Halo might be the most important franchise for the Xbox. The 2001 original defined console first-person shooters with its groundbreaking precision controls, keeping Xbox system sales alive during its early years and setting the standard for nearly every modern shooter to date.

What the truly hardcore fans realize, though, is that the original game's popularity skyrocketed with prequel novels that dug deeper into the tale of humanity's desperate battle for survival against the aliens known as The Covenant. The key book in all of this was 2001's Halo: The Fall of Reach. That novel comes to life in the final game in the franchise, Halo: Reach, and developer Bungie has crafted one of the best stories in video games today while adding even more to its trademark multiplayer in what is truly the defining version of Halo.