Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)

Best: The vibes. Halo started off as a generic first-person shooter, its first level set entirely on a bog-standard, drab, gray spaceship. Then you, as supersoldier Master Chief, crash-land on a freaking ringworld. From there, you shoot your way through a never-ending procession of interesting environments: lush jungles, frozen canyons, space-Brutalist temples, even the violet-hued hallways of an extraterrestrial spaceship that puts the boring old human one to shame. Master Chief’s first outing was intriguing and mysterious and hinted at something grander without explicitly revealing too much (that came later).

Worst: The pistol. This is sacrilege to devotees, but fuuuuck Halo: Combat Evolved’s pistol. Sure, it was a blast to use, powerful AF, with a decent scope and a pretty steady ammo reserve. But the thing was so good it discouraged experimentation with the rest of the game’s arsenal (a shame, given the slew of unique weapons like the ferocious, pink-mist-firing needler). And it was way too overpowered for competitive play, essentially pulling double duty as a miniature hand cannon that worked at any range. I’m glad this relic is gone.