5. Halo 2
Looking back, Halo 2 was a bit weird. It was kinda like Bungie's teenage years, when they got all experimental and tried to mix things up a bit. One of the strangest decisions of the game was to take the players away from actually being Master Chief for a while. Instead we were playing as the Arbiter, a Covenant alien dude with invisibility powers, as we saw his storyline unfold against the Chief's. Perhaps this was part of the reason why we felt so cheated at the end of Halo 2. We hadn't been with Chief long enough at all to feel like we'd done anything significant and the storyline really didn't seem to go anywhere. Then, all of a sudden, it ended. There was no particular build-up to this; it just felt as if Bungie pulled the plug and went 'Right, that'll do until the threequel!'
Original Ending The Arbiter battles Tartarus, who wants to activate all of the Halo rings to eradicate life from the universe. Meanwhile the Chief is sent via a ship back to Earth, effectively removing him from the game's climactic moments. We also find out that Halo hasn't been deactivated instead a safety protocol has activated all Halo rings in the universe, which can be activated from a place known as The Ark. Chief, approaching Earth, famously says 'Sir, finishing this fight.' and the game ends. Spiffing.
Alternate Ending Obviously, the most essential part of the game's finishing moments should really involve playing as the character the series is based around. The Arbiter was ok and all, but that's like wheeling out Les Dennis instead of Bruce Forsythe. The Chief should be the one to stop Tartarus instead of being sent back to Earth, he should have joined the Arbiter for a joint fight that sees the two combine their skills. The events that activate the Halo rings should remain intact, but there was absolutely no reason why the Chief couldn't be sent to the Halo installation as well. After we find out that the Halo rings are poised to be activated, the Chief is asked what he is going to do next. The game ends as the Chief and Arbiter look to the sky and the Chief says, 'Sir, finishing this fight.' Then all theme tunes and stuff.
Alternate Alternate Ending The Chief and Arbiter stop the activation of Halo, then have a night around the campfire with marshmallows and local music provided by a band of merry passing Flood creatures.