If talking just general favorites, i’d have to say Reach is tied with 3 for me. 3 just feels like a general all around good experience. Reach is so fucking good though. Like you said, we come to care for the characters. It kind of does this tightrope act of Hope and Hopelessness, and at the very end it gives a little hope while making a sacrifice.

I love that Noble 6 is your multiplayer character too, it really serves to make it feel a lot more personal which helps to aid the themes. You’re not Master Chief with a history and Epic feats, you’re just… you (or a stand in of some sort). It’s not Noble 6 getting close to everyone, it’s you getting close. It’s not noble 6 making the sacrifice for the pillar of autumn to escape, it’s you. At least in a philosophical sense, or at least that’s how i always viewed it. Even my spartan is a reflection of myself in a way (For example the tiger themed paint job is because i think Tigers are the coolest big cat).

by the end of it, we’re more worried about fucking the other person over than whatever we originally wanted to do

Also, yeah. I agree with that. Halo does a good job making you and your buddy’s fuck eachother over and become the enemy. It’s admirable that it can juggle both that and the good story telling.