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[DragoonKain]

I used to think Halo 2 was the 2nd best Halo n the series and Halo CE was the best. After going through Halo 2 again with a friend on co-op, I have to say I'm very confident Halo 2 is objectively the better game. Halo 2 is a lot better than I remembered, and Halo CE wasn't as good as I remembered. They're both great, but CE has missions that are insanely repetitive and just go on and on forever(like The Library... ughhh) and Halo 2 with dual wielding, plus the upgraded visuals in the anniversary version just make it an amazing experience.

Legendary is really hard, but we're getting through it. I love how it forces you to use some weapons you normally wouldn't. The plasma pistol is king in this, and the dual wielding needlers are so OP. They're great on any difficulty.

One thing though: getting several crashes in this. Not sure why. A few times during super hectic moments with a ton of action on the screen it just kicks us out of the game back to the dashboard, says "connection lost" and we have to start all the way over since there's no damn check points for co-op. We were in the middle of a 2 hour session the other night, taking our time on legendary and at one point about 80% though a bunch of vehicles were on the screen and it just booted us out of the game. Really annoying. Not sure if this is a common bug or whatever. I have a Series X, so shouldn't be an issue where it can't handle that kind of action.

I've noticed some other bugs too, like weapons will graphically stop shooting. And to get it to go away, need to completely quit the game back to the dash and reload it. Curious if anyone else has had these issues.

Anyway, look forward to finishing it. Some of the areas on legendary are super intense.

 

[01011001]

it depends entirely on which difficulty you play. Halo 2 on Legendary is just not fun, it's way too unfair.

imo the best campaign is honestly Reach. it has open levels like Halo 1 and really good linear levels while also having really good difficulty balancing where the higher ones are actually fair and don't turn too much into cover shooters

 

[bender]

I gave up on a Legendary playthrough in the first level because it had a bad habit of sealing doors behind you and limiting your access to the start of the level. I just constantly ran out of ammo. I've probably finished Halo CE on Legendary 10 or so times through the years.

 

[DragoonKain]

it depends entirely on which difficulty you play. Halo 2 on Legendary is just not fun, it's way too unfair.

imo the best campaign is honestly Reach. it has open levels like Halo 1 and really good linear levels while also having really good difficulty balancing where the higher ones are actually fair and don't turn too much into cover shooters

I thought the same thing when we first started playing. One of us dies means reload checkpoint. Get killed in literally under a second sometimes.

But once we got past the first mission, kind of got used to it. It just requires a ton of patience and we’ve beaten it on every other difficulty, so wanted to finally do it on legendary this time and I think some parts you have to just run through it and not even bother to fight enemies because it’s just too insane and you have no chance of surviving, but some areas are legitimately a fun challenge and require great communication and strategy and being methodical.

The game has a checkpoint bug though. Several times if we died too close together it bumped us back to a previous checkpoint which was infuriating.

 

[Chiggs]

it depends entirely on which difficulty you play. Halo 2 on Legendary is just not fun, it's way too unfair.

imo the best campaign is honestly Reach. it has open levels like Halo 1 and really good linear levels while also having really good difficulty balancing where the higher ones are actually fair and don't turn too much into cover shooters

Reach’s campaign….

 

[93xfan]

Be careful OP. Last I tried it, there was one level they split up (where you play as Arby and destroy the facility) that would always crash at one point. Couldn’t do it co-op.

 

[01011001]

I thought the same thing when we first started playing. One of us dies means reload checkpoint. Get killed in literally under a second sometimes.

But once we got past the first mission, kind of got used to it. It just requires a ton of patience and we’ve beaten it on every other difficulty, so wanted to finally do it on legendary this time and I think some parts you have to just run through it and not even bother to fight enemies because it’s just too insane and you have no chance of surviving, but some areas are legitimately a fun challenge and require great communication and strategy and being methodical.

The game has a checkpoint bug though. Several times if we died too close together it bumped us back to a previous checkpoint which was infuriating.

