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What's the best Halo Campaign?
- Thread starter Deleted member 5519
- Start date
Reach 1 and 3 in that order. I could not get into 2 4 or 5. 2s MP was amazing at the time though.
ODST is basically 3 lite.
ODST is basically 3 lite.
You obviously haven't played ODST.
Halo 2 doesn't even have a complete campaign. :P
This is huge. An important part of fighting the Flood is being able to actually move backwards while shooting.
Also, Halo CE Flood actually can be fun to fight. I'm serious. They had a lot of great things about the Flood design in Halo CE that are abandoned in later games. Most importantly, there is the way Flood Carrier forms can trigger crazy chain reactions, making them both a dynamic asset and danger at the same time in combat. The Library is bad because of repetitive level design, but the actual moment-to-moment Flood combat can be very satisfying in Halo CE in a way it isn't in Halo 3.
Reach's level design is inconsistent and frustrating. Going from a wide open environment to an enclosed, dark one in the first level isn't good pacing, and that's just the tip of the spear. A poorly balanced weapon sandbox that favors weapons like the DMR over nearly the entire UNSC arsenal (sans power weapons) is just boring. On top of that, there's so little interest in developing the cast, that when their deaths occur, it feels cheap and undeserved, not to mention completely unmoving. In addition, there's no tension in the story, because the plot is "Reach is falling", and if you read the book that came out nine years prior (18 years, now), you'd know that already happens based on the title alone. There's no dramatic irony to anything, since everything you accomplish is for naught, and there's no secondary reason for Noble Team to even exist in the canon until Cortana is shoehorned into the story in the penultimate level.
You know what Halo game focused entirely on the story of a single squad, had an interesting A and B plot regarding a city with a known fate, and had genuine character and great level variety and design? ODST, the better Halo: Reach.
You know what Halo game focused entirely on the story of a single squad, had an interesting A and B plot regarding a city with a known fate, and had genuine character and great level variety and design? ODST, the better Halo: Reach.
The part at the start of Gravemind is the single most bullshit moment in any Halo game. It's basically luck whether you can survive on legendary.
Halo 1 was the most ground breaking, and I've probably played The Silent Cartographer a hundred times. Halo 2 gave me the best memories of co-op and was the first midnight launch I ever went to. Reach is probably the best if I put the glasses away.
I hated 3, not sure why.
I hated 3, not sure why.
It's funny, the more focused story is what I appreciated about it.
2 was a solid start, but that cliffhanger. Grr.
ODST gets points for amazing atmosphere that is in large part thanks to Marty O'Donnel's godly score.
But the gameplay encounters were really lacking for me in ODST.
But the gameplay encounters were really lacking for me in ODST.
Eh, I don't agree. Brutes on legendary give you that work in ODST.
The Brutes pretty much became the Elites of 3.
And until you work out how to take them on, the Brute Chieftan's were a fucking anxiety-inducing nightmare the very first time you encounter them. These days they're easy pickings.
The Tsavo Highway Brute encounter will always be super memorable and impressive to me. Wave after wave after wave of dropships full of Brutes.
What stands out is how much more fun they became to fight verses the boring-ass bullet sponges they were in Halo 2.
And of course I'm only referring to Heroic/Legendary.
Soundtrack in ODST matches the mood and theme. It's amazing.
I think while they replaced the Elites in role, they aren't as good of a challenge as the Elites. Halo 3 Brutes tend to move around a lot less than the Elites in Halo 1, 2, and Reach. Their armor doesn't recharge once drained completely. The helmet falling off makes them headshot fodder. And the Brute berserker transition basically made them a sitting duck once you shoot off the helmet. Some Brute encounters can be incredible, but I always feel like they never challenge or intimidate me as much as the Elites from the previous games.
The Chieftains though are amazing fun, and I love how they actually use equipment like the invincibility buff and power drain. And you're right that the Brutes in general are definitely better than the cheap boring bullet sponges they were in Halo 2.
CE remains my favorite with Reach, ODST and 3 taking the next spots. 4 isn't bad, 2 is okay but 5 is the worst.
3 is my definitely my favorite.
Graphics were particularly impressive, moments like getting to the ark for the first time and driving through the desert, the HDR lighting effects when going from dark to light.
The Brute Chopper was a fantastic new vehicle. Just incredibly fun to drive and endlessly satisfying to run over enemies or blast them with the cannons.
Even though the very end felt a little rushed from a setpiece point of view (the giant tiles that fall out from under you), it was still a great callback to Halo 1's Warthog escape.
Difficulty wise it was the first Halo game where it REALLY clicked with me. Halo 1 and 2 I always found the higher difficulties to be more of a chore than an enjoyable experience, but 3 felt perfect and incredibly rewarding.
ODST is great to mainly because it's still based in the Halo 3 engine but it also has the really unique open world part to it.
Can't wait to replay it when it comes to PC.
Reach has some great moments, but I find that the campaign leans too heavily on the horde/firefight encounters, it felt like so many of the enemy encounters ended up being "locked in room, fight off several waves of enemies, continue to next area".
Not bad at all, I just prefer the previous games' combat encounters.
Graphics were particularly impressive, moments like getting to the ark for the first time and driving through the desert, the HDR lighting effects when going from dark to light.
The Brute Chopper was a fantastic new vehicle. Just incredibly fun to drive and endlessly satisfying to run over enemies or blast them with the cannons.
