Tag: Halo Infinite

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Microsoft Office’s ‘Clippy’ assistant is now in Halo Infinite

The above headline is not something I thought I’d ever write.

Halo Infinite Season 2, a much-needed update to 343 Industries’ beleaguered shooter, features an easter egg for fellow olds who remember the early days of Microsoft’s Office suite.

Clippy, the cartoon paperclip virtual assistant from 90s to early 2000s versions of Office, is a Legendary/Epic level Battle Pass award in Season 2 Lone Wolves. The stylized version of Clippy is listed as “Clipster” in the game’s battle pass, and is both an emblem and a very cool-looking weapon charm.

James Shields, Microsoft’s senior product manager of Xbox hardware, showed off Clippy’s in-game Halo Infinite appearance in a recent tweet.

Lonewolves includes the return of classic game modes like ‘King of the Hill’ and the small-scale, battle royale-like ‘Last Spartan Standing.’ Other features include two new maps, ‘Catalyst’ and ‘Breaker,’ a new 100-tier paid battle pass with additional armour and other cosmetic unlockables, and more.

Image credit: @shieldsjames

Source: @shieldsjames Via: Polygon

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Halo Infinite Season 2 Lone Wolves is now available in Canada

343 Industries’ long-awaited and long-overdue second season of Halo Infinite content is now available in Canada.

As of 2pm ET/11am PT, Halo Infinite Season 2 Lonewolves is live in Canada. Lonewolves includes the return of classic game modes like ‘King of the Hill’ and the small-scale, battle royale-like ‘Last Spartan Standing.’

Other features include two new maps, ‘Catalyst’ and ‘Breaker,’ and a new 100-tier paid battle pass with additional armour and other cosmetic unlockables. Thankfully, 343 Industries has also added new mode variants to several playlists, including ‘Rocket Repulsors,’ ‘Ninja Slayer,’ and ‘Vampireball.’

Finally, Season 2 offers quality of life improvements to overall gameplay, and ranked multiplayer has been reset.

Those hoping for campaign co-op will need to wait until August for the update to arrive. Further, Forge, Infinite‘s custom map maker, won’t launch in open beta won’t until September 2022.

If Halo Infinite’s Season 2 update doesn’t install automatically, be sure to push it through manually (I needed to do this on the Xbox Series X).

Though Season 2 brings much-needed fresh content to the beleaguered multiplayer game, it’s also set to last six months, similar to Season 1. It’s unclear if 343 Industries has enough new content planned to keep Halo Infinite players engaged over that period.

For everything coming to Season 2 so far, check out 343 Industries’ latest blog post.

Image credit: Halo Infinte

Source: 343 Industries 

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Halo Infinite’s multiplayer reportedly could have been a hero shooter

Despite offering one of the most solid Halo multiplayer entries in years on a base gameplay level, Halo Infinite still suffers from several issues ranging from weapon balancing to an extreme lack of content.

While some of those problems will likely be solved when Halo Infinite Season 2 Lone Wolves launches on May 3rd, a new report indicates that 343 Industries’ shooter could have been a significant departure for the long-running arena shooter series.

According to a tweet from podcaster Chris Ray Gun, 343 Industries reportedly spent “a lot of the budget” for Halo infinite on an “Overwatch clone.” Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier backed up this claim in a recent Reddit post, but says that it’s unclear when the team switch to the more traditional arena format for Infinite.

“I don’t remember exactly when they switched to the current version (and the tweet linked here seems exaggerated to the point where it’s mostly false) but I can confirm that they were working on various hero-based prototypes. In fact, I think there were both PVP and PVE prototypes built,” writes Schreier in a recent Reddit post.

This doesn’t mean that we won’t see a less traditional Halo Infinite multiplayer mode appear at some point, however. Certain Affinity, a studio with offices in Austin Texas and Toronto, recently confirmed that it’s playing a greater role in the game’s ongoing development. Many believe that this announcement is tied to Infinite’s rumoured battle royale-like mode codenamed “Tanaka.”

