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Ranking ALL Mainline HALO Games From Worst To Best

MrFunSocks

Banned
For me, MP only because I don't care about campaigns:

1. Halo 5
2. Halo Reach
3. Halo 3
4. Halo CE
5. Halo 4
6. Halo 2

For some reason 2 just didn't do it for me the same way 1 did. I put 4 over it because 4 was the building blocks for 5, the start of you feeling not like a slow lumbering tank. Halo 5 has made all the other Halo MPs virtually unplayable for me now though, it was just that good. You finally actually felt like how Spartans had been described. Going back to a slow lumbering tank on legs is so jarring and bad feeling IMO.

I haven't seen anything about the movement in Infinite, so does anyone know if they've still got the dash and other advanced movement in it? God I hope they didn't remove it.
 
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Robb

Gold Member
I'd rank them something like this;

1. HALO 2
2. HALO CE
3. HALO 3
4. HALO 4
5. HALO REACH
6. HALO ODST
7. HALO 5

This is only based on the singleplayer though. I've never played/been interested in multiplayer Halo.
 
1. Halo CE
2. Halo 2
3. Halo 3
4. Halo Reach
5. Halo ODST
6. Halo 4
7. Halo 5 (this game will always be at the bottom for me)
 

Amaranty

Member
I started on the series last month and I haven't really played multiplayer, so I'll rank them based on campaign.

From best to worst:

Halo 3
Halo 2
Halo Reach
Halo 5
Halo 4
Halo ODST
Halo CE

The reason why I put Halo CE last is because I think that every Halo game after the original was an improvement.
 

HBx2000

Member
1) Halo 4
2) Halo Reach
3) Halo 2
4) Halo CE
5) Halo 3
6) Halo 5
7) Halo ODST

Funny to see so many people disliking Halo 4. I loved it very much because of the much needed enemy variety.
Only played the games mainly for the single player and co-op. Didn't play enough multiplayer to give an opinion.
 
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IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Halo is one of very few shooter franchises out there that cay say that their campaigns and multiplayer components are equally important. People play Halo games online for years and years on end, and for very good reason, but the importance of the series' campaigns cannot be overstated- to the point where a Halo game's campaign, as we have seen several times over the years, can make or break the entire experience.

We recently ranked all Halo games as overall packages, but here, we're going to limit our criteria to just a single factor, and rank every game in the series based on their campaigns.

Also remember that for the purposes of this feature, we'll only be covering the mainline Halo FPS titles, so you won't find the Halo Wars games in this ranking.
 
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IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


As we count down the days to Halo Infinite's launch, in recent weeks, we've taken it upon ourselves to recap the entire series' story so far, and until now, we've discussed the events portrayed in Halo Wars and Halo Reach. Of course, there's still a long way to go, and as we continue our Halo recap, here, we're going to be talking about the game that started it all. So settle in and get ready for the full story of Halo: Combat Evolved, from start to finish.
 
Single player, as follows:-

3 > CE > Reach > ODST > 4 > 2 > 5 (Always critical on 2 splitting gameplay between two characters, same with 5)

Multiplayer:-

5 > Reach > 3 > 2 > CE > 4 (Didn't include ODST. It was just Firefight wasn't it? Probably better than 4 though)

Nostalgia:-

3 > Nothing else matters
 

jigglet

Banned
Impact: Halo 1 in general, Halo 2 for online
Campaign: no comment, never played one
Graphics (for the time): Halo 4, that looked stunning on release
Multiplayer: Halo 5
 

CheshirexChrono

Neo Member
Halo 2 was my childhood, loved how all my friends has uncles that worked for bungie. Halo 3 is peak for me however. Online gaming was new to me and the map creation was incredible. The different games people made for the maps they created was really an experience I don't think I'll ever have again.
If anyone remembers escape from China, they'll know what I mean.
 

