A solid all-rounder of a game - vastly overrated.
The Good
Solid gameplay
Accessible control layout
Polished graphics
The Bad
Movement is too heavy-handed
Weapon variation is minimal
Too much health
Damage curve too slow
Hit recognition satisfaction is non-existent
As far as console FPS goes, Halo's storyline is better than you'd expect. Too often does FPS focus solely on blowing stuff up, with no substance. But I will say Halo has done a slap-up job of creating an interesting and varied world. It's obviously a selling point of the game.
But when it come to the meat and bone of an FPS - multiplayer will be the benchmark decider of a game of this nature.
The problem is when you meet an enemy head on in a firefight - which will happen inevitably and often (given Halo's large map sizes and linearity) the relative skills of the players seem lost.
Say you meet someone with the exact weapon setup as you do. More often than not, both your shields will deplete at an even rate, leaving the killing shot to be decided by who had a slight bead on the other first. Now I'm all for proper map knowledge and knowing where to be a what time - but where you hit someone has utterly no bearing on the outcome of a firefight until the shields are gone.
This leaves you being ALMOST killed EVERY TIME. Even if you've had headshot after headshot - its only in those last couple of split moments that this counts.
From an FPS you want skill to be the deciding factor. With Halo, its who brought the bigger gun to the firefight.
SWAT mode sorted this - but all too often the voting system will mean players opt for the stock game options (or snipers).
An FPS should be quick of the mark - and unforgiving at best. Halo is slow.
Team gameplay is also hard to come by in the public servers. Most favouring a lone-wolf perspective - and who can blame them - when your character can bounce the height of a building.
I'm not saying Halo is a terrible game - its fun, no doubt - get a few of the guys round and have some split screen and you'll be cackling at the screen like a rabid hyena in no time at all. But for the individual gamer, Halo's multiplayer lacks the crystal sheen of excellence that was so widely anticipated.
FPS is all about feel. It should feel like you've truely outmatched your opponents at every turn. This just aint the case. Satisfaction with Halo is at a minimal - even the death of another player is merely heralded by a slight "uhhhhhh ohhhhhhh blehhggg". It just doesn't give me that feeling of power.
Additionally, I know that the RPG elements of modern day FPS are important. Unlocks and such can really bring some interest to this type of game. But what did Halo do - armour unlocks.... a slightly bigger shoulderpad is your reward for hours of online dominance - and I don't know about you, but I certainly don't notice someone's armour when I am mashing the melee button at them. Some more quirky unlocks would've been nice - even if it was just a lobby reward or small weapon skin change. Bungie have just been lazy there.
So therefore, in summary - a highly polished game no doubt - but it lacks the visceral elements that can truly mean the difference between a good shooter, and a great one.