I must personally agree with OP. The community Halo 3 forged and all the friends I made playing, wins me over easy. Who cares that COD is unbalanced, has bad maps etc etc. Who cares that Halo had 'bad' graphics, and that you couldn't aim down the site. Who gives a damn about all the technical aspects, when the amount of fun one has playing the game should be most important.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to how much fun I had. I barely play games now, but when I look back at it, damn I wish I could go back and do it all again. Halo being such a big part of my gaming experience even makes me visit this forum once in a while, and I haven't even thought of the game in months. There are just some things you can't let go of. Halo will always be one those games.