Founded in 2007,343 Industrieshas adopted the responsibility of developing new entriesin the iconicHaloseries. The American company first took the reigns from Bungie with 2011’sHalo: Combat Evolvedand has released multiple games since, including two mainline gamesHalo 4andHalo 5: Guardians.
RELATED:Every Game In The Halo Series Ranked On Campaign Length (& How Many Hours They Take)
Before releasingCombat Evolved, 343 Industries dabbled in a few otherHalorelated ventures. These includedHalo Legends, a collection of short animated films, as well as theDefiant and Anniversary map packsforHalo: Reach. 343 Industries is also currently developing the next mainlineHalogame.Halo Infiniteis set to release on PC and the new generation of Xbox consoles, the Xbox Series X|S, in 2021. Here’s how the developer’s games have fared thus far according to Metacritic.
10Halo: Spartan Strike (66)
In April 2015, 343 Industries followed up on the underwhelmingHalo: Spartan AssaultwithSpartan Strike. The twin-stick shooter oddly didn’t appear on the Xbox One, instead only releasing on PC & Mobile.
A lack of Xbox release wasn’t the only peculiar decision either. The game didn’t feature a multiplayer mode, despiteSpartan Assault’s co-op mode being one of the game’s best features. Still, for those who enjoyed the single-player experience ofSpartan Assault, there’s plenty to enjoy aboutSpartan Strike.
9Halo: Spartan Assault (70)
Spartan Assaultranks a few points higher than its predecessorSpartan Strike. The 2013 game introduced the twin-stick genre to theHaloseries and was also the firstHalotitle to appear on mobile devices.
The top-down perspective shooter takes place betweenthe events ofHalo 3andHalo 4. An Xbox One iteration of the game was released a few months after the initial PC release and was praised for adding multiplayer. Taking down waves of enemies with a friend was great co-op fun and the feature was sorely missed in the other versions.
8Halo Wars 2 (79)
343 Industries followed Ensemble Studios’Halo Warsin early 2017 withHalo Wars 2. The real-time strategy game takes place 28 years after its predecessor and offers a more simplified RTS experience than most other games in the genre.
RELATED:Halo Wars 2: Every Leader, Ranked From Worst To Best
Halo Wars 2added a new game mode, Blitz. The mode added a card deck-building mechanic, where players would assemble cards that corresponded to the units that they could deploy. Unfortunately, the feature was similar to EA’s Ultimate Team deck building in the sense that microtransactions essentially made it pay to win.
7Halo Wars: Definitive Edition (81)
343 Industries were able to get some RTS experience before releasingHalo Wars 2by enhancing Ensemble Studios’Halo Wars.The game scored slightly lower than the originalHalo Warsbut did improve on it in a couple of ways.
As would be expected with the game’s jump to Xbox One and PC,Definitive Editionsignificantly improved the original’s visuals. Furthermore, the PC edition offered the mouse and keyboard gameplay that RTS games are more suited to. Unfortunately, the game improved little else from the original. The gameplay, in particular, was a disappointment. The gameplay mechanics remained largely the same, and pre-existing issues were not fixed.
6Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (82)
343 Industries had a dream start to their development life withHalo: Combat Evolved. Remaking one of the best first-person shooters ever is always going to be a safe way to get a high Metacritic score. It doesn’t come close tothe original’s eye-watering 97, but an 82 score still puts it amongst the company’s best games.
343 Industries along with co-developers Saber Interactive didn’t try to fix what wasn’t broken, opting to keep the gameplay the same as the iconic original. Instead, the game focused on improving the original’s dated graphics and did an excellent job of doing so.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversaryalso added online functionalities, something that was unavailable in the original game.
5Halo 5: Guardians (84)
The much-anticipatedHalo 5: Guardianswas 343 Industries' secondmainlineHalogame.
The game was praised for its excellent multiplayer mode. The new Warzone mode, in particular, was a source of many hours of entertainment. Unfortunately the great multiplayer was only available online, as offline split-screen was disappointingly excluded.
RELATED:Halo: The Master Chief’s 10 Most Memorable Quotes
Another issue was the game’s story, which was very divisive. The narrative was criticized for being too convoluted and disjointed.
4Halo: The Master Chief Collection (85)
Many of 343 Industries' top titles on this list being remakes of other company’s games could be seen as a negative. However, 343 Industries has proven that they can continuously make solid remasters of games, something that is far easier said than done. Plus, when the source material is as good asHalo’s, it shouldn’t be surprising that they fill most of the top spots.
The Master Chief Collectionis one of the most impressive game collections ever.Led by Master Chief’smost iconic FPS titles likeHalo: Combat EvolvedandHalo 3. A PC version was released in late 2019. OnlyHalo: Reachwas available at launch, with the other titles sporadically releasing through 2020.
3Halo 4 (87)
343 Industries' first mainlineHalotitle tops this list. The FPS game once againput players in the shoes of the iconic Master Chief. Indicative of releasing 5 years later,Halo 4was a significant step up fromHalo 3in terms of visuals and performance. Furthermore, the game greatly improved onHalo 3’s Forge mode, offering players a wealth of new customization options.
343 Industries' wisely kept what worked from the game’s predecessor. The campaign’s popular co-op functionality, excellent multiplayer mode, and a plethora of drivable vehicles all returned inHalo 4.
2Halo: Fireteam Raven (N/A)
Fireteam Ravenis undoubtedly the most unique entry on this list. 343 Industries ditched modern consoles and took gaming back to its roots with this coin-operated arcade machine.
The machine itself is one of the game’s most impressive features.It has a 130 inch 4k screen, and four mounted turretsallowing players to take down the Covenant with three friends.
IGN reviewed the arcade game in 2018,scoring it at 7.3.
1Halo Recruit (N/A)
Halo Recruitis a free VR game. It’s not the full-fledged VRHaloadventure that many fans would have been hoping for, though. The game will take players around 5 or 6 minutes to complete, making it more of a tech demo than anything else.
As the name suggests, the game puts players in the shoes of a new recruit. They are tasked with shooting down waves of enemies on a simulation training screen.
A full playthrough of the game is available on YouTube.
NEXT:Every Halo Game, Ranked From Best To Worst (According To Metacritic)
