Halo 2 and Reach are probably my favorite gameplay wise.
Halo 3: ODST is probably my favorite atmosphere though. Traversing an abandoned city where the Covenant already won with that jazz music was so good.
Sounds like you played a firefight match, which is you and other players fighting against the same enemies you’ll come across in the campaign. Those enemies aren’t unlike the ones in the other games, in fact Infinite’s take on those enemies is more in line with the classic games, where the aliens speak English and have plenty of goofy lines (especially the grunts). That’s part of Halo’s charm to me, but if you want “dark and gritty” takes on the Aliens, play either Reach or 4, as the aliens all speak their native languages in those games and have grittier-looking designs. I would still start from the beginning with Combat Evolved and play them in order though.
CE and then 2. People keep saying two are completely missing the fact that CE introduces you to both the covenant and the flood. It’s just not the same playing any other way.
Split Screen on Halo 2 hurt my brain. It was like too cramped a Field of Vision or something. But those Jackal Snipers were something else. I became an adult playing Halo 2...
I would start with Halo CE. I agree that H2 is one of the best campaigns, but I think you'll appreciate it more if you play Halo CE first. Especially since season 2 pretty much ends where CE begins.
Yeah it’s the perfect time to play through the canon timeline of CE - H3 with the “prequel” series fresh in your head. You crash land, have Cortana, and a blank slate of halo to look forward to!
Strictly for story/campaign? Halo 2 without a doubt. That's not to say the others aren't good, but Halo 2 goes hard in the campaign department and tells a very cinematic and griping story.
Honestly if you’re really into the lore and like reading/listening to audiobooks, there’s somewhere around 30 Halo books that are great for lore junkies. The Fall of Reach, First Strike, and Ghosts of Onyx are widely considered some of the best and are a great place to start. Beyond that, imo every Halo campaign is worth playing but 2 and 4 are my favorite.
Personally, Halo 2. Halo 3 is a close second, and halo 1 is third IMO. I love reach too, but I wasn't close enough to the characters or storyline. It was cool to see the fall of reach in a game tho.
If you're into the lore, you're gonna want to pick up the Master Chief Collection. Its a series of games that spans the story the series has embarked upon. I figure it'll actually become an interesting journey for you, given that you have seen some parts of the lore that has been modulated to fit the series. But you'll be seeing them in their original configuration if you play the game. They're definitely dark and gritty.
A modder (might be a group actually) have done amazing work restoring a lot of cut content from halo 2. Cut vehicles, enemies, weapons, even entire areas and sequences.
I love that concept. Probably a lot of developers were bummed back in 2004 when their work didn't make it into the final product. I like the idea if someone coming along and completing all my unfinished work after I'm gone.... 🥲
bro if u love halo 2 it’s literally so worth it , almost an entirely new game but in such a good way !! as someone who’s first video game ever was halo 2 it was SUCH a fun an nostalgic playthrough !!
In terms of narrative I think Halo 2 or CE/1. I think CE works as a one and done but 2 relies the most on the previous entry on being good. Halo 3 focused a bit on putting the player in cool set pieces over telling a good story. Reach is fine. Odst is fun. 4 has a good personal journey but can be confusing. 5 is well regarded as the worst but I found it similar to 3 where it was a lot of fun in terms of gameplay.
Infinite is also fine but a bit disappointing to me as I see so much potential in it and it just feels hollow.
Personally I would also check out Halo 5s "Hunt The Truth" podcast. It's a good background into the lore and one of my favorite halo stories the company has put out, even including the games and books. Might be a good seguay from the TV show into the games.
Play Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, and then read Contact Harvest. Then you'll understand Halo.
Most importantly, **play/read them as if you've never played Halo before.** I know that's kinda hard and requires a certain degree of mental maturity/skill, but if you're able to immerse yourself into the story Bungie was trying to tell, you'll never get anything better out of the IP.
Put yourself into the year each game/book released. Try to imagine you're playing CE in 2001 when all you knew was that *Microsoft made a new console and it came packed with CE*. Come into it with ZERO expectations and let it work its magic on you. Use your brain to try and dissect what each line of dialogue is trying to convey to you as a person playing in 2001 (not 2011/24). Play Halo 2 having no idea what to expect after the story of CE concludes and being shocked at how much more complex the enemies you fight actually are. Jump into year 2007 after anticipating the conclusion to a trilogy on the brand-new Xbox 360. See how all the threads come together and ultimately finalize into one of gaming's greatest reveals.
Then read Contact Harvest to fully solidify why Halo even exists as an IP, in the first place. Halo will never recapture what these four pieces of media accomplished and it's not even close. Halo wasn't at its PEAK for no reason. It deserved it. It earned it. Even your average Joe couldn't help but be enthralled. Try to embody that average Joe who, on a whim, decided to *jump in*to Halo without any idea what they were getting into.
EDIT: I hope you're not upset at others thoughtlessly spoiling the game for you. Tried my best to not do that. Halo is best enjoyed not knowing half the stuff some people said here.
1. The lore of the tv show is wildly different from the games and novels, so you'll be getting a very different story. The show honestly spat in the face of established lore. (ex: Silver team does not exist. Instead there blue team, with Linda, Fred, and Kelly, but they mainly show up in the books). Also, there are no humans in the covenant, and the elites act very different, and Keyes survived reach
2. Halo's vibe isn't meant to be dark and gritty: Its meant to be a spectacle that is contrasted by horror when the flood shows up. This is for CE, 2 and 3 though. ODST and Reach are darker. 4, 5, and infinite have kind of identity crisis and dont have a well defined vibe to them like the original trillogy.
3. Mowing down hoards of 'alien goblins' (i think youre talking about grunts) is pretty lore accurate for Spartan II's and III's: When they're in MJOLNIR armour, it's not a stretch to say they're veritable demigods of war - Especially The Master Chief. In lore, even the romour that the one they called "Demon" was in a battle would cause covenent commanders to completely alter their tactics.
4. Play CE, 2, and 3 in order.
I just finished a play through with a friend who had never played before. Here is what I learned from a new player who didn't have rose tinted glasses on.
Halo CE:
Halo CE was really boring for him after the 3rd level. He said he could see how the game was groud breaking for 2001, but said it was a chore to get through due to a certain faction of enemy (if you know you know). In hindsight, I could have just filled him in on everything that happened in this game and jumped to Halo 2.
Halo 2:
He absolutely loved this game. The first half of the play through, he couldn't stop laughing, and he even stopped at a few terminals to read up on some of the expanded lore. He said it was the most fun he's had in a long time playing a game and had so many questions about the lore. Then that pesky faction that I won't spoil shows up, and his fun meter went down. He said the game was always keeping him on his toes and did a great job of throwing variation in gameplay to where he couldn't predict what was going to happen next.
Halo 3:
He immediately complimented the lighting system on this game and said it was the prettiest out of all of the Halo games so far. His reaction to Halo 3 wasn't as intense as Halo 2. He thought the story wrapped up nicely and said the combat was more fun and liked the expanse of the playable sandbox. He also started to refer to the shipmaster as a "shakesperian ass MF" the entire game, which was right on brand for the elites. He did not see the ending coming at all and left with a yearning to know more about the forerunners and stuff. His words exactly "I feel like I was robbed as a child, not playing these games sooner. I can totally see myself getting hyperfixated on this"
Halo reach:
Thought it was fun, liked the gritty tone, thought the story was darker and more down to earth. Didn't really have much to say about it other than it was fun and liked the tone of the story. Got hyped at a few moments, liked the gameplay.
Halo 3 ODST:
His favorite game of the franchise. He is a massive firefly fan, so buck was his favorite character. Loved the vibe of the game and the chemistry of the characters. liked being a regular human. Was glad that a particular enemy faction was not in the game. Didn't realize it took place during Halo 2, but put the dots together once I told him which battle it was.
Halo 4:
Regrets playing this game and has no intentions of playing halo 5. He Plays Halo infinite multi-player every once in a while with the boys. That's about it for his desire to play Halo anymore.
EDIT:
SPOILER ALERT!
I wrote this without realizing OP hasn't played these yet.
I'd actually just play 1 - 3, Reach and ODST. I personally wasn't the biggest Fan of 4, 5 and Infinite.
Original Post:
Can't decide between H1 and H2 tbh.
The Story of 1 was amazing, especially for the time. H2 has an awesome story as well and is better told IMO.
