It would be hard to dispute against the Halo series laying claim as one of the most popular and iconic properties in the video game industry, certainly for Xbox.
While not the first legendary FPS, when Halo: Combat Evolved was released for the original Xbox in 2001, it changed the genre forever on consoles. At least for the most part, Halo: Combat Evolved played a lot like a smooth FPS on PC, rather than having clunky gameplay that required the D-pad to manoeuvre over the more flexible analogue stick.
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In the years that followed, the series would arguably become bigger and better than the last with improved gameplay, visuals, cinematics and multiplayer offerings. For some, the series hit its absolute peak with Halo 3 released for the Xbox 360 in 2007. It’s probably fair to say that the series hasn't quite been the same since.
The most recent game in the series is 2021’s Halo Infinite which is objectively a good game. It looks decent, has good gameplay and has a well-told story. However, for me at least, it’s missing something that has been lacking since Bungie left the franchise with its last game being Halo: Reach in 2010. What’s more, since going free-to-play, the multiplayer of Halo Infinite also doesn't have the same spark as I experienced with Halo 3 all those years back.
Don’t get me wrong, if Halo Infinite was any other franchise without the Halo name, perhaps it would have been viewed differently. Yet for a franchise as beloved as this one, anything less than excellent can be considered somewhat of a disappointment. That being said, whether you enjoyed Halo Infinite or not, I think most fans of the series might agree that the series deserves better.
“What video game franchise in your opinion isn't living up to its fullest potential?” asked Redditor Agent1230. “What video game franchise could be way bigger than it is?”
”Pains me to say it, but Halo,” replied datix. “Halo. It reached its peak with the Xbox 360 and has slowly faded into obscurity,” exclaimed Eightbitspartan. “Halo and Titanfall (no, Apex Legends does not count),” said insomnimax_99. “Halo Infinite has had a pretty good comeback for multiplayer. The campaign is also pretty good after the very divisive campaign of Halo 5,” explained dinofreak6301.
It will be interesting to see what exactly the future holds for the Halo series, but it’s probably fair to say that its current developers 343 Industries will probably have to knock it out of the park, and then some with its next entry.
Halo Infinite is out now on PC, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Its multiplayer mode is free to play.
Topics: Halo, 343 Industries, Xbox, PC