Halo Infinite went through a notoriously rough development cycle and the game’s post-release content schedule has been far less than stellar. For example, after being delayed several times, 343 Industries recently confirmed that the game’s campaign co-op feature won’t arrive until August.

Image credit: 343 Industries  

Source: Reddit (Jason Schreier), @ChrisRGun Via: VGC

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Halo Infinite’s roadmap confirms Season 3’s November arrival

As Halo Infinite Season 2: Lone Wolves is about to kick off, 343 Industries has finally provided a roadmap for what’s to come to the game for the rest of the year.

By in large, the Halo Infinite roadmap covers what Lone Wolves provides. 343 Industries has confirmed that Season 2 runs for a total of six months. The season begins on May 3rd and concludes a week prior to the one-year anniversary of the multiplayer’s release on November 7th.

It’s already been reported that Halo Infinite’s Season 2 offers a brand new Battle Pass, featuring 100 tiers. The Catalyst and Breaker maps also debut this season. Additionally, 343 Industries is rolling out three new modes including King of the Hill, Land Grab, and Last Spartan Standing. Though, there are a few new tidbits to cover in the Halo Infinite roadmap.

Two narrative events are scheduled this season. ‘Interference’ runs on May 3rd and wraps up on May 16th. The second, dubbed ‘Alpha Pack,’ runs from July 19 to August 1st. The first week of Season 2’s Fracture: Entrenched event runs from May 24th to May 30th.

On top of that, the Halo Infinite roadmap promises to deliver some long-awaited updates to the core game. 343 Industries states that the online co-op for the campaign mode has a “late August target.” Additionally, campaign mission replay is also targeting a similar late August window. An open beta for Halo Infinite’s Forge mode is scheduled for September as well.

343 Industries has briefly outlined what Season 3 will offer. Starting on November 8th, Season 3 brings the now-standard element of new maps, modes, narrative events, and a Fracture event. Aside from what’s expected the Forge open beta will continue during Season 3. Local split-screen co-op is also said to arrive. Though the timing is still to be determined.

The Halo Infinite roadmap has understandably left the community divided on the length of Season 2 as well as the amount of content awaiting the game. We know we need to deliver more content and more features more quickly, Halo Infinite’s head of creative Joseph Staten says in a Halo Waypoint blog post. “Staying true to priority zero means that sometimes we need to slow down in order to stay healthy and move faster later. But we’re also aggressively looking at ways to accelerate.”

343 Industries is hosting a livestream on April 27th at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT. The team is showcasing the narrative events and new content on Twitch and YouTube.

Image credit: 343 Industries

Source: 343 Industries

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343 Industries shares first look at Halo Infinite Season 2 Catalyst and Breaker maps

Ahead of its May 3rd debut, Halo Infinite developers 343 Industries share a look at the Season 2 maps. Dubbed Catalyst and Breaker, the two maps join the roster alongside the preexisting 10 maps.

In a short video lapsing under three minutes, 343 Industries shows us Catalyst, an abandoned Forerunner map. The studio describes it as a “symmetrical arena map nested high up inside of an expansive, tunnel-like Forerunner structure.” We see some of its verticality in its different levels.  Catalyst features a light bridge running down the middle portion. While there are visible exterior potions, Catalyst is an interior map.

The second map that Halo Infinite Season 2 introduces is Breaker. As opposed to Catalyst, Breaker is practically all exterior. Its location is a Banished ship-breaking facility. 343 Industries states Breaker is a “pseudo symmetric BTB map set in a Banished scrapyard where each team’s base is a huge chunk of ship debris.” There are multiple dynamic aspects at play as shown in the preview. Hop-ups and ledges raise and lower. The middle of the map is split by a deadly moving plasma beam.

On the Halo Waypoint blog, the team discusses that Catalyst is meant to expand the game’s Capture the Flag suite. Though, its design and internal popularity made the team shift ideas. Upon Season 2, Catalyst will host many different modes including the new Land Grab mode.

