Pick One: Which Is Your Favourite Halo Game?

Halo, what have they done to you. Such a shame. Went from being an amazing game/franchise, a real system seller to just an ok fun game. Don’t know how they can turn it around now. Not hating on Halo but IMO it’s nowhere close to being as good as it once was. A cultural phenomenon on release and synonymous with the Xbox brand to what it is now. They now need a new crown jewel franchise, I think it’s sadly now time to move on from Halo.

So good to see the love for the original Halo. I was starting university when it came out and blew my first student loan on an Xbox to play it. While GoldenEye showed that consoles could finally do FPS games well, Halo really took it to the next level, especially with multiplayer. And that soundtrack... I've enjoyed them all despite uneven storytelling.

@LordFunkalot The mechanics, AI and graphics are still there. I'd like to see a new IP with better writing and more varied environments.

Obvious choice but Halo 3 is the best for me. Epic conclusion to the original trilogy, some of the best levels the games have seen, amazing all round.
Definitely a tough call for 2nd between ODST and Halo 1 for me though

Halo 3 is probably my Favourite but I must say I really enjoyed the 'game-play' of Halo:Infinite more but I think the 'story' is weaker.

Halo was really helped by the 'era' it released and perhaps that's contributed to that. Goldeneye is a 'beloved' game too but nobody would accept that today - and Halo:CE is one of those.

Being the 'First' modern day FPS, that level of Graphical presentation, that 'scale' that seemed 'immense', the 'freedom' to tackle objectives in any order etc was 'amazing' and ground breaking. Halo 3 another one that benefited from new hardware, bigger, better, more impressive than anything we could do before...

Now each game can't really go somewhere we will be shocked or impressed at the scale, give you something that you have never seen or felt before from a video game. You have these tethers to the past keeping you locked in to the 'lore' and expectations set from predecessors and trying to bring something fresh, new, innovative or 'next-gen' hardware enabled 'game-play' that couldn't work before on 'previous' hardware.

As I said, Halo:CE - new/fresh/nothing like it before on Console so 'big' impact - Halo 2 - good, but more of the same but MP was starting to take off, Halo 3 - big 'new' 360 console, 'big' leap in terms of both graphics and scale so again 'more' impact. Since then, its basically spin-offs and then the 343i era who just can't get that big 'impact' moment and/or quite get the 'depth' in their story to really connect and stop people looking back with rose tinted specs and expecting them to 'beat' the impact the Bungie games had on the 'majority' of the Halo fanbase. I'm sure a LOT of us did start with a 'Bungie' made Halo game (maybe your Favourite) and it made an 'impact', maybe remember great times playing with 'young' friends who now have families so not really 'social' gaming now as much...

I still think if we got the 'Halo' that they were 'demoing' their Slipstream 'engine' on, that 'next-gen' game that looked like a 'next-gen' Far Cry world and grass mechanics at least as good as GoT and ran 'well' on Series S/X, It would be received 'better'.

@TJ81 yes mate, I definitely agree, the gameplay is tight and still fun. I’ve put over 3 days into infinite and am sitting at 75 percent achievement completion. I personally enjoyed it but it just pales in comparison to what it was like compared to the time of the original trilogy.

I think it’s just lost its way a little and it’s not the system seller or pulling in the attention it used to as a result. I really hope the series continues and I’ll always keep playing, but it’s not going to pull people over to Xbox like it used to.

They need a new killer app to replace halo and gears. I’m really hoping Redfall and Startfield could do it.

Looks like everyone is wrong at the moment because halo 2 is the best

Definitely Infinite, since it's the only one I managed to enjoy and complete, despite being average at best.
It does my head in the way Goldeneye is touted as ancient and a product of its time, while the old Halo games are still held in high regard.
I tried the MCC both by myself and with my brother in co-op, and they bored me to tears like very few other FPS games do, while I had a whale of a time with Goldeneye.
So yeah, I guess my hot take is that Halo was never that good to begin with lol

@clvr wow what? You must have been playing it wrong. I love goldeneye and halo. What was so boring about halo? Maybe I can help

@Luminous117 👍 I just think it’s epic!

