New to Halo, advice wanted

atomicsmurf

atomicsmurf

CAGiversary!
Feedback
14 (100%)
Hey guys, I'm new here, and new to Xbox360 and the Halo series. I have Halo Combat Evolved Anni. edition, and I'm loving it. Even more so now that I figured out how to use the updated graphics. Derp! But I found that I also really like firefight, since I don't have my box online (slow internet).

My question is, which Halo game should I get next? Halo Reach, Halo 3?

And what is the difference between Halo3, and Halo 3 ODST?

Thanks for any help and advice!
 
[quote name='atomicsmurf']Hey guys, I'm new here, and new to Xbox360 and the Halo series. I have Halo Combat Evolved Anni. edition, and I'm loving it. Even more so now that I figured out how to use the updated graphics. Derp! But I found that I also really like firefight, since I don't have my box online (slow internet).

My question is, which Halo game should I get next? Halo Reach, Halo 3?

And what is the difference between Halo3, and Halo 3 ODST?

Thanks for any help and advice![/QUOTE]

Well since you're new to the series and don't have online capibilites at the moment, I would recommend picking up Halo 2 and then 3, for the single player campaigns. Halo 2 is on the original Xbox, but it plays on 360 with no problems as far as I know.

I'm always a fan of going in order and not skipping around, but it doesn't matter too much I suppose. You can probably get both pretty cheaply though.
 
Wow! I wasn't expecting that. Okay, I shall try to acquire them all. lol Just checked my GS and BB and they don't have any Halo 2's in stock. :(

Any chance they'll rerelease Halo 2 with updated graphics like they did for Combat Evolved Halo?
 
I'm betting the new Halo 2 will be out next year. the work on Halo 4 is pretty much done. it's just bug hunting and cleaning up code. they can have plenty of team members working on Halo 2 privately.
 
Cool. Think I'll wait to buy 2 when it's rebuffed and shiny. I'd run out and buy Halo Reach now, but it's $39.99 USED last time I check my GS. WHY is the price so high? Yesterday it was listed as $24.95. Did they jack up the price for Halo 4?
 
If you're going to do Halo by timeline, it should be the prequel Halo Reach, then Halo 1, then 2, then 3, and then 4. However, Halo Reach, while a prequel, really has some details that assume you've played all the Halos before. So for someone new to the series, things will be a little confusing.

And then if you really wanted to, you can throw in Halo Wars which is before all of the above Halo games in terms of the timeline.

So by that reasoning, here's how I'd do it. Halo Wars, Halo Anniversary, Halo Reach, Halo 2, Halo 3, and then Halo 4. That gives you enough foundation for you to understand Reach and for Reach to give you a backstory leading up to Halo Anniversary.
 
I believe playing original xbox games requires having an (official) hard drive. The 4G Xbox without a hard drive won't do. FYI.
 
[quote name='dirtyvu']Halo Wars, Halo Anniversary, Halo Reach, Halo 2, Halo 3, and then Halo 4.[/QUOTE]
That leaves out ODST though, which has one of the best campaigns in the series...
 
You should probably play them in order of release. It just makes it a little bit easier on you, since the gameplay changes and graphical advancements in each game could be jarring if played out of order. It also makes sense to play them in the established release order, as they add to each others 'stories,' even if the stories contradict each other at points.

-Halo: Combat Evolved (Anniversary is fine, since it is the same game, just with a layer of graphics over it)
-Halo 2 (it's also available on PC, with achievements, if your computer can run it; multiplayer is still alive on it)
-Halo 3 (check my thread near the bottom of page 1 on the Xbox 360 section; I listed peoples Youtube videos showing how to play Halo 3 in 4 player split-screen if you have others to play with)
-Halo Wars
-Halo ODST
-Halo: Reach (also allows for 4 player split-screen if glitched)
-Halo 4

I thought you needed an internet connection and a hard drive to emulate Xbox games on the Xbox 360? Would he be able to play Halo 2?
 
Totally forgot about ODST. I didn't like that game. Story was slow. Too many levels could be skipped by rushing through without killing anything.

You do need the second partition with the emulator profiles to run Xbox1 games on the 360. But you can add that if you have a fake HDD. official Microsoft HDD's have all the correct partitions and files.

Halo 2 (as well as Halo 1) can still be played online through tunneling software like XBConnect. I played Halo 2 the other day with my friends. One friend and I played it on the original Xbox while the other friend played it on the 360. We were all on our own Xbox's. You can easily find tons of people playing Halo 2 online (most of them from South America where Xbox1 still has a big following and because 360 games are so expensive there so they play games like Halo 2). Halo 1 players are harder to find.

As for playing in release order, that's not necessary if controls are your reasoning. There are changes between all the titles forcing you to adjust. Halo 1 and Halo 2 are very similar except for dual wielding in H2. Reach controls are closer to Halo 1 than Halo 3. The biggest leap is from Halo 2 to Halo 3 as those controls are very different.
 