343 Industries claims Breaker is one of the team’s “most ambitious BTB maps ever.” Once again, many design elements revolve around its use as a Capture the Flag map. “The central feature of this map is the middle, which divides the spaces with ramps over a death pit which has given way to some pretty memorable vehicle runs.”

Along with new maps, Halo Infinite Season 2, dubbed Lone Wolves, also introduces a brand new Battle Pass for players to purchase. New modes include Land Grab and Last Spartan Standing. Additionally, Season 2 sees weapons updated and balanced.

Note that Halo Infinite’s co-op will arrive during Season 2. Though, it won’t be available at launch. No specific date is known at this point, however.

Source: 343 Industries

Image credit: 343 Industries

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Certain Affinity to play greater role in Halo Infinite’s ongoing development

Certain Affinity, a video game studio with offices in Austin and Toronto, has revealed that it’s “deepening” its relationship with 343 Industries and Halo Infinite.

Windows Central previously reported that the studio is working on a new Infinite mode codenamed “Tanaka.”

This latest announcement from 343 Industries is likely tied to the still unknown Halo Infinite game mode. Certain Affinity is also reportedly supporting the development of the new Perfect Dark and is working on an original Monster Hunter-like game called Suerete, according to Windows Central.

Tanaka is believed to be a battle royale-like mode for Halo Infinite that involves a shrinking arena and beat-em-all gameplay.

Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is available for free on Xbox consoles and PC. Season 2 Lone Wolves of Halo infinite launches on May 3rd. The much-needed update to the beleaguered game features two new maps, new game modes and tweaks to weapons (RIP to the Mangler).

I’ve spent countless hours playing Halo Infinite over the last few months, but even I’ve dropped off playing the game consistently lately. There just isn’t enough new content hitting the title, but hopefully, whatever Certain Affinity is working on injects some much-needed life into the Infinite.

Image credit: 343 Industries 

Source: @CertainAffinity 

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Xbox Spring Sale offering up to 80% off select Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S titles

Microsoft has placed over 750 games on sale with savings of up to 80-percent off select titles. Games on sale as a part of the Xbox Spring Sale include Xbox One titles as well as those on Xbox Series X/S. First-party titles like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 are both notably on sale.

The Xbox Spring Sale is already underway and will run until April 21st. All games listed are digital-only.

Standouts featured in the sale include:

  • Halo Infinite (Campaign) – $63.99 (regularly $79.99)
  • Forza Horizon 5 – $67.99 (regularly $79.99)
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator, Standard Game of the Year Edition – $63.99 (regularly $79.99)
  • Gears Triple Bundle – $29.99 (regularly $99.99)
  • Call of Duty: Vanguard, Cross-Gen Bundle – $58.49 (regularly $89.99)
  • Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition – $53.59 (regularly $79.99)
  • Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – $39.99 (regularly $79.99)
  • Destiny 2: The Witch Queen – $39.99 (regularly $49.99)
  • WWE 2K22 – $59.99 (regularly $79.99)
  • Diablo 2: Resurrected Prime Evil Edition – $51.99 (regularly $79.99)

The full list of games found on the Xbox Spring Sale can be found on Microsoft’s online storefront.

Souce: Xbox Via: RedFlagDeals

Image credit: Xbox

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Halo Infinite Season 2 Lone Wolves launches on May 3rd

The second season of Halo Infinite starts on May 3rd, according to an announcement from 343 Industries.

The season, called Lone Wolves, features a fresh Battle Pass, additional maps and new gametypes.

The new maps include traditional-looking arena map ‘Catalyst’ and Big Team Battle map ‘Breaker,’ which features a lava pit separating the map’s different areas. The new modes are a free-for-all elimination gametype called ‘Last Spartan Standing’ and ‘Land Grab,’ a spin on ‘King of the Hill.’

