Ranking every single Halo Main Menu From Worst To Best

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Every single Halo game has had it's own main menu, for better or for worse. So it's time to rank every single Halo game by their main menu and figure out what makes for a S tier menu and what makes for a F tier menu.
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[@RocketSloth]

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[@boxfoxscoot1614]

I think the menu for halo ce's multiplayer the background is the cliff from that timber whatever map i cant think of the name but the blood gulch successor map they had in that game has a cliff on one side and thats what i think it is

[@Pnk117]

Eldewito halo online is still playable has not been shut down

[@squirrelcommander]

The Halo 3 Limited Disc uses the same main menu as the Halo 3 Beta main menu i believe

[@patlast6506]

You guys ever play "Halo Zero" or "Halo 2600"? Halo zero is like a 16-bit side stroller and Halo 2600 is basically ever Atari game.

[@conahtolley6335]

I think that Halo 3 menu should be S tier, it just needs to be in S tier. Nostalgic, Great, Musical masterpiece, Emotion, Astethic of finishing the fight. It was truly the Golden era of Halo menus when I say that I mean halo 2, 3, Reach, 3 mythic, and ODST.

[@cokelackingice]

The saddest part of mcc is losing the original menus from all the games

[@CyberCripX]

theres a pc mod to get the original backgrounds + music on nexus, i of course had to.

[@suckmymiddlefinger4350]

I hate the current one and it has chief's halo 4 armor which is a major eyesore.

[@l6ki]

@@suckmymiddlefinger4350 not the best mjolnir armour, but I mean it’s not THAT bad…

[@PP-360]

Agree

[@theneoreformationist]

Yeah I'm sitting there thinking, "Some of these kids have probably never seen any of these original menus" Which is exactly why we needed this video!

[@SupremeRTS]

Reach's menu was just beautiful

[@NicholasRodriguezN7]

Bingo.

[@tastypeoples9214]

It was legendary

[@dinosirbone]

Yes

[@Blox117]

what about halo tv series main menu

[@spectralassassin6030]

@@Blox117 Now why'd ya gotta go and make me think of that dumpster fire again?

[@maluse227]

One thing worth noting for all of these menus as well is the sounds. Not like the music but the sound created by cycling through the options and the countdown timer, weirdly the best menus I've ever run across because of such a small detail.

[@fase1doughnut]

That sound of scrolling the menu and selecting options in CE-Reach is literally the most satisfying sound ever

[@Konfektionery]

@@fase1doughnut never thought about it until recently, but Reach wasn't just a prequel story wise, it brought back a bit of CE stuff- like visible healthbars and medkits, but also the menu sounds are just higher quality old-school sounds, despite the menu looking different.

[@fase1doughnut]

@@Konfektionery it has that similar nice swish sound

[@ashdonsimmons01]

i loved the menu of the original SWB2

[@maluse227]

@@ashdonsimmons01 God such a good game.

[@natayaway]

7:08 - ODST's main menu 3d background where the Rookie is snoozing ended up seamlessly blending into the first introductory cutscene. that transition is easily S-tier by itself, and still to this day all other main menus have not attempted that level of uninterrupted immersion and elegance.

[@lolusuck386]

CE's menu should've been at least an A. The sense of scale of the ring is amazing.

[@Liberatorx13]

S tier tbh

[@shugo2051]

Nah

[@disaster_chief]

strongly agree

[@DeceivedHeretic]

It’s S tier. My favourite menu.

[@AlgaeEater09]

@@DeceivedHeretic You're rating it based on bias. The music functionality is mediocre at best.

[@Jamesnuch]

The footage at 23:40 cracks me up, it looks like Luke was asked to get some footage of the Halo Infinite menu and he just went and clicked through the menu as fast as possible 😂

[@NeoZero44]

Reach is my favorite menu, it’s just beautiful... the artwork, soundtrack, the way it adapts to the mission you’re playing, its clean interface and also is so fast and easy to navigate

[@NazmusLabs]

h2 for the blue. That shade of blue my favorite color for any main menu. The only other software I can think off with Halo 2’a look and feel and the color is Windows Media Center for Windows Vista (funny since H2PC was also going to be a vista exclusive). Look up media center for windows vista. I’m sure the UX designer for that app was a halo 2 fan 😉. May Allah (S.W.T.) guide you to Islam and bestow upon you His Blessings; Ameen.

[@jonovette7117]

So many hours on the Reach menus - what a banger!

