Top 7 Epic Halo Mainline Video Games you Should Play
Epic Campaigns, Tons of Lore, and a Timeless Masterpiece. Halo is part of gaming history. Let's review the Best Halo Video Games up to date.
TOP 7 HALO MAINLINE VIDEO GAMES | LIST-EM. Article Image by 343 Industries - Xbox Game Studios
With Halo Infinite just around the corner (yes, it was delayed till 2021, but we have to deal with it) I thought it would be fun to make a list of my favorite Halo games.
I’m only taking into account the mainline games, that is, no Halo Wars (which are awesome, but they aren’t exactly what you think of whenever someone mentions the Halo franchise).
Also, playing the franchise is more accessible than ever, thanks to the master chief collection in Steam (it’s available as a part of Ultimate Game Pass, too), so buy it and enjoy it.
Anyway, buckle up, this is my list from worst to best Halo games (if you are a Halo ‘purist’ like me you’ll probably agree with this list)
07 HALO 5: GUARDIANS
Let’s get this trash heap out of the way.
Yes, it’s gorgeous; yes, it has fun gameplay, and yes, is a terrible Halo.
This doesn’t mean that is a bad game, it just means that is a terrible Halo, and that’s the thing.
The campaign is choke-full of fan-service and references to characters and events from the books, in a vain attempt to feel like previous entries in the franchise (also, it basically undoes everything that Halo 4 set up, way to shoot yourself in the foot, 343i).
And let’s not forget that the MP does away with everything that made Halo’s multiplayer fun (yes, augmented mobility is a disease for the MP; I’ll die on this hill).
Halo 5 it’s fun by itself, but as a part of a big, established franchise?
It falls short.
06 HALO 3: ODST
Before you guys burn me at the stake, hear me out.
I love ODST to death.
I truly think is one of the greatest entries, but at the same time, the fact that it doesn’t give too much in terms of lore and campaign, coupled with the multiplayer (that is just Halo 3’s multiplayer disc with a few extra maps), forces me to place it on this spot.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s praise this game.
The night setting of New Mombasa, alongside the snippet-based narration where you discover part by part where your teammates landed it’s marvelous.
The fact that you control a regular ODST marine, makes the armor-based abilities quite rewarding.
Additionally, the gunplay is so satisfactory (smoking a jackal with the suppressed magnum it’s quite the experience).
If you haven’t done so already, play ODST, it’s a great entry in the franchise.
05 HALO 4
Yeah, I can hear you, ‘why did I put 4 higher than ODST, have you lost your mind?’ the short answer is no, and here is why.
Although Halo 4 did quite a few terrible things (the dark, gritty, Nolan-Esque, style is one of the worst crimes), the campaign is one of the best, hands down.
It delves into the relationship built between the Chief and Cortana, and gives us more info about the forerunners.
Also, Spartan Ops gave us more closure and set the stage for the next entry.
Of course, this was turned into nothing thanks to 5, oh well.
The Forge mode in Halo 4 it’s quite good, and the Multiplayer mode wasn’t that far from the Arena Shooter that Halo should be, even if we could sprint.
So all in all, it was a decent entry with tons of lore.
04 HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED
A timeless masterpiece, the beginning of everything, Combat Evolved is all that and more.
Why is it at this spot, you ask, well, that’s because it was outshined by its successors.
Combat Evolved it’s an amazing game by itself, no doubt.
The campaign is epic, full of details, which quickly fill you on who is The Covenant, what are the rings, and the terror that is The Flood.
The gameplay has aged like fine wine, and the graphics (in the Xbox version, not the neutered PC port) still look great to this day.
If you want updated graphics, there’s Halo Anniversary that is just a remake made with the same engine as Reach, with added online multiplayer, a thing that the original Xbox release didn’t have.
03 HALO: REACH
The last entry made by Bungie, a prequel to Combat Evolved, and a marvelous game.
The Fall of Reach is a hell of a setting for a campaign, and Bungie did a great job with it.
We can see the start of the war and the origins of Cortana.
Each member of Noble team had great charisma (Jorge, my man), and the multiplayer improved everything that Halo 3 did.
However, it still falls (ha) short of the campaigns of 2 and 3.
02 HALO 2
This is proof that not all second parts are bad.
Halo 2 implemented a bunch of the gameplay and online mechanics that we see to this day, not only in the franchise but in gaming.
The graphical improvements over Combat Evolved are amazing, and the campaign is challenging and epic.
We also get introduced to the Arbiter, so that automatically makes it the best game, actually (haha joking, unless…?)
The multiplayer.
01 HALO 3
The end of the trilogy, Halo 3 is a freaking masterpiece.
Not only the campaign was near-perfect, full with epic moments (and let’s be honest, the setting of “earth’s last stand” makes you feel like a hero from the first moment), the gameplay was polished as humanely possible, and the multiplayer is active to this day.
The launch of Halo 3 was one of the greatest moments in gaming history and for good reason.
Literally, play the franchise and understand why it was such a big deal.
What did you think about my list? Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment down below and tell me your favorite Halo.
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