halo: combat evolved revolutionized gaming in the 2000s, establishing the xbox as a viable competitor for sony's playstation which had long dominated the market. in part, this was due to halo's pioneering of online matchmaking, smooth gameplay, popularization of dual analog sticks and the birth of community built competitive multiplayer- however, in my eyes, halo brings much more to the table than technology and innovation.

halo: ce brought forth halo's unique artstyle and level design, placing you in the boots of the master chief as he enters the stage amidst the human-covenant war alongside cortana, a smart ai created by doctor halsey, the same scientist who engineered the spartan II program of which the master chief was apart of. while it is not as in depth in its storytelling as its successors, it opened the floodgates for the halo trilogy by acquiring worldwide popularity and intrigue.

following the success of halo: ce, we saw the release of halo 2- a testament to bungie's capabilities who were massively rushed throughout the production of the sequel due to microsoft's eagerness to capitalize on the original xbox's last major holiday season prior to the release of the xbox 360. bungie developers were forced to pool together as much time as they could, sacrificing personal time and wellbeing to meet the deadlines by completing the game. despite this, halo 2 provided a masterful campaign delivering depth into the background for the human-covenant war and gave the community exactly what they needed. we saw the development of existing characters such as cortana, sergeant johnson and the master chief as well as the introduction of new characters like lord hood, miranda keyes (the daughter of captain jacob keyes from halo: ce), the arbiter and the reveal of the covenant hierarchs- prophets of truth, regret, and mercy. halo 2 also introduces us to the nigh-omniscient ruler of the parasitic flood species introduced in halo: ce, the gravemind. halo 2 also gives us as players our first chance to play as another species; giving us missions where we play as the arbiter, fighting heretics in the name of the covenant and eventually learning of its hypocrisy and leading a revolution against them. halo 2 also expanded upon the success of halo: ce's competitive multiplayer, leading to wide-scale halo competitive leagues and was the first game to introduce skill-based matchmaking which now sees usage across all games with ranked modes.

halo 2's character developments, story depth, and competitive matchmaking innovations all set the stage for what would become the single greatest halo game to ever be produced; the reason to own an xbox 360 back then and, in my eyes, the best game to ever be released.

HALO 3