Seven years later, Halo 3 is still the best Halo campaign
- Thread starter The Librarian
- Start date
ElRenoRaven
Member
I wouldn't say just 3. Honestly when I look at Halo I have to consider 1,2,3 together as one story. They're all amazingly great in their own ways. Even the gameplay between them had it's charm in all 3. Now those 3 yea I'd rank above anyone since with Reach and ODST close behind them.
Snacks the sober sea lion
Member
No. I find 3 to be way too fixated on vehicles. More than half of the game is spent on a vehicle. The assault rifle sounds terrible for some reason, Brutes aren't as much fun as Elites, why are the Flood introduced so early?
Reach has some really tough moments and Elites are goddamn insane on Legendary, but I feel like it was the most consistent campaign, especially with no Flood. Also the only one that gives a real idea of the war, even if people hate it compared to the expanded universe stories.
Reach has some really tough moments and Elites are goddamn insane on Legendary, but I feel like it was the most consistent campaign, especially with no Flood. Also the only one that gives a real idea of the war, even if people hate it compared to the expanded universe stories.
AcePartyN7
Member
CE > Reach > ODST > 2 > 4 > 3 > Halo Wars > Spartan assault.
- CE: was simply amazing, so damn fun to kill some covenants over and over again (even the floods! in H2 instead it's so boring...)thanks to the amazing ultra powerful weapons, if Firefight could be in Halo CE I will play it all the time! Still this game was simply epic, huge, fun, beautiful, mysterious, incredible and surprising.
- Reach: is the most near to Halo CE (gameplay and design) so I loved it, the story of the planet Reach was something that everyone wanted see (ok maybe not in this way compare to the book...), it was also cool to see some other spartans with you, to have your own spartan in cutscenes and to have a more darker view on the universe.
- ODST: was amazing for the atmosphere and the city + playing an ODST comon it was awesome! and the firefight was so damn good in this game.
- H2: I loved the story of course and some levels but the gameplay were so much disappointing after Halo CE, as chief we feel so weak in this game (even the weapons are weak) with everything looked like plastic and always never enough ammo for human weapons and the melee with the elites that one punch you to kill you etc. All of these things ruined the fun.
- H4: Is not that shit for the campaign, it is fun (fun gameplay) but he missed some points like big open environments etc. and the Prometheans meh but overall the campaign and missions were good actually to play it is better than H2 for the campaign to me but not for story/musics or levels. And this time the vehicles suck mostly (Wraith, Warthog Gauss) specially the banshee and he is the only one to be able to fly in the game...(except the broadsword but it does not count) so sad :/
- H3: is a great campaign but with shitty story, I really expected it better and deeper + the music that were mostly remade from H2 in less good except some like finish the fight. Oh and yes really too much vehicles only the first and 2nd mission were without them so if I want kill some Covenants with an AR/BR for an entire level I got only 2 short levels.
- Halo Wars: got a good campaign if it was an FPS I think it will be really appreciated (and damn this MARK IV are awesome)
- Spartan Assault: well is fun for what it is... a tablet game! still the music was wow.
- CE: was simply amazing, so damn fun to kill some covenants over and over again (even the floods! in H2 instead it's so boring...)thanks to the amazing ultra powerful weapons, if Firefight could be in Halo CE I will play it all the time! Still this game was simply epic, huge, fun, beautiful, mysterious, incredible and surprising.
- Reach: is the most near to Halo CE (gameplay and design) so I loved it, the story of the planet Reach was something that everyone wanted see (ok maybe not in this way compare to the book...), it was also cool to see some other spartans with you, to have your own spartan in cutscenes and to have a more darker view on the universe.
- ODST: was amazing for the atmosphere and the city + playing an ODST comon it was awesome! and the firefight was so damn good in this game.
- H2: I loved the story of course and some levels but the gameplay were so much disappointing after Halo CE, as chief we feel so weak in this game (even the weapons are weak) with everything looked like plastic and always never enough ammo for human weapons and the melee with the elites that one punch you to kill you etc. All of these things ruined the fun.
- H4: Is not that shit for the campaign, it is fun (fun gameplay) but he missed some points like big open environments etc. and the Prometheans meh but overall the campaign and missions were good actually to play it is better than H2 for the campaign to me but not for story/musics or levels. And this time the vehicles suck mostly (Wraith, Warthog Gauss) specially the banshee and he is the only one to be able to fly in the game...(except the broadsword but it does not count) so sad :/
- H3: is a great campaign but with shitty story, I really expected it better and deeper + the music that were mostly remade from H2 in less good except some like finish the fight. Oh and yes really too much vehicles only the first and 2nd mission were without them so if I want kill some Covenants with an AR/BR for an entire level I got only 2 short levels.
