Just play 1, 2 & 3 chronologically and if you want more play odst. I, personally, wouldn’t recommend halo 4. They’re also great games for co op if you have a friend you can convince
I trust ID to make a fun game, I do not trust Microsoft however so we’ll see how hands off they’ve been. Hopefully it was too far along for Microsoft to meddle with anything.
Balatro came out just before your date, 13 days or so, so may have flown under the radar. Very addictive