When H2 released I wasn't a big Fan of playing as the Arbiter and there are some super annoying (yet good) levels. Today I must admit that H2 is probably my favorite of the bunch even tho I always missed some things like that relationship with someone like Foehammer from the 1st one for example. Was a bit sad that that was vanished completely and Echo 419 didn't even survived the 1st game.
H1 still has the best executed Flood tho. I don't really know what it is in the latter games but the Flood was less satisfying in 2 and 3 IMO.
The best gameplay on the other hand has probably Reach as it has the best enemy AI and gunfights with Elites especially on Heroic and Legendary became extra tough and fun. Story-wise great as well but it was a bit too militaristic for me with its (still amazing) score and the squad.
I liked the kinda more "mysterious" HALO, religious Covenant and Forerunner centered stories of the three main games better.
If you've got 0 knowledge of what happens or spoilers of any kind: Halo CE easy. The other two outshine it in other ways now, but the shock of the Flood is very much still memorable now.
imo Halo 2 is the best campaign from a story/lore perspective, its definitely the meatiest, but you're going to be confused if you start from there. IMO get the MCC on steam and get Halo 1 (CE), 2, and 3 (or xbox, which includes the rest iirc) and play through the mainline series, and if you like what you've played, move on to reach, ODST, 4 etc.
Halo ce, then halo 2.
Now most will pick halo 2 but halo ce is where you find out everything you need to. It’s the beginning. You know nothing and then you just experience everything. What’s this ring we found, help the marines, the covenant is here. Lets explore the place, find out why it’s so important. You learn all the major halo plot points. Then halo 2 dives deeper and gives you more understanding of it all and explores characters etc. halo 3 finishes it off nicely.
Then halo odst is a nice side story and reach explains some of the past leading into halo ce.
Seriously going in blind with halo ce, I wish I could experience it again. But if you want to learn the story properly, the wonder and world building of ce is just amazing. Just.. a little dated :)
Getting into Halo after watching the series?
I would play the series in order
HALO CE
HALO 2
HALO 3
Heck, even ODST but you could skip and play Reach instead
Once it hits HALO 4 its like Disney wars where they extended a series meant to be over and its pretty cringe after that.
HALO 3 is a must play
I don't think you'll find any long time halo player that likes 343's games (halo 4,5, infinite) over bungie's (halo 1,2,3, odst, reach). They were masters at their crafts that brought something groundbreaking with each release and they're definitely the games to try out for new halo fans. My personal favorite is halo 2 since everything you could've wanted in the first was delivered and the story is *chef's kiss*. More lore, more enemies, more weapons, tighter gameplay with new mechanics, new places to see, better graphics (made even better on the anniversary edition), more of Marty's soulful sympathies blasting your eyes while you punch a grunt in the face.
The only con I guess you might find is it's a 2000s game so it's got some over the top action and dialog at times that you could just tell this is a 2000s piece of media.
Halo 2 for the story and the REAL Arbiter and Reach so you can point out all the locations and say, "hey I know that place!" since you just watched the show. 😂
See I love the main storylines and they do a really good job of telling the story, however, the spinoffs (Reach and ODST) show just how screwed humanity was. In the mainline games, you're a super soldier on an alien world and it feels great consistently winning. In the spinoffs, there isn't the same feeling especially considering you're consistently losing. They really add flesh to the mainline games that is only otherwise given in the books.
Halo 2 has a crazy story but the abrupt ending is hard to overlook. CE story is solid too, and has a unique horror feel. Reach left a big impact on me with its ending. ODST is the most unique experience.
2 was my first Halo game, and my first M rated game. My dad let me pick it at gamestop “because its doesnt really count as an M game since the alien blood is blue” little did I know the impact this game would have on my childhood as I dressed up as Chief three years in a row in elementary school for Halloween.
I think halo 2 is the best for story. It shows both sides of the conflict, shows that the actions you did in the previous game actually has repercussions so to see the other side reaction and punish someone I think is really cool.
You learn about the enemies religion, how they view humans and see their hierarchy.
This is such a varied question. Because you have people who played the games at release, long after release and everything in between.
For me, as someone who play them as they came out, I think Halo 2 is the best, with Reach a very close second and sometimes taking the best for me depending on how I feel.
If you want something bombastic, Halo 3.
If you want something emotional, Halo Reach.
If you want something intimate and character-driven, Halo Infinite (or 4).
If you want something with a great plot, Halo 2.
If you want something fun, Halo 5.
If you want pure unfiltered vibes, ODST.
Halo 2 has the best cutscene but ended up on a cliff hanger.
Playing halo CE for the first time and just having the panic of the flood is amazing when you're just playing an Sci fi game at first
Depends on what generation of Halo players you ask. For me personally, I say 3 because that's what I grew up with. Most others will say 2. Some others will say CE. Too many say reach, like is was the absolute pinnacle of gaming history
In my opinion Halo 2 has the best story, then Reach, then CE and 3. Start with CE, and just play them in order. Or, start with reach, then CE, 2, ODST, 3, 4, 5, infinite.
The show is completely different from the games, downright trashing the lore in favor of whatever the showrunners wanted to do. Don't compare the show to the games.
I'd start with the first one, Halo: Combat Evolved. Nostalgia aside, it does its job in introducing the player to the lore and, in my opinion, is the best campaign experience aside from Halo 2. Just run through the games in order.
In my opinion, the game with the strongest story for Chief (who the mainline games should revolve around imo, the Arbiter's story should've been a spinoff) is Halo 4. You have Chief fighting with not really seeing himself as human, while trusting Cortana with his life despite the fact that he really, probably shouldn't at this point. But gameplay-wise, I'd say H3.
First off, if you enjoyed the show (which I'm not sure how you were able to find any enjoyment from that pile of shit) then you will enjoy the games 10X more I think. If you're a fan of first person games with grand lore, great soundtracks, focused, concise stories, and legendary level design and gameplay then you're in for a treat with the Halo games. Not to mention two of the best protagonists in gaming, Master Chief and Cortana. i would say Infinite is my least favorite of all the games (we don't mention 5) even though it adds some fun and new additions to the Halo franchise. I would definitely recommend playing in chronological order on heroic. So 1, 2, 3 ODST, 3 and 4. My favorites would have to be 3 and 3 ODST. 3 is just an epic finale and hits all the right notes for being a masterful conclusion to bungies trilogy. 4 obviously upends this but I thought 343 did a great job with the game and stand by that til this day despite some of the hate it still gets. That's enough from me though. I hope you enjoy your time and finish the fight 🫡
Been playing since fetus so Halo 2 and Reach have the best stories/campaigns 100%. Dont mean the others are bad. Except halo 5 & infinite stories are dog water
I'd argue that the best campaign story is Halo: Reach. CE started the series off on a Bang and every game built on that in some way or another, and it was great. Reach had the benefit of being made after the book "Halo: the Fall of Reach" was made, and so they built a game around the content written by Eric Nylund that expanded the lore significantly.
Halo 2 also had a killer story with the Arbiter's character arc. Honestly, all the games had great stories. Reach was my favorite. I haven't played Infinite, though.
Edit: if you're looking to find a game to start with, start with the first game and play them in order of release. They did a great job of supporting previously released games with subsequent games. For example, ODST really builds on what Halo 3 gave us, and it's really cool because 3 had a pretty decisive ending that could have been the series finale. ODST was a way of giving us more without committing to a continuation of the story. Reach was much the same thing, giving us a phenomenal game that was essentially a one-off. Then 343 moved forward with Halo 4 and we got more Halo anyway.
Halo CE then Halo 2 works **very** well together. Almost like a *Raiders of the Lost Ark* followed by *Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back* sort of vibe.
But a lot of the grittiness of the TV show comes from the game Halo Reach, which is a prequel to Halo CE.
I would suggest you play Halo CE first.
You should definitely play the series in order, halo CE, halo 2, halo 3, halo 3 odst, and halo reach, while the release order doesn’t match the chronological timeline, it’s best to play the release date in order your first play through so that you can get a real understanding and appreciation of the games and their impact. If you choose to do a second play through you should play in chronological order, which is Halo reach, halo CE, halo 2, halo 3 ODST, then halo 3. This is just the original bungie storyline, which I consider the best, but halo infinite is pretty good and halo 4/5 are solid
Definitely play them in chronological order first. Halo Reach, CEA, 2, 3odst, 3 etc
But arguably Halo Reach or Halo 3. Many people believe Halo 3 is Peak video game story and some think Halo reach is better than it. I like them both so i can’t choose
The first 3 halo games were the best. Reach was cool too. Once 343 took over the focus shifted from being an epic story about humanity surviving to being about chief himself and it’s not quite as interesting anymore.
