I realise 343 were in the unenviable position of needing to make a good Halo game, but given they did so, they needed to convince people to actually try it, and so we got this free-to-play deal. It's a real shame because the core game feels like classic Halo with a respectable bit of Reach and 4 thrown in, and I would love to be able to just buy it and avoid the horrible monetisation dreck we're left with.

The battle pass progression feels extremely predatory, and despite a welcome post-launch change to add experience for each played game, the fact that without going premium there are many levels where you get absolutely no reward feels completely ghoulish. Even a handful of armour customisation options available from the jump, or unlocked in-game would alleviate this problem, but Microsoft have clearly seen the whales on the horizon and that's now the focus.

All that being said, the core gameplay is fantastic, a real return to form for the series. Guns feel and sound great, the mechanics work how they ought to, and it's just downright fun. Jumping in a fire team with friends is a great time, and well worth the time. Some of the newer game types feel a bit off - what the heck is a power seed, anyway - but the gameplay itself is so solid that really doesn't matter too much.

Gamepad input is a bit weird, and I'm struggling to dial in the settings just how I like, I think there might be a bit of an aggressive deadzone making things feel pretty coarse.

Alright, so...

Halo Infinite multiplayer's gameplay is very addictive. I've found myself playing it a bunch with a group of friends and we always have a great time. The speed of the gameplay is refreshing.

However, the unlockable content is implemented very poorly. Why is customization locked behind microtransactions? Shit's gross.

"Not at Launch" is this game's mantra, and it's a real shame. The base game is entirely solid, and most of the issues surrounding Infinite's F2P multiplayer - Egregious MTX that are more "Macro" than "Micro" in pricing, weird weapon nerfs from the pre-release flights, and needlessly restrictive armor customization really leave an ugly mark on an otherwise excellent package. Once again a barebones MP launch after Halo 5's non-existent suite of game modes and community features even after a 1-Year delay is... Baffling.

Coming off of the promising sounding promo materials regarding monetization and customization as well, the trend continues - If a 343i Halo game sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.