Halo: My Thoughts

If you had asked me at the start of this year my opinion on Halo, I wouldn't have had anything to say. I'd played 10 minutes of multiplayer with my cousin the better part of a decade ago, but that was it. Since then, I've played through every single mainline Halo game - from Combat Evolved to Infinite. This article catalogues my opinions on each of the games in the order I played them. I played all of the games on my Xbox Series S as part of the Master Chief Collection (MCC) with the exception of 5 and Infinite, which I played through their standalone games. I'll only be discussing the campaigns, as I have scarcely touched the multiplayer.

I'll be avoiding spoilers for the most part. If I've got anything specific to mention about the campaign, then I'll place it in a "Campaign Specifics" drop down at the conclusion of the entry. I recommend reading those sections after playing through the games, for they won't make much sense otherwise. This means that even if you haven't touched the series, you can rest assured this article shouldn't ruin your experience. That said, just go play the games. They're worth it. I also just want to give thanks to my friend Sebastien, who advised I get into the series. It was a good call.

Halo: Combat Evolved

Halo: Combat Evolved, often abbreviated to CE, is the first game in the series. It sets up what is to come and excels at it. The gunplay feels terrific, and the story flows with ease, painlessly holding audience attention.

While the graphics have most definitely aged, I still recommend playing it without the anniversary graphical overhaul. The overhaul somewhat changed the tone of the game, especially the later missions such as The Library. Everything became a lot brighter, and some of the hit boxes don't line up quite as you'd expect. On the occasion that I attempted playing with the anniversary graphics, I consistently found disparities in level geometry eating my bullets.

CE also introduces the iconic Halo theme. I don't quite know how to express my love for this theme; it's superb. It is super versatile and can be applied to just about any situation without feeling out of place. Every variant hits differently. Whether it's a slow piano version in an emotional moment or a fast, intense version in the heat of battle, it just works and immediately pulls the audience into the moment.

If you're interested in dipping your toes into the series without fully submerging yourself, then start with CE. It has a nice ending that, while being open, supplies an easy and satisfying stopping point.

Also, the pistol in this game may as well be a sniper rifle. It's super overpowered.

Halo 2

Halo 2 looks at CE, throws out what didn't work, improves what did, and then cranks everything up to 11. It feels like a film you can play. The stakes are high, and the quality is higher. The seamless integration of intense action sequences and stellar storytelling creates an immersive experience that kept me firmly on the edge of my seat.

Graphics have received a significant upgrade here, both the original graphics and the anniversary variant. I recommend trying both and settling on what you prefer. Personally, I played with anniversary graphics. The cutscenes with anniversary graphics are really marvellous. They look more real than reality itself.

While Halo 2 keeps most of its predecessor's music, it also sees a huge step up with the inclusion of some truly epic electric guitar. The guitar elevates the music to something somehow even more exhilarating than what CE accomplished.

The gameplay sees several improvements, with dual wielding, vehicle hijacking, and the new playable character taking the game a monumental step forward. These enhancements somehow push the game into something even more dynamic and immersive than CE.

The only things I can speak negatively about are the aimbot sniper jackals at higher difficulties and the ending. The game concludes with quite the cliff hanger. This is due to Bungie, more or less, creating the entire game in about 9 months and having to slice the game pretty much in half to push it out in time. That said, it laid a solid groundwork for the next game in the series, Halo 3.

Halo 3

Halo 3 concludes the original trilogy and does a stellar job at it. It ties up the cliff hanger of 2 and concludes at a well-fitting point, providing appropriate closure.

Halo 3 may not look all that great, at least compared to what the 360 would later achieve, but it has a lot of charm. The cutscenes of 3 are animated in a very specific way that leads them to feel almost cartoony in nature and provides a wonderful sense of energy. These cutscenes are my favourite of the series and my favourite parts of 3.