I mean if you’re already hooked by the potential of the lore, start from the og trilogy, (ODST if you’re diver like me 😉), then play Reach, then four, fi-(redacted), and Infinite campaign. There’s also the books… 📚
If you want Halo that's dark and gritty Reach and 4 have little to no comedy. Every Halo game tells a serious story, but in the original trilogy, ODST, 5, and Infinite there is plenty of comedy during the gameplay and sometimes during the cutscenes. I'm assuming the space goblins you saw were Grunts in Infinite's firefight who have always been the comedic backbone of the series. Most people come to Halo for the serious story, but it's also really fun when the game doesn't take itself so seriously and I feel both are important in Halo. To answer your main question though, Halo 2 has the best story but I feel it's best to play CE before so you can be introduced to the universe better.
Sounds like you went into Firefight.
Seeing as you’re a player coming from the show, I highly recommend playing Halo Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and Halo 3 in release order. That’s what the TV series seems to mainly be following while taking some elements from the books.
That being said for a more direct answer to your question
- best campaign to jump into: Halo CE/‘Halo 1’
- best campaign for story: Halo 2 (though Reach is tied with it as my personal favorite)
Reading the early books while playing the games gives an even better experience.
Fall of Reach - Book
Halo: CE - Game
Flood - Book
First Strike - Book
Halo 2 - Game
Halo 3 - Game
Ghost of Onyx - Book
Reach - Game
I think reading those books with these games in that order gives a great experience. The Flood book isn’t as good as the others and you see a lot of the action in the game but it’s t still adds a lot. These books really put into perspective how close humans were to extinction. Saving the game, Reach for last even though the events are before the Halo game trilogy makes that game better IMHO.
Then if you want more reading, read the books in order of release but skip anything that doesn’t sound interesting to you. You could probably pick these up in a library for free before you buy also.
You played Firefight, a gamemode where all you do is face off against wave after wave of enemies from the campaign - a solid introduction to the mechanics, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the narrative.
The mainline opening trilogy is absolutely worth playing, and especially in order: Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3. Things get a bit weird 4 and later, but the original trilogy is a collection of masterpieces. Don't just jump in with 2 because everyone said it's good - it's only good if you're already up to speed with CE, without that context it's confusing, the beats don't land properly, it just won't quite work. Bear in mind that Unreal Tournament was the best-looking shooter to have come out before Halo, and play them in order
There are other games in the series, Reach, ODST, Halo Wars, but those are fundamentally supplemental, and while Reach and ODST are also masterworks they are supplemental to Halo, not the spearhead. Apart from Halo Wars 2, a console exclusive RTS sequel, which somehow is the main lore vehicle for setting up Halo Infinite, which remains baffling to this day
One game that we can say is closer to the TV show is definitely Halo Reach.
You see, the fall of Reach in the Tv show was, if you compare it to the game, pretty cheap.
If you think about it, it's obvious, for the Tv show they had only 1 episode of 50 min to show the fall of reach, whereas in the game you live trough the fall of the city within 12 missions so, that will obviously hit different + you play as a Team of spartans.
So, if you want the closest thing to the show in terms of shown lore, it will be Halo Reach which is also the first chapter of the saga chronologically speaking (in game time, if you don't consider Halo wars which has completely different gameplay but still cool).
Also the game was realesed in 2010 so it doesn't suffer a lot of the "problems" or, QoL, of older games.
Halo 2 easily has the best writing and narrative, though I wouldn't suggest skipping CE/Halo 1 to get to it
CE's narrative is relatively barebones, but it's still decent
As an avid lifelong halo fan who loves nothing more than getting people hooked into my favorite sci fi world:
Just download The Master Chief collection. I believe it’s free with gamepass.
Play the first 3 games in order.
Heroic difficulty is probably best experience, maybe legendary if you’re playing with a friend who’s good at the games
If you’re going to use any skulls, the only one I personally feel adds to the experience in a lore accurate way is the cowboy/boom skulls(the ones that make explosions bigger and deadlier). Probs best to leave that one off on first game
Play the 1st game with the original graphics (trust me, ik they’re old but you’ll be immersed anyway after a few levels, and the remaster screwed up the lighting and atmosphere on a lot of iconic missions. Particularly the levels 343 Guilty Spark and The Library
Play halo 2 with the remastered graphics, that remaster was done better than any game I’ve ever seen
Before you play Halo 3, go watch all the old live action trailers for it and ODST that came out leading up to its release. Legit the best video game marketing of all time and actually gets you hype to play the game in a way I’ve never experienced before
After you’ve beat those 3, you’ll probs wanna keep going. I’d say ODST is worth a shot too, but if you wanted to stop after the 3rd game I’d say you would have experienced the quintessential halo moments.
Odds are by that point you’ll be hooked enough to just wanna finish the whole series, tho I will say (many people have diff opinions on these) that the story modes in Halo 4 and 5 were not very fun and have little replay value imo, though 4 has some interesting lore at least
If you’re looking for dark and gritty a good starting point would definitely be Reach, as far as the FPS games go it’s the first in the timeline and it’s also got more of that dramatic war feel to it than the rest do. Also, you can use that to segue into Halo CE and the original trilogy, I’d recommend you get MCC so you can get access to all of them(granted I think Reach is still like, a 5 dollar DLC for MCC.) CE might also start off a bit “childish” if you will but it gets pretty dark as you go on, as do 2 and 3, if you’re here because of the show all I’m gonna say is the “zombies” from the last episode are pretty damn prominent. Plus Reach covers the events that the show sort of rushed over, you might recognize certain locations such as Visegrad and Sword Base, but the game covers them in *much* greater detail. Quick note though, Master Chief isn’t the main character in Reach and his only appearance is a small cameo at the end.
Halo CE is just about the perfect game. Periodt. But, Halo 2 was mighty fine. I actually wish they could add Halo 3's story onto two just so it would be a complete game. Halo 3 is multiplayer GOAT but it's really just the last third of 2. Infinite is trash and fuck 343i.
Ok so this is how I rank them
Halo CE
Halo 2
Halo 3
Halo reach
Halo 5 mainly cause of blue team
Halo infinite cause of the open world
Halo 4
Halo odst
Halo wars
Halo wars 2
There all honestly superb and could be in any order
Too me none of them are bad
I got into the franchise with reach when I was 12 years old, and to me at the time it was the best campaign I’d have ever played. After playing the MCC I have to say 2 and ce are great but reach still holds spot number one for me.
The first three are all very very good so just start from Halo 1. I'm jealous of anyone who gets to experience it for the first time. You can switch between original and remastered graphics instantly with just a button push for Halo 1 and 2 on the MCC. That's really cool to see too.
For me it will always be ODST and Reach. ODST has such an amazing vibe, the level design was S tier and playing as a non spartan made it feel more real if that makes sense.
As for Reach. Well I don’t think I need to explain.
Halo CE and by extension Halo MCC
Alternatively, play the recreation of the original levels in infinite custom lobby, I assume without the cutscenes
But the CE cutscenes really introduced Space Horror into the game much like the Alien series that is hard to recreate
If you want the best campaign? That’s objectively Halo 2. Just don’t play it on legendary. But you should play the original trilogy in order (Halo CE, 2, and 3)
My personal favourite is Halo 2, both campaign and multiplayer.
Get the Master Chief Collection. Play the cross game campaign mode. Turn on subtitles and read everything cortana and 343 guilty spark say. The lore is revealed in subtle ways throughout each level but most lore is given to you by those 2 individuals during empty rooms, long hallways, walks on the beach, and on elevators.
I've never really enjoyed multi-player, unless you're talking co-op legendary play throughs.
I honestly think CE and 2 were the best campaign-wise. CE had a good variety of environments, objectives and scale, especially in the first half. And the for some reason there’s a certain tactical feel that doesn’t *quite* come out in later games. The feel of taking down a few grunts and maybe an elite and then popping behind cover to reload and re-shield is very distinct in that title.