@pip_muzz halo 3s campaign is the weakest for me between the bungie games. I don’t even consider 343s attempts

@LordFunkalot All true. I enjoyed Infinite overall but the environmental variety was lacking. Can't wait for Starfield, hoping Redfall is a great co op experience but also curious to see how Contraband and Indiana Jones turn out. 4 or 5 solid exclusives every couple of years will bring Xbox more in line with PlayStation. (I like and game on both).

@Baler lol @ "playing it wrong", what does that even mean? Just because I didn't like something you did doesn't mean I must've gotten something wrong.
The games are incredibly boring due to a combination of slow moving speed, huge barren maps, terrible indoors level design with samey corridors, empty rooms and poor signposting, and (at least the first few games) a laughable selection of weapons and enemies. I remember playing Halo CE with my brother and thinking to myself "this is the definition of mindless shooter".
What people refer to as the Halo sandbox is an absolute mystery to me, as it's got some of the shallowest mechanics in all FPS games.
If having the option to slowly walk versus mounting a vehicle is enough to call it a sandbox, then I'm afraid the bar is pretty low.
And it's a shame, because the fundamentals of running and gunning are quite good if floaty, and I don't think that's a negative because it certainly gives Halo games a unique feel.

Halo Infinite is my favorite 👌💚

The original Bungie games are still the best but I enjoyed Infinite’s campaign probably just as much. It’s just a shame the online multiplayer was rushed and monetized. I haven’t played it in a while but I heard it’s a lot better now.

Halo 2 was my entry to the point series. It was the right place at the right time for me. Halo 3 felt like the start of a new era for me. Not in a good way. Moving from LAN and online to just online was a lonely experience.

I played Reach & 4 online too but I felt a bit more confident playing them as online gaming was just a part of everyday gaming.

I skipped 5 and most of MCC except to replay 4’s multiplayer.

Nowadays I’m happy with Infinite. I think it has the best online experience given all modern day factors. At least as someone who plays on Xbox. If I played on PC I’d probably appreciate MCC more for all the mods.

@TJ81 Definitely, can’t agree with you more.

I enjoy all systems equally and think they can all survive together. They all bring something to the table. I love games pass and the Xbox and retro back catalogs (best on Xbox IMO). Still can’t help feel Xbox is lagging a bit, but there are lots of interesting games on the way.

I think it’s great they are still supporting Halo Infinite and still dip in from time to time. I’ll always have a soft spot for the franchise.

Halo Reach is the GOAT .

Reach (overall)
CE (campaign)
3 (multiplayer)
2 (length)
4 (atmosphere)
infinite (mediocre & boring )
5 (hot garbage & not halo)

4 was the best that 343 could do , and it only got worse .

@clvr that’s definitely a “i played on easy/normal” take ; halo is meant to be played on heroic & even said by the devs themselves . you pretty much played a gimped experience .

@somnambulance halo 4 definitely has the best Halo-like gameplay of the series , it’s really a shame that it’s purposely ignored and overlooked just to maintain the hate that people want to have for the game . The only flaw people complain about with 4 over and over again is “loadouts”

ok , play a game mode without load outs and what’s next to ***** about ??

Having played through all the games via Master Chief Collection one thing I can say is that they are fairly consistent. CE and Reach has the biggest impact but I’ve enjoyed all of them. I don’t understand the hate for Infinite, I really enjoyed it, even if the plot was a bit slow to get going. However, it clearly was all an attempt to get Chief and Cortana back as a team after the misstep of 5 (which I really enjoyed too).

@nomither6 I don’t get the hate for 4, I liked that it was a different feeling game as after playing 1,2,3,ODST and Reach it updated the series after five quite similar feeling games.

