No Halo game has ever had more intense ctf/assault than Halo 2 because of the way contesting works.
In Halo 2, when the flag or bomb was dropped, it had a timer on it so that if it wasn’t touched, it would be returned to the attacking team’s base.
This worked amazing well and made for some intense matches, especially if the flag was near the scoring point when time was about to run out.
In Halo 3 and Reach, it was stupid because you had to stand directly on the bomb or flag to return it (in 3, for lengthy periods). This made returning the flags frustrating since enemies could just l