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[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

I absolutely despise Halo 5's campaign. Act Man's "Why is Halo 5's Campaign So Bad?!" series on Youtube does a good job breaking down why (and the sad thing is it still barely even scratches the surface). While it did make some legitimate improvements in the gameplay department, overall I’d take 4 over it any day. Which leads me into…

I’ve been thinking about this a few days. I believe in calling out negatives if they exist, but I also believe in giving credit where it’s due as well. If you can get past the visuals… and yes, it’s a pretty damn high hurdle to get over… there ARE positive aspects, at least in my opinion, and it does seem like they listed to some of the feedback from Halo 5. It’s not all 100% negative.

I like that they’re actually focusing on Chief again. I like that they seem to be actively moving away from the god awful Halo 5 story. I like that the Brutes are finally back, even if they kind of look like shit. Some of the new guns and equipment look fun, especially the grappling hook, and also throwing fusion coils around. The squad mechanics are gone, thank god. The new, more “classic” designs look great for the most part, particularly the Elites and Grunts - and Chief’s new design is A+, probably my favorite in the franchise next to 2/3. From what we saw it also seems like they’ve calmed down a little with the advanced mobility stuff, and thank CHRIST it looks like ADS is gone. And also no shitty Prometheans running around - at least so far. The open world thing COULD be good if it’s executed well; same goes for the idea of adding story content over time, but again their terrible execution of Spartan Ops makes me wary.

So yeah, there are some actual improvements here, but it’s all being completely overshadowed by the giant elephant in the room - the visuals. If they looked good, I feel the reception would’ve been better (although still bogged down by the dull segment they chose to show).

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Halo Community Update - Infinite Inquiries

In the past two weeks we've unveiled Halo Infinite, launched Halo 3 on PC as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, helped raise money for a good cause, released tons of Halo gear, and so much more. Since this is a pretty hefty Community Update, let's jump right in!

www.halowaypoint.com

Fucking hell, they really did replace the shotty and pistol. Why, why, why?! Who is making these decisions over there, especially after the whole SPNKR controversy?

Sorry, just had to get that out of the way because it really irritates me. But they do address a lot of things in this post, mainly the visuals and confirming that demo was a "work-in-progress from several weeks ago" and that they're still working on stuff.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Halo Community Update - Infinite Inquiries

In the past two weeks we've unveiled Halo Infinite, launched Halo 3 on PC as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, helped raise money for a good cause, released tons of Halo gear, and so much more. Since this is a pretty hefty Community Update, let's jump right in!

www.halowaypoint.com

Fucking hell, they really did replace the shotty and pistol. Why, why, why?! Who is making these decisions over there, especially after the whole SPNKR controversy?

Sorry, just had to get that out of the way because it really irritates me. But they do address a lot of things in this post, mainly the visuals and confirming that demo was a "work-in-progress from several weeks ago" and that they're still working on stuff.

It also says in there the gameplay reveal build was only a few weeks old, not months as some speculated. Oh boy.

 

[Compsiox]

THERE SHE IS! THE BATTLE RIFLE!

 

[Compsiox]

 

[Deputy Moonman]

Interesting. Hey look I know people are upset about what was shown at the xbox showcase. But for some reason it's just doesn't bother me as much. I just wanna play Halo. I think the game will surpass expectations, especially now that the whole gaming community expects it to be garbage. I can't wait for matchmaking and playing through the next chapter of Halo's campaign.

 

[-Arcadia-]

Halo Community Update - Infinite Inquiries

In the past two weeks we've unveiled Halo Infinite, launched Halo 3 on PC as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, helped raise money for a good cause, released tons of Halo gear, and so much more. Since this is a pretty hefty Community Update, let's jump right in!

www.halowaypoint.com

Fucking hell, they really did replace the shotty and pistol. Why, why, why?! Who is making these decisions over there, especially after the whole SPNKR controversy?

Sorry, just had to get that out of the way because it really irritates me. But they do address a lot of things in this post, mainly the visuals and confirming that demo was a "work-in-progress from several weeks ago" and that they're still working on stuff.

I respect any opinion to the contrary, as these are beloved parts of Halo, but I wouldn’t mind changing things up a bit with human weapons. It’s been twenty years. I’m okay with the shotgun, for example, looking and playing a little differently this time, especially if it lends the game, and sandbox, a little freshness.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Interesting. Hey look I know people are upset about what was shown at the xbox showcase. But for some reason it's just doesn't bother me as much. I just wanna play Halo. I think the game will surpass expectations, especially now that the whole gaming community expects it to be garbage. I can't wait for matchmaking and playing through the next chapter of Halo's campaign.

