It feels pretty safe to say that, despite the recent releases of three major first-person shooters, the only one that’s been dominating the conversation currently isHalo Infinite. On some levels that makes perfect sense; the game was delayed a year and its multiplayer being surprise-released three weeks ahead of its scheduled launch was sure to be exciting. However, that isn’t the only reasonwhyHalois standing out fromBattlefield 2042andCall of Duty: Vanguard.
Call of DutyandHalohave always existed in different spaces, with clear differences in their mechanics. That used to be the case withBattlefieldas well, butInfinite’s multiplayer seems to be doing a lot of similar things asBattlefield.The problem forBattlefield 2042is thatHalo Infinitehas taken a lot of its mechanics and done them better, resulting inHalofeeling more in line with the spirit ofBattlefieldand causing the game’s community to migrate toHalofollowingBattlefield 2042’s poor reception and controversial changes.
RELATED:Hilarious Halo Infinite Match Intro Shows Spartan Standing By Himself, Staring Into Wall
The True Sandbox of Halo Infinite
It seems like one of the major reasons whyfans are findingHalo Infiniteso refreshingis that the sandbox really opens up play for whatever style a player prefers. Old-schoolHalotactics still certainly work, but the addition of equipment like the Grappleshot and the Repulsor have allowed for plays to get much trickier by giving each Spartan the potential to get the upper hand in a fight depending on what sort of gear they’ve acquired. What’s more, because there are so many new mechanics with the addition of the new equipment, players are encouraged to experiment with things and push on the boundaries of what’s possible in the game.
This is exactly what a lot of the appeal of theBattlefieldfranchise is, butBattlefield 2042hasn’t delivered on a lot of its potential due to controversial changes tothe series’core mechanics and the general “bugginess” of the game’s launch. The open sandbox of theBattlefieldseries is usually pretty excellent, but it seems like DICE wasn’t able to handle launching the game across the new generation of consoles, as last-gen players have cited constant game-breaking bugs. In general,bugs are an issue for allBattlefield 2042playersregardless of platform, which has caused players to not want to push the game to its limits for fear of breaking it.
Conversely,Halo Infiniteis encouraging players to try things out and pull offBattlefield-style maneuvers to gain the upper hand. It isn’t uncommon to see a player use a Grappleshot to jump onto an aerial vehicle and hijack it, or for someone to exit a Banshee with a power weapon and land on an unknowing enemy below.Trick shots are already being shared acrossHalo’s community, and for good reason: they require a lot of skill, and because the game is well-made, players don’t need to worry about issues with the engine getting in the way of the fun of the game.
None of this is to say thatBattlefield 2042isn’t any good, but it seems likeHalo Infinitemight be taking the game’s spot as the go-to “open sandbox shooter” for many gaming enthusiasts. It’s still to be seenwhat sort of longevityHalo Infinitewill have, but it seems like the game has putBattlefield 2042in a poor position moving forward. Hopefully, DICE will be able to turnBattlefield 2042around, as there’s certainly space for the game with its more realistic approach to mechanics vs.Halo’s science-fiction one. There’s plenty of work to be done before the game can reclaim its core audience and show fans that its sandbox is just as good asHalo’s, though.
Halo Infinite’s campaign releases for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on December 8 while its multiplayer is available now.
MORE:Halo Infinite’s Red vs. Blue References Show a Deep Love for Halo’s History
