• Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

Which campaign is the worst?

  • Halo 2

    Votes: 109 9.6%
  • Halo 3

    Votes: 26 2.3%
  • Halo Reach

    Votes: 44 3.9%
  • Halo 4

    Votes: 279 24.5%
  • Halo 5

    Votes: 683 59.9%

  • Total voters
    1,141

BAD

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,566
USA
We're going to say not Halo 1 only because the poll can only be 5 answers and based on review scores and influence it is unlikely to have lost such a poll anyway.

So which is the worst and why?

It's Halo 5: Guardians - the controversial split character campaign of Halo 2 without the charm of glimpsing the Covenant. Chief is out of character in his team spirit role, the Spartan concept hardly resembles the ominous and mysterious program it was once hinted to be in the games.

But above all - it's ugly. 343 Industries has a penchant for overzealous bad coloring with disgusting hues of taupe and teal and orange - as if they didn't even pick a palette and worked on the fly. Some cited problems with their redone art for the Anniversary remasters, but this really takes it somewhere new. Almost every level, save for maybe two, are among the shittiest and most generic sci-fi looking levels the series have seen.
 

ASleepingMonkey

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
4,497
Iowa
Halo 5 is just the biggest kick in the balls. Doesn't even come close, everything else at least has some fleeting enjoyment.
 

scabobbs

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,106
5 was my least favorite but i didnt get to play Reach. 5 has a terrible antagonist (that you fight like 6 times), and a terrible cliff hanger ending that tries something with the story that does not work at all, and they definitely do not earn it
 

jviggy43

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
18,184
5 and its not even close. 4 would be second. The rest are all excellent even if they have their issues.
 

EndlessNever

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,890
Halo 5 is by far and wide the worst. Maybe it's because of the marketing added into it before release and how misleading it was as well.
 

joeyjoejoe99

Member
Oct 30, 2017
34
5 is worst, although I really liked Halo 4's campaign and thought it was a great setup with the librarian and additional lore being introduced... if only the diadact wasn't killed in a comic off screen and Cortana's death wasn't cheapened with H5 having her come back
 

Miker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,022
I don't see how it's not Halo 4. For all its problems, Halo 5 fixed a lot of the more systemic issues that were pervasive in Halo 4. Prometheans, regardless of what you think of their design, are much easier to take down. Weapon variety is vastly improved and you usually have a good amount of ammo for each weapon. Battlefields are larger overall. And it all runs at a rock solid 60 fps. Halo 4 was a chore to play in comparison.
 

Snake Eater

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
11,385
Halo 5 by far, the repeat boss battles, embarrassing Cortana story, most generic protagonist in gaming history being the main character...
 

golem

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,878
Easily Halo 5. All the interesting stuff setup in 4? Tossed out the window. Major events? Relegated to the comics. Terrible antagonist and boss fights? Check. Heel turn for beloved character? Why not. New characters with zero personality? Of course.
 

R dott B

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,136
Halo 5 was the worst Halo SP...Hell...The worst Halo game

The marketing was more interesting than the campaign.
 

BlinkBlank

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,226
Halo 5. 4 was okay, but I think that was the 2nd weakest. Halo 3: ODST is my favorite Halo: Campaign, it was different enough to breath some fresh life into the series, but still true to the core of the series.
 
Oct 27, 2017
6,411
I haven't played 5, but 3's bored me to tears. Those Cortana segments were so fucking bad.

Actually, ODST's was definitely awful too.
 

gordofredito

Banned
Jan 16, 2018
2,992
From worst to okay:
-Terrible campaigns-
  • Halo 5, not even a contest
  • Halo 4, borefest. 343i shows its true colors, they suck
-Meh-
  • Halo ODST
  • Halo CE
-Okay/Good- (no particular order)
  • Halo 2
  • Halo 3
 
Oct 29, 2017
808
I literally just finished 4 for the first time a few days ago. Mid section was a bit 'eh' but overall I enjoyed the campaign.

That level with the Mammoth was awesome.
 

Novocaine

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,946
As much as I love Halo 5 it's gotta be the worst campaign. Warden Eternal just sucks.

C'mon 343, gimme a badass 6 campaign. That's all 5 was missing, a good campaign. I know you can nail it.
 

PlanetSmasher

The Abominable Showman
Member
Oct 25, 2017
115,920
Halo 4 and 5 are both pretty bad. I didn't like ODST either.

Reach and 2 are probably my favorites. 3 would be up there, but it ends so badly. I will never forgive Bungie for wasting the Gravemind and the rampant Cortana arc in that game.
 

SlightlyLive

QA
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
756
Northern Ireland
I tried and wanted to enjoy 5, but it never happened. 4 was a huge disappointment, but 5 was just worse. Shame too since they game-play and sandbox was really polished but it didn't even feel like a Halo game.
 

PROh1bited

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
3,702
5 for me. It's the only one I've ever not gone back to, to beat on legendary. Really never cared for Locke or his side of the story.
 

Unknown

Member
Oct 29, 2017
260
Halo 5,
A game with so much to say yet so little worth saying.

