Recent reviews by UltraMassive

Still no solo/offline mode.

Let me start this review by saying that I have been playing the Halo franchise since Halo: Combat Evolved first came to the Xbox in the year 2001. My experience of this game so far is online PvP, bots, training mode, and a pretty decent look into the customization mechanics. Each game has had its ups and downs, and this review will reflect my opinion of the newest installment of the Halo series, Halo Infinite.

-THE GOOD-

Art Style:
It seems as if the developers drew heavy inspiration from both Halo Reach and Halo 3. The game isn't overly bright and colorful and maintains what I would call a "gritty" and "militaristic" feel, but the colors and textures do not feel muted or dull either. Spartans actually look like spartans again and do not look like what I can only describe and "rounded" in Halo 5: Gaurdians.

Gameplay:
The overall gameplay is satisfactory. I still am not a fan of the ADS (aim down sights) mechanic in Halo games, but it seems like the folks at 343 found a happy medium for those who do enjoy it while not making it so that you can snipe other players with an AR. The jumping feels good (not too floaty). PvP matches have good flow, the maps on which I've played are designed well (everyone will love some and hate others), and the weapons feel like they have some punch. I do wish they would bring back more of the classic weapons like the Plasma Rifle, but we must work with what we have. The bots in online matches seem a little dumber than those you might encounter in training mode on the harder settings, but they aren't quite paint eaters either.
*EDIT*
The weapons are pretty bad. Almost none of them are familiar and there aren't that many to choose from. The current weapons also lack a "uniqueness" from one another that sets them apart like in previous Halo games. On top of (potentially) your favorite gun being left out, the current "power weapons" are fairly underwhelming. The current vehicles are also suffering from many of the same issues (lack of variety, usefulness, and generally not that powerful). I witnessed a Scorpion Tank get decimated by small weapons is seconds. The starting weapons (AR and pistol) are really all you need. The Skewer is fun though so that's nice. The overall gameplay is still acceptable, but needs improvement.

-THE BAD-

Customization:
As the player you will have the ability to customize not only your spartan, but your weapons, vehicles, and little A.I. buddy. This area of the game has a lot going for it. My only gripe thus far is the fact that you can no longer select your primary and secondary colors for spartans or emblems, but must choose from a collection of preset color schemes that you unlock. The color schemes don't look bad for the most part, but I feel that it could have been done better or maybe even did not need a change in the first place.
*EDIT*
After looking into the customization more I have come to the conclusion that it is an inch deep and a mile wide. There are many things that you can customize, but in order to unlock a lot of the content you need to be willing to purchase it. The color schemes and emblems are also looking a lot more like a cash grab. Why would you allow a player to use them from the start when you can use them as content for a battle pass? For this reason I must regrettably count the customization as a strike against this game.

Controls:
I highly recommend playing with a mouse and keyboard for the PC version of this game. Controllers do not have aim assist and this can put controller users at a severe disadvantage. If you must play with a controller then I recommend using the default button layout as most of the other control schemes operate too slowly and are just too clunky to compete. This is almost entirely because of the ADS mechanic that has catered towards Call of Duty players and left Halo veterans such as myself in the past. If you did not play Halo 5: Gaurdians, then get ready to relearn how to play halo regardless of what your input is.

Matchmaking Selection:
I may be wrong, but I have yet to figure out a way to play a specific game type. It seems as if you cannot choose what game you want to play whether it be slayer, CTF, swat, etc. (I am unaware if swat is even in the game). Since my knowledge here is limited I'll leave it, and feel free to correct me in the comments if I am being inaccurate.
*EDIT*
There is no way to select your preferred game type. This makes certain challenges a pain because you are relying on luck in order to get the game type you need in order to complete said challenge.

-THE UGLY-

Micro-transactions:
Yup, you got it. All of the things nobody ever asked for in a Halo game. Halo Infinite has a battle pass which is only the largest cash grab mechanic that any AAA game studio has injected into a franchise. The battle pass (in all games, not just halo) is a lazy, half-assed, greedy, replacement of a proper progression system that screams, "Give me money without me having to earn it!" The only saving grace about this particular battle pass is that once you shell out your hard earned cash (or not so hard earned cash, I don't know you), it will not expire. This does NOT make a battle pass acceptable. It's just stage 3 cancer rather than stage 4 for a game. Other micro-transactions include armor sets that cost a whopping 20 USD (U.S. Dollars). To put that into perspective, let's say Jim make $10/hour at his job (excluding taxes for simplicity). If Jim bought that armor set that means he spent two hours worth of labor to purchase a digital cosmetic for a fake super soldier. I have no issue with SOME purchasable cosmetics, but $20 is an insane price tag for something that adds NO gameplay content.

Progression:
Unlike other games in the Halo franchise, in order to level up your spartan you must complete challenges. You are not given XP in accordance to your performance in the match. You could carry me to victory while I drool on myself and eat glue and we will be given the same reward (dependent on whether either one of us completed additional challenges) The progression is also exceedingly slow. You get a minimum of 50XP per match and you need something like 1000XP in the earliest levels of the battle pass (yeah, that thing that unfortunately exists). I would normally put something like this into the "bad" category, but I believe that this is a strategy to coerce players into buying the battle pass (and the double XP consumables). I know that this theory is a bit of a reach (pun intended), but from a greedy marketing point of view it makes sense to create a problem (A progression system that levels you about as fast as old people f***) so that one can sell a solution (bonus XP).

Thank you for reading. I really hope this review was helpful (to both players and developers if they so happen to stumble across it), and that it provided at least some of the info you were searching for. I also would like to reiterate that this review is based entirely in opinion, and that you should play the game yourself if possible so that you may formulate your own thoughts. If at any point I was dead wrong about something feel free to correct me in the comments. With that being said...
*EDIT*
Unfortunately after more play time I am changing my review from positive to negative. Halo is NOT, and should NOT be a live service game. Don't be fooled. The fact that the multiplayer is free is absolutely not a good thing. It only opens the door for greedy mechanics. The gameplay can be fun at times and is definitely an improvement from Halo 5: Gaurdians, but it just isn't quite Halo. I'm going to keep playing it and hope that there are some drastic changes for the better. The future of this game, and possibly the franchise, depends on it.
My rating: Suit up Spartan.
My new rating: Call of Halo Infinite Micro-Transactions

The game itself is fun, but is still technically unfinished so there is obviously going to be bugs. I can't hold that against a game that is still in the development stage, however. The only real problem I have is not with the game, but with what the developers are planning on doing with it. The paid mods proposal is a radical, and overall greedy idea. I understand that one makes a game in order to make money, but free modifications are what the PC is all about. If the developer is reading this, I strongly urge you to let go of the paid mods idea, and finish this game before starting to build a new one. You will make more money due to the fact that the game will sell more, rather than people be upset over bugs, or paid modifications. If you want to charge for mods, then make a console game and call them DLC's. With that being said I cannot support what is being done, but maybe it isn't too late to change. Thanks for reading, I hope this helped.