I was about to reinstall Halo Infinite for the 6th time yesterday. I couldn’t care less about the season 4 battle pass (earning XP is still a terrible experience) or the new teleporter his gadgets. No, the only thing that can get me back to 343 free-to-play Halo at the moment seems to be targeting. Appeal to my nostalgia. 343 dropped an update this week adding three of his Halo throwback maps made by Forge to the official playlist. Zanzibar, Valhalla, Rat’s Nest.
They really got me there. These are his two destinations for Halo’s all-time best (and Rat’s Nest is no problem). When I hovered over the install button, my eyes landed on The Master Leader Collection, just below Infinite in my Steam library. oh yeah, I thought. An all-in-one Halo game with all the classic campaigns, maps and modes in a faithfully preserved time capsule.
The MCC already has Zanzibar, Valhalla, and Rat’s Nest in all its former glory. If you’re diving into Infinite to play 3 old Halo 3 maps, why not play Halo 3?
No offense to the talented people who put them together, of course, but Forge’s remake fails to do the classic map justice. It’s another engine that doesn’t match assets, and has that unnatural “snapped” look that’s typical of anything in Forge. . just not the same.
The real reason to play Zanzibar rebuilt in Halo Infinite is to play a polished 2020s Halo with modernized shooting and cool new guns. You get neither of those things with MCC, but funnily enough, MCC has almost everything Halo fans think Infinite lacks. That means a rich pool of maps and modes, a robust custom game browser, and armor customization that you can customize to suit your needs. It’s the worst. MCC is the gold standard for keeping his old but good multiplayer games alive. Needless to say, MCC still gets updates (though not as often since Infinite came out).
MCC’s high reputation speaks to the larger perception issues Infinite has faced since its launch in 2021. MCC is, in some ways, the anti-Halo Infinite. As a product, it’s so useful, and so unbelievably generous, that it makes more sense as a modder-driven fan project. And indeed, since last year, it’s been mostly driven by modders since 343 turned their attention to Infinite.
heritage labor
343 Industries was founded to create new Halo games, but the studio is equally committed to delving into the series’ past with a level of respect and reverence not possible from people who don’t love Halo. I have spent so much time. The MCC team is always looking for opportunities to revive classic content with a modern twist, complete a piece started by Bungie, or unearth ancient relics of Halo’s history just for fun. I’m here.
Ann MCC updates starting this week is a perfect example. The centerpiece is Halo 3’s Escalation Slayer mode. This is a new mode custom made for a game that wasn’t designed for a game and it’s pretty cool. And doubling the Firefight player limit from 4 to 8 in both ODST and Reach just because you can 343 is clearly unbalanced…but who cares? , why not add three Spartan gadgets that were previously only available in campaigns to Halo 3 multiplayer? The July 2023 patch notes have an entire section about one developer tinkering with a co-op-only ODST and running 16-player multiplayer inside it. This is an unnecessary and very cool project that I hope to finish someday, but I’m casually mentioning afterwards. Within ODST’s files he discovered three unfinished Halo 3 DLC maps that are currently being added to MCC’s modding suite.
Yes, it’s a mod! The studio has improved its modding tools over the last year, enlisting community modders (with the help of modders) to find cut content hidden deep in Bungie’s old files, and implementing Steam Workshop support. spent on doing Nine years after he was born, his MCC is a Halo gift that keeps on giving. If you rewind to his disastrous MCC launch in 2014, you’d be surprised to find that it’s become a rooting Halo, but the free-to-play Halo Infinite isn’t exactly exciting.
halo wars
While two games from the same series playing against each other are rare situations, it’s also a good time to think about what you want from a multiplayer shooter. Halo Infinite is getting a lot more going on these days with new maps, gadgets, decorations, and more, but MCC says he gets a fun snippet of history every six months. So why does MCC have more than twice as many players on average as he does on Steam?
It’s even better than Halo, with its beloved co-op campaign, far more maps, and decidedly less competitive atmosphere. Moreover, I am not always waiting for my expectations to be met. Infinite is a new game, and 343 raised expectations from the start. I expect nothing more from his MCC than what he already does. Because everything you want from MCC already exists, and some of it.
To me, it’s very important that MCC has pitched a complete game (6 complete games, actually), but Infinite, nearly two years later, still falters like the 343 is laying the track. Nostalgia certainly plays a role, but Infinite also touches heartstrings.
Infinite players have proven to be harsh critics who always want more, but more and more I believe they are justified. Halo Infinite always asks more of us as a result of its live service model. Infinite doesn’t just get cool stuff, it gets cool stuff too Also includes a new $10 Battle Pass, store refreshes, and limited-time premium cosmetics.
I don’t want my Halo experience to be a series of scheduled itemized transactions where I’m prompted to participate in a new phase of Halo and ask myself if it’s worth it each time. It is. Infinite, despite its strengths, represents an era of games that blatantly treat people like ATMs, but MCC gives us a living reminder that Halo doesn’t have to be. With that in mind, it’s not a fair fight.