The Halo series is considered by many to be one of the forefathers of the modern first-person shooter. The series started its life on the original Xbox in 2001 and has grown to be a staple for Microsoft's console. Over the years, Halo has been turned into books and a TV show, and there were even rumors of a movie.
While Halo's main gameplay loop hasn't changed much over the years, it has managed to remain standing alongside newer games like Killzone. Here's a look at the main series Halo games ranked from worst to best, with the critical review scores aggregated from Metacritic and the Internet Game Database.
The most recent Halo game is also the worst received one. Released in 2015, the game took place sometime after the ending of Halo 4. Halo 5 focused the campaign on both Master Chief and Agent Locke, who first appeared in the 2014 short series Halo: Nightfall. Chief breaks rank to find Cortana, while Locke chases him down in order to bring him back.
The game was praised for its graphics, character design and Warzone's addition to multiplayer. The addition of teammates in the main campaign was met with some praise, especially when player-controlled. Most considered Halo 5's gameplay to be an interesting step up that didn't sacrifice the established Halo formula. However, the use of microtransactions soured the experience for many, and the missions that focused on Locke occasionally felt like unnecessary padding.
Released in 2009, Halo: ODST turned away from the Spartans and instead focused on a squad of marines (voiced by cast members from the TV show Firefly) as they jumped into the battle at New Mombasa. Set between the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3, the game followed an ODST trooper as he tried to find out what happened to his squad and complete their top-secret mission.
Released in 2012, Halo 4 was the first game in the series to be developed by 343 industries rather than Bungie. The game thrust Master Chief into a new adventure against both new and old foes. Finding himself on a forerunner planet, Chief has to find a way back to Earth and, hopefully, fix his failing AI companion, Cortana.
Halo 4 brought about one of the biggest graphical upgrades the series had seen up to that point. Reviewers praised the character models and storytelling. However, the campaign was considered slightly repetitive and short, with there being a lot of focus on simply running across the maps to press buttons. The multiplayer remained strong, with some improved modes from older games making a return.
Halo 2 hit shelves in 2004 and finally brought Chief and Cortana back after a long absence. In it, Master Chief returns to Earth, just as a Covenant attack is launched at humanity's last refuge. Meanwhile, a former enemy is given the chance to redeem himself after his loss at the first ring.
In terms of style and look, Halo 2 was a vast improvement over the original. With a new style and a new playable character, the campaign received praise for the changes it made, though some were unhappy with the game's abrupt ending. The majority of praise was focused on multiplayer, which received plaudits from critics for its design and matchmaking. It was considered to be the standout example of online gaming at the time.
In 2010, Halo departed from the main timeline for the release of Halo: Reach. The action focused on the Covenant invasion of one of the largest human-controlled planets, Reach, and followed a team of Spartans fighting the Covenant in a desperate attempt to save their planet.
Reach was praised for its story and characters. The plot progression and dialogue were viewed as an improvement over previous Halo games, with special mention being given to the game's ending. Many critics also praised the option to design your own Spartan for the campaign, as well as Reach's multiplayer bringing back fan-favorite modes like Forge and Firefight.
The original Halo, released in 2001, was a breakout hit for the original Xbox. The game followed Master Chief, a man-made super soldier, as he fought against the alien empire known as the Covenant. While trying to defend himself, Chief must also discover the mystery of the strange ringworld and keep Cortana and the surviving marines safe against a number of alien threats.
Many critics considered Halo to be a major reason to buy an Xbox. The game had a style all its own, utilizing large levels and clever enemy AI to make the battles interesting. The multiplayer, meanwhile, allowed players to battle it out on a variety of maps. While there were some complaints that the internal levels came across as repetitive, most critics considered this a minor issue when compared to everything else the game had to offer.
In 2007, Bungie gave fans the chance to finish the fight against the Covenant. After fighting his way over two different ringworlds, Master Chief finally returns to Earth. However, his homecoming isn't a pleasant one; Covenant forces have landed, and humanity is in a desperate conflict to free its planet from the alien attack. Working with the Arbiter, Chief must find Cortana and save the planet before it's too late.
Halo 3 took everything fans loved from the previous games while tweaking the less popular parts. Critics enjoyed the return of the large, open levels that were less prevalent in Halo 2. The game's character models were improved, and multiplayer got a new map-editing mode called Forge. While some of the game's dialogue was criticized and the pace suffered at certain point in the campaign, Halo 3 was well-received, and it's considered the best Halo game by many critics and fans alike.
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