Whether you love the franchise or hate it, Halo is undeniably the lifeblood of Microsoft's gaming console. The original Halo not only propelled console first-person shooters to what they are today, it served as the most compelling reason to pick up and Xbox. If it wasn't for Halo, the original Xbox likely would have failed, resulting in no Xbox Live and likely no level of online gaming even close to what we have today. Sure, games like Call of Duty and Battlefield are stealing some of the spotlight, but no other franchise can even come close to accomplishing as much for the console FPS genre as Halo. As such, it deserves recognition as the best console first-person shooter franchise of all time.
If you still aren't convinced, here are five reasons why it deserves the title:
5. Open-Ended Gameplay - Let's face it, the Call of Duty franchise is essentially a roller coaster ride, where the player is guided from one exciting moment to the next. While they look cool, the set piece moments are scripted and there is little the player can do change the flow of the campaign. On the other hand, the Halo series has prided itself on providing players with much more expansive environments that they can then choose to tackle however they see fit. While the set piece moments may not be quite as epic as your typical run of the mill shooter, they certainly are a heck of a lot more rewarding.
4. A Rich and Intriguing Universe - From the mythology behind the Forerunners and the Halos, to the ever ensuing internal conflict between the Brutes and Elites, there's so much sci-fi goodness here it isn't even funny. Bungie struck the perfect balance between blending the real with fantasy to create a package that not only resonates with gamers, but also provides a sense of escape. Most other shooters fail in this sense simply because they are over-the-top and can't be taken seriously. In addition, the military flavor of many of today's popular shooters doesn't necessarily provide the same level of escape from real world issues that Halo manages to accomplish.
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