Moistcr1tikal is currently giving out a $20,000 bounty for anyone who can finish Halo 2 LASO btw xD that's how insane this game is

 

[DragoonKain]

Be careful OP. Last I tried it, there was one level they split up (where you play as Arby and destroy the facility) that would always crash at one point. Couldn’t do it co-op.

When it crashed did it say “connection lost” and boot you back to the dashboard like it has been for us? Or did it hard crash your Xbox entirely?

 

[Captain Toad]

All 3 Halo games were good.

 

[01011001]

All 3 Halo games were good.

all 5*

 

[8BiTw0LF]

The pinnacle of Halo

 

[93xfan]

When it crashed did it say “connection lost” and boot you back to the dashboard like it has been for us? Or did it hard crash your Xbox entirely?

Connection lost

 

[01011001]

The pinnacle of Halo

the pinnacle of Halo... *after the Title Update was out, and ranked had no loadouts

 

[Elder Legend]

Legendary is not that hard. You want hard go do LASO then come back and talk about difficulties.

 

[01011001]

Legendary is not that hard. You want hard go do LASO then come back and talk about difficulties.

it's not hard, it's annoying. it basically turns into first person gears of war lol

 

[darrylgorn]

Halo 3

What's wrong with all of you?

 

[Codes 208]

Im in the boat that believes that Ce didnt age that well in general. Theres a ton of repetition and the overall gameplay feels archaic and floaty, a lot of things were either fixed or mildly improved upon by 2 and especially 3.

all 5*

Yup. CE, 2, 3, ODST and Reach. (And halo wars if youre feeling spicy)

That is all, you dont need to look beyond that.

 

[01011001]

Yup. CE, 2, 3, ODST and Reach

 

[DragoonKain]

Halo 3

What's wrong with all of you?

After my last non legendary Halo 2 run, we immediately started Halo 3, and couldn't make it one mission in. The difference in quality was immediately noticeable. For one, they didn't give 3 the full graphical upgrade treatment, which isn't Halo 3's, fault, but still. But mainly, immediately, I was trying to flank some Covenant from the side, right near the beginning of mission 1 and I hit an invisible wall. And that took me right out of the experience. What makes CE and 2 so great is how open they are. Hell, one of the strategies we used to get through a mission in 2 on legendary was I jumped on top of my friend's head to reach this area that would be impossible to reach otherwise, and picked off enemies from up there where they couldn't get me. You simply don't have that flexibility in most areas in Halo games post Halo 2. They just get more linear and more linear as they progress up until Infinite and restrict your freedom more and more. I love how CE and 2 leave so many areas accessible. It's such a great freedom and offers such replayability.

 

[Grumpy Toe Nail]

Halo 3 might be my favorite. Reach was the beginning of the end for Halo imo. Game basically lost touch with what made Halo unique. Felt like a mix of Halo and CoD with its sprint and load outs. Seems to me that people who favor Reach the most didn't enjoy the first 3 much to start with. Invasion, Firefight, loadouts, armor abilities, bloom, sprint and new ranking system ruined it for me and all my friends. Halo 1-3 are easily the most enjoyable times i've ever had gaming. Now that even CoD sucks all we have are CS clones and Loot simulators (Battle Royals).

 

[SEGA_2012]

To me Halo 3 is the best of the original trilogy and Halo Reach is the best Halo game and the best FP game of all time.

 

[01011001]

Halo 3 might be my favorite. Reach was the beginning of the end for Halo imo. Game basically lost touch with what made Halo unique. Felt like a mix of Halo and CoD with its sprint and load outs. Seems to me that people who favor Reach the most didn't enjoy the first 3 much to start with. Invasion, Firefight, loadouts, armor abilities, bloom, sprint and new ranking system ruined it for me and all my friends. Halo 1-3 are easily the most enjoyable times i've ever had gaming. Now that even CoD sucks all we have are CS clones and Loot simulators (Battle Royals).

