Halo Infinite was the most talked about game of 2021

Halo Infinite was undoubtedly one of the most talked about games of 2021, if not the most talked about ever. In reality, it has been talked about continuously since July 2020, that is, from the first, ominous presentation that led to the postponement of the launch, leaving those who expected to inaugurate their newly purchased Xbox Series with the new Master Chief adventure dry-mouthed. . Huge expectations have been concentrated around the title of 343 Industries, seasoned by the fear that the development team would never be able to straighten the situation. Over the months, requests to see something updated about the game have multiplied with many who have never declared themselves satisfied with the continuous communication of the developers regarding the state of development, made up of long monthly updates published regularly on the official blog of the series. .

At one point it became clear to everyone that Halo Infinite couldn't fail. If it turned out to be a subdued game, the backlash for Microsoft and its new consoles would have been enormous, especially from the point of view of the image. Phil Spencer and his family knew it well and for this reason they preferred to invest millions of dollars by postponing it (it costs a lot to postpone a project of this size), instead of risking losing everything. In short, the flagship Xbox franchise has had to bear an even greater responsibility on its shoulders, in spite of itself. Responsibility heightened by the success of other Xbox Game Studios titles, which haven't missed a beat in recent months. Following Psychonauts 2, Age of Empires IV and, most importantly, Forza Horizon 5 is not easy, even if you belong to a completely different genre.

Master Chief's burden

Welcome back Master Chief But everything went well. Multiplayer mode arrived on November 15th. Fears of its free-to-play nature with microtransactions were blown away by exceptional quality. A couple of important factors help her: Call of Duty: Vanguard and, especially Battlefield 2042, its closest competitors. The fact that they turned out to be two problematic games, in particular that of DICE, brought out the impeccability of the work of 343 Industries, which came out with a finished, clean and very fun product. Let's say that Sony's silence also contributed, not having important games to launch over the holiday period, left a highway to Master Chief and associates in terms of marketing, which allowed him to shine like never before, outside of every comparison.

Too bad for the progression system, not exactly perfect, but in general very few complained and the developers responded promptly to all criticisms, promising updates and news.

At that point the wait shifted to the single player campaign: will it be able to conquer everyone, despite the problems encountered in the development phase? Many have wondered until the end. Then the reviews came out, on average very positive, and finally it was possible to breathe a sigh of relief: it was worth the wait. On our own, we imagined the winding tension through the corridors of 343 Industries dissolving into shouts of joy and festive demonstrations. The rest went as expected, with the game immediately taking the lead in the sales charts (it's first in Steam's global top 10 for days), despite being available at no additional cost to Xbox Game Pass subscribers, and first reviews from users who have praised its qualities, electing it as one of the best chapters of the saga.

The return of Halo

Master Chief is still Master Chief But how is it? Honestly, it is difficult to think of it as the game of the year, given that it has some problems, including some shortcomings such as the cooperative mode (it will arrive in the course of 2022), regardless of the popular will (expressed before the launch of the single player campaign). ...), but if we had to choose the most representative we would not hesitate to indicate it. For better or for worse Halo Infinite scored more than any other game in 2021, which many will remember as his year. The single player campaign is well done and fun. It lasts the right amount and gives enormous freedom, which allows the player to make the most of the tools available to the Master Chief, especially the exceptional grappling hook.

Set a year and a half away from the events told in Halo 5: Guardians, it tells a story focused on the pivotal elements of the series: Master Chief, Cortana and Halo. The setting is that Zeta Halo so loved by fans, the enemies are the most iconic of the series and the rhythms are the ones that made the previous chapters so much loved.

Halo Infinite multiplayer is much loved, even by historical fans In particular, there is a return to the first episodes, despite the open world structure, with adrenaline-fueled shootings, spectacular battles, many vehicles to use and many things to to see. The graphic side of the final version has greatly improved compared to what was seen during the presentation in July 2020, a sign of a deep revision work carried out by the development team in the post-postponement period. In short, it's hard not to look to Halo Infinite with optimism for the future of the series and Xbox, given how the project has been straightened out and what has come out. Now let's hope 343 Industries delivers on its promises and updates it with new content over the next few years to make it even bigger and survive until the next Halo.

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