- Halo Wars: got a good campaign if it was an FPS I think it will be really appreciated (and damn this MARK IV are awesome)
- Spartan Assault: well is fun for what it is... a tablet game! still the music was wow.
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
Halo has a simple grace to it. The fluidity and ease with which you can move, aim, shoot, use grenades, and melee is just so fun. I think that feels too basic for some people, but for me it's perfect. The movement speed in Halo 3 was really slow, though, and that put a damper on that feeling of grace.
SenjutsuSage
Banned
Order from the best Halo to the worst Halo.
Halo 4
Halo CE
Halo 2
Halo Reach
Halo 3
And for the record, this isn't something I've just started saying. I've been saying Halo 3 is the worst them all for quite some time.
That's because it's overhyped. It's the only game in the franchise that I feel is genuinely not deserving of the praise that the Halo franchise gets. You have to respect the overall package, because it is indeed an amazing overall value that you're getting. It had some really good, even great, ideas that would be fantastic if brought to superior Halo titles, but that's where I feel it stops. I have no opinion of ODST because I never played it, and never really felt a big urge to. I couldn't stop seeing it as a quick and cheap cash in, which made it very hard for me to support it.
But back on topic, I honestly don't consider Halo 3 to be in the same class as Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 4. And on the subject of Halo Reach, it is easily the best game Bungie made on the Xbox 360. I was under the impression that Destiny would soon change that, but it looks like it hasn't. Reach was honestly a much better game than Halo 3 was in nearly every way. It just didn't have any massive scarab battles, and it suffered from not having Master Chief and Cortana. Well, I guess it kinda had Cortana (Halsey technically is Cortana in a way, and there was that copy or fragment of Cortana that chose Noble Six) and even the Chief himself is there if the easter egg I'm recalling is there), but obviously not in the way people would have preferred. I was also quietly hoping that Noble Six would be so vitally important to ONI that he would somehow be saved and used for a later purpose. But boy did he ever go out like a badass.
Halo 4
Halo CE
Halo 2
Halo Reach
Halo 3
And for the record, this isn't something I've just started saying. I've been saying Halo 3 is the worst them all for quite some time.
That's because it's overhyped. It's the only game in the franchise that I feel is genuinely not deserving of the praise that the Halo franchise gets. You have to respect the overall package, because it is indeed an amazing overall value that you're getting. It had some really good, even great, ideas that would be fantastic if brought to superior Halo titles, but that's where I feel it stops. I have no opinion of ODST because I never played it, and never really felt a big urge to. I couldn't stop seeing it as a quick and cheap cash in, which made it very hard for me to support it.
But back on topic, I honestly don't consider Halo 3 to be in the same class as Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 4. And on the subject of Halo Reach, it is easily the best game Bungie made on the Xbox 360. I was under the impression that Destiny would soon change that, but it looks like it hasn't. Reach was honestly a much better game than Halo 3 was in nearly every way. It just didn't have any massive scarab battles, and it suffered from not having Master Chief and Cortana. Well, I guess it kinda had Cortana (Halsey technically is Cortana in a way, and there was that copy or fragment of Cortana that chose Noble Six) and even the Chief himself is there if the easter egg I'm recalling is there), but obviously not in the way people would have preferred. I was also quietly hoping that Noble Six would be so vitally important to ONI that he would somehow be saved and used for a later purpose. But boy did he ever go out like a badass.
The point wasn't that a game couldn't be fun if the story sucks; it's that gameplay and storytelling are not entirely separable (or at least, they shouldn't be; if they are, your game is probably an inelegant piece of shit produced by dropping a video game and a film into a blender).
On that note, I don't agree that Halo 3 is an entirely appropriate example of a game with great gameplay and poor storytelling. It has some spots of poor spoken dialogue, and it doesn't follow up well on Halo 2's villain setups (although where Truth is concerned I'm inclined to drop some of the blame on Halo 2 for setting up an act that couldn't be followed).
But the gameplay, plot, visual art, and music do an okay job of working together to produce a reasonably pleasing narrative structure, which is backed by some excellent vaguely-parallel terminals. The act structure is a bit lopsided, and as I already noted there are some ways in which it doesn't live up to it's potential, but overall I actually think Halo 3's storytelling is decent. Not in a way which will score well on a rubric that has you ranking plot and characters in their complexity as isolated entities, but in a way that can produce a good experience.
Err, are you expecting someone to call you out for changing your opinions? Are you expecting people to be shocked that someone who thinks Halo 4 is the best would also think that Halo 3 is the worst, or some such business?
Randolph Freelander
Member
I felt bad even mentioning it. Reopening old wounds.
I have no idea who that is, but it seems he is quite irrational, indeed.
The Librarian
Banned
Sorry OP, but I think you're wrong. Best Halo campaign is still this one
Halo 3 was well done, but I think both the original and 2 are better. Halo 3's best moments are when they're invoking nostalgia for Halo 1IMO
So Cortana should be the best level then.