F2P sounds good in theory, although it brings up worries about how heavily it'll be monetized. They already confirmed no lootboxes, but what about microtransactions? A battle pass could be tolerable if it's executed well. And also, it's not really going to be F2P if the Gold paywall is still there. MS really needs to spill the beans on what's going on with all that.

It's good to hear the game will have Reach-level armor customization, especially after Halo 5 and MCC's (original) dumbed-down systems. I just hope they make the customization UI more like Reach too because it was pretty damn awful in 5.

 

[link1201]

I was at least happy to see that Customization should be at least as varied as Reach was. I wonder if they'll bring back the Leather leg pouch.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Seems like Jeff Grubb is pretty adamant Gold will be going away soon. If that happens and Infinite's multi really is F2P, they could pull some really big numbers for this game.

Jeff Grub says Xbox Live Gold and paying to play online is going away soon

www.neogaf.com

Also despite their previous comments denying battle royale... I'm inclined to believe there will in fact be one, or at the very least they'll add one after release. I think they saw the success of how Modern Warfare handled Warzone and are looking to emulate it.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Well, confirmed. Gonna be real interesting to see how this plays out.

 

[link1201]

Well, confirmed. Gonna be real interesting to see how this plays out.

Well hopefully that means a very healthy population. I hope we get something like WZ in Infinite but upped in scale.

 

[-Arcadia-]

Well hopefully that means a very healthy population. I hope we get something like WZ in Infinite but upped in scale.

Given this engine is all about large spaces, that seems extremely possible.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Not a lot of monitors or tvs support 120hz, also online servers likely only support 60hz tick rate anyhow. Seems like a waste of dev and processing power.

Perhaps I'm wrong and it's future proof as well as best support.

 

[-Arcadia-]

Not a lot of monitors or tvs support 120hz, also online servers likely only support 60hz tick rate anyhow. Seems like a waste of dev and processing power.

Perhaps I'm wrong and it's future proof as well as best support.

Hopefully there's an option, if I want to divert that to better visuals in some way. I love there being 120FPS, but yeah, I'll be locked out of that for a few years.

 

[stickkidsam]

Halo Community Update - Infinite Inquiries

In the past two weeks we've unveiled Halo Infinite, launched Halo 3 on PC as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, helped raise money for a good cause, released tons of Halo gear, and so much more. Since this is a pretty hefty Community Update, let's jump right in!

www.halowaypoint.com

Fucking hell, they really did replace the shotty and pistol. Why, why, why?! Who is making these decisions over there, especially after the whole SPNKR controversy?

Sorry, just had to get that out of the way because it really irritates me. But they do address a lot of things in this post, mainly the visuals and confirming that demo was a "work-in-progress from several weeks ago" and that they're still working on stuff.

Why the sweet habanero fuck can we not have classics AND new weapons?? Even Bungie pulled this crap, entirely removing weapons from the sandbox for no apparent reason.

DID THEY NOT LEARN AFTER HALO 5!?

Man this game is a rollercoaster! For every cool thing 343 adds there's gotta be a catch.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Well hopefully that means a very healthy population. I hope we get something like WZ in Infinite but upped in scale.

Unless the multiplayer is a completely unplayable disaster, the population is going to be huge. Probably the biggest numbers since Halo 3. There's just too many entry points for it not to be. Series X, Xbox One, PC, Game Pass, xCloud...

Like I said, I just think they see the F2P route a lot of the more popular multiplayers (Fortnite, Apex, Warzone, etc.) have taken and want a piece of the pie. I mean fucking Grounded of all things is apparently doing very well, and that's not even free. Even as someone who has a bunch of problems with what's been shown, I can't deny that this F2P decision pretty much guarantees it's gonna be gargantuan.

Why the sweet habanero fuck can we not have classics AND new weapons?? Even Bungie pulled this crap, entirely removing weapons from the sandbox for no apparent reason.

DID THEY NOT LEARN AFTER HALO 5!?

Man this game is a rollercoaster! For every cool thing 343 adds there's gotta be a catch.