I can't say it's my favourite game in the series from a gameplay perspective, as it didn't really add much to the experience other than deployable equipment and the gravity hammer. While I didn't find myself using the equipment all that often, I did love the gravity hammer. A super powerful melee weapon that sends enemies into the stratosphere with ease. The lethality and power paired with its animations make it feel weighty and menacing. The game also excelled at continuing the story and did an admirable job broadening the in-game universe.

Halo 3: ODST

ODST follows the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, a subset of the UNSC marines that drop in from the sky in specialised pods to aid in battle. This is the first game in which you don't play as Master Chief at all. Instead, you take the reins of the Rookie, an ODST. This leads to the game being a captivating departure from the previous games in the series. You don't get the armour or strength of a Spartan, and this shows in the gameplay.

This game is notably different to the rest of the series, and it's best experienced on a harder difficulty. ODST plays best when a slip up ends you in the most dire of situations. I had the most fun when, on recommendation of my friend Sebastien, I played on a harder difficulty on a dark, raging evening. You need to feel scared and take care because you aren't playing as the Master Chief. You're the marines that you've witnessed fall around you during the last 3 campaigns. You must take much more care as you play, although it would have been nice for the difference to perhaps been a tad more pronounced.

The graphics in this game are a noticeable, albeit minor, step up from Halo 3. Everything from the textures to the lighting, just looks better. It's also bathed in that sepia tone that the seventh generation of game consoles are known for.

The music of this game, much like the gameplay, is a sound departure from Halo tradition. Gone is the orchestral grandeur of previous games, and in is smooth jazz (blues is probably a better description, but smooth jazz is much more humorous). While it may seem peculiar, it's oddly fitting. The blues, jazz, and noir influences have a notable impact on the game's urban and mysterious setting. It relies on ambient sounds to create an atmosphere that captures the feeling of walking through dark, rain-soaked streets, perfectly constructing a sense of isolation and introspection.

The story is told by very different means, with the player piecing it together through flashbacks, the environment, and objects littered throughout it. The story also differs in its order. Where previous campaigns were strictly linear, ODST allows the player to play the missions in the order they choose. While this is a lovely idea, the missions still lead into each other, and the player is forced to go out of their way to play them any differently than was intended.

Overall though, this different style of storytelling creates a very unique experience that pairs elegantly with the style of gameplay ODST strives for.

Halo Reach

Reach is, in my opinion, the best game in the Halo series. I won't say too much here out of fear of spoiling it for someone, but it is so very good. In all honesty, I came very near to giving up on Reach towards the beginning. After having already played four games from the series, I was starting to tire. Following ODST, I kinda just wanted to jump back into the story as Master Chief and was chasing that high of the original trilogy. I'm so extremely glad I saw it through though for the game is stunning in every aspect.

Gameplay wise it improved on the equipment mechanic from Halo 3 by incorporating Armour Abilities, a more varied, refined equipment system. It also improves on the weapons, with everything having a distinct and recognisable purpose. The enemy AIs also see a marked improvement and are considerably more fun to fight with troops, such as the Elites, moving a lot more erratically.

The music of Reach is wonderful. Much like ODST, it strays away from the series' iconic Gregorian chant. Reach doesn't wander as far as ODST though as its vocals and strings remain very reminiscent of the theme found in the mainline games. What really makes Reach's soundtrack is the game's simple leitmotif, as heard at the start of Long Night of Solace. The swelling strings instantly pull me into the melancholy feeling of Reach.

Being released towards the end of the Xbox 360's lifespan, the graphics are a huge jump from anything seen in the Halo series previously. This is unfortunately the last game in the series worked on by Bungie, the series creators.

Halo 4

Halo 4 is pretty good. It's not the best, but it'd be a misjustice not to say it's a worthy addition to the series. This is the first game to be developed exclusively by new series holder, 343 Industries, a subsidiary of Microsoft constructed exclusively for creating Halo games.