Constant bombardment of exposition and filler dialog
 

Van Bur3n

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
26,089
Easily Halo 5. Marketing misled fans into believing it was an interesting and unique plot, that was in actuality nothing like it but rather a boring one with too many plot points and characters that required too much outside context from other material to find them interesting (when they are not interesting). On top of that, I found the enemy encounters to be the furthest thing from fun and more so annoying and sloppy. It doesn't help that the Promethean enemies were bad enough as it was in Halo 4. They became ten times more infuriating to combat in Halo 5.
 

Forerunner

Resetufologist
The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
14,675
It's between four and five. The level design and encounters were better in five, but four had a better story (which still wasn't great).

Picking four because five had the better game play.
 

TheBaldwin

Member
Feb 25, 2018
8,295
Ironically, i would have chosen 1 and i have not played 5.

For me its 3-> Reach -> ODST -> 4 -> 2 -> 1.

I don't see how it's not Halo 4. For all its problems, Halo 5 fixed a lot of the more systemic issues that were pervasive in Halo 4. Prometheans, regardless of what you think of their design, are much easier to take down. Weapon variety is vastly improved and you usually have a good amount of ammo for each weapon. Battlefields are larger overall. And it all runs at a rock solid 60 fps. Halo 4 was a chore to play in comparison.

loved some of the missions and visual deisgn of 4, plus the story of chief and cortana i honestly thought was amazing, espcially in the context of the writers intentions.
 

Vinc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,387
5 by a landslide, 4 being second. Those are the two legitimately average / bad ones.

Then it goes Reach < 2 < 1 < 3, all 4 of those being good (Reach) to absolutely amazing (1 and 3).
 
Oct 25, 2017
7,513
Easy answer for me is 5. It used to be 4, but they made a worse one right after. The marketing contributed to it, and shoving an uninteresting character like Locke down our throats was a huge mistake. The main protagonist of the game and he was terribly fleshed out, the supporting characters were more interesting then him. Also the Prometheans are still a terrible enemy to fight, so boring and not satisfying to shoot at.
 

jelly

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
33,841
Halo 5 then Halo 4 then Halo 2.

Halo 3 has some great levels and scale but garbage weapons.

ODST, that pistol :D Still up there with the best of them and a good set of characters and levels.

Halo Reach is a great best of collection that doesn't quite hit Halo 3 levels and has too many Firefight set ups but overall really good.

Halo CE has a superb sandbox, mystery and pacing. Great weapon feel, enemy feedback but the repetitive levels really grate now.
 

Robin

Restless Insomniac
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,503
It's 5 without a doubt, but 4 is quite bad as well. It still pains me remembering just how hollow the campaign of 4 felt. The direction they wanted to take it in was SORT of interesting but the way the Covenant were barely touched on at all was truly sad, and even worse was how devoid of feeling the level structure was. Halo 1, 2, 3, ODST, and Reach all had moments of majesty and wonder. Halo 4 had nothing of the sort. Just corridor after corridor and a total lack of transition or atmosphere.

I think that 343 could make a promising Halo game, but it hasn't happened yet.
 

Coolduderedux

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,481
Oh hai! Are we talking about worst Halo campaigns? Don't start without me

warden-eternal-708x398-d6bceaf9d7c240c99cf6706a16644817.jpg
 

Deleted member 16908

Oct 27, 2017
9,377
I love fighting the same boss over and over again!

Ugh.
 
Oct 25, 2017
7,523
If we're talking mostly about the story then Halo 5 and then Halo 2.

Halo 4 was probably the one I least enjoyed playing (Prometheans were no fun to fight at all) but the story was pretty well done.

I'm quietly optimistic for Halo 6, Halo 5 laid the groundwork in terms of good controls and making the game look gorgeous and the multiplayer is the best since Halo 2. Halo 4 story had some great moments.

If 343 can put it all together then they definitely have the potential to create something fantastic.
 

Moist_Owlet

Banned
Dec 26, 2017
4,148
5 is offensively bad and not just bad for a halo game, but one of the worst shooter campaigns I've ever played. Boring enemies, shitty boss fights, terrible story. It's unbelievable how badly 343 messed this up.
 

Cranster

Prophet of Truth
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,788
If we're talking mostly about the story then Halo 5 and then Halo 2.

Halo 4 was probably the one I least enjoyed playing (Prometheans were no fun to fight at all) but the story was pretty well done.

I'm quietly optimistic for Halo 6, Halo 5 laid the groundwork in terms of good controls and making the game look gorgeous and the multiplayer is the best since Halo 2. Halo 4 story had some great moments.

If 343 can put it all together then they definitely have the potential to create something fantastic.
What? Halo 2's story was awesome. Halo 3 on the other hand has the worst story in comparison.
 
Oct 31, 2017
9,627
To me, it's easily Halo 4.

The Warden in H5 sucks, but overall and outside of that, I thought the campaign of 5 was much better than 4's. The levels are typically more open than 4 and I think the combat scenarios and general combat mechanics themselves are much more enjoyable than 4's too.

Halo 4 is literally just linear corridor > button/switch > linear corridor. While Halo 5's campaign is a lot of linear levels too, it's a little bit more wide and so that helps. It also helps that I think the shooting and Covenant/Prometheans are both more fun to fight in 5 than 4.
 

AM_LIGHT

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
3,728
This makes sense, bought an X a while ago and started playing halo 5 because of the X support, ( never played any halo before) couldn't play more than hour it was boring to me , maybe I'll wait for MCC to come to gamepass to experience halo properly.