I realize this game series is very loved. I also realize that I don't like it and that I'm the minority. Despite this I want to explain why so that others who share my views will realize before spending money on this pack.

For starters, ignoring the games themselves, Xbox requires you to log in yet doesn't add the game to your Xbox library
Then there's the fact that a ton of settings are just way off - it doesn't pick your primary screen by default, mouse speed is WAY off from what it should be, rebinding keys was needlessly obtuse and you can't even pick weapon cycling by mouse wheel (at least not in the original game).

But then we get to the crux of the issue I have with this series. It spawned the "console FPS" which greatly affected my love for the genre in a negative way. For every one thing it did right, it corrupted at least one thing that made FPS less enjoyable.

- 2 weapon limit - atrocious & horrible
- weapons are not accurate & have huge aiming reticles forcing you to fight up close
- enemy AI was "ground breaking" at the time but is mainly unrealistic to the point where enemies jump out of the way of bullets. Ridiculous.
- the game is heavily scripted to the point where you feel you have no freedom
- the game consists of entering area, fighting waves of almost identical enemies with little tactics involved, then moving on

This is an arcade FPS and it shows. The lack of a range of weapons with each a function of their own means you're severely limited in combat tactics. The way the game pumps enemies at you also makes it feel like an arena shooter except way worse than games like Serious Sam where you have a multitude of weapons to chose from according to the enemy. In Halo you WILL end up with the wrong weapons in a lot of situations. Sure you can pick up alien guns but these are almost all terrible.

If I look at what makes me enjoy a FPS, it's exploration, using tactics to outsmart the opponent, getting to pick the right gun at the right time, uncovering secrets, fighting varied opponents, a solid story, finding pick ups & power ups, etc. and Halo has almost none of this. It's a pure action shooter, combat after combat, linear area after area. The story is decent but the combat is just .... boring. If I could find a mod that ramped up the accuracy of each gun it would massively improve the game in terms of gun satisfaction but it would still feel too simplistic and unsatisfying in other areas. Enemies are not satisfying either and don't get me started on the "Flood". Also the lack of pick ups & surprises makes the game feel incredibly generic.

I still believe the main claim to fame for Halo was the fact that it was a console FPS. As a PC gamer, Halo did nothing that appealed to me. Sure it had great co-op but remove that and you have a mediocre FPS with linear stages, wave after wave of uninspired enemies and tedious gun design.

I realize this game series is very loved. I also realize that I don't like it and that I'm the minority. Despite this I want to explain why so that others who share my views will realize before spending money on this pack. For starters, ignoring the games themselves, Xbox requires you to log in yet doesn't add the game to your Xbox library Then there's the fact that a ton of settings are just way off - it doesn't pick your primary screen by default, mouse speed is WAY off from what it should be, rebinding keys was needlessly obtuse and you can't even pick weapon cycling by mouse wheel (at least not in the original game). But then we get to the crux of the issue I have with this series. It spawned the "console FPS" which greatly affected my love for the genre in a negative way. For every one thing it did right, it corrupted at least one thing that made FPS less enjoyable. - 2 weapon limit - atrocious & horrible - weapons are not accurate & have huge aiming reticles forcing you to fight up close - enemy AI was "ground breaking" at the time but is mainly unrealistic to the point where enemies jump out of the way of bullets. Ridiculous. - the game is heavily scripted to the point where you feel you have no freedom - the game consists of entering area, fighting waves of almost identical enemies with little tactics involved, then moving on This is an arcade FPS and it shows. The lack of a range of weapons with each a function of their own means you're severely limited in combat tactics. The way the game pumps enemies at you also makes it feel like an arena shooter except way worse than games like Serious Sam where you have a multitude of weapons to chose from according to the enemy. In Halo you WILL end up with the wrong weapons in a lot of situations. Sure you can pick up alien guns but these are almost all terrible. If I look at what makes me enjoy a FPS, it's exploration, using tactics to outsmart the opponent, getting to pick the right gun at the right time, uncovering secrets, fighting varied opponents, a solid story, finding pick ups & power ups, etc. and Halo has almost none of this. It's a pure action shooter, combat after combat, linear area after area. The story is decent but the combat is just .... boring. If I could find a mod that ramped up the accuracy of each gun it would massively improve the game in terms of gun satisfaction but it would still feel too simplistic and unsatisfying in other areas. Enemies are not satisfying either and don't get me started on the "Flood". Also the lack of pick ups & surprises makes the game feel incredibly generic. I still believe the main claim to fame for Halo was the fact that it was a console FPS. As a PC gamer, Halo did nothing that appealed to me. Sure it had great co-op but remove that and you have a mediocre FPS with linear stages, wave after wave of uninspired enemies and tedious gun design.