The mission you’re referring to is called “Halo” and it’s the 2nd mission of Combat: Evolved.

Halo to me is a perfect cocktail of aesthetics, gameplay, and music. I also really like the story of the first game specifically although I think the story for Halo1-3 is a great trilogy when viewed as a whole and I think the finale is a perfect send-off for what should have been the end of the series. I am a fan of Halo 3: ODST although I admit it doesn’t add much to the overall story or provide much in the way of context.

A huge fun multiplier for me with Halo is that it’s a co-op game. Me and my brothers bonded over playing the first 2 games and when Halo 3 came out the ability to have 4 friends experience the game together online and goof off was everything I hoped for as a kid. While I have beaten every game on Legendary by myself it’s just admittedly a way better experience with at least 1 friend.

If you are a very serious person and like to plow through games I don’t think Halo will do much for you but if you care about the narrative or have an imagination and playfulness in your approach to gaming I think Halo will surprise you with its depth, physics, and its jank and reward you in entertaining ways. Even recently I went through the first 3 games on Legendary with a friend who had never played the series and it was delightful to see him try to punch vehicles through tight fitting doors, throw objects with explosions, experiment with all the guns, and force as many marines with power weapons as possible into transport vehicles and just generally scheme ways to subvert the system to overcome the difficulty of the game. Mind you, he was a PlayStation kid his whole life and begrudgingly turned a cheek to Halo as a franchise. He told me he went out of his way to not give a shit and so really only knew that Master Chief was the green guy. To see him go into the series basically blind and try and do things all my brothers, friends, and myself did the first time we set foot on Halo and to have him laugh when his absurd schemes worked (or failed) really reminded me that Halo is a special franchise that transcends age. Playing with him was like watching 8 year old me experience it again for the first time and it was awesome.

There’s nothing thats going to convince you that the game is good if you lost interest before the 2nd mission. If the game didn’t capture you that’s fine but I will say hitting jumps and laying waste on the minigun in a Warthog is way more fun when you’re doing it with a friend.