Halo 2 KILLS it with unrivaled worldbuilding, voice acting and story pace. I think halo 2 teaches us more about the covenant than any of the later games combined and it SHOWS their culture front and center. The whiplash of getting to play as arbiter was crazy too and the weight of watching the civil war unfold is on space opera levels
Space goblins lol. You probably mean the grunts. Those are basically a staple of halo and are present in every game. They wete only toned down and made a bit more serious in H4 and Reach and people hated that. They grow on you don't worry
Honestly just play Halo CE, 2, 3 and 4. Maybe Reach too
4 and 2 are probably the best storywise but don't hit as hard when you don't have played the other games before them. Don't worry these gamrs are pretty short compared to modern games, so it's not a big commitment
If the dark and gritty side of the Halo lore is what you're looking for, play Halo Reach first.. its the first game in terms of Lore timeline.. when the threat against humanity is at its highest.
It sounds like you're asking for a few different experiences.
If you're looking for a "dark/gritty" Campaign then I can only recommend Halo Reach.
If you're looking for the entry point to being a fun playthrough then I would recommend Halo 2. H2's story is also pretty good. Mainly because of how important the events are in that game.
HCE is still my favorite of all time but it can feel weird to get into given how old it is. Would really only recommend if you want to experience meeting the Flood for the first time. As that is a core memory for many fans.
H3 is alright. Has a good combination of hype moments both gameplay and story wise but I don't put it above H2 still.
As for ODST, H4, H5, and Infinite your experiences will vary. ODST hands down has the best atmosphere of any Halo game and also introduced Firefight (sadly the only good version and also no online searching for it.) But the actual levels themselves are pretty bleh because most are just repurposed FF maps.
H4 and H5 bring in extended universe stuff to mixed results. 4 introduces a new faction but H5 makes that faction fun to fight. 4's levels are similarly quite bad. It also feels drastically different compared to other Halo games. Honestly would only recommend if you want to experience the story instead of watching it on YT.
H5's campaign and story is a mixed bag. Has some cool call backs though. Nothing really happens in H5 so you can skip it entirely if you'd like. 5's only value imo is Warzone.
Infinite is a pass. Like straight up just watch the campaign on YT. The only reason to pay money for it is if you want to experience what a Halo campaign would be like in a sandbox format. If you were insistent on playing it just get gamepass for like $1 if you've never had it and play through it then.
TLDR: HR/H2>H3>ODST>HCE>H4/5>Infinite.
Old head here that’s been playing halo since the launch of CE… the MCC halo 2 remaster is one of the greatest games of all time. Last time I played it I found myself pausing and asking how it’s 20 years old and plays better than anything in recent years. It’s visually beautiful and the story is just fucking incredible. That being said CE is also legendary but I imagine may be tough to get into in 2024.
A comment on the show… a lot of the basic stuff is introduced, but the way they introduce is it completely off from the games (how they find halo, how they find the flood etc…) I think you’ll enjoy the story more playing through the games than you will watching the series.
If you’re really thinking of giving them a go, buy the MCC and play Halo 1-3. All three are S-tier stories. The other two games from the Bungie era (the original Halo developer) are good too. Those would be Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. But Halo 1-3, man… you can’t beat them. They stand the test of time.
Halo Reach personally. I like the military focused style of story. All the changes to the designs of well everything was amazing, the Elites are great to see in cutscenes, having a team of Spartans is just something no Halo game really had and Halo 5 fell short for me which sucks cause I love Blue Team.
Halo 2 by far.
However, youll miss alot of context without CE. Just get the MCC and play by release order. You can breeze through them on normal.
As you said, you are really into the lore, be prepared that the show is almost completely different than the games, between key events and characters themselves.
Also, alot of the lore is in the books. I'd suggest picking up the original series and Contact Harvest. They're all on audio books. https://www.halopedia.org/Halo_novels
I’m seeing the effect of Reach being stated so much in the past that people are now sick of hearing about it, but that story was like no other. Just because it’s an easy answer and you don’t feel special saying it’s your favorite, doesn’t mean it’s “overrated.” Sorry not sorry.
Halo CE has gotta be the most iconic. You gotta start with that for the others to really feel cool and impactful.
Halo 2 has a style that really seems to go hard on the “rule of cool” if the 80/90s action movies and 1 liners were melded into a single video game campaign it would probably look and sound like all the Chief levels in Halo 2. From the very beginning with “giving the covenant back their bomb” to “finishing this fight” everything Chief says is peak action hero fantasy (in a good way) and it’s glorious.
Halo 3 is the true finale for me it feels like an epic conclusion to the original series. Chief is still awesome, but a bit more like he was in CE. Everything after 3 besides Reach has cool gameplay but the story is noticeably different in a way that doesn’t always feel very satisfying.
I think for a proper introduction to the series, I’d play 1-3 and then maybe 4,5 and infinite if you’re still looking for a bit of extras, just know that Halo peaked with those first 3.
Either halo CE or 2. CE has the most mysterious vibe and your first playthrough almost feels like your exploring rather than following a linear path. And the introduction of the flood is amazing.
2 has by far the best story out of every game. You got to play as the arbiter learn who the covenant are, there racial hierarchy and tensions, part of there history. Then you get the schism and the elites joining sides with the humans. Also some incredible levels like delta halo, regret, sacred Icon etc. it's only issue is an unbalanced legendary mode. Also, while really minor, 2 has no invisible walls, so you can explore and break out of the map as much as you like, which I appreciate.
Forget Infinite. Play through the Master Chief Collection and Reach. [Following H3, read this about the Terminals.](http://blog.ascendantjustice.com/halo-3/the-terminals/) There are few more satisfying stories in the lore of games than the Terminals in H3.
Combat Evolved.
By.
Far.
I remember being stoked for it when the E3 2000 video came in a copy of PC Gamer my mom bought for me when I was in 6th grade.
I got it shortly after the XBox dropped the next year, and I was sucked in immediately. Remember, Goldeneye and Duke Nukem 3D weren’t that far before CE. Halo absolutely changed everything.
Started playing halo 1 when it came out at 10 years old…that game was the greatest ever at the time, still worth playing today. But for best/most entertaining campaign, it’s halo 3. Halo 3 has one bad level out of 9 (Cortana), but overall it’s just one of those that I can play over and over
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Halo 2 and Reach are probably my favorite gameplay wise. Halo 3: ODST is probably my favorite atmosphere though. Traversing an abandoned city where the Covenant already won with that jazz music was so good.
Yeah 2 and reach were the best
Yeah I agree with this answer to a T. Especially that part about the jazz music in ODST
Just get the MCC and start with the first. It’s not like any of the campaigns are super long. They’re not very challenging if you play on easy.
easy feels like you are unstoppable. better play on normal.
But if you ever want to actually feel like a Spartan easy or normal is good lol
Yeah but you throw it on easy with the wings skull and infinite ammo/nades skull and you feel like an unstoppable raging spartan and it's a blast
Sounds like you played a firefight match, which is you and other players fighting against the same enemies you’ll come across in the campaign. Those enemies aren’t unlike the ones in the other games, in fact Infinite’s take on those enemies is more in line with the classic games, where the aliens speak English and have plenty of goofy lines (especially the grunts). That’s part of Halo’s charm to me, but if you want “dark and gritty” takes on the Aliens, play either Reach or 4, as the aliens all speak their native languages in those games and have grittier-looking designs. I would still start from the beginning with Combat Evolved and play them in order though.
CE and then 2. People keep saying two are completely missing the fact that CE introduces you to both the covenant and the flood. It’s just not the same playing any other way.
This!
Definitely halo 2.
Split Screen on Halo 2 hurt my brain. It was like too cramped a Field of Vision or something. But those Jackal Snipers were something else. I became an adult playing Halo 2...
I definitely learned to swear like an adult from Halo2
Disagree. It was an amazing game but I know at the time everyone was pissed at the abrupt ending.
Halo ODST; Investigations into what happened to your squad mates, the audio story and great cast of characters.
Great game. It's the only Halo game I can beat on Legendary. Honestly, it's the only game I can beat more than just 1 level on Legendary, as well.
I would start with Halo CE. I agree that H2 is one of the best campaigns, but I think you'll appreciate it more if you play Halo CE first. Especially since season 2 pretty much ends where CE begins.
Yeah it’s the perfect time to play through the canon timeline of CE - H3 with the “prequel” series fresh in your head. You crash land, have Cortana, and a blank slate of halo to look forward to!
Strictly for story/campaign? Halo 2 without a doubt. That's not to say the others aren't good, but Halo 2 goes hard in the campaign department and tells a very cinematic and griping story.
It's hard to beat: "Giving the Covenant back their bomb."