Verchod

Member
Tricky really. None of them are great all the way through. Halo 2 easily the worst, feels unrefined and layout of levels feels poor.
Maybe;

Reach
ODST.
CE
Halo 3
Halo 5
Halo 4
Halo 2

I've played the single player element of these a lot. Reach is most enjoyable. I like the feel of ODST. Halo 3 has some great levels, but also some shit ones.
 

STARSBarry

Gold Member
ODST
Reach
CE
Halo 3
Halo 2
Halo Wars 2
Halo Wars
Halo 4
Halo 5

I mean what's with all the love for the new titles? We already had CoD for decades at this point before they just slapped a Halo sign on it and called it a day. Fun fact Halo 4 was the first Halo game I never finished, Halo 5 after 3 decades of gaming resulted in me trading in my first ever console and entire library of games.
 
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ZehDon

Member
sgnjdWF.jpg
giphy.gif
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


As we count down the days to Halo Infinite's launch, our full recap of the Halo series continues. Last time, we talked about Combat Evolved and the Master Chief and Cortana's first mission together, which ended with the destruction of the Halo Ring – Installation 04 – that the game was set on. Here, we'll be talking about Halo 2, and its much more ambitious and large-scale story.
 

FR1908

Neo Member
My order btw (too late to edit ^);

7 - Halo 5
6 - Halo 4
5 - Halo ODST
4 - Halo Reach
3 - Halo 2
2 - Halo CE
1 - Halo 3 - I play through the campaign at least once a year. The perfect first person shooters playground and taking the nr 2 spot in my top 100 games of all time.
 

nemiroff

Gold Member
1. 3
2. CE
3. Reach
4. 2
10. ODST
100. 4 and 5

I'm still regularly playing the Bungie games via MCC in both SP and co-op, and not gonna stop anytime soon.
 
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GymWolf

Member
For me halo 2 will always be the best simply beause it was the game where I spent most time with friends before we parted ways.Sometimes the best isn't inherently the best because of the game but because of the people you play it with.
Kinda same, hard to forget halo 2 moments with the friends.

But i liked the campaign too, the introduction of the brutes, the arbiter, the dual weapon handling...

Those were the times when i was super excited for a new halo, but this feeling kinda dissapated after h3, it briefly returned for halo 4 but after playing that thing the hype completely disappeared.

They need to do something big with infinite to make me a fan again, but i have zero trust after 2 mediocre games.
 
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IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


With Halo Infinite set to release in December for the Xbox Series X, we’re looking back at the Halo series overall and ranking the mainline FSP franchise. From Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo Reach to Halo 5: Guardians, we’re pitting the classic Bungie and 343 Industries games against each other to see who comes out on top. The Master Chief and Cortana may dominate the charts, but how do the adventures of Noble 6 and Spartan Locke stack up to Spartan 117.

In this video, we are going to analyze each Halo game’s campaign, from the haunting explorations of Halo 3: ODST to the classic exploration of the alien Covenant’s culture in Halo 2. At the same time, we also take a look at the Halo games' most defining feature: multiplayer. From Warzone to Firefight to Invasion to Grif Ball, Halo has constantly set the bar for multiplayer, both in split-screen and on Xbox Live, and no discussion of the series can ignore the importance of Halo’s impact on online gaming.

For this ranking, we’re not including the Halo Wars series or the offshoots like Spartan Strike or the arcade game Fireteam Raven, though they are great games for those who want more story context on Halo Infinite. And while Halo: The Master Chief Collection is absolutely the best way to play Halo in 2021, it’s also not featured on this list because it is ultimately a compilation package instead of one game. You can also sign up for Game Pass Ultimate to play every mainline Halo game as well as numerous spin-offs.
 

