Lead Based Paint said:
In terms of story and overall multiplayer? Halo 2 is better.
I prefer Halo 2 and its godly maps as well. I think Reach could be really great if they fix the bloom or be able to toggle it off (on the DMR). Oh and add in better 4v4 maps. Halo is an arena shooter. It only makes sense that the above average maps are Midship, Pit, Lockout, Battle Creek, Guardian, Narrows, Construct, Sanctuary, Wizard, Chill Out, etc...
And the maps that are borderline arena that were great always had great lines of sight, and geometry that didn't mess with the gameplay. The maps that always have gimmicks are the ones that suck. It seems like maps now a days go towards the "let's see how pretty and different we can make them" spectrum.
I used to play Halo non stop from CE - 3. I as well as many of my friends each put in about 20,000 multiplayer games during that time period. None of us have put in 500 games in Reach. It's still a good game. It just doesn't feel as fast as the other Halos (default with armor abilities) and the maps suck.
Edit: It sucks because I would really like to start playing Halo again with all of my friends and start to enjoy it as much as the others.