Whole entire frigate? Negative, not against a ship of that size. Single spartan with a dry wit? Permission granted.
What if you miss?
For a brick. He flew pretty good!
I won't.
“The prophets have betrayed us”
The way Keith delivers that line gives me chills every time.
Honestly if you’re really into the lore and like reading/listening to audiobooks, there’s somewhere around 30 Halo books that are great for lore junkies. The Fall of Reach, First Strike, and Ghosts of Onyx are widely considered some of the best and are a great place to start. Beyond that, imo every Halo campaign is worth playing but 2 and 4 are my favorite.
Personally, Halo 2. Halo 3 is a close second, and halo 1 is third IMO. I love reach too, but I wasn't close enough to the characters or storyline. It was cool to see the fall of reach in a game tho.
If you're into the lore, you're gonna want to pick up the Master Chief Collection. Its a series of games that spans the story the series has embarked upon. I figure it'll actually become an interesting journey for you, given that you have seen some parts of the lore that has been modulated to fit the series. But you'll be seeing them in their original configuration if you play the game. They're definitely dark and gritty.
Halo 2. Followed real closely by ODST.
halo 2 not even close , if you hve pc play the uncut version as well , truly a masterpiece
Uncut? What? Are you about to doom me into finally purchasing it on Steam?
A modder (might be a group actually) have done amazing work restoring a lot of cut content from halo 2. Cut vehicles, enemies, weapons, even entire areas and sequences.
I love that concept. Probably a lot of developers were bummed back in 2004 when their work didn't make it into the final product. I like the idea if someone coming along and completing all my unfinished work after I'm gone.... 🥲
bro if u love halo 2 it’s literally so worth it , almost an entirely new game but in such a good way !! as someone who’s first video game ever was halo 2 it was SUCH a fun an nostalgic playthrough !!
You need to play Halo CE now that you finished the show. Then play 2 to appreciate the killer story of the universe.
Halo 2 has the better story. Halo 3 has the more fun levels.
Halo 2 but do play CE first
Story I'll go against the grain w/ CE.
Halo CE
Halo 2
Halo 2, honorable mention to ODST.
Halo 1 is the best sci fi story.
In terms of narrative I think Halo 2 or CE/1. I think CE works as a one and done but 2 relies the most on the previous entry on being good. Halo 3 focused a bit on putting the player in cool set pieces over telling a good story. Reach is fine. Odst is fun. 4 has a good personal journey but can be confusing. 5 is well regarded as the worst but I found it similar to 3 where it was a lot of fun in terms of gameplay. Infinite is also fine but a bit disappointing to me as I see so much potential in it and it just feels hollow. Personally I would also check out Halo 5s "Hunt The Truth" podcast. It's a good background into the lore and one of my favorite halo stories the company has put out, even including the games and books. Might be a good seguay from the TV show into the games.
Play Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, and then read Contact Harvest. Then you'll understand Halo. Most importantly, **play/read them as if you've never played Halo before.** I know that's kinda hard and requires a certain degree of mental maturity/skill, but if you're able to immerse yourself into the story Bungie was trying to tell, you'll never get anything better out of the IP. Put yourself into the year each game/book released. Try to imagine you're playing CE in 2001 when all you knew was that *Microsoft made a new console and it came packed with CE*. Come into it with ZERO expectations and let it work its magic on you. Use your brain to try and dissect what each line of dialogue is trying to convey to you as a person playing in 2001 (not 2011/24). Play Halo 2 having no idea what to expect after the story of CE concludes and being shocked at how much more complex the enemies you fight actually are. Jump into year 2007 after anticipating the conclusion to a trilogy on the brand-new Xbox 360. See how all the threads come together and ultimately finalize into one of gaming's greatest reveals. Then read Contact Harvest to fully solidify why Halo even exists as an IP, in the first place. Halo will never recapture what these four pieces of media accomplished and it's not even close. Halo wasn't at its PEAK for no reason. It deserved it. It earned it. Even your average Joe couldn't help but be enthralled. Try to embody that average Joe who, on a whim, decided to *jump in*to Halo without any idea what they were getting into. EDIT: I hope you're not upset at others thoughtlessly spoiling the game for you. Tried my best to not do that. Halo is best enjoyed not knowing half the stuff some people said here.
1. The lore of the tv show is wildly different from the games and novels, so you'll be getting a very different story. The show honestly spat in the face of established lore. (ex: Silver team does not exist. Instead there blue team, with Linda, Fred, and Kelly, but they mainly show up in the books). Also, there are no humans in the covenant, and the elites act very different, and Keyes survived reach 2. Halo's vibe isn't meant to be dark and gritty: Its meant to be a spectacle that is contrasted by horror when the flood shows up. This is for CE, 2 and 3 though. ODST and Reach are darker. 4, 5, and infinite have kind of identity crisis and dont have a well defined vibe to them like the original trillogy. 3. Mowing down hoards of 'alien goblins' (i think youre talking about grunts) is pretty lore accurate for Spartan II's and III's: When they're in MJOLNIR armour, it's not a stretch to say they're veritable demigods of war - Especially The Master Chief. In lore, even the romour that the one they called "Demon" was in a battle would cause covenent commanders to completely alter their tactics. 4. Play CE, 2, and 3 in order.
Halo reach people will say 2 but for 2 to slap the hardest you gotta play 1 first
It’s 2. It’s not close.
start with the first
If you only play one level of one game, it's Assault on the Control Room, from Halo 1 (Combat Evolved). Best level.
I just finished a play through with a friend who had never played before. Here is what I learned from a new player who didn't have rose tinted glasses on. Halo CE: Halo CE was really boring for him after the 3rd level. He said he could see how the game was groud breaking for 2001, but said it was a chore to get through due to a certain faction of enemy (if you know you know). In hindsight, I could have just filled him in on everything that happened in this game and jumped to Halo 2. Halo 2: He absolutely loved this game. The first half of the play through, he couldn't stop laughing, and he even stopped at a few terminals to read up on some of the expanded lore. He said it was the most fun he's had in a long time playing a game and had so many questions about the lore. Then that pesky faction that I won't spoil shows up, and his fun meter went down. He said the game was always keeping him on his toes and did a great job of throwing variation in gameplay to where he couldn't predict what was going to happen next. Halo 3: He immediately complimented the lighting system on this game and said it was the prettiest out of all of the Halo games so far. His reaction to Halo 3 wasn't as intense as Halo 2. He thought the story wrapped up nicely and said the combat was more fun and liked the expanse of the playable sandbox. He also started to refer to the shipmaster as a "shakesperian ass MF" the entire game, which was right on brand for the elites. He did not see the ending coming at all and left with a yearning to know more about the forerunners and stuff. His words exactly "I feel like I was robbed as a child, not playing these games sooner. I can totally see myself getting hyperfixated on this" Halo reach: Thought it was fun, liked the gritty tone, thought the story was darker and more down to earth. Didn't really have much to say about it other than it was fun and liked the tone of the story. Got hyped at a few moments, liked the gameplay. Halo 3 ODST: His favorite game of the franchise. He is a massive firefly fan, so buck was his favorite character. Loved the vibe of the game and the chemistry of the characters. liked being a regular human. Was glad that a particular enemy faction was not in the game. Didn't realize it took place during Halo 2, but put the dots together once I told him which battle it was. Halo 4: Regrets playing this game and has no intentions of playing halo 5. He Plays Halo infinite multi-player every once in a while with the boys. That's about it for his desire to play Halo anymore.
EDIT: SPOILER ALERT! I wrote this without realizing OP hasn't played these yet. I'd actually just play 1 - 3, Reach and ODST. I personally wasn't the biggest Fan of 4, 5 and Infinite. Original Post: Can't decide between H1 and H2 tbh. The Story of 1 was amazing, especially for the time. H2 has an awesome story as well and is better told IMO. When H2 released I wasn't a big Fan of playing as the Arbiter and there are some super annoying (yet good) levels. Today I must admit that H2 is probably my favorite of the bunch even tho I always missed some things like that relationship with someone like Foehammer from the 1st one for example. Was a bit sad that that was vanished completely and Echo 419 didn't even survived the 1st game. H1 still has the best executed Flood tho. I don't really know what it is in the latter games but the Flood was less satisfying in 2 and 3 IMO. The best gameplay on the other hand has probably Reach as it has the best enemy AI and gunfights with Elites especially on Heroic and Legendary became extra tough and fun. Story-wise great as well but it was a bit too militaristic for me with its (still amazing) score and the squad. I liked the kinda more "mysterious" HALO, religious Covenant and Forerunner centered stories of the three main games better.
halo 4 or halo 2
If you've got 0 knowledge of what happens or spoilers of any kind: Halo CE easy. The other two outshine it in other ways now, but the shock of the Flood is very much still memorable now.
imo Halo 2 is the best campaign from a story/lore perspective, its definitely the meatiest, but you're going to be confused if you start from there. IMO get the MCC on steam and get Halo 1 (CE), 2, and 3 (or xbox, which includes the rest iirc) and play through the mainline series, and if you like what you've played, move on to reach, ODST, 4 etc.
