This past weekend was Halo Infinite’s first official technical test, and we here at Game Informer couldn’t wait to dive in. This game’s early access testing period was my only objective over the last several days outside of basic hygiene, and to say that I can’t wait for more would be a massive understatement. That being said, can we talk about the bots in this game because holy heck, are they nothing like I was expecting. In fact, they are straight up just serial killers with a mean sadistic streak…
When you hear bots, you think EZ win, right? Well, in Halo Infinite, they are mastermind slaughter experts. When we first jumped into a match on Friday with our GI community over on Twitch, myself, Alex Stadnik, and John Carson were blown away by the vehement aggression from the AI enemies. This aggression is actually pretty cool. We want a challenge, challenge us, bots! With that in mind, none of us were prepared for the level of venom these programmed little jerks had to offer.
The number of times I was one-shot by a bot is more than I’d like to admit. They herded me into corners, they dropped down to knock me into next week, and they rushed me from my 12 to smack me to death. There were so many detailed instances of complex battle mechanics in play here that we even joked on the stream that we thought 343 only told us they were bots, when actually they were devs themselves in disguise. I’m not thoroughly convinced we were wrong, either, but I’ve got no proof. I do, however, have plenty of embarrassment about all of the ways these bots humbled me. I’m not ashamed; I’m not proud.
Oh, and in case you think I’m exaggerating? I literally had a bot teabag me (like full-on “dip-dip, potato chip”), and I’m not the only one:
Did the bot just…? pic.twitter.com/PYkaANHD3l
— whisper (formerly snipe.) (@reqsihw) July 31, 2021
Despite getting wrecked by the Halo Infinite bots, I can’t stop thinking about my time in-game. Though the technical test was limited to only one map, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with 343’s newest shooter adventure. The graphics were incredibly detailed, something I note numerous times in our New Gameplay Live segment seen at the top of the article. The grout detailing of the walls, the subtle reflection of some of the concrete to show environmental impact, the movement of our Spartans across the battlefield? It all pulled together to create a memorable online experience.
The gameplay itself felt like an enjoyable blend of Halo 4 and Halo Reach, with smooth combat mechanics such as sliding and the ease of reloading. I’m also happy to report that the Halo Needler still very much slaps, and I can’t wait to ruin friendships once more with this delightful weapon.
To learn more about the Halo Infinite tech test, and more about the game itself, check out our game hub here to see everything going on in Master Chief’s latest journey.
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