shot-button
Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesh Chaturthi
Home > Technology News > The halo effect

The halo effect

Updated on: 26 December,2021 07:52 AM IST  |  Mumbai
Jaison Lewis |

Halo Infinite soft reboots the franchise, walking a narrow path that aims to appease the fans as well as newcomers

The halo effect

Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite
Rating: Rating: 5/5
Developer: 343 Industries
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platform: PC, XBO, XBS
Price: Rs 3,499  (Free with Game Pass)


Master Chief is to Xbox what Mario means to Nintendo. It is by far one of the most iconic characters on the platform. So, when they created Halo Infinite, the game needed to not only revive the franchise for new players, but also appeal to the existing fan base. Thankfully, the developers—343 Industries have done a brilliant job. The game feels modern and progressive, while giving fans more of what they want.



You, of course, reprise the role of Master Chief voiced by Stephen Downes, who has been the voice since the beginning of the series. The game starts when you are discovered floating through space after being defeated by Atriox. The game takes place on a ring world called Zeta Halo, where you, your new AI buddy called Weapon and the pilot who discovered you, fight against the banished. Unlike previous games, Halo Infinite takes place in an open world, letting you choose how you want to approach a certain problem or boss fight. The world is huge and well-populated. There are a lot of details and side missions. Every frame of the game looks like a masterpiece. However, most open-world games tend to have different terrain zones to offer the players some variety. But, in Infinity everything looks the same. 
This was a little disappointing. 

For newbies, there is no need to know the rich history of Halo to play. The game introduces the necessary bits of it through gameplay as part of the story rather than an hour-long introduction. This doesn’t feel forced in any way and serves up the precise amount of nostalgia.

The game also updates the combat mechanism by introducing a grappling hook; yes it isn’t the first time a game has done this. Just Cause is possibly the most famous game with a grappling hook. That said, the grappling hook feels natural, it seamlessly blends with Master Chief’s fighting style to the point where you wonder how you ever played the game without it. You can grab guns from enemies, use it to fly towards a foe to land a deadly melee attack or even toss things at people. It is a lot of fun to play with. The game also keeps throwing in small encounters throughout, so you always feel like something is happening.

Halo Infinite also works very well with the controller. Aiming and playing seem simple to do and offer a lot of satisfaction. You can also connect a keyboard and mouse to the game even if you are playing it on a console, offering hardcore PC-based FPS fans something they can play even on the Xbox. The multiplayer version of the game is a lot of fun and offers a variety of modes, maps and even options to practise with bots. There are a few issues, like with any multiplayer game, which should be resolved as time goes by.

Halo Infinite is available for free as part of Game Pass if you already have it or you can also buy the campaign version of the game from either Microsoft Store or Steam. The multiplayer version is free for both PC and Xbox. Free or not, this game is a return to form for Halo and they have hit a sweet spot where combat and story is concerned. A must-have for fans and a great game for first-time players as well, well worth the asking price. Even if you aren’t sure, you would like it. 

Try the Halo multiplayer first which is free.

DuckDuckGo working on own browser

DuckDuckGo is working on a new all-in-one solution that will offer email protection and app tracking protection by offering a simple layer of privacy. In a blog post on their site, CEO Gabriel Weinberg offered a glimpse of what the browser would look like. The browser will include the fire button that will instantly erase all your browsing history, stored data and tabs in one click. He also claimed the browser will be fast.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 Ultimate to go on sale soon

It’s been a while since the ROG Phone 5 launched in India. During the launch, there was an indication that India would also receive units of the Ultimate version of the phone, which comes with 18GB RAM and 512GB of ROM along with the flagship Snapdragon 888 chipset. However, the Ultimate version of the phone was on “Coming Soon” status on Flipkart since the March launch. It will now be available on December 26. The Ultimate phone will available only in Storm White colour option in limited units and costs Rs 79,999. 

CES 2022 in jeopardy as some tech giants bail out

Major CES participants are pulling out of CES 2022 as Omicron makes its way across the world. On Thursday, Lenovo tweeted that it will be pulling out to ensure the safety of its employees, customers, partners and communities. Similar announcements were made by Meta, T-Mobile and Amazon. The trade show was completely online last year and if exhibitors pull out, it might end up online this year as well. However, most smaller companies are still on track for the show. We will have to wait for some more time to see how the organisers of CES react.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!

Register for FREE
to continue reading !

This is not a paywall.
However, your registration helps us understand your preferences better and enables us to provide insightful and credible journalism for all our readers.

Mid-Day Web Stories

Mid-Day Web Stories

This website uses cookie or similar technologies, to enhance your browsing experience and provide personalised recommendations. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. OK