The Best Halo Campaign Isn’t Anywhere Near Being the Most Popular One

If you ask a Halo fan what their favorite part of any game from the iconic sci-fi series is, they will more than likely tell you it’s the campaign. Alongside multiplayer, the single-player campaigns of Halo titles are legendary, containing great stories, level design, combat arenas, and more. The most popular ones are usually remembered for great moments, but one often gets overlooked by comparison.

To many, Halo 2 has the greatest campaign that players can ask for. The Master Chief’s battle against the Prophet of Regret, the discovery of a second Halo ring, and levels as the Covenant Arbiter all make pretty strong cases for why Halo 2‘s campaign is often tied to tons of nostalgia. With Halo: The Master Chief Collection remastering Halo 2‘s campaign with beautifully recreated cutscenes, improved visuals, and enhanced gameplay, even more fans tout Halo 2‘s campaign as an unrivaled experience.

Halo 2’s Campaign Is One Of The Best, But It Has Its Problems

The story of Halo 2 is undeniably iconic, with a number of incredible moments. Missions as The Arbiter are unique, with you playing with Covenant allies to fight in new ways. Meanwhile, The Master Chief goes through some of the greatest set pieces in the series, from broken down metropolis streets of New Mombasa, the ruins of the new Halo ring, to the sci-fi space station of High Charity in the heart of the Covenant. While likely the most popular Halo campaign, it is far from perfect.

For starters, the balance of the campaign is far harder than many others in the series, with far more challenges than you’d expect. Deadly Jackal snipers come to mind, with their impeccable aim causing far more respawns than fans may be willing to admit. Furthermore, there are strange vehicle sections at times, sometimes overwhelming you with enemy forces as you try to accomplish objectives. With vehicle controls not being as defined as they would be in future games, these parts of the game could get frustrating easily.

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This difficulty translated to how many enemies from Halo 2 spawned in each level too. Some missions had you slog through battles against seemingly whole armies, especially when The Flood gets introduced later. As shielded Elites gave way to rampaging Brutes during some of the final levels, these enemies were even deadlier, charging straight toward you to make firefights even harder to survive. Legendary difficulty was almost a guaranteed death sentence as a result, rather than a fun challenge.

Halo 2‘s biggest criticism was its cliffhanger ending, but that isn’t as much of an issue anymore with Halo 3‘s existence. That being said, the short length of Halo 2‘s campaign does make it shorter than nearly every other title in the series, causing some disappointment. Later levels are also far less intricate than earlier ones, with the game’s mission design degrading somewhat as you get closer and closer to the credits.

Halo 3 & Halo: Reach Are Arguably Stronger Campaigns From Start To Finish

There are good points to suggest that Halo 3 or Halo: Reach have stronger campaigns than Halo 2, mainly for how their conclusions and difficulty are structured by comparison. Halo 3 is the end of the main Master Chief trilogy, having some of the best missions in the franchise that players look back on fondly. To this day, the final Warthog drive of Halo 3 is considered one of the best levels of any FPS, or any game for its music, stakes, and action.

On the other hand, Halo: Reach is such a strong departure from Halo in its campaign. Halo: Reach‘s missions feel like real military operations, desperately trying to prevent the worst outcomes as The Covenant invade. With a custom character Noble 6 taking center stage, there is an even greater personal investment in the story too. As tragic character deaths continue to emphasize continued sacrifices, the heavy themes of Halo: Reach are fascinating to experience. It also helps that Halo: Reach‘s difficulty feels more dynamic, with intelligent AI that have clear weaknesses that reward smart players.

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Although both are easier games, Halo 3 and Halo: Reach offer longer, more complete experiences in some ways. Longer levels and more variety in mission design, such as Halo: Reach‘s space sections, help elevate these two games’ campaigns to a much higher degree than they’re given credit for. Some fans may still prefer Halo 2‘s campaign, but equal praise to Halo 3 and Halo: Reach help craft a series with many excellent single-player stories.

What Halo campaign is your favorite? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!