I also vote for you getting Halo 2 first if possible. Its relatively cheap on Amazon and helps give you a better feel for the story going into 3. Then I would play 3 and Reach (I skipped ODST myself so I dont really know what that has to offer)
 
The difference between Halo 3 and ODST is that Halo 3 continues the series. ODST gives you a side story by putting you in the boots of a different character in the series, mainly a squad of Helljumpers (one at a time of course). The UI is slightly different, and gameplay mechanics are similar but if you're a fan of mystery/film noiresqe stories, you'll enjoy ODST. Also, ODST was the first in the Halo series to include firefight, so you'll be able to enjoy the evolution of the mode throughout the series.
[quote name='dirtyvu']Totally forgot about ODST. I didn't like that game. Story was slow. Too many levels could be skipped by rushing through without killing anything.[/QUOTE]
You have to keep in mind that there was a different focus of the game. Because you play as a "normal human", you have to have a different mindset and playstyle going into the game. You're not going to be rushing headon into battle due to the main characters not being super soldiers; you get to pick and choose your battles, and therefore have that ability to simply skip/avoid some of the battles in the game. That being said, you can also choose to fight and kill everything as you would if you WERE the Master Chief, but once again you have to use a different set of tactics because you're slightly more vulnerable than the Chief is.


As for the order of playing the games, there's two main orders you can play: story order, and release order.

Story order: Halo Reach, Halo 2, Halo ODST, then Halo 3.
Release order: Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo ODST, Halo Reach.

Personally, I'd suggest a mixture of the two: Halo 2, Halo ODST, Halo 3, Then Halo Reach. Reach last because there's several references that are made that will make more sense if you've played the rest first. Also while you're at it, if you're really invested in the story and like to read, I'd pick up Halo: The Fall of Reach, First Strike, and Ghosts of Onyx. Fall of Reach gives you more insight as to the Master Chief's background and what happened to the rest of Reach, First Strike bridges the events between Halo 1 and 2, and Ghosts of Onyx semi-bridges Halo 3 and Halo 4, the rest of that story is slowly being released as a series in the next few years. If you don't read them, it's okay because the games tell the story really well, but reading the books give you better insight as to why things happen the way they do.

If you want even more backstory, another trilogy is being written which I highly endorse, as it's well written and talks about the forerunners. Cryptum and Primordium are the first two in the series. The last is being released sometime this year.

TL;DR ODST mystery style Halo game, with a different main character and starts the firefight mode. Suggested order: Halo 2, ODST, Halo 3, Reach. You should read the books as well, preferably in order (Fall of Reach and First Strike before Halo 2, Ghosts of Onyx after Halo 3/before playing Halo 4).
 
What difficulty are you playing them on? ODST has a health system similar to Halo: Reach and Halo: Combat Evolved. 2 and 3 abandon this with just shields. The health system is slightly more forgiving in Halo ODST and Halo: Reach than in Halo, as it can regenerate depending on the level of damage.

Playing ODST after 3 and before Reach would be better because you'd be more familiar with the health setup.
 
Play REACH whatever you do play reach end or beginning, doesnt matter. I just did this recently got a 360 and me and my brother played thro them in a few months. I also heavily recommend co-op. In reach use the grunt birthday skull it'll make the game 00% better.
 
Thanks for the links to those prices for Halo Reach, unfortunately I only buy stuff online with money orders. :( I will be checking my Walmart for Halo Reach today. They seem to be the cheapest place to get it. If they don't have it I'll see if they can ship to my store from the warehouse.

That leaves a game I can trade at GameStop for the cheaper ODST or 3.

My console is the 250gb with kinect bundle. I dunno if that will support playing Halo 2. I'm not very techy-savvy. Anybody?

I'm sooo looking forward to picking up some more Halo games. I just beat Gears1 yesterday so I can concentrate on beating Halo Combat Evolved now.

PS Somebody asked what difficulty I play on... the easiest first to get a feel for the game. Then I may try normal, if I do a second play through.

Thanks for the help guys! You're awesome!
 
[quote name='atomicsmurf']Thanks for the links to those prices for Halo Reach, unfortunately I only buy stuff online with money orders. :( I will be checking my Walmart for Halo Reach today. They seem to be the cheapest place to get it. If they don't have it I'll see if they can ship to my store from the warehouse.

That leaves a game I can trade at GameStop for the cheaper ODST or 3.

My console is the 250gb with kinect bundle. I dunno if that will support playing Halo 2. I'm not very techy-savvy. Anybody?

I'm sooo looking forward to picking up some more Halo games. I just beat Gears1 yesterday so I can concentrate on beating Halo Combat Evolved now.

PS Somebody asked what difficulty I play on... the easiest first to get a feel for the game. Then I may try normal, if I do a second play through.

Thanks for the help guys! You're awesome![/QUOTE]

You should definitely be able to run halo 2 on that. I have a 250 GB Slim that plays it just fine.
 