Prior to getting into Halo, my modern AAA gaming experience was very much limited. I was a bit young for shooters when the 360 was in its prime and mostly used the console for Kinect games and a bit of Minecraft. I was shocked to see just how well Halo 4 holds up. It's hard to comprehend that within one console generation we went from Halo 3, to Halo 4. It's not perfect by modern day standards, but it's still impressive and holds its own.

This makes it all the more a shame that the art style lets it down. Styling is repetitive, with very little variation, and what does exist spits in the face of the Bungie games. Were it a unique title this would be a non issue, but to throw away what had been so well defined left me disappointed. It still looks good, but it could have been so much better.

The new enemies, the Prometheans, also weren't my favourite to fight. Unlike the Convenant, they have no personality. Grunts chatter and show cowardice. Elites are big, burly, and lead the fight. Jackals hang back and attack from a distance. Each are unique and seem like they could exist outside the context of combat.

All the Prometheans are emotionless husks that exist purely as things to shoot at. The weapons they drop, while incredibly well designed, are dull to use and run out of ammo frequently. This would be a minor issue if they weren't all bullet sponges that take a lifetime to kill. Unfortunately, you can't use the UNSC weapons you've grown familiar with either, given that there is next to no ammo for them around.

I don't mind Halo 4; it's an alright game. It certainly isn't the best in the series, but it's far from being the worst. As you'll see, Halo 5 holds that title.

Halo 5: Guardians

This game could be better titled "Call of Duty: In Space". It doesn't feel like Halo. It doesn't look like Halo. It doesn't play like Halo.

It's almost like 343 Industries chucked away everything from Bungie's entries, took the worst bits from 4, reconstituted them, and mixed them in with the most soulless shooter they could find.

It's bland slop without a hint of seasoning advertised behind the façade of a Halo entry.

This game outright refused to save my progress. At one point, I walked through a railing that had no collision and plummeted to my death. This set me back an entire hour of gameplay. For the rest of the game, I played on easy. I completed the bulk of this game in one sitting. Not because I enjoyed it, but because I was worried that I'd have to replay a large chuck of the game I was coming to loathe for the second time if I stopped.

One of the few positive things I can say about this game is that the opening cutscene looks outstanding.

Seeing as this game is exclusively available on the Xbox, I wouldn't sweat it if you can't play it. Read a plot summary, watch the cutscenes, and move onto the next game in the series.

Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite is a true return to formula. I believe that this is what Bungie wanted to make when they created Combat Evolved. CE was intended to take place in an open world, but it simply wasn't feasible on the hardware of the original Xbox.

The game plays exceptionally. The grappleshot is a wicked gameplay addition that allows Master Chief to swing and traverse the new open world map. Speaking of the new open world structure, its implementation is marvellous. It permits free movement without jeopardising the flow of the game or story.

The entire experience looks top-notch. It's realistically realistic. It doesn't make every bit of metal so shiny it's overwhelming and instead looks more like a higher quality Halo 2. The somewhat cartoony qualities of the cutscenes are back from 3 and really shakes off the stiffness of the previous entry. Master Chief's armour also looks the best it ever has. It's got a new level of intricacy and realism unmatched by any of the other games.

The only critique of its visuals that comes to mind is the lack of stylistic diversity. We're thrown into a huge open world, but the surface is almost exclusively the same generic forest, occasionally broken up by big hexagons, the void, and copy pasted Forerunner structures. It would have been lovely just to see a tad more variety, like we see in the multiplayer maps.

This installment also marks the return of the legendary music. It's a triumphant return of the iconic theme as heard in CE. It once again adapts to context with ease and shows how much this game is pushing forward while staying true to the franchise's roots.

The story repairs the mess of the previous two games and paves the way for the future. I really do look forward to seeing how they build on what was setup in Infinite and what the next installment brings to the table.

I hope that you gained something reading about my thoughts on Halo. I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on the franchise, so leave them in the comments.