I don't understand the hype behind this series nor the praise. I don't understand why critics find so special about it. Halo is a painfully average shooter, has mediocre gameplay, undeserved marketing hype from the media, generic and is absolutely nothing special.

Halo is completely generic and unispired, all you do in the game is shoot this and that and the repetitive level design gets on your nerves. The story is filled with every sci-fi cliche in the book, the main character is unimaginitive and bland with no personality. The multiplayer in these games are decent but it's inferior to Battlefield , Unreal Tournament, Call of Duty 4, and Tribes. Hell, the game barely did anything new or innovative. Halo is crap compared to most PC shooters.

Halo doesn't deserve the 10's and 9's its gotten from "professional" reviewers as the game seems more like a 5 or a 6, if they were going to give Halo a positive score it oughta be a 7 or a 8 but not a 9 and 10. Haze was just as unispired and generic as Halo but it got lower review scores and not as beloved.

I think the reason its popular is because a lot of people and Halo fans haven't played any FPS before Halo. Considering most of its fanbase consists of frat boys and moronic college students.

They're even better console shooters than Halo on the N64 like Turok, Goldeneye, and Perfect Dark. Halo belongs in the line of other average shooters like Resistance 1/2. Killzone 2, BioShock, Far Cry, and Crysis. Halo isn't a bad game but its not in the same league as Call of Duty, Deus Ex, System Shock 2, Unreal Tournament, Tribes, Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, Doom, No One Lives Forever, and most of all Half-Life. Halo is probably the most overrated game in existence and it's more overrated than GTAIV and Final Fantasy VII combined.

Whats so special about Halo?

Because it's fun as fuck.

Microsoft paid you to say that.  Don't lie.

Looking at games you listed as "great"...you are a PC gamer. Therefore you msot likely have no clue how to play halo.

Halo 3 with 3 freinds over at your place is more fun than nay FPS even made. Thats a fact.

Halo 1 single player wasnt generic when it came out in 2001. IT spanked 95% of single player games out there...half life being only one that compares.

Series didnt develop in single player route but in MP route...

In any case, trying to explain why halo is fun to a PC gamer is like pissing on a burning building fire...no point.

Desperate PC Gamer obviously - meh...

It's much worse than that. I've paid them to be able to say that.

Their over the top ragdoll physics bring a lot of love for the game online, and they even have the gravity hammer on top of 10 year olds cursing each other out. the point is, they are not going for realism, realism is ass imo, I hate simulator games. I hardly play any shooters on consoles though, it's mainly for the lawl factors if I do, and Halo 3 does have a lot of those lawl moments, when I still paid for XBL anyways. btw anybody who says the story is epic and book blahblahblah, gimme a break, story sucks and you shouldn't need books to back up your shitty story line with a ton of holes, just play it because you enjoy it for fuck sake.

A much more insightful answer then I was expecting.  Kudos!

Halo:CE was epic and deserved it.

Halo 2 was epic online and also deserved it.

Halo 3 was the most advertised and hyped game ever, and is the only Halo game what doesn't deserve it.

That is why

Halo: CE was great.
The cool kids started playing
became popular regardless of actual greatness
hyped to hell
paid reviewers..
so forth.