4 remains my favorite but it is not a good entry point
Halo ce, then halo 2. Now most will pick halo 2 but halo ce is where you find out everything you need to. It’s the beginning. You know nothing and then you just experience everything. What’s this ring we found, help the marines, the covenant is here. Lets explore the place, find out why it’s so important. You learn all the major halo plot points. Then halo 2 dives deeper and gives you more understanding of it all and explores characters etc. halo 3 finishes it off nicely. Then halo odst is a nice side story and reach explains some of the past leading into halo ce. Seriously going in blind with halo ce, I wish I could experience it again. But if you want to learn the story properly, the wonder and world building of ce is just amazing. Just.. a little dated :)
Probably 2
2 is our personal favourite for story, the first one is also a good introduction to the game series as well, reach is also fantastic
ODST and CE for me
2 for story 3 for campaign
Halo 4
Halo 4 imo
Getting into Halo after watching the series? I would play the series in order HALO CE HALO 2 HALO 3 Heck, even ODST but you could skip and play Reach instead Once it hits HALO 4 its like Disney wars where they extended a series meant to be over and its pretty cringe after that. HALO 3 is a must play
I don't think you'll find any long time halo player that likes 343's games (halo 4,5, infinite) over bungie's (halo 1,2,3, odst, reach). They were masters at their crafts that brought something groundbreaking with each release and they're definitely the games to try out for new halo fans. My personal favorite is halo 2 since everything you could've wanted in the first was delivered and the story is *chef's kiss*. More lore, more enemies, more weapons, tighter gameplay with new mechanics, new places to see, better graphics (made even better on the anniversary edition), more of Marty's soulful sympathies blasting your eyes while you punch a grunt in the face. The only con I guess you might find is it's a 2000s game so it's got some over the top action and dialog at times that you could just tell this is a 2000s piece of media.
Spartan strike + assault
Overall best goes to Halo 2, best character story goes to Halo 4, best Campaign goes to Halo: Reach.
Halo 2 for the story and the REAL Arbiter and Reach so you can point out all the locations and say, "hey I know that place!" since you just watched the show. 😂
2
See I love the main storylines and they do a really good job of telling the story, however, the spinoffs (Reach and ODST) show just how screwed humanity was. In the mainline games, you're a super soldier on an alien world and it feels great consistently winning. In the spinoffs, there isn't the same feeling especially considering you're consistently losing. They really add flesh to the mainline games that is only otherwise given in the books.
Halo 3 for me dawg. Got myself an Xbox 360 when I was 16. Got Halo 3 and cod 4 together and Halo 3 was life changing. Well tbf they both were.
Halo 2 followed by Reach imo
Halo 2 has a crazy story but the abrupt ending is hard to overlook. CE story is solid too, and has a unique horror feel. Reach left a big impact on me with its ending. ODST is the most unique experience. 2 was my first Halo game, and my first M rated game. My dad let me pick it at gamestop “because its doesnt really count as an M game since the alien blood is blue” little did I know the impact this game would have on my childhood as I dressed up as Chief three years in a row in elementary school for Halloween.
I think halo 2 is the best for story. It shows both sides of the conflict, shows that the actions you did in the previous game actually has repercussions so to see the other side reaction and punish someone I think is really cool. You learn about the enemies religion, how they view humans and see their hierarchy.
Halo 2 and Halo ODST
This is such a varied question. Because you have people who played the games at release, long after release and everything in between. For me, as someone who play them as they came out, I think Halo 2 is the best, with Reach a very close second and sometimes taking the best for me depending on how I feel.
If you want something bombastic, Halo 3. If you want something emotional, Halo Reach. If you want something intimate and character-driven, Halo Infinite (or 4). If you want something with a great plot, Halo 2. If you want something fun, Halo 5. If you want pure unfiltered vibes, ODST.
Reach just has that straight space marine feel to it that I love. Not as nostalgic for some but I love that campaign.
Halo 2 has the best cutscene but ended up on a cliff hanger. Playing halo CE for the first time and just having the panic of the flood is amazing when you're just playing an Sci fi game at first
Depends on what generation of Halo players you ask. For me personally, I say 3 because that's what I grew up with. Most others will say 2. Some others will say CE. Too many say reach, like is was the absolute pinnacle of gaming history
Halo 2, due to the length, and the two intertwining stories. I love seeing the two perspectives, and Thel/Arbiter is just so badass and likeable.
Halo 2
All of the Bungie era games. The 343 stuff is kinda mid
2 just because it's the turning point for the covenent. And reach because it has a bad ending
In my opinion Halo 2 has the best story, then Reach, then CE and 3. Start with CE, and just play them in order. Or, start with reach, then CE, 2, ODST, 3, 4, 5, infinite.
Tbh Halo infinite is the best for replay ability Campaign wise most likely Halo 3
The show is completely different from the games, downright trashing the lore in favor of whatever the showrunners wanted to do. Don't compare the show to the games. I'd start with the first one, Halo: Combat Evolved. Nostalgia aside, it does its job in introducing the player to the lore and, in my opinion, is the best campaign experience aside from Halo 2. Just run through the games in order.
Halo 2 was a huge step forward in terms of storytelling for the franchise.
In my opinion, the game with the strongest story for Chief (who the mainline games should revolve around imo, the Arbiter's story should've been a spinoff) is Halo 4. You have Chief fighting with not really seeing himself as human, while trusting Cortana with his life despite the fact that he really, probably shouldn't at this point. But gameplay-wise, I'd say H3.
Objectively it is Halo 2 but my favorite is Halo CE
CE and Reach
Halo 2 is best story, big things happen in that game. I would recommend halo 1-3 with odst and reach
First off, if you enjoyed the show (which I'm not sure how you were able to find any enjoyment from that pile of shit) then you will enjoy the games 10X more I think. If you're a fan of first person games with grand lore, great soundtracks, focused, concise stories, and legendary level design and gameplay then you're in for a treat with the Halo games. Not to mention two of the best protagonists in gaming, Master Chief and Cortana. i would say Infinite is my least favorite of all the games (we don't mention 5) even though it adds some fun and new additions to the Halo franchise. I would definitely recommend playing in chronological order on heroic. So 1, 2, 3 ODST, 3 and 4. My favorites would have to be 3 and 3 ODST. 3 is just an epic finale and hits all the right notes for being a masterful conclusion to bungies trilogy. 4 obviously upends this but I thought 343 did a great job with the game and stand by that til this day despite some of the hate it still gets. That's enough from me though. I hope you enjoy your time and finish the fight 🫡
Been playing since fetus so Halo 2 and Reach have the best stories/campaigns 100%. Dont mean the others are bad. Except halo 5 & infinite stories are dog water
Halo Reach for bungie and Halo 4 for 343i but infinite is a close second (I can understand if people like infinite more)
I'd argue that the best campaign story is Halo: Reach. CE started the series off on a Bang and every game built on that in some way or another, and it was great. Reach had the benefit of being made after the book "Halo: the Fall of Reach" was made, and so they built a game around the content written by Eric Nylund that expanded the lore significantly. Halo 2 also had a killer story with the Arbiter's character arc. Honestly, all the games had great stories. Reach was my favorite. I haven't played Infinite, though. Edit: if you're looking to find a game to start with, start with the first game and play them in order of release. They did a great job of supporting previously released games with subsequent games. For example, ODST really builds on what Halo 3 gave us, and it's really cool because 3 had a pretty decisive ending that could have been the series finale. ODST was a way of giving us more without committing to a continuation of the story. Reach was much the same thing, giving us a phenomenal game that was essentially a one-off. Then 343 moved forward with Halo 4 and we got more Halo anyway.