CatLady

Selfishly plays on Xbox Purr-ies X
Halo Reach > than every game except FO3 - Halo 4 > Halo CE > Halo 3 > Halo 5 > Halo ODST > Halo 2
 

Artistic

Member
If we're ranking MPs:
Halo 3
Halo 5
Halo 2
Halo CE
Halo 4
Halo Reach

I'll put Infinite currently in between 5 and 2. I'll probably have a higher opinion on 2 if I played it during its peak on XBL.
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
Funny to see so many people disliking Halo 4
It’s horrid IMO. My favorite game type is Big Team Battle CTF and Bomb the Base. All tactics and strategy were pretty much eviscerated from the gametype. It’s nothing when you can sprint and fly on those poorly designed, plain as fuck maps. If they fuck up the maps again I’m going to be furious. You put sprint and jetpack in the game, the least they can do is put a fair amount of platforms and such to fly into or onto and expand the size of the map. Otherwise, sprint just turns what would be a large map in Halo 2 or Halo 3, into a small map for Halo 4 when you consider how quickly you can traverse from one side to the other w/ sprint
 

Codes 208

Member
Halo 3 > halo 2 > halo reach > halo 4 > halo ce > halo odst

dishonorable mention: halo 5

halo 5 having “good” gunplay doesnt take away from its obnoxiously high learning curve, cod-esque killing times and the degrading of map designs to fit sprint and spartan abilities.
On top of that, the campaign is the worst pile of shit to spew from any of my beloved franchises its legitimately the only game that the mere mention of name makes my blood boil.

halo 4 i can give a pass because the mutliplayer atleast felt serviceable (even if it was a straight up cod clone) but the campaign was actually pretty good. Story-wise. The levels were a bit too linear he ce why its mid-tier for me.

odst is a nice spin-off but it *was* just a spin-off that just happened to include halo 3’s entire MP library on disc.

Halo reach has my favorite campaign and my favorite mode (invasion) but its gunplay and armor abilities drag it down a bit.

halo 3 and (to a lesser degree) halo 2 are the peak of the franchise for me. Good speed, good gunplay, the best map designs, good campaigns (yes i like the arbiter, fight me) halo 3 tops 2 mainly because of how insane customs were, the true start of halo shenanigans.

also halo ce exists. Its good. Kinda feels dated by the rest of the series but its still good.
 
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jigglet

Banned
For me, MP only because I don't care about campaigns:

1. Halo 5
2. Halo Reach
3. Halo 3
4. Halo CE
5. Halo 4
6. Halo 2

For some reason 2 just didn't do it for me the same way 1 did. I put 4 over it because 4 was the building blocks for 5, the start of you feeling not like a slow lumbering tank. Halo 5 has made all the other Halo MPs virtually unplayable for me now though, it was just that good. You finally actually felt like how Spartans had been described. Going back to a slow lumbering tank on legs is so jarring and bad feeling IMO.

I haven't seen anything about the movement in Infinite, so does anyone know if they've still got the dash and other advanced movement in it? God I hope they didn't remove it.

I loved Halo 5's MP and probably prefer its movement to Halo Infinite, however being able to reload, swap, and regenerate my shield while sprinting in Infinite feels so fucking good so it ends up coming out as a wash for me.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Halo has had its fair share of ups and downs, but when Microsoft's legendary franchise has been good (which isn't an uncommon occurrence), it's been the absolute best at what it does. That, of course, means that over the past twenty years, the series has showered players with many unforgettable moments that instantly burn themselves into our memories. Here, we're going to be talking about a few such moments that have stood out to us the most.

Given the sheer embarrassment of riches here, we're obviously going to have to pick and choose and leave some stuff out, so if any omission stands out to you, sound off in the comments below.
 

fatmarco

Member
Campaign:

1. Halo 2
2. Halo 1
3. Halo 3: ODST
4. Halo 3
5. Halo: Reach
6. Halo 4
-------------------------
7. Halo 5

Halo 3 to is such a downgrade from 2 in regards to story, characters, writing etc. that it just isn't as enjoyable to me. Even the music overall is a step backwards I feel. It's just a dumber game all around.

Multiplayer is a different story though.
 

Tschumi

Member
Imo everything after CE was a cash grab.