[quote name='Crazyglitcher']The difference between Halo 3 and ODST is that Halo 3 continues the series. ODST gives you a side story by putting you in the boots of a different character in the series, mainly a squad of Helljumpers (one at a time of course). The UI is slightly different, and gameplay mechanics are similar but if you're a fan of mystery/film noiresqe stories, you'll enjoy ODST. Also, ODST was the first in the Halo series to include firefight, so you'll be able to enjoy the evolution of the mode throughout the series.

You have to keep in mind that there was a different focus of the game. Because you play as a "normal human", you have to have a different mindset and playstyle going into the game. You're not going to be rushing headon into battle due to the main characters not being super soldiers; you get to pick and choose your battles, and therefore have that ability to simply skip/avoid some of the battles in the game. That being said, you can also choose to fight and kill everything as you would if you WERE the Master Chief, but once again you have to use a different set of tactics because you're slightly more vulnerable than the Chief is.[/QUOTE]
That's pretty much what I liked about ODST. You were an elite trooper but much more human than a Spartan, and the noir moodiness (not to mention the noir-esque soundtrack!) is great. I also liked that you were often alone, as opposed to having Cortana et al. relaying information to you all the time, but I suppose that's part of the whole noir/mystery angle.

I didn't like that it was easy to play the different segments out of order, thanks in part to the framing device using a big open-world type map, and that if you want to play the campaign again, all the "Sadie's Story" audio files you'd found don't have to be sought out again, but it's still one of my favorite games in the series.

I played them all in release order, and noticed that even with the jumps back and forth in the storyline, various elements, enemies, etc. have been added with each new game in such a way that playing them in chronological order might be somewhat disorienting. Crazyglitcher's suggestion to play ODST before 3 is an intriguing one, though; I wonder if 3's story would've made more sense to me at the time if I had done that.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well, I picked up Reach for $29 at Walmart. As soon as some cash comes in I'll trade in Crysis 2 for Halo 3 at GS. That's leaves ODST, 2, and 4. Don't think I'll get Halo Wars cos, isn't that mostly for online strategy gaming? Or is there an offline campaign.
 
^^ Thanks for that! I have it bookmarked. :)

You know the only thing I don't like about Halo is that I get lost without a marker pointing me where to go, espeically on maps of the interior ships and bases. lol I was running around in circles last night trying to find my way back out of a base. It was pathetic. lol

Hey! MtlTom! I'm in Orlando too!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I wouldn't play Reach before any of the others if only for the final mission. I don't think it would have the same impact by skipping around the series.
 
[quote name='atomicsmurf']Well, I picked up Reach for $29 at Walmart. As soon as some cash comes in I'll trade in Crysis 2 for Halo 3 at GS. That's leaves ODST, 2, and 4. Don't think I'll get Halo Wars cos, isn't that mostly for online strategy gaming? Or is there an offline campaign.[/QUOTE]
Halo Wars has an offline campaign. In general, it's pretty good for a console RTS.

[quote name='Corvin']I wouldn't play Reach before any of the others if only for the final mission. I don't think it would have the same impact by skipping around the series.[/QUOTE]
Excellent point.
 
You can also play Halo 2 on the pc, it has achievements if you like that kind of stuff. You can use an xbox controller, but you have to buy the wireless dongle.

Don't skip Halo 2, you can find it on the cheap anywhere. If you have a good enough computer to run it, play it on the pc. It still has the servers online for multiplayer, if you get a better internet connection.

Don't skip Halo Wars either, same people that made Age of Empires made Halo Wars. Too bad it was Ensemble's last game, cause the campaign was great and multiplayer was a lot of fun as well. Very easy to get used to the controls, if you end up liking it try out Civilization Revolution, another great console rts.

1.Halo
2.Halo 2
3.Halo 3
4.Halo ODST
5.Halo Reach
6.Halo Wars

Have fun, best series around hands down. Try to beat them all on legendary by yourself, adds even more fun to the game!!
 
Playing them in release order is the only way to go. I never understood the notion of playing a "chronological timeline". Prequels and interquels are released with the context and background of the other games deliberately.
 
[quote name='atomicsmurf']

Hey! MtlTom! I'm in Orlando too![/QUOTE]
Small word :D

Also if anyone wants to play Reach feel free to message or add me on XBLA. I've been playing a lot more lately in anticipation of Halo 4. I have all the DLC (including the anniversary pack) & I'd also love to knock out the last few achievements I'm missing.
 
Good luck getting the Defiant map requiring achievements. Since they removed the Squad DLC playlist there's little chance of playing them. Good job, 343i.

When I did play Squad DLC, though, I never played a Defiant Map in the playlist. It's as if no one bought it. So it's really the community's fault.

Halo 3 and Reach really handled incorporating the DLCs poorly. Hopefully this will be corrected in Halo 4.
 
This thread was awesome to read, as I am highly anticipating Halo 4, and have been dying to play some Reach again, but can't because I don't have my xbox atm. Thanks for the info on ODST, and Halo Wars, definitely might buy those now! Despite beating all the other Halo's long ago.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top