[@m0urn1ng5tar5]

Halo 2 definitely has the most "aesthetically pleasing" main menu. I'd argue it's the most iconic of them all. My personal favorite has to be Reach though, simply for its healthy mix of style and functionality.

[@desanctisapostata]

And most melancholic

[@m0urn1ng5tar5]

@@desanctisapostata This too, yes. I'm a sucker for melancholy music.

[@alexrivera633]

Halo 2 has the best menu hands down I absolutely love the music

[@gobluefiddler13]

Reach Menu was immediate S Tier for me. That menu is fantastic and is my standard for Halo Menus

[@kabob0077]

15:45 To be honest, this IS one of the best backgrounds to show up so far in MCC.

[@theneoreformationist]

I had absolutely no idea you could customize the menu.... and I already have 588 achievements in the game...

[@kabob0077]

@@theneoreformationist It was added back in the August update iirc.

[@mikem3rd539]

CE is honestly amazing

[@Gravetacular]

Yeah not sure why Rocket only gave it a B tier, that's kinda sus

[@Omega4Productions]

@@Gravetacular Not to mention placing the Reach CE Anniversary menu on the same tier as it.

[@frogboy2483]

My favorite is definitely CE. It's super simple, yet beautiful and dynamic at the same time.

[@Gravetacular]

Yeah honestly CE is an easy S-tier for me, especially with the multiple custom ones the modding community did in Halo Custom Edition, those were some of my favorite days of playing Halo besides Halo 2 and 3

[@blizzary9369]

Halo infinites main menu would be perfect if 1, there was atmosphere and 2, it actually worked

[@ki11atj49]

Acting as if not making the menus that different is a negative is cringe. Doing things different is the reason why we have the terrible menus we have today in so many games not just Halo

[@TheWretchedWolf_]

I liked how Halo Wars menu had the cutscene from the game trailer in the background

[@J.J_6.9]

Nothing can beat halo 2 and reach! Grew up listening and siting in the halo 2 menu

[@conahtolley6335]

I can't fathom how stunning the artwork is on Reach's Menu. It's amazing and a great area to show off the 360's power(at the time) and tbh I loved Halo reach I think tons of people would agree too. Very nostalgic. And imo The last Great Halo Game. Loved Halo 4 tho

[@TheMrTonk]

When it comes to soundtracks, Reach has one of the best out there, and I kinda have a soft spot for Reach because it was the first Halo I played. If it wasn’t for Reach and its dark and gritty storyline, I may have never gotten into halo.

[@donnywiggins3929]

CE's menu is an S for me because of its simplicity. It's easy to use, looks amazing and sounds so classic. 100% has the best vibes.

[@343Films]

The New Alexandria background on the Halo Reach menu is just so gorgeous 🤤🤤

[@levirobbins3084]

Remember Halo CE's demos?

[@343Films]

Yes! My first introduction to the series. I played Silent Cartographer at least 15 times on there

[@levirobbins3084]

@@343Films Not quite what I meant. On the OG Xbox launch Halo CE discs there were demos for a few games. I remember Fuzion Frenzy being one of them.

[@achedpine8161]

Now this, this is epic.

[@WarwickkkT101]

CE menu should not be ranked low

[@skullboy824]

Thinking back on it mcc should've had more classic aspects from the older game menus but atleast we can change the backgrounds

[@shangothunder1055]

Nah

[@lippytheoneguy8968]

The original Halo 3 menu music damn near made me cry when I booted it up on my old 360 I just got back. It was like a wall of memories hitting me all at the same time. The friends I made in 3, I still talk to today.

[@SuperLucky7]

Personally I'd bump ODST up to S tier and give Reach its own SS tier.

[@PrincessWubbles]

17:13 THERE I AM GARY, THERE I AM!!

[@eevee6930]

I like Spartan Assaults menu. It's clean, simple and sets expectations for a smaller but well built experience.I'd say it reflects the game well.

[@KaptainKarizzma]

I mostly agree with your list but I would definitely put Halo 4 higher. At least in B-Tier (maybe even A-Tier). Found it to be quite enjoyable! That background music was also amazing!

[@partrock350]

Amen

[@Batman89057]

4’s menu is amazing! So surprised by this. Sure they made changes, but it was hardly difficult to navigate: and the backdrop from midnight is incredible. Not to forget the haunting, sad music that reflects the tone of the story. Definitely above C tier for me, but each to their own!

[@americanaccents]

Really enjoyed this one. Anything about the aesthetics of Halo? I am definitely on board for.