Fudgepuppy
Banned
Yeah, but I love Reach a lot too. I love the way the world in Reach just becomes more and more apocalyptic for every level. By the end, you feel trapped in a hell consisting of glassed landscapes.
Prophet Steve
Member
The people that are saying Halo 4 are seriously making me uneasy.
At least I can almost agree with the Halo: CE mentions, it has a lot that I prefer over the Halo 3 campaign.
At least I can almost agree with the Halo: CE mentions, it has a lot that I prefer over the Halo 3 campaign.
The Real Napsta
Member
Yep
Jawmuncher
Member
Funny enough for me Halo 3 was one of the biggest dissapointment a for me in both MP and Campaign. It just didn't live up to halo 2. Especially the campaign where switching between two characters I felt added a lot to it.
Also the fact that they took away from freedom with invisible walls for vehicles and the like was disheartening since it took away from trying new things. Which was one of the highlights for me in halo 1 and 2.
Also the fact that they took away from freedom with invisible walls for vehicles and the like was disheartening since it took away from trying new things. Which was one of the highlights for me in halo 1 and 2.
chemicals
Member
something about ODST.. So good.
Same here. I simply can't agree on it.
I made a pro-contra list, not a while ago, if anybody cares:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=129132977&highlight=#post129132977
Halo 3's campaign was where I started to sour on the series single player. Really wasn't into it. Some really awful dialogue too. In Halo 2 I found it amusing, in Halo 3 my eyes rolled out of my head.
"Ma'am, squads are requesting a rally point, where shall I tell them to go?"
"...To war"
"Ma'am, squads are requesting a rally point, where shall I tell them to go?"
"...To war"
Muffdraul
Member
I doubt there's a Halo fan alive who didn't roll their eyes at that line.
Xenon
Member
H:CE was the only Halo I didn't have to force myself to finish. H3 just wasn't that interesting and had the only Halo level I hate, Cortana.
H:CE > H4 > H3 >>>>>H2
Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on Halo 2 but this game sent the series down a bad path. I only played it once. I'll see if it's better when I replay in HMCC
H:CE > H4 > H3 >>>>>H2
Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on Halo 2 but this game sent the series down a bad path. I only played it once. I'll see if it's better when I replay in HMCC
bananafactory
Banned
Never experienced it - I played Halo 1 on OG Xbox and Halo 4 on my 360.
Will be playing 2 and 3 for the first time this November.
Will be playing 2 and 3 for the first time this November.
Yup.
BadAss2961
Member
None of the Halo campaigns were all that memorable to me. Though my fondest one would have to be the original because of how impressive it was at the time as a more open FPS.
Man, I think I cringe more at this one line of dialogue than either of Destiny's now infamous:
"That wizard came from the moon."
or
"I don't even have time to explain why I don't have time to explain."
OldAsUrSock
Banned
No way, ODST and Reach both told their stories in a much more compelling way. Halo 3, while good for its time, does not hold up to those two. Halo 3's feels old in how the story mode was crafted.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
"Uh ma'am, I respect the metaphor here but uh...those aren't coordinates."
The Librarian
Banned
Try to divorce yourself from the mindset that story is the most important thing for a campaign, and you might see where I'm coming from.
Loved the campaign, I'd rate it second right after Combat Evolved's but the multiplayer is waaay better. I had a blast with it and my friends both locally and over the internet running co-op and multiplayer matches. I also really enjoyed how physical everything felt in this game, the graphics engine was really well made and especially in the theater mode where you could replay and check all the awesome effects and shader work 
[As said by marine in Halo 3 outtakes]
Kurt Angle
Member
halo 2 is goat
it knew what the ladies liked
it knew what the ladies liked
My favorite FPS of all time. Countless hours playing with friends. Can't wait to go through it again later this fall.
oh dear lord
oh dear lord
JohnBoyAdvance
Neo Member
I've always thought the Halo single players have gotten better with each game to be honest.
I remember the Halo 3 campaign more than the others though, might be because I replayed it with friends many times.
I can't remember hating Halo 4 Single (I really enjoyed that multiplayer when i was playing it)
The only Halos Single I hated were: 2 (I remember a volcano/lava level as the Arbiter and getting lost) and ODST (That was mostly because I hated pretty much every character in that game, apart from Dutch(?) Just found them all unlikeable.)
I remember the Halo 3 campaign more than the others though, might be because I replayed it with friends many times.
I can't remember hating Halo 4 Single (I really enjoyed that multiplayer when i was playing it)
The only Halos Single I hated were: 2 (I remember a volcano/lava level as the Arbiter and getting lost) and ODST (That was mostly because I hated pretty much every character in that game, apart from Dutch(?) Just found them all unlikeable.)
The Librarian
Banned
That's a shame. You should probably play it again.
