{"id":8378,"date":"2021-12-07T17:56:47","date_gmt":"2021-12-07T16:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1533675"},"modified":"2021-12-07T18:39:08","modified_gmt":"2021-12-07T17:39:08","slug":"halo-infinite-campaign-review-a-masterful-return-for-the-chief","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/halo-infinite-campaign-review-a-masterful-return-for-the-chief\/","title":{"rendered":"Halo Infinite campaign review: A masterful return for the Chief"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Rob Leane\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 07 December 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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<\/div> 4.0 out of 5 star rating<\/span> <\/span> <\/div> <\/div>

A total of 20 years on from the first Halo game\u2019s launch on the original Xbox, players now have a shiny new sequel and a shiny new family of consoles. The Halo Infinite campaign release date<\/a> is nearly here, after some lengthy delays, and boy was it worth the wait.<\/p>\n

Since Halo Infinite multiplayer<\/a> came out a few weeks ago, you probably already know that there\u2019s tonnes of promise in that player-versus-player (PvP) side of the game. There are lots of fun modes to enjoy here, and unlike some online multiplayer games, it isn\u2019t too difficult for new players to jump in and understand what\u2019s going on. After a handful of matches, you should start to feel like you\u2019re at least doing something useful in each round.<\/p>\n

The battle pass system may not be perfect, with its slow progression and a few other frustrations (trying to complete the battle pass objectives, whilst also winning individual matches, can create conflicts of interest for players), but those quibbles fade into the background when you\u2019re enjoying the minute-to-minute gameplay.<\/p>\n

Microsoft gave RadioTimes.com<\/a> pre-launch access to the Halo Infinite campaign, and that\u2019s what the main body of this review will focus on. We\u2019re going to stay as spoiler-free as we can, because many fans will want to experience the single-player story with fresh eyes. And so, read on for our plot-light thoughts!<\/p>\n

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The Master Chief makes new allies in the Halo Infinite campaign.<\/span><\/figcaption> 343<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The Halo Infinite campaign doesn\u2019t waste any time, that\u2019s for sure. It jumps straight into the action, with the Master Chief (once again voiced by the effortlessly cool vocal cords of Steve Downes) going toe to toe with a brutal new villain.<\/p>\n

Things don\u2019t go well, as you might have seen in the trailers, and the Chief is left floating in space as his enemies take control of an entire Halo Ring (a vast circular world that could be turned into a super weapon).<\/p>\n

Of course, the Chief does eventually get brought back into the fray, but he\u2019s much too late to stop his latest group of enemies \u2013 who call themselves The Banished \u2013 from spreading across this entire world. And he\u2019ll need some help if he wants to stop these violent villains from using the Halo Ring\u2019s full destructive capabilities.<\/p>

So begins a surprisingly heartfelt story, which sees the Chief reckoning with his past as he tries to forge a new future. With so many of his former comrades now just corpses, the Chief makes unlikely new allies as he trudges \u2013 one firefight at a time \u2013 towards a showdown with the big bad.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a story with big emotional moments and plenty of exciting action, and it\u2019s well worth playing for newcomers and seasoned fans alike. There is plenty of lore there for the hardcore fans, but newbies should be able to understand what\u2019s going on at all times.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say there aren\u2019t weaknesses to the Halo Infinite campaign. There are open-world segments between the main levels, and similar to the ones in Gears 5, these larger environments seem somewhat superfluous.<\/p>\n

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The Halo Infinite open world areas look nice but feel unnecessary.<\/span><\/figcaption> 343<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

There are enemy bases to overthrow and collectables to search for in the open-world, but it all feels like a very obvious sideshow, and some gamers may find themselves legging it to the next mission instead of exploring. It\u2019s a shame, because some of the environments look very nice from a visual standpoint, and the battles at the bases can be very fun if you bother with them.<\/p>\n

In an age where games like Sony\u2019s God of War (2018) have managed to do away with loading screens altogether, it\u2019s also somewhat disappointing to see Halo Infinite sticking with those dull holding messages. When you transition from the open-world into a mission, there\u2019s almost always a chunky loading screen, even when you\u2019re playing on a next-gen console. Haven\u2019t games evolved beyond this?<\/p>\n