Only Halo 2 is a bit overrated. Everything else is spot on.

 i would have to agree here halo  2 wasnt what i was expecting, and  knowing how they stopped and started over in the design it makes sence. I will say that i kepp getting more and more pissed that at the cost of level design and size comes graphis this gen. no later halo level was really as good as The Silent Cartographer. i always hoped to see something like that bigger and badder. I do have to say ODST made me far happier then i had been in a long time with the story and level desing. there were some issues but damn it was fun

edit i refuse to play halo wars unless it shows up on PC, RTS never feel right on the console, ive tried so many there and its always fail.

Halo was amazing the first game changed the genre. Unfortunately after the first game the multiplayer has gotten better while the single player got worse. Still must give credit for single player, coop and the addictive online modes. Based on my reviews Halo would get a 9.5, Halo 2 8.9, Halo 3 9.0, Halo Wars 8.0, Halo ODST 8.5. So yes the games are great but like most great new ips it is hard to outdo the original.

+ 1.  I didn't particularly enjoy playing as an elite and switching back and forth broke up the story and the immersion.  H2's ending felt like a placeholder.      

OT:  Just because I don't do multi-player much doesn't mean it's not important.  MP has added almost infinite replay value to a set of solid, memorable campaigns.  Rating these games on sp level design or technical stats doesn't tell the whole story.  Yes, they deserve the accolades.

I think I played the multi-player of Halo 2 the most out of any game ever. However I think the best campaign was in Halo 3. Plus with 4 player co-op the replay value is unreal. I still haven't finished ODST so I can't really talk about that one. Also Halo Wars was ok for what it was but I've played better RTS games on a console like C&C3 or even LOTR:BFME. The only thing that made Halo Wars good at all was the storyline and being to use Halo units in an RTS.

halo CE is one of the best shooters ever.
2 and 3 are excelent, and worthey of parise, but they just weren't as ground breaking.
Halo 3 was awesome btw

They can be insanely fun to play but there isn't anything in particular i find extraordinary. I don't put much stock in critical acclaim

I thought playing as an Elite for the first time was pretty cool (level was sweet), but I agree that the switching between the characters was a bad idea.

Overall I have to say that Halo 2 simply has the worst and most repetitive level design out of all Halo games. I can count 1 really bad level in Halo CE (The Library) and one in Halo 3 (Cortana), but Halo 2 had at least 3 really bad levels.

Still great fun in co-op and online of course, so I would never say the game is mediocre, because it's still very good.

As if you've ever played it. Go take your tripe somewhere else.

My friends and I have a very different view of the Halo franchise than the one around here. Halo: CE was great, Halo 2 was better, and Halo 3 was a bit of a let down, though still good.