Does a game really have to be accurate to be fun? So what if they flood were'nt discovered until 20 years later? Maybe everyone stationed on harvest was destroyed?

Maybe the flood consumed them all?

Maybe the information remained classified after the mission was completed?

Maybe is doesn't matter? Although ES completely screwed the game over in a number of ways the least not being unplayable flood, accuracy should never be important if the game is truly fun. Which is not the case here because this is more like Halo on an acid trip.

And not the good acid trip either. No, more like a nightmare-ish trip.