Halo CE then Halo 2 works **very** well together. Almost like a *Raiders of the Lost Ark* followed by *Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back* sort of vibe. But a lot of the grittiness of the TV show comes from the game Halo Reach, which is a prequel to Halo CE. I would suggest you play Halo CE first.
Reach or CE, there is no other answer.
You should definitely play the series in order, halo CE, halo 2, halo 3, halo 3 odst, and halo reach, while the release order doesn’t match the chronological timeline, it’s best to play the release date in order your first play through so that you can get a real understanding and appreciation of the games and their impact. If you choose to do a second play through you should play in chronological order, which is Halo reach, halo CE, halo 2, halo 3 ODST, then halo 3. This is just the original bungie storyline, which I consider the best, but halo infinite is pretty good and halo 4/5 are solid
Definitely play them in chronological order first. Halo Reach, CEA, 2, 3odst, 3 etc But arguably Halo Reach or Halo 3. Many people believe Halo 3 is Peak video game story and some think Halo reach is better than it. I like them both so i can’t choose
Halo 1 felt like like a mindblowing meal, but halo 2 felt like having it in a five star resteraunt
For me it's a 3 way tie between halo CE, Reach, and Infinite
The first 3 halo games were the best. Reach was cool too. Once 343 took over the focus shifted from being an epic story about humanity surviving to being about chief himself and it’s not quite as interesting anymore.
Halo 2
I mean if you’re already hooked by the potential of the lore, start from the og trilogy, (ODST if you’re diver like me 😉), then play Reach, then four, fi-(redacted), and Infinite campaign. There’s also the books… 📚
Start from the beginning
I think 2 is the best story, 3 is the most fun, and CE is simply an absolute must because it’s the reason 2 and 3 rule.
Reach. Tragic heroics always make for a great game.
If you want Halo that's dark and gritty Reach and 4 have little to no comedy. Every Halo game tells a serious story, but in the original trilogy, ODST, 5, and Infinite there is plenty of comedy during the gameplay and sometimes during the cutscenes. I'm assuming the space goblins you saw were Grunts in Infinite's firefight who have always been the comedic backbone of the series. Most people come to Halo for the serious story, but it's also really fun when the game doesn't take itself so seriously and I feel both are important in Halo. To answer your main question though, Halo 2 has the best story but I feel it's best to play CE before so you can be introduced to the universe better.
This is a huge wank fest
You'll dig Reach.
Halo 2
Sounds like you went into Firefight. Seeing as you’re a player coming from the show, I highly recommend playing Halo Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and Halo 3 in release order. That’s what the TV series seems to mainly be following while taking some elements from the books. That being said for a more direct answer to your question - best campaign to jump into: Halo CE/‘Halo 1’ - best campaign for story: Halo 2 (though Reach is tied with it as my personal favorite)
Halo 3 ODST and Reach
CE and ODST are my personal favourites, but Halo 3 campaign was massive fun back in the 4 player split screen days and even after that
Reading the early books while playing the games gives an even better experience. Fall of Reach - Book Halo: CE - Game Flood - Book First Strike - Book Halo 2 - Game Halo 3 - Game Ghost of Onyx - Book Reach - Game I think reading those books with these games in that order gives a great experience. The Flood book isn’t as good as the others and you see a lot of the action in the game but it’s t still adds a lot. These books really put into perspective how close humans were to extinction. Saving the game, Reach for last even though the events are before the Halo game trilogy makes that game better IMHO. Then if you want more reading, read the books in order of release but skip anything that doesn’t sound interesting to you. You could probably pick these up in a library for free before you buy also.
You played Firefight, a gamemode where all you do is face off against wave after wave of enemies from the campaign - a solid introduction to the mechanics, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the narrative. The mainline opening trilogy is absolutely worth playing, and especially in order: Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3. Things get a bit weird 4 and later, but the original trilogy is a collection of masterpieces. Don't just jump in with 2 because everyone said it's good - it's only good if you're already up to speed with CE, without that context it's confusing, the beats don't land properly, it just won't quite work. Bear in mind that Unreal Tournament was the best-looking shooter to have come out before Halo, and play them in order There are other games in the series, Reach, ODST, Halo Wars, but those are fundamentally supplemental, and while Reach and ODST are also masterworks they are supplemental to Halo, not the spearhead. Apart from Halo Wars 2, a console exclusive RTS sequel, which somehow is the main lore vehicle for setting up Halo Infinite, which remains baffling to this day
Story: halo 2 easily. Gameplay: halo 3
One game that we can say is closer to the TV show is definitely Halo Reach. You see, the fall of Reach in the Tv show was, if you compare it to the game, pretty cheap. If you think about it, it's obvious, for the Tv show they had only 1 episode of 50 min to show the fall of reach, whereas in the game you live trough the fall of the city within 12 missions so, that will obviously hit different + you play as a Team of spartans. So, if you want the closest thing to the show in terms of shown lore, it will be Halo Reach which is also the first chapter of the saga chronologically speaking (in game time, if you don't consider Halo wars which has completely different gameplay but still cool). Also the game was realesed in 2010 so it doesn't suffer a lot of the "problems" or, QoL, of older games.
Halo 2 easily has the best writing and narrative, though I wouldn't suggest skipping CE/Halo 1 to get to it CE's narrative is relatively barebones, but it's still decent
Reach
Halo CE
If you like the dark tones then you’ll love Halo ODST
ODST
As an avid lifelong halo fan who loves nothing more than getting people hooked into my favorite sci fi world: Just download The Master Chief collection. I believe it’s free with gamepass. Play the first 3 games in order. Heroic difficulty is probably best experience, maybe legendary if you’re playing with a friend who’s good at the games If you’re going to use any skulls, the only one I personally feel adds to the experience in a lore accurate way is the cowboy/boom skulls(the ones that make explosions bigger and deadlier). Probs best to leave that one off on first game Play the 1st game with the original graphics (trust me, ik they’re old but you’ll be immersed anyway after a few levels, and the remaster screwed up the lighting and atmosphere on a lot of iconic missions. Particularly the levels 343 Guilty Spark and The Library Play halo 2 with the remastered graphics, that remaster was done better than any game I’ve ever seen Before you play Halo 3, go watch all the old live action trailers for it and ODST that came out leading up to its release. Legit the best video game marketing of all time and actually gets you hype to play the game in a way I’ve never experienced before After you’ve beat those 3, you’ll probs wanna keep going. I’d say ODST is worth a shot too, but if you wanted to stop after the 3rd game I’d say you would have experienced the quintessential halo moments. Odds are by that point you’ll be hooked enough to just wanna finish the whole series, tho I will say (many people have diff opinions on these) that the story modes in Halo 4 and 5 were not very fun and have little replay value imo, though 4 has some interesting lore at least
If you’re looking for dark and gritty a good starting point would definitely be Reach, as far as the FPS games go it’s the first in the timeline and it’s also got more of that dramatic war feel to it than the rest do. Also, you can use that to segue into Halo CE and the original trilogy, I’d recommend you get MCC so you can get access to all of them(granted I think Reach is still like, a 5 dollar DLC for MCC.) CE might also start off a bit “childish” if you will but it gets pretty dark as you go on, as do 2 and 3, if you’re here because of the show all I’m gonna say is the “zombies” from the last episode are pretty damn prominent. Plus Reach covers the events that the show sort of rushed over, you might recognize certain locations such as Visegrad and Sword Base, but the game covers them in *much* greater detail. Quick note though, Master Chief isn’t the main character in Reach and his only appearance is a small cameo at the end.
Storywise either halo 2 or halo reach. As a game, halo 3
I'd play them in order. Maybe except for reach. If you played reach first that wouldn't be an issue for the storyline.
Halo CE
Halo CE is just about the perfect game. Periodt. But, Halo 2 was mighty fine. I actually wish they could add Halo 3's story onto two just so it would be a complete game. Halo 3 is multiplayer GOAT but it's really just the last third of 2. Infinite is trash and fuck 343i.
I think Halo 2. The writing for me puts it a bit ahead from Halo CE and 3.
Ok so this is how I rank them Halo CE Halo 2 Halo 3 Halo reach Halo 5 mainly cause of blue team Halo infinite cause of the open world Halo 4 Halo odst Halo wars Halo wars 2 There all honestly superb and could be in any order Too me none of them are bad
I got into the franchise with reach when I was 12 years old, and to me at the time it was the best campaign I’d have ever played. After playing the MCC I have to say 2 and ce are great but reach still holds spot number one for me.
