Podtacular 817: The CE Callback with Banished Flavor

After several months of Halo Infinite out in people’s hands, we’re finally getting around to talking about the campaign. We’ve got the first two missions on deck for this episode as we learn of the Infinity’s defeat and the mail antagonist: Echarum. Diving into the story, game mechanics, world appearance, and experience, we give our thoughts on the opening to the story.

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Podtacular 816: Skill Check

The latest community feedback being addressed by 343 sheds some light on the ranking and matchmaking systems in Halo Infinite. It seems that almost every Halo game has some matchmaking issues out the gate and Infinite has been no exception. From social games counting towards your TrueSkill to CSR not being a direct reflection of your MMR, the studio provides clarity into how all the systems work and what players can expect. While this may not address everyone’s concern, it does shed light on a seemingly black box. In addition, we got word that Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will get a 30 day Paramount+ trial and we also get another Community Spotlight.

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Podtacular 815: Roadmap to Infinite Tangents

With the game being out for about four months, we finally have a roadmap update regarding future Halo Infinite content and priorities the studio is currently working. Amid constant community groaning for more content and fixing outstanding issues with its free-to-play multiplayer, 343 has committed to addressing these concerns and keep working on promises made before the game’s release. In other news, we’re two weeks away from the Halo Series premiering on Paramount+, MCC is getting some updates soon, and for the lore enthusiasts out there, there’s lot of new nuggets of info over on Halo Waypoint.

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Podtacular 814: Silver Tidings

We’re one month away from the Halo TV series releasing on Paramount+ and while it may deviate from the game canon, many of us are excited to see how Halo adapts to the silver screen. After eight or more years of planning, we’re hopeful we’ll get something new and exciting for Halo fans to enjoy and share with our friends and family. Halo Infinite gets a mid-season patch and MCC is gearing up for Season 9 soon.

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Podtacular 813: Solo Queuing

Dust Storm holds down the fort this week as we get our first Community Spotlight of 2022, an update to CSR and the ranking system in Halo Infinite, results of the HCS NA Finals and more reasons to talk about customization in Infinite. Seriously, when will this topic subside… We hope to have the full crew back next week and maybe we’ll start our Infinite campaign discussion?

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Podtacular 812: Latency Lament

Having a game launch with issues is never a game developer’s intent, but Halo Infinite matchmaking continues to struggle with the community. Thanks to a recent blog post from 343 though, we’ve got some clarity into the challenges the studio has in trying to address these issues we’re experiencing in matchmaking most of it a result of inherent network latency. Thanks to Richard Watson, Lead Engineer of the Sandbox for providing a detailed rundown of the issues we’re experiencing and how they are perceived in game.

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Podtacular 811: A Match Made on Xbox 360

The Matchmaking servers for the Xbox 360 Halo FPS titles (long description there) have finally been put to rest after a long fifteen year lifespan. Making memories on these games has established a lot of friendships and defined a lot of our expectations of what constitutes a Halo experience. For the many years these games served us and provided countless hours of play, we will remember these games fondly as we look to the future with MCC and Halo Infinite. Speaking of which, Big Team Battle is finally working again!

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