7. Halo 2

Zack: Halo 2 is a great game, even if almost everything in it is better or more polished in Halo 3. Still, it’s impressive that this game even works on an original Xbox and it helped pioneer much of what would become Xbox Live. It also introduced the Arbiter and expanded on so many parts of Halo lore, like the Flood. I still hate, hate, hate the ending, but when you remember that Bungie basically made the whole game in less than a year, it’s wild that it turned out so great. It also explains why some chunks of the campaign feel like they are missing levels. (It’s because a lot got cut while finishing Halo 2.)

Ari: Zack and are split on the ending (it’s so badass!) but, despite being a longtime Halo fan, I had no clue about the production woes surrounding Halo 2. In that light, huh, yeah, some plot moments in Halo 2 could’ve squared a bit better. Still, realizing you get to play as the Arbiter was a hall-of-fame moment. And Halo 2’s battle rifle is to this day the finest battle rifle in the series.