Similarly, The Babysitter follows an ODST squad that works together with a Spartan to assassinate one of the Prophets. Integrating the rivalry between Helljumpers and the Spartans, a Covenant ceremony, a non-Master Chief Spartan and a UNSC mess hall, The Babysitter is an anime short that, unlike many of the others, is worth watching twice.

That leaves the best for last: The Package. While the top-quality cinematics definitely stand out, The Package is actually best for its homage to Halo and edge-of-your-seat action. It turns out that not only is the director, Shinji Aramaki, Appleseed's creator, but he's a devoted Halo fan as well. According to the commentary and “Making of” section in the Special Features, Aramaki has always been curious about little nit-picky details like how Master Chief would look reloading his battle rifle from a third-person perspective. For the chapter's cinematic space battle, Aramaki even consulted a physicist to ask whether a minigun would work in outer space. Because of this devotion to detail, his curiosity and passion really come to life. It's absolutely fascinating to see what Master Chief and his fellow Spartans would look like outside of the game's first-person view. Aramaki even throws in a couple of shots of Master Chief's first-person perspective, complete with the hud. Unfortunately, Steve Downes doesn't return to voice Master Chief, a gratingly noticeable absence.

As a whole, the DVD is a roller coaster. One chapter, you'll be perched on the edge of your seat, awe-inspired by the beauty and detail and the next, you're scratching your head and looking around awkwardly to see if your well-read friends have an answer. As you watch Halo Legends, it's obvious that a lot of heart went into this collection. But with such variance, it seems as though the producers didn't really have a consumer-base in mind. Loyal fans who have read every book and poured over every game will certainly be rewarded with never-before-seen details, but those details are minute. The DVD barely grazes over the Forerunners and takes a wild approach to illustrating the honor-ridden history of the Elites. It would have been far more appealing to see an in-depth story of a Forerunner family or even a brief tale inside Hasley's Spartan II program.

Devotees who know little of the canon beyond the video game could have benefited from these approaches as well. Fans in this spectrum will at least enjoy the canon overview in the Special Features and some of the more game-centric chapters like Aramaki's cinematic venture, The Passage, the ODST mission from The Babysitter, and the Spartan trainee's Homecoming. These three chapters truly feel like a Halo experience. You might even get that same giddy feeling that you did the first time you popped in each of the Halo video games.

Even if the collection is a mediocre venture into the Halo universe, a good number of people will purchase Halo Legends just to have it on the shelf beside their video game collector's editions and Halo novels. But if you're not one of those people, then borrow the DVD from a more-obsessed friend and save your cash for the real Halo experience, Halo: Reach.