Halo is one of the most influential game franchises of all time. Ever since Combat Evolved in 2001, the series has changed first-person shooters and online multiplayer forever.
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While fans don’t get their hands on a new Halo title every year, there has been a significant number of entries in the series by this point. They’ve not all been classics, though. Some of them will rightly be remembered by gamers for eternity, whereas others are just mediocre titles that even die-hard fans will forget. The reviewers on Metacritic clearly have their favorites, and here are their collective ratings for each game.
13 Halo: Spartan Assault – 53
As a twin-stick shooter, Spartan Assault was very different from the Halo games that preceded it. Instead of being first-person, players had to slay the Covenant from a top-down perspective. Yet, the signature look and sound of the series remained the same.
Sadly, as it was originally made for mobile devices, it lacked both the scale and level of storytelling of the main games. It was still fun, though.
12 Halo: Spartan Strike – 66
Playing with or against friends has always been a big part of Halo, so Spartan Strike’s lack of multiplayer hurt its appeal significantly. Although, at least the game was an improvement on Spartan Assault.
The twin-stick shooter provided slightly tighter gameplay as well as more vehicles and weapons than it’s predecessor. Nevertheless, it was still a less captivating adventure than what Halo fans expect.
11 Halo Wars 2 – 79
While a little shallow compared to other RTSs on the market, Halo Wars 2 was a fine game. It included well explained and simple mechanics that made it perfect for novices of the genre.
Plus, those enamored with the Halo universe were treated to a decent narrative, told through some beautiful cinematics. If only the campaign could’ve been a bit longer. Thankfully, it had a flurry of strong multiplayer modes to keep players entertained.
10 Halo Wars – 82
Despite Halo and real-time strategy seeming like an odd combination, Halo Wars was a fun, unique addition to the series.
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Like it’s successor, it was simple compared to other games in the genre. But by releasing as an Xbox 360 exclusive – it wasn’t ported to PC until years later – the game avoided comparison with the more sophisticated RTSs found on Steam. In fact, it received a ton of praise for being more functional than most real-time strategy games on consoles.
9 Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary – 82
Undoubtedly, the original Combat Evolved was a classic. Its tenth anniversary remaster wasn’t bad either.
The developers upgraded the original’s look and sound to Xbox 360 standards and included an option for players to switch back to the 2001 presentation at will. Virtually everything else about the game was identical to the first installment. Unfortunately, that meant levels had a lot of repetitive looking environments, which was acceptable in 2001 but not so much in 2011.
8 Halo 3: ODST – 83
ODST was the Halo series at its storytelling best. Instead of a big action thriller, the narrative took the form of a mystery where a rookie soldier tried to locate their missing teammates. Investigating the dark New Mombasa alone was a very atmospheric experience, and it was complemented with more traditional action-focused missions.
Gameplay wasn’t too different from the original Halo 3, but it didn’t need to be as it was still very fun. And enjoyable combat was needed for the action-packed Firefight mode that ODST introduced.
7 Halo 5: Guardians – 84
Halo 5’s campaign received plenty of criticism upon release. Things like the lack of split-screen, and the campaign’s short length were disappointing.
Yet, the narrative was the most controversial element, as it took some questionable twists and turns, especially in regards to popular character, Cortana. Playing much of the game as Spartan Locke instead of Master Chief didn’t help matters. Still, the game wasn’t all bad; it had stunning visuals, deep multiplayer, and exciting gunplay.
6 Halo: The Master Chief Collection – 85
Initially, The Master Chief Collection seemed like the ultimate package as it included Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, a newly remastered Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4 – plus late add-ons for Halo 3: ODST and Halo Reach. Sadly, technical issues stopped the MCC from being as good as it should’ve been. Multiplayer, in particular, was plagued with problems.
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Still, when the game (or games) worked, it was amazing to have all those classics on one system. So much so, that fans didn’t completely dismiss it, despite its issues.
5 Halo 4 – 87
There was a lot of pressure on Halo 4 as it was 343 Industries’ first original game in the series. It ended up being a great debut for the developer as they managed to put their own stamp on the franchise while mostly retaining what fans love about Halo.
Plus, the story was amazing. It focused on the deep relationship between Master Chief and Cortana. The latter of which was more captivating than she’d ever been before as she struggled with her own mortality.
4 Halo: Reach – 91
By 2010, Bungie had already perfected their signature Halo FPS formula. This meant with Reach, they had to find a way to shake things up without ruining anything, and they succeeded.
The addition of armor abilities changed the way battles played out in both multiplayer and the campaign. Whereas, having the story take place before the events of the other games gave players more insight into humanity’s war with the Covenant.
3 Halo 3 – 94
As the first two Halo titles were so ground-breaking, it should’ve difficult for this game to live up the fans’ expectations. However, it did everything right.
Halo 3 took the already stellar gameplay from its predecessor and added even more vehicles and weapons. Plus, it included new modes, such as Forge, where players could edit and design maps. Also, there was a Theater mode that took advantage of the rise in online video by giving people a chance to save recordings of all their games. Altogether it was one of the most beloved first-person shooters of all time.
2 Halo 2 – 95
Halo 2 built upon everything the first title did well, as a good sequel should. It made clever additions to combat, from duel-wielding to the ability to hijack vehicles. And because of the introduction of Xbox Live, Combat Evolved’s inventive multiplayer was no longer confined to LAN servers.
The only downside to the game for many was the inclusion of the divisive Arbiter levels, but even they gave players a different perspective on the Covenant.
1 Halo: Combat Evolved – 97
Halo has always delivered an FPS experience that’s unlike anything else. And it all started with Combat Evolved. Hallmarks of the series like fun combat, compelling storytelling, and enchanting music, were all established in this first game. Also, who can forget the multiplayer?
Back when this game was released, PvP shooters were still in their infancy. This title, though, had LAN multiplayer that was even deeper and more exciting than the classic Goldeneye. Who knows where online shooters would be if it hadn’t have been for Halo: Combat Evolved.
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