Halo was the first “modern” FPS for consoles. It gave us the current dual thumbstick layout.
Halo: Combat Evolved-
Graphics- amazing for 2001.
Storyline- easy to follow, and had everything there for the super nerds (myself included.)
Multiplayer- brought the deathmatch (for consoles) out of the Goldeneye days, made it fun and entertaining. Allowed for system link, hilarity ensued.
This is the game that sold Xbox’s for Microsoft.
Halo 2-
Basically revolutionized Xbox Live, took what was great about Halo’s multiplayer and put it on steroids. Max players doubled from 8 to 16. Made Xbox Live successful for Microsoft. Dual Wielding was a nice addition.
Halo 3-
Not my favorite (that’s Halo 2 for its MP). Graphics were sexy, but it was super hyped, didn’t live up to it for me. Storyline was still awesome, gameplay was cool. I didn’t care for the power-ups. Forge was cool for about a month. Those damn armor types really got me hooked though. Well played, Bungie. (What killed it on Live IMO was CoD 4: MW)