Naw, the handgun was better up close too, which is my #1 reason for not liking it...
The single player in both games I found to be average, nothing exceptional, so really it comes down to the multiplayer, and as far as that's concernced, Halo 2 is king. I'm not quite sure how they did it but the developers at Bungie created a setting in which teamwork and out-thinking your oppenents was the best way to win, instead of simply being a better "joystick handler" than the person you were playing against. It remains one of the only games I enjoy playing online all the time, because strategy outweighs thumb "skill." Halo 1 matches always came down to who sunk in more hours playing the game, which in my opinion should never be rewarded.