Halo Infinite can best be described as Xbox's Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Expectations were high for Breath of the Wild to be amazing. While fans had criticized recent Zelda games for being too linear, from the get-go Nintendo promised the next Zelda title would return to the series's roots and allow players to explore the world without the constraints of an overbearing narrative that shuttled them down a single path.
The stakes weren't high just because the game was hotly anticipated. Its success would also determine the entire fate of Nintendo's future in an industry that seemed to be leaving them behind. However, the game was able to live up to the hype and make the Switch a system that still flies off the shelf.
Now, Xbox is attempting to do the same with its flagship franchise Halo. The launch game for the Xbox Series X, Halo Infinite, seeks to revitalize the series and bring in new and old fans alike. Once again, tensions are high and the future of an entire company rests upon the shoulders of a single game. It is a stressful time for Halo fans. So let's look at some memes to take the edge off!
10 1. Surprised Pikachu
Before diving straight into the epic tale of Halo Infinite's upcoming release, it would help to have a little background on what's been going on in the game's history so far. That way we can understand the memes.
The Master Chief Collection (a compilation of past Halo games) released on November 11, 2014, on the Xbox One. While a new mainline entry had released in the form of Halo 4, the compilation promised to enhance the visuals of the original games to entice new players and give long-time fans a new way to play their favorite games. There had also been Halo 4 (which most gamers enjoyed) and Halo 5 (which most gamers didn't).
9 2. Gorilla Munch
Now, into the world of Halo Infinite. You might expect Master Chief, the main character of the Halo series, to star on a box of Halo cereal. However, instead, the spotlight is given to this lowly Brute.
As one can see, it's likely that a Brute has been chosen instead of Master Chief since they bear more than a passing resemblance to a certain gorilla (there's two in the background). But why have fans immediately glommed onto this Harambe-adjacent alien? The reasons for this, and all the recent discourse around Infinite, will become apparent soon.
8 3. Early Criticism
Recently Microsoft showed off the first gameplay footage of Infinite. It showed Master Chief taking on alien baddies while trying to take down some anti-aircraft cannons. He's helped by a grappling hook, a new item in the series, but for the most part its good old-fashioned Halo fun.
So why have fans started complaining? Well, on its face it may seem like gamers aren't enthralled by gameplay that doesn't offer anything new except a grappling hook. However, look at the Brute's face a little more closely and the issues players have with the trailer may become more apparent.
7 4. To The Sky Elliot
Enough has already been said in this article about how sky-high the expectations for this game already are. Players didn't want to just be blown away by the trailer. They wanted to be blown straight past the moon, slingshotted around Mars, and back to their local GameStop so they could pre-order a copy of the game.
But just like E.T. going home, it isn't always that simple.
6 5. Split Reactions
So, the way the game looks didn't exactly blow gamers into outer space. For the harshest of critics, the graphics barely blew them out of the atmosphere.
As this meme states, the graphics didn't live up to what the initial teaser trailer promised. For better or worse, this is a common trend in video games advertising. Even Breath of the Wild's reveal trailer has arguably better graphics. Why a game's final look tends to be worse rather than better would take another article to explain. The best way to sum it up is that making video games is very, very complicated.
5 6. Halo V. The Last Of Us: Dawn of Beard Hairs
There's a bevy of things fans are pointing to that show why they think Infinite is subpar in the graphics department. The main one going around is a memetic comparison of the beards of two characters from two entirely different games.
It's easy to see why this comparison has become so widely shared. The ruggedly handsome man on the left, Joel, is from the recently released The Last of Us: Part II. It makes sense the pilot's less detailed beard would be looked down upon since he's supposed to be from a next-gen title. To make matters worse, Part II is a flagship franchise for the Playstation 4. The Xbox One has already lost this generation. As weird as it sounds, beards could be harbingers of the next generation of video games.
4 7. Sage Advice
After the mixed response to the Halo trailer, it'd be easy for fans to be unsettled. However, there is no need to be upset. Sit down, take a few deep breaths, drink a cool glass of water, and let the gentle eyes of this Brute soothe you.
In another comparison to Breath of the Wild, Infinite is going to be released on next-generation and current-generation consoles (Wild was released on the Wii U and Switch. Infinite will be released on Xbox One and Xbox Series X).
3 8. Finally, We Have Them All
To bring Breath of the Wild back up for the ten-thousandth time, graphics don't always mean a great game. That game has a beautiful art style that distracts from the fact that the game had to work on incredibly underpowered Wii U. In addition, Infinite seems to be going for a much more colorful art style than the dour and dark aesthetic of The Last of Us. Despite that, Xbox hasn't even touched on the Infinite's multiplayer yet. Halo is known just as much, if not more, for its incredible multiplayer. So even if a beard bothers a player, there's likely to be an addictively fun multiplayer that they can sink hours and hours into.
2 9. Master Chief's Best Friend
Of course, there's nothing wrong with being dissatisfied with the appearance of the game. Even if Infinite is launching on current-generation hardware, so did The Last of Us: Part II. In addition, many took umbrage with the fact that the gameplay in the trailer was a bit generic.
The most exciting gameplay trailers typically show the midpoint in the game when the tensions are high. It's oftentimes one of the most exciting sequences in the game. However, maybe there's something to the fact that Infinite only showed what seemed to be an early mission. They're not spoiling the best parts and, if that's not it, it leaves more stuff for Xbox to hype up at later date.
1 10. Get In Boys, We're Going Shopping
No matter how good or bad Infinite ends up being, the old games will always still exist. That doesn't mean it's bad to be disappointed. Almost everyone wants amazing new entries in their favorite video game series.
However, even if Infinite is so bad it figuratively launches players into the sun, the series will always be as legendary, genre-defining, and beloved. It inspired countless games and its impact on the gaming industry will never be forgotten. Just like memes, Halo will always entertain millions around the globe.