Do any of the Halo games deserve the popularity and critical acclaim?

[d21lewis]

Personally, I missed out on Halo 1 and 2. I bought Halo 3, and I was in awe. I had to go back and buy the first 2! I'm not one of those guys that was burned out by years of Halo goodness. On its their own merits, I'm going to say: YES!!