Halo was a major gaming landmark for me. I spent hundreds of hours hacking away at Halo's Co-Op. The game's single player was so much better with two people. Things like the warthog and the 2-weapon limit really suggested that you could have much more success playing with a friend. And that's what I did. Have you guys tried getting through The Maw on legendary by yourself? I always go rocket/shotgun but it makes killing those bastard robots and flood a pain. (Note: The Maw is one of the games EASIEST levels to beat by yourself, it's quite simple to beat by yourself, just not convenient
) When you have another person to distract the robots and keep the flood busy you really have a much easier time. Basically, Halo was the next evolution for the console FPS. Prior to Halo, the last time I spent hours playing a FPS on a console was when Goldeneye was out. Is Halo classic? I'd say so. In 10 years we might be looking back thinking, "man, it was so awesome to snipe those Covenant bastards at night in the The Truth and Reconciliation!" Just like now I look back and go, "dude, I still can kick your ass with proximity mines in the Facility."
Just because Halo stole various elements from Tribes and other games, and just because the single player is a bit of a drag playing it by yourself, and just because the multiplayer didn't have online support or pales in comparison to anything that was out on the PC at the time, doesn't mean the game doesn't have a special place in my heart.
So yes, it's is a classic....just after Half-Life and Goldeneye and Doom.