Way, way better than it has any right to be. A welcome departure from the typical Halo formula with a chilling atmosphere, banger soundtrack and excellent pacing. The shorter runtime means no mission outstays its welcome and there's no filler in sight. As a companion piece to both Halo 2 and, in some ways, Halo Reach, the storytelling here is really interesting and is told in a super smart way. Please don't skip this.