The story may be nothing to write home about and the objectives can feel fairly repetitive, but I don't entirely mind because this is undoubtedly the best Halo has ever played. Easily the strongest entry since Reach, even if 343 still isn't living up to the franchise's full potential. But it's the closest they've gotten to Bungie's greatness. Even though the plot is barebones, Master Chief himself might be the most interesting portrayal we've seen of the character to date. Dare I say...I enjoyed this more than Reach and it might be my favourite entry since 3?

Can't really speak for the online mode. I played a few games and it feels solid, but I generally can't stand modern progression systems. So this rating is just for the campaign. Maybe I wouldn't be as kind if I had paid full price for it, but as a jumping-off point into Game Pass on my shiny new Series X this was well-worth my time. Barely any downtime spent on loading screens and a smooth, consistent 60 fps? Simply wonderful.