Few gaming communities are as passionate as the Halo fanbase. These games revolutionized the FPS market with groundbreaking multiplayer offerings and great controls for a console. In celebration of Halo 2's tenth anniversary, 343 Industries decided to bundle all previous Halo games together in a bundle titled Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
When it released back in 2014, it was one of the buggiest video games ever released with dysfunctional multiplayer and game-breaking issues. After years of iteration, it is easily one of the best bundles ever created for FPS enthusiasts. Containing 6 Halo titles, there's something in the MCC for everyone. Here are all of the Halo titles ranked from worst to best available on Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
6 Halo 4
Halo 4 is the strangest game in The Master Chief Collection. 343 Industries created this installment instead of Bungie, leading to many strange design changes that alienated fans.
The Covenant took a back seat in this installment, giving way to the Promethean faction. It was fitting for the story 343 were trying to tell, but they presented themselves as uninspired cannon fodder in combat. Halo 4's campaign has plenty of great moments, but the game relies too much on convoluted cutscenes and external material to keep its plot enjoyable for casual Halo fans. As for multiplayer, 343 opted to incorporate more modern systems from games like Call of Duty such as customizable loadouts and killstreaks that granted power weapons. Fans hated the radical changes, resulting in Halo 4's player numbers dropping by over 75% a month after its launch. Firefight was also removed in exchange for Spartan Ops, an episodic cooperative game mode that never got the player base 343 were hoping for. Overall, Halo 4 was a massive departure for the series that did more to harm the Halo franchise than help it.
5 Halo 3: ODST
Originally planned as an expansion for Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST focuses on a group of ODST soldiers instead of Master Chief. This radical shift in direction could have been a recipe for disaster, but it was handled incredibly well.
Set in New Mombasa after the third campaign mission in Halo 2, players must explore the city to look for their scattered team. The open-ended nature of the environment and melancholy tone make for an unforgettable experience. Competitive multiplayer was missing in this installment, with Bungie instead opting for a wave-based horde mode named Firefight. While nothing original, Firefight scratched a repetitive PvE itch that fans came back for time and time again. Halo 3: ODST is an underrated gem that all Halo fans should experience.
4 Halo: Combat Evolved
Bungie's first Halo title made waves in the industry. Its brilliant use of aim-assist and solid gunplay made for a revolutionary FPS title that has been copied to death since.
Compared to today's standards, Halo: Combat Evolved has aged remarkably well. It might lack the large weapon sandbox of future titles, but Combat Evolved's use of open levels makes it a standout campaign compared to future titles. The reveal of the Flood is also one of the best levels in video game history. Its multiplayer has serious balance issues thanks to chain grenade explosions and the overpowered Magnum, but it offers a surprisingly large skill gap that future games would expand upon.
3 Halo: Reach
Prequels for most games are either fantastic or terrible. Thankfully, Halo: Reach sits firmly in the former category as a fantastic entry in the Halo series. Since this was Bungie's final Halo game, this game is packed with content.
Reach is all about a connected experience. Instead of playing a notable character such as Master Chief, players form their own Spartan with the alias of Noble 6. A campaign about the inevitable loss of Reach made for an emotional rollercoaster for many fans. Multiplayer saw many changes with the inclusion of Spartan Abilities and multiplayer levels that were ripped straight out of the campaign, bringing ire amongst many hardcore competitive Halo fans. However, it more than made up for this with the most robust Forge editor the series has seen alongside other community tools like File Share. It had its fair share of issues, but Halo: Reach set the bar for customization and community tools that 343 Industries are still trying to meet.
2 Halo 2
Competitive multiplayer wouldn't be where it is today without Halo 2. While not the first game to make use of Xbox Live, it was the game that made online multiplayer as an industry standard.
Halo 2's campaign put much more emphasis on a cinematic experience by utilizing cutscenes and dialogue much more than the last game. It also made large strides to flesh out the Covenant's motivations, allowing players to control an Elite. A cliffhanger ending is the only thing holding Halo 2's campaign back. As for multiplayer, it is near perfect. Fantastic multiplayer maps and game types sparked a passionate community that still exists today. The inclusion of dual-wielding and a whole host of new weapons also allowed for many more strategies. Halo 2 is easily one of the best Halo titles available on The Master Chief Collection that everyone should try.
1 Halo 3
No game on The Master Chief Collection is as comprehensive as Halo 3. Not only does Halo 3 have a fantastic campaign, but it also has one of the best multiplayer experiences out of any shooter. To top this off, Bungie also included Forge and Theater modes to give the community more control than ever before.
Players can play Master Chief through the whole campaign this time around, or they can play the Arbiter or other notable characters in cooperative matches. Besides a great narrative, the campaign went back to more open-ended mission design similar to the first Halo, which makes replaying the campaign with Skull modifiers or friends even more enjoyable. Multiplayer in Halo 3 is considerably slower than Halo 2's, removing the BXR Battle Rifle glitch and making weapons projectile-based instead of hit-scan. This raised the skill floor somewhat without compromising on the skill ceiling Halo is known for. Combined with the ability for players to create custom maps and modes thanks to Forge, Halo 3 is considered by many as the best Halo game ever made. The MCC upgrading this game with enhanced textures and 60 frames per second is the icing on this fantastic cake.