343 Industries has posted several extensive blogs on Halo Waypoint over the last few weeks where the developer outlines its future plans for the beleaguered game, including Battle Pass Progression and additional customization options. Other changes include weapon balancing fixes like nerfing the Mangler considerably 🥲.

In its most recent blog post, 343 Industries said that players will be able to earn Halo Infinite’s paid in-game currency, ‘CR,’ by levelling up their Season 2 Battle Pass.

It’s worth noting that Halo Infinite’s co-op campaign mode isn’t launching alongside season 2. Several weeks ago, the developer revealed that it’s coming at some point during the season but hasn’t revealed a specific date yet, pushing the anticipated mode’s release back even further.

I really like Halo Infinite and have spent countless hours playing the game over the last few months. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that it’s my favourite Halo title ever as far as multiplayer is concerned. That said, issues with ranked progression feeling punishing and unfair, the lack of meaningful progression after completing the Battle Pass and no new game modes/maps have made even me ditch the title for the time being.

However, Season 2 Lone Wolves seems promising at the outset and an answer to many of my issues with Season 1, so hopefully, it lives up to expectations and pulls me back into the game again.

Image credit: 343 Industries 

Source: @Halo

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Halo Infinite’s co-op campaign won’t launch alongside Season 2

Halo Infinite is a stellar game in desperate need of new content.

Though the game suffers from issues like desync, ranked not feeling rewarding (the reset didn’t help) and other technical problems, Halo Infinite’s most significant problem is a lack of new content. For a free-to-play multiplayer designed to be a “live service,” there just isn’t much life to the game.

Thankfully, that’s set to change to an extent. When Season of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer mode launches on May 3rd, eager fans will get a new arena and Big Team Battle maps’ Catalyst’ and ‘Breaker,’ as well as the return of ‘King of the Hill’ mode. Two other new game modes are also coming, ‘Land Grab’ and ‘Last Spartan,’ with the latter being described as a “free-for-all elimination.”

All this sounds like good news, right? Unfortunately, the release of four-player campaign co-op has been pushed back once again.

Joseph Staten, the head of Halo Infinite says 343 aims to “deliver Campaign network co-op later in Season 2.”

“It’s going to take more time to land a high-quality, full-featured 4-player network co-op experience in the massive, wide-open world of Halo Infinite.”

Staten goes on to mention that 343 Industries plans to bring a 2-player split-screen co-op experience to Xbox and that the title’s anticipated ‘Forge mode’ is still set for a season 3 release.

As someone who at one point was really into Halo Infinite’s multiplayer mode but has fallen off playing it recently, I’m excited for new maps and game modes to hit the game, but the wait between now and the beginning of Season 2 Lone Wolves feels positively barren. All we know that’s coming to the game is ‘Tactical Ops,’ a new limited-time event focused on the ‘Team Tactical’ playlist.

Halo Infinite launched back in December without co-op and Forge mode, two features the series has become known for. While Infinite’s initial reception was resoundingly positive, 343 has been heavily criticized for the lack of new content hitting the title over the last few months following season 1’s extension to May.

Source: 343 Industries 

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Halo Infinite appears to be down right now for some users

Following January 19th’s hotfix for Big Team Battle and Oddball, it appears Halo Infinite is down for at least some users.

I’ve been unable to access the game for the last few hours and there are several reports of the outage on Twitter and other social media platforms.

In a tweet from four hours ago, 343 Industries detailed Infinite’s January 19th patch, stating that it includes fixes for ‘Big Team Battle’ and improvements to the ‘Oddball’s’ physics.

As it stands right now, it’s unclear what the cause of the issue is, but it seems to be tied to the online aspect of the title as in most instances the game is unable to launch from the Xbox’s dashboard.

In my case, I receive an error code that says the following:

“The Person who bought this needs to sign in. Sign in with the account that bought the game or installed the app. If the game has a trial version that expired, buy the game from the Microsoft Store. For detailed instructions, select help. (0x803f9006)”

It’s unclear when this issue will be fixed. This story will be updated when more information is available.

More to come…