Every day from late December 2021 to mid-January 2022, we’ll be revealing our top 30 games of 2021 bit by bit. Here’s number 12!

#12: Halo Infinite

Platforms: Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC

Let’s be honest. 343 Industries and Xbox Studios’ newest 2021 shooter game starring some guy in green armour isn’t going to sell you on its plot and narrative alone, which feels like they have conveniently ignored what they established in Halo 4 and Halo 5.  It sure as hell isn’t going to sell you on its story missions which takes place in the many grey futuristic corridors that even put past Halo Library stage copy-pasta scenarios to shame. Unless you’re a hardcore fan of the franchise, that is.

Rather, Halo Infinite’s selling point is the single-player open field campaign where you can traipse across the map with your Grappleshot (the game’s grappling hook tool), experiment with creative solutions to take down Covenant Banished outposts with your arsenal of firepower and skills, and then repeat the process but with different approaches in the rest of Zeta Halo’s expanse. And let’s not forget the game’s free-to-play multiplayer which is easily the most accessible yet most fun we’ve had in years, thanks to a respectable selection of arsenal backed by a solid list of distinct and colourful maps.

Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel  Halo, 343 instead slapped on some fancy alloy rims to along with some runflats. And boy did it worked.

Sure they hit a minor speed bump at the start no thanks to the grindy nature of its battle pass progression system but 343 Industries did the right thing – listening to their player base and improving it over time. In a year where Call of Duty released ANOTHER World War 2 themed installment and Battlefield doing Battlefield things – pulling off yet another disastrous launch – Halo Infinite is this year’s sole saving grace when it comes to competitive, FPS multiplayer.