On the issue of weapons only being unlock-able in the shop, I think that may have been some kind of UI bug in the beta. When I played with my friends, they complained when they saw the “Unlocked in Shop” tag on certain guns. When I looked at them on my end, they had regular level requirements. None of us pre-ordered anything or purchased anything. When I reached the required level in the beta, I unlocked the gun that my friends indicated was “Shop Only”
Because the gameplay itself is actually feels very good to some people. The cool thing about the franchise is the way that the gameplay has developed over time. Part of the reason the MCC is so cool is because you can experience the franchise at all of its stages. Infinite’s gameplay feels like another interesting and enjoyable variation.
And yet, 343 was still managed to fumble the bag. Nobody wants a shop or battle passes in their halo game.