New Halo Infinite campaign gameplay has finally been shown, with its updated graphics, sandbox action, and more having been revealed in a new campaign overview trailer just a little over a month ahead of release. It's been a long wait for the return of Master Chief on the Xbox Series X/S, as Halo Infinite has seen a long and troubled development cycle since it was first announced back in 2018.
When 343 first revealed Halo Infinite campaign gameplay footage at an Xbox Games Showcase last July, fans immediately cried foul over the game's seemingly outdated graphics - which also spawned several humorous memes like the perpetually bored Craig The Brute. This led to Xbox delaying Halo Infinite from its planned release alongside the Xbox Series X/S in November 2020, giving 343 an extra year to polish the game's visuals. This effort seems to have largely paid off, with more recent Halo Infinite multiplayer technical previews being met with a much warmer reception on not only Xbox Series X/S and PC, but also the last-gen Xbox One.
As promised over the weekend, Xbox released a Halo Infinite Campaign Overview trailer on its official YouTube channel early Monday morning. The new footage showing off the game’s updated graphics and plot as Master Chief is awakened once more to combat the new threat of the Banished and uncover the truth behind Cortana’s return and betrayal in Halo 5: Guardians. Additionally, more of Halo Infinite’s campaign gameplay was shown for the first time in over a year, with in-engine footage depicting Master Chief and his Marine allies battling across the semi-open-world areas of Zeta Halo, utilizing Halo Infinite's grappling hook equipment to zip toward enemies and spawning vehicles from designated stations - both firsts for the Halo series.
Aside from the new graphics and traversal options for Master Chief, 343 is also bringing small- and large-scale battles and a new anti-cheat system to Halo Infinite aiming to protect players from hackers in its free-to-play multiplayer component. Not all the new developments surrounding Halo Infinite have been positive, however. Halo Infinite's revamped radar system was the subject of considerable controversy when it was unveiled during the game's first technical preview, leading 343 to change it back to something more similar to previous entries', but its incredibly short range was still met with disapproval in the latest set of playtests. Additionally, the popular Forge mode and campaign co-op of past installments will be absent from Halo Infinite at launch, with 343 promising to add them back in updates during the game's second and third multiplayer seasons.
After its first single-player showing of 2021, Halo Infinite's graphics and campaign are looking far more promising than the story mode's initial showing thanks to its greatly improved lighting and textures, mystery-infused plot, and interesting new features like vehicle and weapon spawn points. It remains to be seen how well the Halo community will respond to the newly revealed visuals, but Xbox seems prepared for its flagship game's imminent release.
Halo Infinite will be available for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC on December 8, 2021.
Source: Xbox/YouTube