So, here I sit to report on a few things from the experience. As Halo: Combat Evolved came to me through my social circle, so too did my chance to access Halo Infinite.
This particular incarnation was of the closed variety, granting the opportunity to invited players to test out a few maps against AI bots, a weapon range, and some user interface design concepts. This is strictly 343 Industries saying, 'Hey, Halo fans, look what we are working on!' In other words, don't worry yourself too much over what you do and don't see. The model we are getting here is the equivalent of how your NBA team looks in the first day of summer league practice. Now, almost twenty years later, Halo Infinite has arrived via its first-of several, supposedly-'technical tests.' The terminology is important, as this release is actually pre-beta. Chaos reigned as Warthog jeeps exploded and Ghosts screamed through the battlefield, catapulting unsuspecting Spartans across the barren landscape.
As friends each arrived with extra consoles, TVs, cables, and controllers, epic rounds of Team Slayer unfolded in the desolate rocks of Blood Gulch. In what was a beautiful encapsulation of the era, my inaugural experience was via a LAN party with seven other friends. The first time I played Halo: Combat Evolved was in early 2002, a few months after the release.