Yeah, it seems like for every good piece of news that gets announced there's also one that annoys the shit out of me. :/

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

Halo Community Update - Infinite Inquiries

In the past two weeks we've unveiled Halo Infinite, launched Halo 3 on PC as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, helped raise money for a good cause, released tons of Halo gear, and so much more. Since this is a pretty hefty Community Update, let's jump right in!

www.halowaypoint.com

Fucking hell, they really did replace the shotty and pistol. Why, why, why?! Who is making these decisions over there, especially after the whole SPNKR controversy?

Sorry, just had to get that out of the way because it really irritates me. But they do address a lot of things in this post, mainly the visuals and confirming that demo was a "work-in-progress from several weeks ago" and that they're still working on stuff.

I saw a video comparing the new shotgun to the previous ones, this might be the worst sound for a shotgun in any Halo game, it sounds like a toy compared to the previous ones.

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

I saw another video photoshopping some hair onto the brutes and they look SO much better. Why tf are they hairless...

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

I saw a video comparing the new shotgun to the previous ones, this might be the worst sound for a shotgun in any Halo game, it sounds like a toy compared to the previous ones.

All the guns sound pretty different, they all sound forerunner-y. I can't say I correlate the behind the scenes audio of those guns firing to the ones in the gameplay reveal.

 

[Cutty Flam]

I’ve beaten Halo 3’s campaign twice

I’ve finished Halo 4’s campaign once maybe twice too

I can barely remember a fucking thing of each lol. Halo 3 I think the flood wanted to take over for some brainy looking thing? In Halo 4 there was a warrior called a Dydack or something willing to destroy planets. The Halo campaigns, and idk why, but they never ever catch my attention. Is the story only in the books or some shit? I can’t be the only one who thinks like this. The campaigns never get the story through loud and clear to me

 

[Cutty Flam]

Daily necessary reminder that Halo 2 Big Team Battle CTF, and Assault is Love, is Life

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

I saw a video comparing the new shotgun to the previous ones, this might be the worst sound for a shotgun in any Halo game, it sounds like a toy compared to the previous ones.

They're generic, which is a problem Halo gun sounds have had for a while now (going back to arguably even Reach). Bungie always put an emphasis on making them sound distinct and recognizable. Starting with Reach, and especially going into the 343 games, they decided to focus on making them sound more realistic and visceral instead. Which I'm not a fan of.

I really just wish they'd bring back the Halo CE shotty. That thing was a beast.

 

[Dr. Claus]

Microtransactions have ruined so many Xbox One first party releases. Gears 4 (haven't played 5 yet, so I can't say), Halo 5, Forza 5, 6, 7 - all were made remarkably worse because of their microtransactions.

I want to see Halo succeed again. It has always been a pleasure to play, but I don't want to see the game get bogged down in "FOMO" styled design, overly grindy battle passes (which coincides with the FOMO design), and prolonged GAAS delivery that actively discourages me from wanting to try the game.

As an aside, been playing MCC and doing Par Score run on Halo CE. Really shows how beautifully designed everything in that game was and I feel like that is something that was completely missing in 5.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

(haven't played 5 yet, so I can't say)

Gears 5's monetization system was abysmal at launch, just like Gears 4, even despite having no lootboxes.

However I think it's worth noting that Gears 5 had an update recently that drastically overhauled things, and improved the monetization by leaps and bounds, making the overall unlock system infinitely more tolerable. Whether they did it because they realized it was a shit system or because they were bleeding players (or both), who knows. But if it was like this at launch I don't think it would've turned off nearly as many people.

Remains to be seen how 343 implements the battle pass, but I sincerely hope they look at how Gears 5 is now handling things. IE, making it as non-obtrusive as possible.

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[Deputy Moonman]

The only thing affected by micro-transactions in Halo 5 was warzone. Which if you enjoyed warzone I can see how that would be a bit annoying. I was able to unlock everything in what i felt was a reasonable amount time though

 

[-Arcadia-]

Started playing Halo 5. Some really good improvements, but... still not feeling it.

In campaign.

In multiplayer I just had one of the most fun gaming nights of my life. Seriously. Were you all going to keep one of the most awesome multiplayer games of the generation to yourself and just not tell anyone?

I would have bought an Xbox ages ago just for this.

I think it just boils down to, in part, keeping what was always amazing fun about Halo multiplayer and refining it to an exact science. This game feels unreal good to play. The other part is how enjoyable the mobility additions are, and how much they freshen up play and change it for the better, giving you more tactical options, and making fights feel less like first-to-shoot-wins.

 

[Cutty Flam]

Started playing Halo 5. Some really good improvements, but... still not feeling it.

In campaign.