@Gamecuber from what i always see , it’s usually people with the same tired tripe about multiplayer having loadouts ; it’s never anyone complaining about the gameplay or virtually anything else . it’s a weird mindset of people wanting to follow the crowd or whatever’s the popular opinion despite whatever it is they’re talking about .

halo 2 on release during its time was ABSOLUTELY HATED , and got crapped on from all sides - gameplay , campaign, multiplayer ; now all of a sudden it’s the best Halo ever .

for me personally and other rational people - halo 4 suffered from terrible and boring enemies , & the multiplayer (excluding loadouts) just wasn’t as memorable and fun as the others . beyond campaign it’s a pretty boring game .

@nomither6 that’s exactly the impression I got by the response he gave me 😆

@clvr I’m sorry but you are wrong. I’d suggest playing on legendary. You definitely won’t be bored! You’ve got wonderful music,atmosphere and gameplay in all the bungie games. Believe it or not but there was a time in my life when I too thought halo was just average but I kept playing and then I tried legendary and everything changed I had so much more respect for it, it’s just magical.

@nomither6 I used to think reach is the best but now I’d have to say halo 2. It’s mostly because of long night of solace. That mission is basically impossible on legendary without cheating in the space battle which bothers me. Where as I don’t think any mission in 2 is bad.

Were it so easy

Halo 5 is undoubtedly the very best in the entire series hands down!!! I can't believe I'm the only person that voted for it!!!

Halo 4 big team battle was BY FAR the BEST and MOST FUN multiplayer halo experience I've EVER had so far.

@Baler Man its honestly really hard for me to rank Halo 2, i prefer CE's campaign but Halo 2 is definitely a high-point of Halos campaigns. i have to replay reach again to refresh my memory & i actually finished halo 2's campaign about 3 days ago.

Halo 2 doesn't really have a dreadful mission you're right & the multi-faction war between all enemies and seeing the story from two sides , playing as arbiter, yeah halo 2 is pretty freaking grand.

prefer Halo 3 & reach multiplayer , so thats probably why i ranked it 4th

Infinite nearly tied with Reach and outperforming ODST is why we don’t have nice things.

ODST for me. My favourite atmosphere in campaign plus firefight and all of Halo 3's multiplayer. Perfection.

Halo CE just has a certain magic to it that I still enjoy playing.

Halo Reach for me, not just because of great campaign and multi-player but because it was a special time in my life that I can only revisit when I play Reach. I wish I could go back and re-live those days all over again.

@nomither6 I was PS2/GCN during that Gen so the whole Halo thing passed me by (aside from playing a bit on a friend’s Xbox.) As an outsider I got the impression that Halo 2 was universally loved upon release (I remember a giant statue of MC with twin submachine guns in a local video game store).

I didn’t play the series until starting in 2013 with the Anniversary edition of Halo CE, so I ended up playing the whole series over a very short period of time. As such the changes on later games just felt like a natural progression. Infinite (aside from the story) feels very much like an attempt to do a game which represents what they wanted to do way back in 2001 but with modern console power.

@EvenStephen7 exactly

@Gamecuber infinite is just farcry though and that’s exactly what I feared when they first said it was going to be open world. I personally think the gameplay is fantastic but the world and enemies needed a lot more work. I mean what has happened to elites for example? They used to be so cunning/menacing now they just aren’t a threat. One on one with an elite used to be genuinely nerve wracking at times

@Baler for me the real game breaker was when I could just keep spawning the aircraft with rockets and machine guns. Once I’d figured out how to use it the game got very easy, especially with the bounty hunting of certain enemies. Just keep at a distance, move about a bit to avoid enemy fire and blast away until nothing’s left!

@Gamecuber yeah that too 👍

Halo 2 really had the best cinematics and storyline for me. It was originally going to be the end of the story but Microsoft kinda forced them to finish by a deadline & leave a cliffhanger ending. It brought in big name voice actors, an excellent score, really good collector's edition with DVD commentary & a full manual, plus vehicle hijacking!! (that was revolutionary to me at the time) and was still wildly popular at LAN parties while also bridging the gap to online multiplayer. Just really over the top for console games at the time. I would explore those story maps and glitch out of bounds for hours. I also did the same for Halo CE which was fantastic. I liked Halo 3 for the 4 player co-op, bubble shields, equipment and cool new game modes. Agree it took the multiplayer for the franchise to the next level. Always felt the 343 games were really just milking the franchise rather than doing anything meaningful with it. Halo Infinite felt like the real Halo 4 to me, the rest felt a bit like spinoffs. For spinoffs, Halo Reach was great!