Halo Reach is the best Halo for hardcore Halo fans because hardcore Halo fans also play custom stuff all the time, and you can't get better than Halo Reach customs in classic Halo.
the forge + the possibilities with all the new items and forge world... it was ridiculously good

also the campaign is amazing and felt more like Halo 1 again than any other Halo

Bloom, Loadouts in casual playlists and shit are dumb of course, but how can you not be on board with invasion? that mode was super fun if you had good teams on each side

edit: also Reach is better than ever now in MCC, with an even more improved version of forge and the custom server browser! best overall Halo game for sure

 

[Grumpy Toe Nail]

Halo Reach is the best Halo for hardcore Halo fans because hardcore Halo fans also play custom stuff all the time, and you can't get better than Halo Reach customs in classic Halo.
the forge + the possibilities with all the new items and forge world... it was ridiculously good

also the campaign is amazing and felt more like Halo 1 again than any other Halo

Bloom, Loadouts in casual playlists and shit are dumb of course, but how can you not be on board with invasion? that mode was super fun if you had good teams on each side

edit: also Reach is better than ever now in MCC, with an even more improved version of forge and the custom server browser! best overall Halo game for sure

MLG was dead in Reach compared to H2/H3 so i don't know why your saying Hardcore... I did countless custom games in those two compared to Reach. Game couldn't hold my interest. The campaign was decent but definitely nothing like the first.

 

[Graciaus]

Replay Reach and ODST. Those don't get enough love and are amazing to this day.

People who hate on bloom just don't understand it.

 

[Bungie]

Halo 2 is the best, most sci-fi feeling out of all the titles as well. Reach & ODST are solid but doesn't give me my halo story fix.

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

Jackal snipers on legendary.

Cunts.

 

[01011001]

MLG was dead in Reach compared to H2/H3 so i don't know why your saying Hardcore... I did countless custom games in those two compared to Reach. Game couldn't hold my interest. The campaign was decent but definitely nothing like the first.

Professional and Hardcore players are not the same, a hardcore player is someone who sinks a substantial amount of time into a title, and Reach had by far the best sandbox of any Halo out there. the amount of custom modes you could make in Reach was amazing and the forge was revolutionary back then for a console game

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Halo 2 is easily my favourite Halo campaign. Cairo station, outskirts, metropolis, delta halo, regret, oracle...it just has such a great run in terms of story, visual diversity and gameplay spaces on foot or vehicles. When you look at the sandbox for you the protagonist as well as enemies there is such a wonderful variety in terms of action or approaches of how to handle your playthrough. Get up close, stay back and snipe, zoom past with a vehicle, stealth run, bombastic balls out kill everything etc. No Halo game has been as well designed in terms of open ended engagements and play spaces. The musical interplay in this game is pinnacle Halo as well, Marty and co at their best. Enjoy that rediscovery of the best Halo game there is OP.

Now when you talk about multiplayer most forget or didn't experience the beautiful ranked clan playlists of slayer vs objective or the heyday of Halo online without so many quitters, smurfs, griefers etc. Flag and bomb games in 4v4 or BTB are something else in Halo 2 days. Unbeatable Halo on maps like Sanctuary, Relic, Zanzibar, Lockout, Waterworks, Terminal, Turf, Containment, Headlong, Beaver Creek, Ascension, Coagulation, Colossus, Ivory Tower and other classics on PC list District and Uplift.

Holy shit what a game and what a time to play online it was. Sadly MCC's playlist management cater too much in the direction of esports focused maps and don't push enough flag and bomb games for Halo 2/Anniversary. You never play Burial Mounds 1 flag or 1 bomb for example. Same goes for Relic or coagulation etc. That sustain team piss me off to no end.

 

[Havoc2049]

it depends entirely on which difficulty you play. Halo 2 on Legendary is just not fun, it's way too unfair.

imo the best campaign is honestly Reach. it has open levels like Halo 1 and really good linear levels while also having really good difficulty balancing where the higher ones are actually fair and don't turn too much into cover shooters

Get good, kid!