[@cliffjumper416]

Halo 4's menu and music is nostalgic to me like Reach's

[@SergioMach7]

This is the content that makes Rocket Sloth worth it. The music in the menu really makes a difference. Halo 3 Mythic has such a great score throughout.

[@GabrielDiaz93]

It’s the H2 menu for me. Love it

[@grayw0lf110]

What I wish we had for Infinite's menu was what we saw at e3 2020. That start screen definitely had S tier vibes.

[@tacticalmattress]

Halo 2 & 3 menus were the best. The Halo 3 Mythic disc menu is my favorite.

[@CyberCripX]

nothing like letting the menu loop for 20 minutes while your 360 is heating your whole house...good times

[@tacticalmattress]

@@CyberCripX Shit I'd be passed out at like 4-7am from an all nighter, and that shit would be on until i woke up 🤣 Still sleep to the OST sometimes.

[@GHOSTE_FRZ]

No shot odst isn’t S tier

[@multireviewers4285]

Lmaooo at 24:20 to 24:34 “we just ignored him”. I’d say the menu for Halo Reach was by far the best one. It was aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate, and the background changed based on where you are in the campaign. That to me is the best menu in the halo series

[@Arthutstut641]

Reach's menu was fucking perfect. The background changed with every menu and it was all filled with a beautilf 2d painting that was ANIMATED. And the background changed with your progress on the campaign or the gamemode you selected. Thw music was on point and sometimes there was even an absence of music but with background rain or battle sounds. Even the quiet subtle noise when you cycled between options in the menu was so seamless and it fit perfectly with the game. Perfect. Just. Fucking. Perfect.

[@t1pp1egaming]

Man you and Luke always make such fun and enjoyable Halo content 😎🤯😃

[@joshualighttime604]

My favorite is there laso runs

[@potatokilr7789]

spartan assault did have very good menu soundtrack, though. The main menu wasn't anything great but the pre-mission menus were pretty good, and showed a bird's-eye view of the battlescape that each set of missions would take place in.

[@iamnathanael2132]

When you first saw Halo, were you blinded by it's majesty? Paralyzed? Dumb struck? CE's menu is my favorite

[@brycevo]

Reach, Mythic, and Waypoint are all classic

[@nepenthy9804]

ranking halo infinite's menu above halo5 is not something I expected

[@Exponaut_R-01]

Halo Wars 1’s title screen is so amazing I’m personally lumping it in with the main menu…

[@FAKE-xe1lc]

Now I'm curious. What about ranking trailers?🤔 One of my favorite trailers was the halo wars 2 e3 trailer. I thought it was just the coolest thing when I saw it. I would love to hear what you guys think.

[@Deadweight06]

All of the trailers would be s or a tier

[@astro6009]

ODST live action and Halo 3 diorama take the cake for me.

[@roflBeck]

The trailers for Halo 3, the "Believe" one and the "This is the way the world ends" one are fucking amazing. Probably my favorite trailers in general.

[@kabob0077]

19:04 No, it's not but it does have its own charm... Unlike Halo 5's, the Halo Wars 2 menu is a bit like a diorama and shows off the units a little bit.

[@brennan1703]

Halo 4 at C and 5 at D? Naw Halo 5 should be C, the music is great, and 4 should easily be at least B, the menu fit the game atmosphere perfectly, especially the music

[@SergeyS4545]

I actually really like infinites menu. Other than that glitch when if it's on Xbox and the game is placed on quick resume and you come back to it multi-player won't find a match. Need to reload the game sometimes

[@supaskiltz9877]

Damn I love all the Reach menu praise, I also noticed you put Reach in S tier without even mentioning the menu music, definitely my favourite halo track in the series

[@Jamesnuch]

Halo Wars 2 is S Tier

[@Drives31forhalo]

God I miss the bungie era menus, halo MCC is a crime compared to the game's original menus.

[@transbolshevik1917]

Honestly a good update for Halo MCC would be to add the original main menu backgrounds for each game included as a part of the menu customization. However, I really think MCC would also really benefit from a music selector or something. The MCC main menu theme is good and all but I'm kinda tired of it after 8 yrs. You can hear other soundtracks when you go into a game specific menu but that gets cut off again by the main theme when you back out. Being able to just set it on a certain track for the main menu would be so great. Halo's soundtrack is so iconic and epic and the main menu shouldn't just be the same track on repeat.

[@Zapact]

I remember in the stream, you just started out with halo 3 in f tier.

[@NicholasRodriguezN7]

I'm okay with that. Halo 3 is my least favorite and the menu is washed out in blue.