3 barely edges out CE for me, but I'm really happy to see Infinite doing so well in the poll. From a pure gameplay perspective it might be the best of them all.

Also hard to compete on this list but bless whoever voted for Captain Cutter and Halo Wars 2, really enjoyed that campaign. Was hoping he was going to show up in Infinite when they announced the banished as the antagonists.

@Baler @nomither6 Again with the silly "you played it wrong" angle!
If a game offers multiple difficulties, why the hell would you shift the blame on me for playing the recommended normal difficulty.
If Bungie/343i didn't want that, they could've just gone the Fromsoft route and made one singular difficulty setting for everyone.
I'm sorry but that's a terrible argument to defend a game.
Even if it weren't, a higher difficulty wouldn't increase the number of different enemies, nor fix the abysmal level design and signposting, so no, playing on Legendary or whatever won't fix what are glaring flaws in this series.

Also Baler mentioned stuff like the atmosphere, which just doesn't change with difficulty.

Hard to beat the original classic. I did just review the 5th one on my channel eleventh hour reviews. I feel like the original 2nd one was pretty poor in my mind but the anniversary edition fixed most of it's problems.

Halo Infinite and it is not particularly close. I don't get nostalgia. Gaming is still a new medium wherein developers are constantly learning new best practices so even masterpieces from 20 years ago are not close to the quality of mid games today. In the old Halo games the shooting has no weight to it like modern shooters do, the level design is rudimentary, they look ugly, the story is poorly told, Master Chief is a boring ass dated protagonist, and they don't have the grapple.

I would have to go with Halo 2 because of the great memories of the game, all the multiplayer games and the midnight release that was the best gaming release I've seen. Hundred of gamers waiting outside of my local GameStop with vendors everywhere serving food, a lot of us just hanging out talking while someone was playing the Halo soundtrack from their car. Great memory. Those days are gone. But, I still play the game to this day.

@Gamecuber it was loved but initially was hated

I couldn't rate the Spartin Strikes as all time favorites but I really enjoyed them for what they were

Halo Reach for me. Best campaign, best MP and Firefight is incredible in it.

Halo 2 was when I actually played and cared about MP. That was the most fun for me. Don't even think I played the campaign through until a couple years ago with MCC, but it didn't matter to me at all at the time.

@clvr I’m not blaming you for anything I’m just suggesting you try again on a higher difficulty because I genuinely feel you are missing something amazing. Out of curiosity what do you play goldeneye on? Agent,secret or 00?

Only played Halo 1 a few years ago and been playing Infinite since launch. Infinite has become one of my favourite games ever. Absolutely love it.

I have very fond memories of Halo 2, so that's my choice, but the entire original trilogy was fantastic.
I really don't get on with what its become now and though I don't wish to offend people who love it, infinite was the death croak of this series for me. It would take a new studio and a new direction for me to ever consider playing it again.

Hi there fellow gamers,
Chosing only one favourite halo game is kinda though, so I´ll cheat and mention a few more 😜

• Halo 2 Aniversary edition. The Halo game that really got me in terms of gameplay, storytelling, characters and atmosphere;
• Halo Reach. There is just something about this game that made me love it completely. In my opinion, one of the best Bungie games ever;
• Halo Infinite. Not only I enjoyed the gameplay, with all the new weapons and the new grapling hook mechanics, but also enjoyed what they did with the story this time, wich is saying a lot since Halo 5: Guardians was such a mess in that regard.
  Honrable mentions:
• Halo 3;
• Halo 4;
• Halo CE.
  And these are my personal picks.
  Cheers, stay safe and well and happy gaming to us all