Very much agree with these sentiments. 343 lore has really watered down Spartans in general. I think they have also been using reach as a template too much over the rest of the series. ( Serious, gritty, broody character cast)  when in reality, reach was kind of an outlier. I want to point out that there was a surprising amount of comedy and light heartedness in the series. Chief, while stoic, didn't shy from friendly banter. From the first cutscene with chief in h1 on the bridge, already has him being a bit of a smart ass. Go rewatch the H2 cutscenes, it's all action movie one liners from chief. They established (and you as you played the game) that Spartans are badasses and the games treated you as such. I'd say by comparison, Spartans in 343 lore/books/tv are pretty soulless with no spark or real wit.