Halo Infinite needs to make one hell of am impression at E3 2019. In this article we talk about all the things we want to see from the game if we are going to pledge our loyalty to the Master Chief one more time.
Halo Infinite is going to be releasing with some giant expectations. There has been a rumored 500 million dollar investment into the game from Microsoft, clearly implying that they plan on setting up the Halo series for years to come. We still don’t know a huge amount about Halo Infinite, but there are certain things we would love to see in the game, some of which are must-haves if the game is going to find the level of success that means Microsoft is happy with the money spent on it.
#1 A Robust Photo/Theater Mode
While Halo didn’t begin the machinima scene, the talented and passionate community that loved the games did provide some of the most well-known machinimas in history. A robust Photo and Theater mode would be a beautiful thing to see in Halo Infinite. It also makes a lot of sense from a business point of view. Being able to interact with, and create within, the games they buy can really turn fans into loyal followers of a game for years. People have consistently shown they can produce amazingly high level content if given access to the right tools. While Battlefield never had an official way to do it, HattiWatti’s cinematic mode software led to the community producing some outright stunning work, and GTA V has been a place for some amazing machinima work ever since it launched due to its feature-rich Director Mode. A solid Photo and Theater mode will not just feeling exciting and rewarding for fans, it will give Microsoft a source of free marketing for years to come.
#2 Multiplayer, Obviously
I honestly feel it will be important for Halo Infinite to understand its roots from a multiplayer point of view. Halo always scratched a very specific itch for gamers, and for years it was the pre-eminent arena shooter on the market. Straying too far from its roots in an attempt to do something different might be a mistake, but if it does do this there should always be modes with the classic gameplay feel that people can choose to play. I would also love to see the Multiplayer launched with a feature like Halo Forge. It would once again harness that skill and imagination of the playerbase, resulting in free content and even longer engagement than Microsoft could hope to generate themselves.
#3 Deep Lore And Mysteries
The Halo lore is hugely interesting, and an accessible way to read all about it for people who haven’t kept up with the series is a must. Halo Infinite is being set up as a soft reboot of the franchise, so the developers must surely expect this to attract new players. Giving those players a way to immerse themselves into the lore that led to the current state of affairs in Halo Infinite would be a great way to get them to fall in love with the game. The game is also rumored to be huge, so having some mysteries hidden away for people to find and discuss with friends and their online communities would be a great move.
#4 One Big Community
Halo Infinite is a Microsoft game that will be releasing on Xbox One and PC; as such, there is no reason to have any split in the community. Crossplay would be an excellent feature to add to the game and would help to establish Microsoft’s commitment to a feature that many players wish to see become a standard part of our hobby.
#5 No Battle Royale Mode
While it is obvious that every developer, publisher, and platform owner is currently trying to find their own Fortnite, I really don’t want to see this mode in Halo Infinite. I don’t dislike Battle Royals; I just don’t think that Halo really works when it comes to what those game modes do. For my money, the best in world reasoning behind a Battle Royale is actually Apex Legends, where they present it as a sport, even if it is a lethal sport. This excuses the kind of shenanigans that Battle Royale games include, like shrinking circles that kill you. I’d like to see Halo focus on what Halo has always done well, which is fun campaigns and fantastic multiplayer action on smaller maps with smaller player counts.
#6 Something That Surprises Us
I don’t mean this as a cop-out, but I am not a game designer. I have no experience in sitting down with an established series and trying to bring something new to the table that both works and is unexpected, but I DO expect to see professionals be able to do just that. I want Halo Infinite to bring something to E3 2019 that makes buying it a must. I don’t want to see the next Halo, I want to see the new Halo, and I want to be genuinely amazed by the direction it is going, or a new feature that is being added. If this is really the start of the next chapter of one of the greatest series in gaming, I want to be blown away by what we see.
