: So what has changed since 2007? Simply put, there is far more competition on
: the market. Call of Duty has taken off in popularity. New shooters like
: Titanfall are imitating CoD's fast-paced, twitch-shooter gameplay. And
: there is a stunning array of AAA first-person action/adventure titles and
: western RPGs on the market that simply weren't around when Halo 3
: launched. When Halo 1, 2, and 3 were released, there was no Bioshock.
: There was no Assassin's Creed. There was no Borderlands. There was no Mass
: Effect, Dragon Age, or Skyrim. Far Cry 3? GTA 5? There was the occasional
: AAA title on the 360 to compete for our time, but nothing like the
: avalanche of quality we get today.

: Why did everyone play Halo CE, Halo 2, and Halo 3? To be blunt, it was
: because there was nothing else to play!

I agree and think this is a more valid point than many of us "super-fans" on the message boards care to admit. Halo CE, 2 and 3 were not only quality AAA titles, but they were revolutionary in the world of consoles. NO ONE else was doing all that Bungie was doing with those first three Halo games on consoles. The quality multiplayer, matchmaking, friend's lists and clans, forge, theater, co-op campaign, etc were all implemented each iteration and pretty much perfected in one package by Halo 3. Unfortunately for Halo Nation, by Halo 3's release and following titles, the rest of the developers started to catch on.

I also feel like ODST, Wars and Reach's releases not having the Master Chief hurt Halo more than most realize. Five years without a proper Halo title is a long time in the days of yearly, incremental releases for most AAA titles.

- MacGyver10