Halo 2 – Arbiter levels
Halo 2 is remembered as a bold sequel that expanded the universe in meaningful ways, but even the truest of fans admit that the Arbiter levels are the lowest points in the otherwise flawless adventure. The narrative justification is strong and the element of surprise was definitely there, but the gameplay tone is drastically different which can be quite off-putting once the novelty of playing as a new character drowns down. Instead of bombastic firefights and explosive set pieces, the Arbiter missions often lean into plodding platforming sections, invisible enemies, and repetitive objectives that can test your patience and not your skills. It’s not that they’re outright bad, but being forced away from Master Chief when things were just ramping up made these sections feel like long and borderline unwanted mandatory detours in an otherwise tight and exhilarating campaign.
