4.5/5 ★ – Scott_Mercer's review of Halo Infinite.

6 long years since the dumpster fire that was Halo 5's main campaign. John 117 is officially back in what is arguably studio 343's finest piece of work. Set after the events of Halo 5 and also after the void where perhaps there was once an idea for a Halo 6, the story picks up with the Chief comatose in space after a failed altercation with our new villains 'The Banished'. The story told here is a simple one, this is not to say poor, but most importantly decided to focus on the Chief and his emotional fall out from the events involving Cortana in Halo 4 & 5 as he attempts to stop 'The Banished' from achieving their evil plan. The gameplay in this game feels refined and is very reminiscent of when I first picked up the Xbox controller years ago and stepped foot into combat evolved. The nostalgia here is indeed strong with this one. With the move sets on offer, this is the closest to letting you feel like a Spartan the games have ever achieved. The environments are rich in detail although sometimes a bit sparse with activity and the graphical detail is glorious and really sings in 4K. A big part for any story driven game for me is the musical score. Gareth Coker really nails his composition and uses subtle Halo motifs to reinforce his original work. The result is a score that can move you and get your adrenaline pumping when the time is right. The rest of the sound design is also spectacular particularly when run through a 5.1 set up with an excellent mix of dialogue, music and sound effects with excellent spatial separation. Disclaimer: I am a Halo nut. My only criticism with the game is that you essentially only inhabit 2 biomes throughout your 20 something hour journey. Although the gameplay always kept it feeling fresh as the loop was so addictive I did feel by the end game I would have liked to have seen a little variety in the locations throughout the game. Hopefully these will be used in whatever Halo Infinite will become as it is my impression that this is the platform for the future of Halo. Overall, this is a masterpiece. Was it worth the wait? A resounding yes. Although location variety an issue throughout the main campaign I spent my entire time eager to jump back in and progress with finishing the fight. Welcome back Master Chief, you have been missed.