Halo 2 vs. Halo 3 (Unfinished)

Don't really have the urge to finish this, especially seeing as how I'm a billion years late with it.

Better maps? Halo 2 has both Lockout and Midship so there's really no competition here, and it also has many big maps that are great for casual play like Halo 3 does. Halo 3, on the other hand, lacks good small to mid-sized arena-style maps for competitive play.

Larger Skill Gap? This isn't even close. The BR and Sniper are infinitely more capable with hit-scan instead of a projectile based bullet system along with the increased auto-aim and magnetism. Also, the BR has increased efficiency due to the double shot and close range combat is infinitely harder to master due to button glitches, the melee being weaker, and the victor determined off of reflex time instead of shield amount. 1 for 1 trades are lot less easier to pull off, meaning that the best players were almost infinitely capable when they were on fire.

Balanced starting weapon? The SMG was very underpowered, but I would say that the Halo 3 AR is more overpowered than the SMG is underpowered. Also, an overpowered starting weapon is a lot worse than an underpowered one because it's devastating to the skill gap AND a balance issue, while an underpowered starting weapon is more of just a balance issue.

Pace? - This is very related to skill gap and Halo 2 wins again for pretty much the same reasons I mentioned for skill gap. When you're on fire, the pace is at its fastest because you're getting kills as quickly as the game will allow you. This maximum pace is much higher in Halo 3 than in Halo 2, and similarly, the average is as well.

Overall balance? - In Halo 2, the BR and Sniper were clear powerhouses, but they were 2 of the most skill intensive weapons in the game, and the incredible strength of the BR neatly balanced out the incredible strength of the sniper. In Halo 3, the BR and Sniper were still clear powerhouses, but when it came to a ratio of skill put in to success achieved, the AR and melee were the clear winners, which is bad because using an AR and meleeing people were two of the easiest things in the game. Also, vehicles, especially the ghost, are just impossible to kill in Halo 3, especially with the ability to survive singleton sticks.

Spawns? - Like every Halo, Halo 2 had its share of bad spawns, but the spawns in Halo 3 are just horrendous. This is the evident by the increased amount of spawn killing between Halo 3 and Halo 2 montages; the spawn system is worse at giving good spawns, and most likely as a result of this, it's a lot easier to manipulate.

General glitchiness? - Halo 3 wins this hands down with bullet spread.