I'll rate Halo 3> Halo 1> Halo 2 based on Single player Campaign.

As For Online Gameplay I'll go with Halo 3 as well. Halo 2 is just as fun
and i just love the maps in Halo 2 more than Halo 3.

Am i the only one who thought 2 was the best?!

i accept the end was shite, but come-on!

Halo 1 > Halo 2 > Halo 2.5

yeah i went there

I have to assume we are weighting these opinions based on time period? Because deciding what to play today, obviously 3 is the choice. However, comparing Halo:CE at it's release to either of the other 2 is totally unfair.

Halo:CE was a game WITHOUT MATCH when it was released. It was hands down the greatest FPS and it was a phenomenon. It was the single greatest factor that allowed the Xbox to survive. And for good reason. It was amazing.

Flash forward, Halo 2 and Halo 3 were good games in their own right, but even I, as a big Halo fan cannot rightly say that they gave me anywhere near the same feeling as Halo:CE.

And the feel of Halo:CE. You felt truely alone against the world. You felt like you travelled through that entire ring, and fought off the covenant by yourself. By not switching characters, having virtually no cut scenes and barely a scrap of non-first person shots, the single player pulled you in like no other FPS I've played. And then the multiplayed... for the time.. amazing. How many Halo parties did guys haul their X-boxes and TVs over to? I can't even count how many.

Halo 1, no contest.

Halo 2 was the biggest jump, adding in the online support to make it truely amazing too.

Halo 3 was good, but for the time, probably the least impressive of the three.

Halo CE on PC.

Maybe you'd like to explain us why you think Halo 2 is the best ?

Seriously Halo without co-op is just a fail

This is the answer you are looking for.

Mods can close the thread now...

First is best SP wise.
Third is best multi player wise.

That seems to be the general consensus, although some people will say the second one was the best MP wise outside of forge.

I concur 100 percent.  Excellent post Barozi. 

And to whoever said Halo CE was the most balanced.....sniper pistol is epic failure for Halo CE multiplayer.