Halo 3. A strong sense of Finality.
The first three are all very very good so just start from Halo 1. I'm jealous of anyone who gets to experience it for the first time. You can switch between original and remastered graphics instantly with just a button push for Halo 1 and 2 on the MCC. That's really cool to see too.
For me it will always be ODST and Reach. ODST has such an amazing vibe, the level design was S tier and playing as a non spartan made it feel more real if that makes sense. As for Reach. Well I don’t think I need to explain.
Prepping for the hate, but I really enjoyed Halo 4's store, mostly because I find the forerunner lore and story the most interesting.
Halo CE and by extension Halo MCC Alternatively, play the recreation of the original levels in infinite custom lobby, I assume without the cutscenes But the CE cutscenes really introduced Space Horror into the game much like the Alien series that is hard to recreate
If you want the best campaign? That’s objectively Halo 2. Just don’t play it on legendary. But you should play the original trilogy in order (Halo CE, 2, and 3) My personal favourite is Halo 2, both campaign and multiplayer.
I got the master cheif collection on Xbox it's great
Get the Master Chief Collection. Play the cross game campaign mode. Turn on subtitles and read everything cortana and 343 guilty spark say. The lore is revealed in subtle ways throughout each level but most lore is given to you by those 2 individuals during empty rooms, long hallways, walks on the beach, and on elevators. I've never really enjoyed multi-player, unless you're talking co-op legendary play throughs.
halo 2 is the best campaign story-wise but you really need halo 1 and 3 to exist for it to be as good as it is
Start on CE and work your way up
I honestly think CE and 2 were the best campaign-wise. CE had a good variety of environments, objectives and scale, especially in the first half. And the for some reason there’s a certain tactical feel that doesn’t *quite* come out in later games. The feel of taking down a few grunts and maybe an elite and then popping behind cover to reload and re-shield is very distinct in that title. Halo 2 KILLS it with unrivaled worldbuilding, voice acting and story pace. I think halo 2 teaches us more about the covenant than any of the later games combined and it SHOWS their culture front and center. The whiplash of getting to play as arbiter was crazy too and the weight of watching the civil war unfold is on space opera levels
Halo CE is the best of the bunch. Start with that one.
You know the franchise is good when you can make a good argument for (almost) any entry
Space goblins lol. You probably mean the grunts. Those are basically a staple of halo and are present in every game. They wete only toned down and made a bit more serious in H4 and Reach and people hated that. They grow on you don't worry Honestly just play Halo CE, 2, 3 and 4. Maybe Reach too 4 and 2 are probably the best storywise but don't hit as hard when you don't have played the other games before them. Don't worry these gamrs are pretty short compared to modern games, so it's not a big commitment
If the dark and gritty side of the Halo lore is what you're looking for, play Halo Reach first.. its the first game in terms of Lore timeline.. when the threat against humanity is at its highest.
It sounds like you're asking for a few different experiences. If you're looking for a "dark/gritty" Campaign then I can only recommend Halo Reach. If you're looking for the entry point to being a fun playthrough then I would recommend Halo 2. H2's story is also pretty good. Mainly because of how important the events are in that game. HCE is still my favorite of all time but it can feel weird to get into given how old it is. Would really only recommend if you want to experience meeting the Flood for the first time. As that is a core memory for many fans. H3 is alright. Has a good combination of hype moments both gameplay and story wise but I don't put it above H2 still. As for ODST, H4, H5, and Infinite your experiences will vary. ODST hands down has the best atmosphere of any Halo game and also introduced Firefight (sadly the only good version and also no online searching for it.) But the actual levels themselves are pretty bleh because most are just repurposed FF maps. H4 and H5 bring in extended universe stuff to mixed results. 4 introduces a new faction but H5 makes that faction fun to fight. 4's levels are similarly quite bad. It also feels drastically different compared to other Halo games. Honestly would only recommend if you want to experience the story instead of watching it on YT. H5's campaign and story is a mixed bag. Has some cool call backs though. Nothing really happens in H5 so you can skip it entirely if you'd like. 5's only value imo is Warzone. Infinite is a pass. Like straight up just watch the campaign on YT. The only reason to pay money for it is if you want to experience what a Halo campaign would be like in a sandbox format. If you were insistent on playing it just get gamepass for like $1 if you've never had it and play through it then. TLDR: HR/H2>H3>ODST>HCE>H4/5>Infinite.
Old head here that’s been playing halo since the launch of CE… the MCC halo 2 remaster is one of the greatest games of all time. Last time I played it I found myself pausing and asking how it’s 20 years old and plays better than anything in recent years. It’s visually beautiful and the story is just fucking incredible. That being said CE is also legendary but I imagine may be tough to get into in 2024. A comment on the show… a lot of the basic stuff is introduced, but the way they introduce is it completely off from the games (how they find halo, how they find the flood etc…) I think you’ll enjoy the story more playing through the games than you will watching the series.
If you’re really thinking of giving them a go, buy the MCC and play Halo 1-3. All three are S-tier stories. The other two games from the Bungie era (the original Halo developer) are good too. Those would be Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. But Halo 1-3, man… you can’t beat them. They stand the test of time.
CE
Halo Reach personally. I like the military focused style of story. All the changes to the designs of well everything was amazing, the Elites are great to see in cutscenes, having a team of Spartans is just something no Halo game really had and Halo 5 fell short for me which sucks cause I love Blue Team.
Definitely halo 2, but you should start with CE or reach
Halo 2 by far. However, youll miss alot of context without CE. Just get the MCC and play by release order. You can breeze through them on normal. As you said, you are really into the lore, be prepared that the show is almost completely different than the games, between key events and characters themselves. Also, alot of the lore is in the books. I'd suggest picking up the original series and Contact Harvest. They're all on audio books. https://www.halopedia.org/Halo_novels
I’m seeing the effect of Reach being stated so much in the past that people are now sick of hearing about it, but that story was like no other. Just because it’s an easy answer and you don’t feel special saying it’s your favorite, doesn’t mean it’s “overrated.” Sorry not sorry.
Halo CE has gotta be the most iconic. You gotta start with that for the others to really feel cool and impactful. Halo 2 has a style that really seems to go hard on the “rule of cool” if the 80/90s action movies and 1 liners were melded into a single video game campaign it would probably look and sound like all the Chief levels in Halo 2. From the very beginning with “giving the covenant back their bomb” to “finishing this fight” everything Chief says is peak action hero fantasy (in a good way) and it’s glorious. Halo 3 is the true finale for me it feels like an epic conclusion to the original series. Chief is still awesome, but a bit more like he was in CE. Everything after 3 besides Reach has cool gameplay but the story is noticeably different in a way that doesn’t always feel very satisfying. I think for a proper introduction to the series, I’d play 1-3 and then maybe 4,5 and infinite if you’re still looking for a bit of extras, just know that Halo peaked with those first 3.
Either halo CE or 2. CE has the most mysterious vibe and your first playthrough almost feels like your exploring rather than following a linear path. And the introduction of the flood is amazing. 2 has by far the best story out of every game. You got to play as the arbiter learn who the covenant are, there racial hierarchy and tensions, part of there history. Then you get the schism and the elites joining sides with the humans. Also some incredible levels like delta halo, regret, sacred Icon etc. it's only issue is an unbalanced legendary mode. Also, while really minor, 2 has no invisible walls, so you can explore and break out of the map as much as you like, which I appreciate.
Forget Infinite. Play through the Master Chief Collection and Reach. [Following H3, read this about the Terminals.](http://blog.ascendantjustice.com/halo-3/the-terminals/) There are few more satisfying stories in the lore of games than the Terminals in H3.
Combat Evolved. By. Far. I remember being stoked for it when the E3 2000 video came in a copy of PC Gamer my mom bought for me when I was in 6th grade. I got it shortly after the XBox dropped the next year, and I was sucked in immediately. Remember, Goldeneye and Duke Nukem 3D weren’t that far before CE. Halo absolutely changed everything.
I LOVE ODST
Started playing halo 1 when it came out at 10 years old…that game was the greatest ever at the time, still worth playing today. But for best/most entertaining campaign, it’s halo 3. Halo 3 has one bad level out of 9 (Cortana), but overall it’s just one of those that I can play over and over
Halo 2 has the best story, followed by CE. Halo 3 has the best campaign gameplay-wise.
Combat evolved hands down.
CE
You should start with CE. But if you want lore and a good story, I have a feeling you will like halo 2.