I always wanted to try Halo but never had the chance and now I want to get the "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" which I assume is the best way to start right? However, what makes Halo great, is it the game play or story and is it similar to Mass Effect in terms of lore and world building?

Mass Effect is one of my favorite games of all time and I always heard nothing but praise for Halo. So I decided to get Halo: The Master Chief Collection since it has 6 games? (I assumed it was a trilogy but Wikipedia says there are 6 games including 4).

So now in 2025, are those old games still worth it or they didn't age well? Also how does the collection work, I just boot the game and get to choose which game to play? If so then is there a specific order to play (like chronological) or I just play them in the release order?

Thanks