melee weapons, can be countered by BR and sometimes they can't kill you in one hit.
Most of the time they do. You could just as easily say that for all the weapons on the COD list. Different weapons are suitable to different levels.
is 1 hit within 5 feet
Still a 1 hit kill weapon. If the opponent is at 10, you wouldn't bother with the 2nd shot, you'd just melee him. That leads on nicely to the Mauler.
needs to be a head shot
The same can be said of the COD sniiper rifles. The stopping power perk can be countered by juggernaut.
avoided easily
Not if you're in a vehicle. I actually find the laser to be a very effective anti personnel weapon, depending on the map.
avoided even more easily.
Again, not if you're in a vehicle.
We could argue the merits and demerits of the weapons in COD/Halo, all day and we wouldn't reach a meaningful conclusion, mainly because different weapons are suited to different situations. However, I pick COD over Halo, because the player is more actively involved in the tactical side of it. When making your custom class you have choices to make. In Halo, the best weapons are spread over the map, so it is a mixture of luck and skill as to who gets them first.