http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/xbox-360/2009/03/04/halo-wars-review/1 Microsoft isn't done with the Halo franchise just yet and has unleashed this console RTS to prove it. With a story that acts as a prequel to the original Halo game and a solid strategy mechanic, this may be one Halo game you don't want to miss out on.
meh ...MS is trying to recreate/revive the FPS&RTS genres for xbox. When people began to play Halo for the first time I was already fed up with fast paced FPS games after spending countless of hours with Unreal Tournament. Now they release Halo Wars, but honestly this game doesn't stand a chance against games like Starcraft. Why bother MS ? oh wait ... milking the halo franchise i guess, go for something new and innovative instead because i'm about to fall asleep with all the halo spin offs.
RTS is still the only major genre that hasn't really cracked a successful formula on consoles thus far. Basically up to this point, everything has tried to be too much like the PC versions of the game they're ported from (Starcraft 64 is a prime example of this). Recently though, 3 of the biggest publishers have decided to have a crack by designing an RTS specifically around the limitations you find on consoles compared to PC: Sega and Creative Assembly with StormRise (being developed here in Australia, wooo), Ubisoft with Tom Clancy's EndWar, and Microsoft and Ensemble Studios with Halo Wars. Slightly strange that its the two multiplatform games that are getting a PC release, but the point is these games are being made with consoles as the key target and a PC version being an afterthought for once, rather than the other way round. So I say well done to these three developers for daring to try something different, rather than just rehashing the same old formula A bit more on Halo Wars in particular though, have played through a few levels on co-op, which i quite like having - my friend and i have quite differing tactics, so its great allowing one of us to attack in one way, while the other flanks. One thing I have noticed is that one of us will focus on vehicles/buildings, while the other acts as crowd control, taking out the infantry and any cheap units built as the enemies last minute defence. All in all, quite enjoyable
I'm pretty sure nobody can do anything to stop the oncoming popularity of SC2, and I don't think anyone's really trying, especially Microsoft. >_> Halo Wars appeals mostly to people who have played the Halo games or read the novels, not to hardcore Starcraft fans.
I would consider an 8/10 quite a success for Halo Wars. It is a genre that is normally terrible on consoles, and has been handled well I think. Sure, there are some serious limitations to it, but surely you can't fault it for that, since they are console limitations that could not be helped, and which every developer has to deal with. Instead, Ensemble managed to give the illusion of a much bigger game, which is preferable to just admitting they can't do much and letting us deal with the aftermath. Sure, the game deserves to be docked points for length and the forced nature of the campaign, but as far as console RTS's go, I would be very impressed if it could be topped. My point is, people need to stop comparing console games to PC games. There is a big difference between a £200 console and a £1500 monster gaming rig, and I think Ensemble have done an excellent job with what they had. Would I like to see a bigger, better and more badass version on the PC? Sure, but that is not my decision and I am not going to judge the game on that. I played the demo, and as far as console RTS's go, I think it is most excellent.
I got this out of pure Halo fanboyism and I must admit it was not the best thing to do with my money. I admire the job they did withe controls since they are very easy to work with and made the whole "RTS on a console" thing not seem totally impossible (at least for me) from an interface point of view, but other than that I don't think the game has a lot more going for it. Having little packs of units to manage does help a lot since it would have been a lot tougher to work with a lot of them, but that doesn't mean that the game is fun. It's definitely the best tey could do with what they had but it's still not the most enjoyable thing to play. Now, I haven't played anything on a PC for a few years now so that means I haven't played an RTS in ages, so I'm not sure if I'm just not into this type of games but I used to love Starcraft and Age of Empires and still think I would enjoy them on a PC but just not Halo Wars. If, like Skiddywinks said, we got a "bigger, better and more badass version on the PC" I would probably enjoy it a lot more but my copy's going to go unused for a loooong time until maybe one day I get bored and pop it in for a little while.
Having played and completed Halo Wars, although, only 2 other people on my friends list have it, i've not had a chance to bash about in co-op, and i must say, it's so much better than EA's ported C&C's. The campain was long enough, and allows you to learn new things about Halo if you never bothered to read the books (like me) Some great bits of humor in it also, which i wasn't expecting, and all from Serina. If i was to score it i would give it either an 8 or 9 out of 10. Sam
the game looks really nice, only problem is the lack of large battles. wish Microsoft didn't shutdown the Halogen mod for generals, Generals engine supports spamming units. being a Halo fan that hasn't played Halo Wars, may i ask who's the scientist woman in videos?? is it the Dr Halsey from the novels?
I played the demo and found it to bland linear. My fun with rts comes from building interesting bases - i loved doing that on Age of empires II.
Halo Wars isn't about building large conqureing bases and huuuuge amounts of tanks and warships (Red Alert 3) but is more about using focused units, and obviously, having fully equiped Spartans, Although, upgrading the Scorpian tank for Sargent Forge into the Grizzle tank is very satisfying. Sam
It's better than EndWar IMO, but World in Conflict is a totally different scale and type of RTS that's hard to compare.