In multiplayer I just had one of the most fun gaming nights of my life. Seriously. Were you all going to keep one of the most awesome multiplayer games of the generation to yourself and just not tell anyone?

I would have bought an Xbox ages ago just for this.

I think it just boils down to, in part, keeping what was always amazing fun about Halo multiplayer and refining it to an exact science. This game feels unreal good to play. The other part is how enjoyable the mobility additions are, and how much they freshen up play and change it for the better, giving you more tactical options, and making fights feel less like first-to-shoot-wins.

You should have been there during the Halo 2 days when Xbox Live just had started. It can never be replicated. That was truly a legendary gaming experience. I would probably fight Mike Tyson for a few minutes if it meant we all can have something even half as fun

Halo 3 is amazing too, but Halo 2 is god-tier. Multiplayer of the gods

 

[-Arcadia-]

You should have been there during the Halo 2 days when Xbox Live just had started. It can never be replicated. That was truly a legendary gaming experience. I would probably fight Mike Tyson for a few minutes if it meant we all can have something even half as fun

Halo 3 is amazing too, but Halo 2 is god-tier. Multiplayer of the gods

 

[Deputy Moonman]

Started playing Halo 5. Some really good improvements, but... still not feeling it.

In campaign.

In multiplayer I just had one of the most fun gaming nights of my life. Seriously. Were you all going to keep one of the most awesome multiplayer games of the generation to yourself and just not tell anyone?

I would have bought an Xbox ages ago just for this.

I think it just boils down to, in part, keeping what was always amazing fun about Halo multiplayer and refining it to an exact science. This game feels unreal good to play. The other part is how enjoyable the mobility additions are, and how much they freshen up play and change it for the better, giving you more tactical options, and making fights feel less like first-to-shoot-wins.

Yes. While I still prefer traditional halo with no sprint and abilities, Halo 5's matchmaking is surprisingly good. 343 just goofed on not having enough new good maps to lengthen its popularity. That and not having dedicated dev made big team battle maps. I really like Halo 4's campaign and would have loved Halo 4's multiplayer has they not added the most ridiculous abilities to the game. Which is why I don't buy it when people act like 343 can't put together a good halo game.

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[Cutty Flam]

Halo is Back once Halo: Infinite comes out, we need to terrorize some nub biscuits in Big Team Battle bro, you still up for that?

I’m going to try to make a little friends list filled with BTB hardened players and just bombard the playlist with sheer force and impeccable teamwork. I’m in love with that playlist above all others. Maybe Team Snipers every once in a while if they have it. But since Sprint is going to be back again, I’ll be needing that extra terrain to spread my wings. The bigger the map, the better

 

[stickkidsam]

Maaan... if we have the Halo Reach assault rifle I wonder if that means we'll get to see the Falcon again....C'MON 343 GIVE ME THE ULTIMATE CAPTURE THE FLAG EXPERIENCE!!

If they brought back Invasion I'd just cry.

The only thing affected by micro-transactions in Halo 5 was warzone. Which if you enjoyed warzone I can see how that would be a bit annoying. I was able to unlock everything in what i felt was a reasonable amount time though

While it's nice that the gameplay isn't affected by the microtransactions, as someone that really digs cosmetics and has always loved them in Halo, microtransactions suck ass. I do not like spending credits on a slot machine when precious games didn't need that shit and had far better armor to boot.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

New pics of the upcoming toyline if anyone's interested in that kind of thing.

Official Photos of Jazwares Halo The Spartan Collection Figures

A few pre-order listings have popped up on the GameStop website. The listings give us our first official look at some of the Halo figures coming from Jazwares. The line debuted at a photo-prohibited booth during Toy Fair 2020 (though that didn't stop pics from leaking from it). The first three...

news.toyark.com

Maaan... if we have the Halo Reach assault rifle I wonder if that means we'll get to see the Falcon again....C'MON 343 GIVE ME THE ULTIMATE CAPTURE THE FLAG EXPERIENCE!!

If they brought back Invasion I'd just cry.

Even if they're not there at launch, if they really are dedicated to this being a live service game that lasts for years, I could see that kind of stuff being added over time.

 

[stickkidsam]

Even if they're not there at launch, if they really are dedicated to this being a live service game that lasts for years, I could see that kind of stuff being added over time.

Ya see, I'm okay with the idea of adding content to your game for years, allowing it to be a platform for the series. Monster Hunter World is like that and that game is fucking incredible.

The key difference is that MHW is able to be played offline and the microtransactions are very minimal.

