For what may be the first time ever, Halo Infinite shows little signs of human emotions within the Master Chief’s green helmet (even if he’s as reticent as ever). The two of them carry most of the emotional weight of the story, but-in a very welcome change from the status quo of this series-not all of it. Grimes Would Like Elon Musk to Sail 390.4 Million Miles Away Henry Cavill Gently Corrects TV Host: It's Warhammer, Not Warcraft It's Unacceptable That People Are Still Worrying About Their Student LoansĬhinese Rover to Investigate ‘Mysterious Hut’ Spotted on Far Side of Moon

Infinite may not be the second coming of “combat evolved,” but it may still be the closest the series has ever come to earning that subtitle since the first game-albeit in a very different way. That’s not to say there’s nothing new here. Instead, Infinite still features the same 30 seconds of fun, just with more potential for variety crammed into that critical half-minute. This is the moment, at the start of a review for the brand new Halo Infinite, where 343 and Microsoft would surely be hoping for an “Until now, that is… ” But… Not really. The series’ first game, Halo: Combat Evolved, came out 20 years ago this year, and while Bungie has moved onto the Destiny games, and Halo is now run by Microsoft subsidiary 343 Industries, those “30 seconds of fun” haven’t changed much in the four mainline sequels and two spin-off games since.

Jaime Griesemer, a former game designer at original Halo creator Bungie, famously once said that the Halo games consist of “maybe 30 seconds of fun” that are repeated over and over again in new ways with new locations and situations, culminating in hours of familiar enjoyment that doesn’t necessarily repeat itself.

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