Even though the very end felt a little rushed from a setpiece point of view (the giant tiles that fall out from under you), it was still a great callback to Halo 1's Warthog escape.
Difficulty wise it was the first Halo game where it REALLY clicked with me. Halo 1 and 2 I always found the higher difficulties to be more of a chore than an enjoyable experience, but 3 felt perfect and incredibly rewarding.
ODST is great to mainly because it's still based in the Halo 3 engine but it also has the really unique open world part to it.
Can't wait to replay it when it comes to PC.
Reach has some great moments, but I find that the campaign leans too heavily on the horde/firefight encounters, it felt like so many of the enemy encounters ended up being "locked in room, fight off several waves of enemies, continue to next area".
Not bad at all, I just prefer the previous games' combat encounters.
This is pretty much an impossible choice for me. Halo CE is overall the most consistent and fun experience. Halo 3 had some incredible gameplay and the vehicle sections were just so much fun but I didn't like how it followed up on 2's story. Halo 2 was very inconsistent but i fucking loved the first half of the game and the switching with the arbiter and I love how they handled that plot.
It's usually a toss up between 1 and 2 for me.
It's usually a toss up between 1 and 2 for me.
Yeah, I agree with this. Reach is my favourite because IMO it's the most consistent. It arguably doesn't quite hit the heights of Halo 1 or 3, but also doesn't have their low points either.
I thought Halo 3's SP was terrible, boring, and tedious. I had much more fun with 5 (I played both of them right after each other roughly 1 year ago).
Out of the games I've played (1, 2, 3, 5), I thought 5 had the best SP.
Out of the games I've played (1, 2, 3, 5), I thought 5 had the best SP.
CE > Reach > 2 > 4 > 3 > 5 > ODST
Found all of them pretty enjoyable. CE is like a top 10/15 game of all time for me.
Found all of them pretty enjoyable. CE is like a top 10/15 game of all time for me.
1) Halo CE, 3 and Reach are on the same pillar of masterpiece for me.
2) Halo 4 is a close second (even if it was controversial for the MP part, the Campaign was great and emotional)
3) Halo 2 was memorable for the MP part and had a legendary Campaign, but the nightmare development (and bugs) bogs it down compared to the others
4) ODST is a small packed gem, but there's no Chief, is very short, and it's still an Halo 3 expansion
5) Halo 5: Master Chief and Blue Team's missions were great, but limited to 1/5 of the whole Campaign. Locke and Osiris team were bland and badly characterised, the story was not what had been advertised for months and general technical/visual design was a big downgrade compared to previous titles. All those got fixed in Infinite
2) Halo 4 is a close second (even if it was controversial for the MP part, the Campaign was great and emotional)
3) Halo 2 was memorable for the MP part and had a legendary Campaign, but the nightmare development (and bugs) bogs it down compared to the others
4) ODST is a small packed gem, but there's no Chief, is very short, and it's still an Halo 3 expansion
5) Halo 5: Master Chief and Blue Team's missions were great, but limited to 1/5 of the whole Campaign. Locke and Osiris team were bland and badly characterised, the story was not what had been advertised for months and general technical/visual design was a big downgrade compared to previous titles. All those got fixed in Infinite
3 and Reach may be the most diverse but to me CE is my favorite and the most unique and it's partially because of the things that are criticized a lot, the library and the fact that you have to walk back the path you've come from. It feels the most like an actual mission or a journey to me while the other campaigns feel a little bit more like set pieces designed for action and spectacle.
I haven't played 4 or 5, but I still feel VERY safe saying 1.
It's probably the best campaign from a non-Nintendo platform that I've ever played.
Reach is pretty solid, though.
It's probably the best campaign from a non-Nintendo platform that I've ever played.
Reach is pretty solid, though.
I think my ranking is:
3>1>ODST>2>Reach>>>>>>>>>>>>>4>5
3>1>ODST>2>Reach>>>>>>>>>>>>>4>5
What's wrong with 2? I know it was rushed and the story ended on a cliffhanger, but I still thought the campaign was memorable and had lots of high points.
Don't think this is a question of not liking the game. I actually love ODST, but it's just that I love Halo 3 slightly more. To me, and I said this also in a recent ODST thread, ODST proved that Halo games can absolutely work without the Master Chief. That games atmosphere is seriously on an other level and the gameplay is also really good. I'd definitely be interested in an other ODST-like game.
This is exactly it. You infiltrate, do what you need to do, and then fight your way out. The story is basic, but it's told through the missions themselves. There's a continuity to them that makes them feel like more than just a series of levels.
I give it JUST to Combat Evolved over Halo 3.
There was just something magical and intangible about Halo: CE at the time that was helped along by the fact that it still contained so many mysteries. We had no clue who the Covenant was, all they were at the time was just enemy aliens you shot at, not to mention the Flood who were still actually a horrifying secret waiting to be uncovered in the 3rd act. Also the gameplay at the time felt like a new era for shooters on console and was just superb. Still Bungie's best achievement to this day.
There was just something magical and intangible about Halo: CE at the time that was helped along by the fact that it still contained so many mysteries. We had no clue who the Covenant was, all they were at the time was just enemy aliens you shot at, not to mention the Flood who were still actually a horrifying secret waiting to be uncovered in the 3rd act. Also the gameplay at the time felt like a new era for shooters on console and was just superb. Still Bungie's best achievement to this day.
