battery 3

MS did do some strange things with their screenshot selections though. And I hope PC version will be spared of that foliage LoDing.

 

[-Arcadia-]

It does look like the right direction for Halo.

As the primary case for a referendum on Microsoft’s cross-gen policy, and as a showcase, it’s failed horribly. It’s a very ambitious Xbox One game that has no business even being near the Series X.

As a Halo game, this is the most excited I’ve ever been for 343 Halo (not a high bar), and I feel like this series might finally be moving in the right direction again. Possibly returning to the kind of exploration and free roaming that made parts of Halo 1 have so much impact, but at modern standards, is really exciting.

 

[Max_Po]

 

[IntentionalPun]

Halo Infinite has a really good personality.

 

[LordOfChaos]

Memes are fun, and when you hype the most powerful console on the planet I might raise an eyebrow at all the pop in and seeming lack of textures in places. But I'm 100% going to play it in the end.

 

[BusierDonkey]

Halo Infinite has a really good personality.

I'm really looking forward to the game, but holy shit did that make me laugh.

 

[JOEVIAL]

Same sentiments as you OP. The gameplay looks good. Still lots of unanswered questions though.

I'm excited, going to be playing on Xbox One X though.

 

[JimiNutz]

I thought it was a bit of a shit showing but it did look like classic Halo gameplay so I'm still kind of interested.

The final decision will be made once I see/hear more about the multiplayer.

 

[Vasto]

I am all in on Halo Infinite and cant wait to play.

 

[Bolivar687]

It looks like a lot of fun.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Looks less like 4/5, so I'm more interested than I was with those games. I am curious to know more about it and its multiplayer. Not losing sleep over it though, if it's worth it I'll just check it out on Game Pass.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

Jim wishes you the best.

 

[IntentionalPun]

I'm really looking forward to the game, but holy shit did that make me laugh.

Hah.. I am too.

And honestly I think it looks cool in motion.. like good enough for me... and seems to play real smooth.

But it objectively has bad graphics if you analyze it in any sort of depth.

Like most chicks are plenty hot with the lights off sort of thing just hope that pussy feels good.

 

[THEAP99]

Played some halo master chief collection when I had an Xbox one. Wasn’t impressed. Gunplay felt weak and everything looked plastic. Not for me

 

[Kev Kev]

im really looking forward to the new stuff in halo. the open world, the upgrades, hopefully lots of vehicle travel including flying. i want them to open up the ring but ill settle for just having sections to explore. the villain seems fine to me. im way out of the loop on halo lore but i read a lot of the books so i know more than most. but i have no idea who that guy is ir who the banished are. hopefully they clear that up in the intro.

the gameplay looked like classic halo! it was tight, on point, even clean at times. the player was hitting some nice head shots that really got me thinking about the old halo days. im looking forward to equipment. we saw chief deploy a shield but im not sure what else was in there.

the story has taken a backseat for me. im interested, but i know its been crazy at this point. hopefully theyll have a quick video to get me up to speed on current events. and we still have multiplayer left to see! cant wait to see what that looks like.

and i thought the graphics looked fine. not mind blowing (although some parts were beautiful!), but still looked great to me. i dunno, graphics is only part of the game, how it feels and plays is really more important to me, and of course jsut over all fun factor being the most important. if this thing feels and plays great and is fun as hell, then i couldnt care less if the graphics dont look next gen.

im super stoked. i dont play a whole lot of new games but i will definitely be picking this one up.

 

[M1chl]

Why?

Bright Memory Infinite blows this away graphically.

And yes, that's game by one or few people at best.

 

[Codes 208]

I want a lore thread to keep up with what’s happening. I may make one later

 

[35cent]

Graphics didn't impress me but the gameplay looked good so I'm looking forward to it.

 

[the_master]

I am looking forward to it very much. As I always say, the gameplay will decide if it is a good game, and no video will prove it.

Even so, I have been disappointed in the tech side, the graphics look current gen, there is a lot of popping in the background and in the foreground (some grass disappearing)
The open world seems limited by some chunks (as we see in thr map) so it really seems like some rumors of the open world tech not working and several problems are true.

The 2018 video looked next gen, this gameplay does not.