I know that's a bit bait'y.. it's genuinely how i feel, i really felt halo CE was a closed experience.. the series is called halo, not haloes.

I guess fans won't to be able to make this stretch but i asks you: isn't it getting a bit goofy that the universe kinda pukes up another few doomsday devices (or should i say device* to be consistent) whenever a new title is called for? What kind of risky-ass universe is this? Maybe I'm missing out on a bunch of expended universe justification and equivocation on what halos are and what there are so many, but since most (/all?) of those books etc were written after CE , i just see it all as justification for sequels.

Maybe Halo Reach and ODST are relevant takes, to an extent, the RTS games too, but for real. I've hated the stretched main storyline ever since H2

All that said, OP's video makes me want to try Halo 3 again, never got into it back in the days of my youth
 
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Kssio_Aug

Member
CE = 3 > Reach > ODST > 2 = 4 > 5

But, in defense to 4 and 5, I think ALL Halo games are GREAT!!

Halo Infinite seem akin to CE for me, which is a fantastic feeling!
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


The Halo Universe has one of the richest and densest mythos in all of gaming, and with Halo Infinite promising to build on all this lore, it can easily feel overwhelming to newcomers. Don’t worry, we’ve got you like the Master Chief has Cortana, because we’re going to take you on the Great Journey through The Complete Timeline of the Halo Franchise.

Despite the seemingly straightforward story stretching from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 5: Guardians, the story of Master Chief stretches back well before humanity discovered their first Halo ring or began fighting the Flood. So in case you need a refresher on everything from the Forerunners to Halo Wars to who the big bad villain Atriox is for Halo Infinite, look no further.

0:00 - Opening
1:00 - Precursor - Forerunner War
2:40 - Human- Forerunner War
4:44 - Activating the Halo Arrays
7:33 - Early Covenant/Human History
8:10 - Creation of the Spartan-IIs
9:18 - Halo Wars
10:59 - Halo Reach
12:11 - Halo: Combat Evolved
14:00 - Halo 2
15:15 - Halo 3: ODST
16:01 - Halo 2 Part 2
17:46 - Halo 3
20:58 - Halo 4
23:25 - Halo 4: Spartan Ops
24:27 - Halo 5: Guardians
26:58 - Halo Wars 2
28:34 - Halo Infinite
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Contents Of This Video

00:00 Intro & Criteria
01:09 NordVPN
02:24 Last Place - The Only Bad One
03:32 7th Place
04:29 6th Place
05:43 5th Place
06:43 4th Place
08:37 3rd Place
09:12 2nd & 1st Place
11:15 Outro
 

Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
Halo ODST
Halo Reach
Halo 1
Halo 3
Halo 2

Getting punched in the face

Halo 4
Halo 5

Getting tricked into NFT scams

Playing Scam Citizen

Halo Infinitely Unfinished
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
Well after a month or whatever of playing Infinite MP, it's equal top 1 with Halo 5s MP for me. Better in some ways, worse in others. It's an absolutely amazing base to work from for the next 10+ years, I feel like this engine will be around for a few more generations.

Level 95 in the battle pass, will be 100 by tomorrow. progression is just stupidly easy now after all the whining people did. Literally go up 2 levels at a minimum a day by simply completing 7 games in less than an hour. Every week I have finished the weekly and ultimate challenge with 3-4 days to go.

I feel like between this and PUBG I'm not gonna spend more than a handful of hours on any other games in the next few years.
 
It's hard to rank the games without separating the campaign from the multiplayer.

I've enjoyed every Halo game for at least one or the other if not both. I hated Halo 3 multiplayer but enjoyed the campaign. I disliked Halo 5 campaign but enjoyed the multiplayer. Halo CE is my all-time favorite and absolutely love both its multiplayer and campaign. The one game where I didn't enjoy it's campaign or its multiplayer is reach. That game can go hang out in the bottom of a dumpster at the bottom of the sea.
 
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