[@MrWolf-ln1gi]

@@NicholasRodriguezN7 bruh surely you’re just referring to the menu

[@NicholasRodriguezN7]

@@MrWolf-ln1gi Correct.

[@343Films]

@@NicholasRodriguezN7 Halo 3's menu puts 4, 5, and Infinite to shame.

[@MrWolf-ln1gi]

@@NicholasRodriguezN7 I disagree but at least you aren’t referring to the whole game. About to have me in tears

[@lane2376]

The first Halo I played was Halo 3, so I may be a little biased. I get chills when it kicks in though.

[@Gravetacular]

For Bungie era game menus for me it's: Halo CE (Including all the cool modded ones from Halo Custom Edition) - S-tier Halo 2 - S-tier Halo 3 (Including Mythic) - A-Tier Halo 3 ODST - S-Tier Halo Reach - S-Tier Honestly I think Halo 3 was the only one for me that was good and cool but lacking originally and atmosphere like all the other ones did. Also I'm not counting the music or sound effects here, just purely the menus that's it

[@DanielQuan97]

IDK, man. Infinite's menu feels SOOOOO generic. Too generic for B-tier, IMO. It's just boxes everywhere. Not even stylized boxes, literally just a rectangle that you can replicate in 2 seconds using Microsoft Paint. The background for the campaign is nice and all, and I love how it goes down and focuses on Chief once you select it, but still, that's pretty much it. Halo 2's menu had all of these shapes, the animated background of New Mombasa with the Covenant ship floating above it, the animations it had, some of the backgrounds had these Forerunner glyphs, even the icons were unique. It had style, it had an identity, and it's iconic.

[@llamajuice]

Disappointed that "Halo 4: King of the Hill Fueled by Mountain Dew" didn't make the cut for this video. Other than that, solid content haha.

[@ThatGuysPie]

"Gets the job done." Should have been the thumbnail I swear lol

[@joshuaswartz4602]

Thank you for doing what you do Rocketsloths!

[@-THE_META]

Rocket Sloth in two years: Which Halo Game has the best case booklet? (It's Reach)

[@Higher-Ground]

This guy just got an achievement for changing his Spartans armor shows how the only time he played this game was for this video.

[@igooog]

"Opera GX seamlessly syncs your browsing history" *starts sweating uncontrollably*

[@jonahpatton8879]

Even though CE was my first Halo that I have the most childhood memories of, something about Halo 2's menu evokes more emotions from me. I don't know if it's the music or maybe because the first time I heard it, it was the most anticipated thing in my life. I wish I could do it all again.

[@thelizardking3807]

Halo 2, the only menu screen that will make you cry

[@DATDUDEMAN101]

Kind of disappointed that you didn’t mention the start up loading screen and amazing music/sound effects used in the Reach menu. Been engraved in my mind ever since the first time I played the game. Also, the backgrounds are incredibly beautiful.

[@MrWolf-ln1gi]

You guys should rate the games trailers and/or marketing videos

[@jimboramba]

Halo 2 and 3 menu might be why blue is my favorite color

[@cjschaff317]

All of the Halo Menu’s are the absolute pinnacle of nostalgia. I wish MCC kept all of them.. somehow

[@fabiomarquez7599]

Halo C.E It will always have the best intro of the saga

[@Etch..]

Despite Halo 4’s menu not being that great, I still love the Theme that plays, I guess I’m just a sucker for despair/desperation filled music

[@LateNightHalo]

I will not stand the Spartan assault slander. Tom Salta’s music bumps it up at least a few points

[@kymorel1453]

I will always be a fan of the halo 2, 3, and odst backround

[@BillyCobbOfficial]

Gotta go with Halo 2

[@chronomize]

Halo: the Master Chief Collection's og UI gives me nostalgia. MCC was my introduction to Halo (other than some Halo 3 (maybe it was Halo 2?) On my friend's Xbox 360 from time to time), my dad bought the Xbox One from Best Buy and it came with the MCC. My family had some fun times in Halo 4 custom games (couldn't afford Xbox Live unfortunately). In fact we still have that same Xbox One. I started moving away from Halo a couple years before they released MCC on PC and I got back into it when Halo CE Anniversary came out on PC (I don't like the Anniversary graphics either... And I was unjustifiably super excited when they added the old HUD back...). I can't believe Halo 4 used to be my favourite lol

[@Higher-Ground]

Never new you could Change the MCC background I’ve been using the Armory room background for awhile now.