I know it is impossible but I keep thinking"what if they told us this was running on Xbox One X, and next month we'd see the series X optimised version?

 

[magaman]

Halo-Infinite-Bruce-Force.png

 

[Barakov]

Looking forward to it with reservations but I can understand the grief it's getting. If the gameplay is there then all the shitposts today won't mean anything.

 

[pawel86ck]

Infinite reminds me first halo 1 and that's what I wanted. Graphics looks good for open world 4K 60fps game, but not next gen good if you know what I mean. Everybody knows most games looks much different in cutscens and gameplay (for example Gears 5 or TLOU2 has way better character models and lighting during cutscens) but inifite seams to be using the same quality assets and lighting all the time.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Its the only game from these consoles presentations that i thought actually looked fun to play. But then again there weren't a whole lot of gameplay demos shown in any of these showcases.

 

[ThatOneGrunt]

I was sold by the gameplay. It was having me some real, old school Halo vibes. And the open world aspect has me really intrigued. I need to see more.

I do wish that the game looked better graphically. Or maybe we just needed to see a different segment of the game. I’m surprised they went with the gameplay they did and thought yeah, this Footage right here is what we’re going to use to debut this flagship game.

But at 4k/60, I thought the gameplay looked sooooo good. Sharp and buttery smooth. I want to see more.

 

[Wandering Leopard]

In all seriousness the stream did it no favours, I re-watched on YT and thought it looked ok but expected more of a "next gen" look - gameplay certainly looked more interesting than visuals which should be good for long term fans.

I'm more curious about the GaaS-like model they've adopted.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

It still looks very fun so yes. Hope the story is good. I'm sick of the Covenant, even their variations though.

 

[DJTHEGREY]

Although I'm not a Halo fan I actually think that the gameplay looked good. Hopefully it will please all Halo fans with how it plays.

 

[JLMC469]

For me, the good:

1. Seamless transition between cutscene and gameplay.
2. Cutscene character models are ace.
3. Art direction/aesthetics.
3. Sound design.
4. Soundtrack
5. Facial expressions were impressive.
6. 4K and 60 fps
7. Explorable open world. Also found out it has day and night cycle.
8. I watched the footage several times and the gunplay looks really good.

 

[kuncol02]

Why?



And yes, that's game by one or few people at best.

Bright Memory trailer was literally one corridor (or rather channel) filled with water (+10 to graphics) and short cut scene.

 

[Jon Neu]

Bright Memory trailer was literally one corridor (or rather channel) filled with water (+10 to graphics) and short cut scene.

Imagine being this butthurt.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Jim wishes you the best.

Jim, you have my thanks!

Bright Memory trailer was literally one corridor (or rather channel) filled with water (+10 to graphics) and short cut scene.

True, but still...that demo looked good AF

I'm really looking forward to the game, but holy shit did that make me laugh.

NGL the memes are actually kinda funny. Just hopping when the game comes out and proves itself people meek on it right now give it some props.

 

[ThatOneGrunt]

I saw this in another thread. I forgot how good the first teaser looked. Shame we couldn't get more like this.

 

[ZehDon]

Look, does the game seem really fun? Absolutely. I like the direction, the combat looks clean and satisfying, I really like the prospect of exploring the Halo itself, and the open world concept has loads of potential. I'm a massive Halo fan, so I'm always happy to have more Halo - and one that caters to my desire to explore more of the world is absolutely going to be enjoyed on my Series X at launch.

But, watch it again. Does anything - literally, anything at all - about the game advertise that it should headline Xbox's next gen console launch? Even from a fan of Halo, the answer has got to be no. The pain point for a lot of people is a simple one: it's not that its visuals disappoint - it's that we were told to wait for this, and the visuals look like a step back in a lot of areas, and stagnant in everything else. What were we waiting for? Halo 2 Anniversary has better models. Halo 4 has better lighting. Seemingly all MCC games have better textures. And those gameplay innovations? Doom did grapple hooks already. Destiny's done "open world Halo" - hell, everyone is doing open worlds. I'm in because "Halo". For everyone else - I don't blame them for not giving 343 the benefit of the doubt. Why should they?

