I've been a Halo fan since CE. I didnt own an xbox, and i didnt even know it came out for a few months. But once i played it, i was hooked. Lan parties whenever, wherever. I played that campaign like 60 times.  I bought it on computer, and learned to play on keyboard because i couldn't afford a pc controller.
When Halo 2 came out, i actually split the price with my friend who owned an xbox. We played split screen and online all the time. I owned a 360 controller before i owned a 360. 
 And when 3 came out, i bought a 360 the day before it was released. I resisted the urge to purchase a copy a day early out of fear of being banned from online play. I played every night with my friends over live for hours. And we did the same for ODST.and Wars. And Reach.  And while some of my friends have given up on the franchise, im playing right now.
 
   I tell you all of this so that there are no allusions. I am a hardcore halo fan. I have played them all, and i probably will play the rest as they come.
 im writing this to address the seemingly infinite number of times ive seen people say "Halo never changes" or "the franchise is getting stale".  
 
 Like most franchises, Halo is based off of the actions and events that took place in the first game. A super soldier fought off aliens. Like most games now days, it was designed to continue. So my question is: how is it different than any other popular franchise?
  Mario has ALWAYS been about a plumber jumping on things to save a princes or a kingdom. Even when extra powers and 3d mechanics and ride-able dinosaurs were added, that was always the core of the franchise.  Why isnt that stale?

 Assassins Creed is about assassinating people. its been the same on multiple consoles and hand helds. A guy with wrist blades and a hood tries to save whoever from whoever by assassinating key people. 
 
The COD franchise has been about war. The only real changes from game to game have been the timelines and the gun names. But if you break them down to nothing but controls and combat, they are all roughly the same.
 
 Why arent these games getting the gruff that Halo is getting?
 
 The easy and true answer is that Halo is bigger. The biggest name always gets the biggest target pained on their backs, and Halo is it. 
   
 To the point, if you dont think Halo is still a relevant franchise... just move on. Facts are Halo was still selling for 30-40 dollars 3 years after its release. Halo 2 had record numbers its last week, and didnt go down until days after it was intended... 6 years after its release. 
  Every installment of Halo adds something new to the franchise. Graphically. Thematically. Gameplay and story wise. It has yet to be the exact same game as the last. Even Multiplayer, which has for the most part stayed the same, still added completely new weapons, vehicles, and damage modifications to each game. 
 
If Halo isnt for you, it isnt for you. But there is nothing wrong with the franchise.
 
 
thanks for reading, and check me out on COMICVINE.