Call of Duty and Halo have always existed in different spaces, with clear differences in their mechanics. That used to be the case with Battlefield as well, but Infinite’s multiplayer seems to be doing a lot of similar things as Battlefield. The problem for Battlefield 2042 is that Halo Infinite has taken a lot of its mechanics and done them better, resulting in Halo feeling more in line with the spirit of Battlefield and causing the game’s community to migrate to Halo following Battlefield 2042’s poor reception and controversial changes.
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The True Sandbox of Halo Infinite
It seems like one of the major reasons why fans are finding Halo Infinite so refreshing is that the sandbox really opens up play for whatever style a player prefers. Old-school Halo tactics still certainly work, but the addition of equipment like the Grappleshot and the Repulsor have allowed for plays to get much trickier by giving each Spartan the potential to get the upper hand in a fight depending on what sort of gear they’ve acquired. What’s more, because there are so many new mechanics with the addition of the new equipment, players are encouraged to experiment with things and push on the boundaries of what’s possible in the game.
This is exactly what a lot of the appeal of the Battlefield franchise is, but Battlefield 2042 hasn’t delivered on a lot of its potential due to controversial changes to the series’ core mechanics and the general “bugginess” of the game’s launch. The open sandbox of the Battlefield series is usually pretty excellent, but it seems like DICE wasn’t able to handle launching the game across the new generation of consoles, as last-gen players have cited constant game-breaking bugs. In general, bugs are an issue for all Battlefield 2042 players regardless of platform, which has caused players to not want to push the game to its limits for fear of breaking it.
Conversely, Halo Infinite is encouraging players to try things out and pull off Battlefield-style maneuvers to gain the upper hand. It isn’t uncommon to see a player use a Grappleshot to jump onto an aerial vehicle and hijack it, or for someone to exit a Banshee with a power weapon and land on an unknowing enemy below. Trick shots are already being shared across Halo’s community, and for good reason: they require a lot of skill, and because the game is well-made, players don’t need to worry about issues with the engine getting in the way of the fun of the game.
None of this is to say that Battlefield 2042 isn’t any good, but it seems like Halo Infinite might be taking the game’s spot as the go-to “open sandbox shooter” for many gaming enthusiasts. It’s still to be seen what sort of longevity Halo Infinite will have, but it seems like the game has put Battlefield 2042 in a poor position moving forward. Hopefully, DICE will be able to turn Battlefield 2042 around, as there’s certainly space for the game with its more realistic approach to mechanics vs. Halo’s science-fiction one. There’s plenty of work to be done before the game can reclaim its core audience and show fans that its sandbox is just as good as Halo’s, though.
Halo Infinite’s campaign releases for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on December 8 while its multiplayer is available now.
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