Once you figure out the method to the madness, Halo 2 on Legendary is very doable. Ranged weapons are king and approach each open area with caution and have a slow paced sniper vs sniper battle and then run and gun and take out the rest of the baddies to finish off the area. Rinse and repeat.

Personally, I love Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, ODST and Reach equally and they are all great master class games in the FPS genre. Halo 4 is good, but not great. Halo 5 is average at best. My judgment is still out on Halo Infinite, as it's still a work in progress.

 

[Apocryphon]

Halo 3 and ODST are both better than Reach. I like Reach, and it's a better game than anything that came after, but it wasn't Halo 3 level good.

 

[Grumpy Toe Nail]

Professional and Hardcore players are not the same, a hardcore player is someone who sinks a substantial amount of time into a title, and Reach had by far the best sandbox of any Halo out there. the amount of custom modes you could make in Reach was amazing and the forge was revolutionary back then for a console game

This is a stupid argument. But someone who is competitive/professional clearly sinks in a lot of time. Plenty of people used to only run customs of mostly just infection or parkour maps and i wouldn't necessarily consider that hardcore, but again this is a stupid thing to argue about. Forge was great in halo 3 also.

 

[DragoonKain]

Jackal snipers on legendary.

Cunts.

The worst. Pop your head out for a second and you're done.

 

[01011001]

This is a stupid argument. But someone who is competitive/professional clearly sinks in a lot of time. Plenty of people used to only run customs of mostly just infection or parkour maps and i wouldn't necessarily consider that hardcore, but again this is a stupid thing to argue about. Forge was great in halo 3 also.

it's still not comparable. a pro is more interested in balance, map design and stuff that generally involves playing competitive matches.
and a pro will mostly play ranked or MLG rules and sink most of his playtime into training in that environment

a hardcore non-pro Halo player is most likely more interested in what the game has to offer as a whole and sinks more time into different stuff.

and I can see why a pro was maybe disappointed by Reach and why the eSports scene went downhill after the release of Reach (although MLG Rules Halo Reach is very good imo) but imo these 2 groups of players aren't the same even tho there might be overlap

nowadays Reach is by far the best Halo game tho, in MCC with the further enhanced Forge and rhe custom game browser it's by far the best game in the series IMO, although Halo 2 Anniversary MP is also amazing... but criminally overlooked

 

[Neilg]

I don't know how you can be 2 hours into a legendary session, lose all progress to a crash, and ever want to boot the game back up.

 

[Grumpy Toe Nail]

Just

it's still not comparable. a pro is more interested in balance, map design and stuff that generally involves playing competitive matches.
and a pro will mostly play ranked or MLG rules and sink most of his playtime into training in that environment

a hardcore non-pro Halo player is most likely more interested in what the game has to offer as a whole and sinks more time into different stuff.

and I can see why a pro was maybe disappointed by Reach and why the eSports scene went downhill after the release of Reach (although MLG Rules Halo Reach is very good imo) but imo these 2 groups of players aren't the same even tho there might be overlap

nowadays Reach is by far the best Halo game tho, in MCC with the further enhanced Forge and rhe custom game browser it's by far the best game in the series IMO, although Halo 2 Anniversary MP is also amazing... but criminally overlooked

Just because two players are like different aspects of a game doesn't mean one is "hardcore" and the other isn't. There's hardcore halo fans that don't touch multiplayer or vice versa. All that matters is how much you play and pro/competitive players play just as much if not more since they care about winning which requires a lot of work. But whatever idc enough to keep going

 

[Lucifers Beard]

The pinnacle of Halo

The game is fun for sure but the story is absolute trash compared to the book.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

Can confirm, Halo 2 > Halo. Only the last mission is kinda shit.

I played most of the Halos last year for the first time ever, so I feel like I can tell whether they hold up. While Halo 1 felt archaic (still a good game), Halo 2 holds up extremely well. I feel like the game could come out new today and it'd still be great (even visually).