[@Hazztech]

Some people think it's pedantic to do this but I gotta be honest, mcc's menus are horrifically ugly compared to the original games, especially reach

[@roflBeck]

Yeah, they're ugly alright (reminds me of Halo 4's menu screens), too much of the Windows 8-like menu tiles. More of a pain in the butt to navigate.

[@Snopdogdad]

Me and my dad before he passed had always played Halo back then so I always played Halo 3, ODST , Halo Anniversary, Halo reach, Halo 4 , 5 and as of Now halo infinite and with a current ranked score being top 200 thanks to my dad letting me have these games growing up ☺️, so looking at this video it really brings back some nostalgic memories EDIT: I also played Halo 3 Mythic looking back

[@kabob0077]

21:37 It's so... Orange, like I'm getting Project Wingman flashbacks...

[@PrestigeAceYT]

despite I couldn't stay the entire stream to voice my opinions on the ones past Reach, I agree with all of them except Halo Infinite. I respect your opinions but to have something fresh and the music was just so badass, I would put it in A tier, but I can see why you guys would put it in B tier. It's not a bad menu by any means but it's not super nostalgic like Halo 2 and Halo Reach. excellent video you guys.

[@KevinTilly]

No one ever talks about the idle videos that play if you stay idle on the main menu for long enough

[@taytoflame2314]

"Over the years"

[@Jakomelo]

24:27 LOOOOOL good

[@TheJacintoEffect]

Halo wars is by far my favorite game. the soundtrack it’s just absolutely phenomenal. One of my directors husband actually worked on the soundtrack for the game when it was on ensemble studios. He has since gone on to do doom.

[@LPgamedev]

I think my only real disagreement is Halo 2 and Halo CE. In my opinion, Halo CE has a near perfect menu aesthetically speaking. It features the titular halo (which is a pretty unique concept and has been underutilized in the series menus moving forward). It’s music is literally perfect as well. The only thing I could see knocking it down to A tier is its functionality, which is pretty dang barebones. As for Halo 2, I find it really forgettable. I’m not a huge fan of the whole “let’s just make everything blue!” design. With the menu buttons already being blue, I think it’s fairly boring when even the background is the same and makes everything pretty washed out. That being said, it’s certainly not a bad menu and it’s more functional. I like Halo 3’s better. So I think I’d just swap them: put Halo 2 in B tier and Halo CE in S.

[@redpredator0442]

Hey, I sparked this on twitch lol 😂 I also watched the stream after I suggested it when you tried customising your mcc background which I told you is possible on Xbox so anyway keep up the amazing content 😁👍

[@palebrow1673]

What are talking about halo 2s was good but not S tier it was too dark. halo 3 was a much better menu than h2s

[@mikem3rd539]

Next, best skulls tier list.

[@mitchmitting102]

Classics like Combat Evolved and 3 are great and iconic, don't get me wrong, but there is something about Reach's menus. The scenes are just so badass and the music, despite not being the classic theme, still just slap. Also, I'ma be honest, I love Halo 4s menus, something about it is just so good to me. Maybe just all my good memories of Reach and 4 but still, fight me lol. Honestly I still despise the fact MCC has its own menus instead of the classic ones.

[@notnickDPT]

Whoawhoawhoa. Halo online servers are still up and running. Come play sometime everyone. Everyday someone is on, and friday Saturday nights can get a fully lobby of customs going. I've been playing since 2018 and love it

[@stephenmiller9013]

Halo 2's main menu and music evokes the depression of war.

[@kokomart_in]

That's a bit dramatic don't you think? This was when Halo was still "HOORAH HELL YEAH MAMSTR CEFHMD JUSTICE" *gulps dorito and bites mountain dew.

[@TheItalianoAssassino]

S Tier: ODST, Reach A Tier: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 4 Rest is B or lower for me

[@Unkle_Genny]

22:30 That background music sounds like “Ezio’s Family”

[@StanFromTheShip]

Halo 5 and halo wars 2 in my opinion were underrated

[@PSYCHOPATH_AT_LARGE]

Halo reach’s main menu background sets the bar high (game and franchise wise) and somehow, the game goes above and beyond

[@SleepingChimes]

They’re supposed to look like action figures because it’s inspired by the Halo 3 Believe trailer

[@aaronskuse2207]

I think the main menu screen for Spartan Strike and Spartan Assault should be better ranked than F, simply because they’re functional, unlike Infinites’ main menu.

[@Snopdogdad]

Tbh I would give Halo infinite S-Tier they really did a lot and it gave me such a fresh breath of creativity 👍