People aren't being negative because they're blind haters. They're being negative because people wanted 343 to succeed, but this was their last chance to get Halo right. Halo 4 was decent, but failed to live up to the series. Halo 5 was a massive failure. After the Engine Reveal, and last year's trailer, 343 seemed on track to deliver the Halo game we all wanted them to deliver. They called it a spiritual reboot. Microsoft tied the Series X to Halo Infinite every step of the way, telling everyone to wait for it - wait for Halo Infinite, wait for the big reveal, it'll be worth the wait. Halo Infinite was their flagship - the game you want for the Series X. And so, while we all waited, Switch owners get Crysis with real-time global illumination, PS5 owners get Horizon: Forbidden West. And when the big day comes, when Microsoft's crown jewel steps up to the plate to show the entire world what they can do - that they can get Halo right, they can prove themselves every bit Bungie's equal - Xbox and Halo fans finally get treated to... an up-scaled Xbone port with some of the flattest visuals I've seen in a AAA release this entire generation - except its a next gen game.

If people are negative, there is no one to blame but Microsoft and 343: they shit the bed, and now they have to lay in it.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

The second they zoomed out to show the map, I was done. The moment to moment combat is probably fine, but I can already feel the tedium of the overarching design.

Like, I honestly don't know how they managed to show up with something this uninspiring as their marquee title.

 

[kuncol02]

Imagine being this butthurt.

You don't see that whole trailer is literally one linear corridor in form of water channel with lots of water to make graphics more impressive (artistically really cheap effect) and cut scene after that. And don't forget about as much full screen effects as you can push without making screen totally unreadable. There are moments when you barely can see anything with heavy motion blur, dirty camera effect, super heavy chromatic aberration etc.
Shadow Warrior 3 looks much better than that.

True, but still...that demo looked good AF

It really used every possible trick to make itself look better than it's actually is.


And about Halo.
Video compression really fucked that game look. There are moments when you can see some really great textures, like pilot clothes and second later when he move like few inches it totally disappear. Guns actually have some really nice materials, but they are only visible with light from specific angle.
Lighting really need some work because in some places it looked rather bad and contrast is off, everything looks washed out.

 

[Fake]

Nah.

 

[FloatingIslands]

Yeah, why not? Looks fun.

But it won't make me buy an xbox only for it.

 

[Hendrick's]

I think the gameplay and world all looks amazing are are what I have always wanted. Technically, it looks completely undercooked and like this demo was coming in hot.

They did Halo a disservice today by showing up this. It isn't ready. Though let's be real, what the hell have 343 been working on all these years?

 

[Jon Neu]

You don't see that whole trailer is literally one linear corridor in form of water channel with lots of water to make graphics more impressive (artistically really cheap effect) and cut scene after that. And don't forget about as much full screen effects as you can push without making screen totally unreadable. There are moments when you barely can see anything with heavy motion blur, dirty camera effect, super heavy chromatic aberration etc.
Shadow Warrior 3 looks much better than that.

I’ll give you an A for the trolling effort.

 

[kebaldo]

To me it doesn't even look that much fun... feels old.
I'm smelling a sort of No Man Sky/Sea of Theavies... Shit at launch and in the future it becomes a good game.

 

[Exoil]

My thoughts on it was that it looks like it have that solid Halo gameplay but the visuals were a let down for me. They still got some time to polish it, but I have a hard time seeing that they could polish it enough to look next gen.

 

[TLZ]

 

[jigglet]

Graphics suck, but it's 60fps so I'll shut my trap hole.

Sprint is in. That was the main thing I wanted.

I like what I see so far. The only thing stopping me from insta-buying this right now is that 60FOV. Give us options on console dammit.

 

[Sakura Doritos]

Halo looked good. I was hoping it would look a touch more like the trailer and cut scenes but it looks like Halo with a splash of Destiny.

They said there is more content than Halo 4 and 5 put together and I’d like them to fill that in a bit more especially in the context of this being more open.

Id also like then to give us a lifecycle on future DLC / Expansions of the ring if they can without spoiling the story. Is this single player / coop going to feel like what Anthem should have been or are we essentially getting an actual Anthem gameplay loop in the halo skin.