 

[Calverz]

Reach has the best campaign. Amazing game. Bungie’s magnum opus

 

[Dream-Knife]

I did this recently, and I agree. I also played through Halo 3 for the first time. It was pretty good aside from the flood level and dumb AI drivers.

 

[fatmarco]

Halo Reach on Legendary I found more frustratingly hard than Halo 2.

Tbf, I've played Halo 2 a lot more so I know when and where it gets tough, what weapons to use etc. But Reach is absolutely bullshit at points. Halo 2 on Legendary is still a bit too hard to play through normally though (as in playing as if you're a spartan and moving forward rather than some wimpering soldier who retreats every 2 seconds under fire).

I think Halo 1 had really a perfect Legendary mode (and maybe Infinite (outside of that awful, awful last boss) .

 

[Hayabusa83]

The pinnacle of Halo

I didn't play much multiplayer, but for me Halo Reach is the pinnacle of the Halo series with regards to its campaign. Masterpiece.

 

[RAIDEN1]

For me it is a "fire and forget" title, I couldn't see myself going back through that slog with a co-op or no co-op instead I am more interested to know where exactly IS Atriox in the grand scheme of things?

 

[ClosBSAS]

Reach best halo confirmed

 

[bender]

The problem with Reach is that it has brutes so it can only be second best. CE > Reach

 

[DrCheese]

I really don't get the love for Reach, the story is dull. I got bored of it on original release/gave up halfway through. Forced myself to complete it this time recently on the MCC and still don't get the love of it.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

One thing though: getting several crashes in this. Not sure why.

I've noticed some other bugs too, like weapons will graphically stop shooting. And to get it to go away, need to completely quit the game back to the dash and reload it. Curious if anyone else has had these issues.

Oh, that's just a side effect after taking too much 343. it should go away by itself, but Doctor Spencer seems to believe that the side-effects will be Infinite.

 

[Kev Kev]

Yeah Halo 2 on Legendary was one of the most difficult ones. Must have been killed by jackal snipers twice as much as anything else. Brutal. One of the few games I’ve had the patience to sit through their higher difficulty levels.

I also got out of a map for my first time in campaign. It was so epic lol. And after that I started seeking out ways to get out of maps and had a blast doing that for hours.

 

[Synless]

I don’t know why, but to this day Halo 3 is the pinnacle of the series to me. Reach should have been it… I was fucking hyped for it, but something didn’t connect and I never quite thought it had the same highs.

 

[DragoonKain]

Just got to the Uprising mission with my buddy. Only a few more to go. Gravemind might have been the toughest so far. One of them. Either that or Regret.

 

[Hayabusa83]

Halo Reach on Legendary I found more frustratingly hard than Halo 2.

Tbf, I've played Halo 2 a lot more so I know when and where it gets tough, what weapons to use etc. But Reach is absolutely bullshit at points. Halo 2 on Legendary is still a bit too hard to play through normally though (as in playing as if you're a spartan and moving forward rather than some wimpering soldier who retreats every 2 seconds under fire).

I think Halo 1 had really a perfect Legendary mode (and maybe Infinite (outside of that awful, awful last boss) .

I really don't get the love for Reach, the story is dull. I got bored of it on original release/gave up halfway through. Forced myself to complete it this time recently on the MCC and still don't get the love of it.

It provided a different and bleak scenario from what we are accustomed to in the Halo series. The setting was gritty and each level presented unique challenges. At first, I hated Halo Reach as well, I thought the enemies were overpowered (I play on Heroic by the way), but with the right tools and strategies, you learn to be an efficient killing machine. In terms of level design, nothing for me will ever surpass "Long Night of Solace". A classic beach head assault followed up by an incredible vehicle section, which was further followed up with the boarding of a Covenant ship. Don't even get me started on the ODST level. Reach was the culmination of three incredible Halo games in my opinion.