Here's hoping Infinite follows its example, because having a Halo game that just constantly gets new shit would be amazing.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Halo is Back once Halo: Infinite comes out, we need to terrorize some nub biscuits in Big Team Battle bro, you still up for that?

I’m going to try to make a little friends list filled with BTB hardened players and just bombard the playlist with sheer force and impeccable teamwork. I’m in love with that playlist above all others. Maybe Team Snipers every once in a while if they have it. But since Sprint is going to be back again, I’ll be needing that extra terrain to spread my wings. The bigger the map, the better

I was doing this just yesterday. Matched some people on my friends list MCC PC and then discorded/partied up for some BTB. Glorious hilarity ensued. Good mix of OBJ and slayer on Aussie and at worst southeast asia servers.

 

[Cutty Flam]

I was doing this just yesterday. Matched some people on my friends list MCC PC and then discorded/partied up for some BTB. Glorious hilarity ensued. Good mix of OBJ and slayer on Aussie and at worst southeast asia servers.

If you ever want to play Halo: infinite lmk, more competitive players = more tea bagging

Would be perfect if we all eight were to choreograph the last kill and just teabag in unison. That's true greatness

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Well this Halo Waypoint update slipped past me but this section on the MCC 2020 roadmap is impressive.

FEATURES PLANNED FOR RELEASE IN 2020

• Crossplay
• Input Based MM
• Sever Region Selection
• Custom Game Browser
• Per Game Graphics Options
• Per Game Audio Options
• M&K Support for Xbox
• PC Fileshare
• Double Keybinds for all games
• Viewmodel adjustments for all games
• In game FPS Cap/Adjustments
• Steam Account Linking

As for the bolded *should have been there from the start. -

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Well this Halo Waypoint update slipped past me but this section on the MCC 2020 roadmap is impressive.

FEATURES PLANNED FOR RELEASE IN 2020

• Crossplay
• Input Based MM
• Sever Region Selection
• Custom Game Browser
• Per Game Graphics Options
• Per Game Audio Options
• M&K Support for Xbox
• PC Fileshare
• Double Keybinds for all games
• Viewmodel adjustments for all games
• In game FPS Cap/Adjustments
• Steam Account Linking

As for the bolded *should have been there from the start. -

Even though I primarily play it on PC now I really hope they add FOV sliders to the console version sooner rather than later. Going back to console FOV after playing on PC for a while is agonizing.

Also crosshair positioning. I've gotten more and more used to just having it centered across all the games, even though that may be heresy to some.

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[Musky_Cheese]

Maaan... if we have the Halo Reach assault rifle I wonder if that means we'll get to see the Falcon again....C'MON 343 GIVE ME THE ULTIMATE CAPTURE THE FLAG EXPERIENCE!!

If they brought back Invasion I'd just cry.


While it's nice that the gameplay isn't affected by the microtransactions, as someone that really digs cosmetics and has always loved them in Halo, microtransactions suck ass. I do not like spending credits on a slot machine when precious games didn't need that shit and had far better armor to boot.

I have been wondering if we might see a number of “older” weapons and vehicles. Assuming the UNSC is losing on all fronts. Maybe they need because of limitations in production?

 

[Cutty Flam]

Played MCC yesterday with two others

There’s a BTB map for H3 that was so good. Never seen it before, 343i must have made it. It was a forge Sandtrap level with two well made pyramid like areas for CTF but more compact that the usual one they typically would use for CTF on the other pyramid like level I’m used to seeing. Extremely fun map

Also played in Sandtrap and some Reach level. BTB on MCC is alright sometimes

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Uh... wow.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Of course.

 

[link1201]

Anyone think it'll release in the spring? I'd like to hope so but I just cant see it. (I dont wanna wait another year for this game)...

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Anyone think it'll release in the spring? I'd like to hope so but I just cant see it. (I dont wanna wait another year for this game)...

Who knows. Right now I'm just still pretty shocked they did this at all. I thought they'd push it out come hell or high water and then use the "live service" shit as an excuse for it being an unfinished mess.

It's (potentially) good news for Halo, but pretty devastating for Xbox. I'm really starting to think they should just delay the console too.

 

[Musky_Cheese]

Disappointed. More MCC it is. Glad ODST will be on PC soon.

 

[Deputy Moonman]

W T F

Guess I'll be eating some crow because I thought there was no chance they would delay. On the other hand this means a multiplayer beta is definitely going to happen.