I’ve beloved Halo for what appears like a very long time. My age signifies that that love solely actually started with Halo: Attain, which sprouted into studying the books, watching the exhibits and flicks and taking part in the video games on Legendary simply to torture myself.
Nonetheless, by way of all of that, for the reason that very begin there’s been one recreation mode that’s at all times had my coronary heart: Firefight.
Firefight was the place my brother and I’d go on sprees of blasting waves and waves of Covenant, making an attempt out completely different methods and weapons to come back out on high. It will additionally function a spot for me and my buddies to speak about any and all the things into the wee hours of a faculty evening whereas haphazardly beating grunts with a gravity hammer. With the ability to play it felt so pure that it by no means appeared potential to have it taken away.
“Taken away” appears like a considerably sturdy time period — in any case I might at all times return, load up the 360 and dive again in, however as time went on and new video games have been launched, my priorities modified and my focuses have been redirected. Even nonetheless, I might by no means appear to discover a recreation mode that would scratch that itch the identical method that Firefight did.
I began taking part in Firefight in Halo: Attain, however I discovered that the Firefight mode in Halo 3: ODST had a sure rawness to it once I went and performed it. Not being a Spartan meant there have been extra extreme penalties to every time you bought hit, and it made me rethink the entire “senseless blasting of Covenant” that I had in my thoughts from boosting round and armor locking in Halo: Attain. I had to make use of cowl extra appropriately, take extra time to intention, and give attention to who was coming from the place and when.
That minor distinction between iterations was one thing that obtained me excited for any new launch of Firefight that may come afterwards. Perhaps you’d play as an Elite and see how in another way they act, or one thing attention-grabbing. But that recreation mode by no means got here. Halo 4 got here out, I loaded it up, and was bitterly disillusioned to not see it as an possibility. Positive, I used to be moved by the marketing campaign and spent lengthy nights slowly getting higher on the multiplayer, however there got here to be a void.
One thing was lacking, and it was the unfiltered PvE that didn’t take you round a map going from goal to goal. Spartan Ops was a very good time, however it actually simply felt like an extension of the marketing campaign that had nothing to do with the marketing campaign. I really like the world-building, don’t get me unsuitable, however I didn’t at all times need to pay that a lot consideration to what I used to be doing. Deep down, I simply wished to play Firefight.
Halo 5 introduced Warzone Firefight to the desk, however I by no means actually wound up taking part in all of it that a lot. A part of it was that I used to be too busy with college and work to get pleasure from these late nights anymore, however it additionally slipped below my radar till a degree the place everybody I used to play with was as busy as I used to be. Nonetheless, the winds of change blew once more simply in time for Halo Infinite, the place I used to be in a position to play by way of the marketing campaign refreshed and free, however sadly nonetheless couldn’t play Firefight.
Quick ahead to November of 2023, once I first hear that Infinite will probably be including Firefight. Positive, I used to be excited to provide it a shot, however I’d be mendacity if I stated that I wasn’t apprehensive of their execution. By the point of the replace, it had been a few months since I’d even actually performed Infinite so I didn’t totally know what to anticipate. King of the Hill had by no means been my favourite PvP mode, so I had a foul feeling that this may grow to be the explanation why I put Infinite down for good. Boy, was I unsuitable.
Between the disappointingly quick marketing campaign and sometimes stagnating PvP, Infinite was seeming to rack up tallies within the “Miss” column, regardless that I nonetheless loved the time that I spent within the recreation. I used to be nervous that Firefight was going to prove stunted in a method or one other, however as quickly as I loaded in and performed by way of the primary spherical, I used to be hooked. It felt like I used to be again on Attain blasting Covenant, however this time with out Sarah Palmer chatting in my ear about some Sangheili warlord like in Spartan Ops.
Whereas I want you didn’t must fill a four-person social gathering for each match, I cant consider many issues that I’d need to change about King of the Hill firefight. You will have an ideal mixture of cannon-fodder enemies and executives that you simply’ll by no means get bored from not combating enemies, however you’re additionally not getting swamped always. There are an inexpensive quantity of waves per spherical, and the 5 rounds that have been adopted from Halo 5’s Warzone Firefight make it a aggressive problem if you end up extra overwhelmed than you anticipated.
Not solely that, however to my shock, the King of the Hill mode turned out to suit the format of Firefight higher than I might have ever anticipated. It funnels your workforce and enemies to a single level so that you simply’re not spending time trying to find enemies which are straggling behind, and also you’ve at all times obtained one thing to intention at. The motion of the factors themselves permits so that you can discover the map a bit extra in-depth and get to know merchandise spawns, making for extra purpose to maintain going again match after match.
To say that the defibrillator was on its final cost feels harsh to say, however I can’t say that I’d have had all that a lot purpose to maintain going again into Infinite except it was to play with a selected buddy. Firefight modified that, as a result of I discover myself not solely excited about it whereas I’m not taking part in, however I’m appearing on these ideas and really going and taking part in the sport. It’s the right size as to the place I don’t really feel the identical time dedication that I do with MW3’s Zombies, however I additionally don’t really feel like I’m in a foyer for so long as I’m in a recreation.
There’s one thing about nostalgia and the best way it may possibly change your perspective on a recreation, whereas distorting the best way you have a look at new releases with out even that means to. I discovered myself apprehensive of taking part in Firefight as an alternative of feeling excited, and that in all probability wasn’t truthful to myself or the builders. I obtained too hung up on what the mode was once that I virtually let slip a incredible recreation mode that can proceed to entertain me the identical because it had over 10 years in the past.