Halo Wars

The_Disturbed_One · #1 (**permalink**) 19th February 2009, 07:09 PM

Just throwing this out here because I just pre-ordered my Limited Edition copy.

Halo Wars is a sci-fi RTS game developed by the late Ensemble Studios (Best known for the Age of Empires series) that is set for a release date of March 3 and will be exclusive to the XBox 360 console. It is based off of the FPS Halo series released on the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. The game takes place about 20 years before the first Halo game, around the beginning of the Covenant invasion, thus, for the first time in a Halo game, you will not control Master Chief John-117. You will be able to command both the UNSC, which is basically the Earth's forces, and the alien Covenant.

The game is going to be released in a regular and special Limited Edition. The Limited Edition features include a unique in-game vehicle, a graphic novel based on one of the missions in the game, an in-game patch, and (this is the main reason I got the Limited Edition instead of the regular one) the Mythic Map pack for Halo 3.

Chief · #2 (**permalink**) 24th February 2009, 12:43 PM

Did it arrive mate? What did you think?

The_Disturbed_One · #3 (**permalink**) 24th February 2009, 10:41 PM

Not yet. The release date here in the States is March 3rd.

The_Disturbed_One · #4 (**permalink**) 4th March 2009, 07:43 AM

Alright. I received my copy earlier today, and I've pretty much been playing it since I got it. Since I described what the game is and all that mess earlier, I'll skip right to the review.

First of all, the story is exactly what I expected: awesome. It takes place 20 years before the first Halo game begins and about 6 years after the initial invasion by the Covenant. You basically see through the eyes of members of the UNSC ship Spirit of Fire on their campaign to stop the old Arbiter (the guy who was the Arbiter before the Elite in Halo 2 and 3) the Prophets and Covenant threat itself. The cinematics are beautiful, to say the least, but I felt that the in-game graphics could have been improved upon a little bit.

I went a little out of my normal play-area (I'm a sucker for FPS games and RPG's) with this RTS, but I was more than willing to sacrifice gameplay for another installment in the Halo series. However, it plays very much like any RTS that you've ever played before with the addition of the Halo universe elements. I did not play the multiplayer yet, but I have a feeling it will be much like the campaign and skirmish modes with a little lag.

I did love how they threw all the little things in there that fans love, Skulls for example. The music in the game will also be familiar to Halo fans, but its not presented in the same way as it is in the other games. I have not had the opportunity to download any of the bonus features specifically for the Limited Edition yet, but basically what's included is the Mythic Map pack for Halo 3 (I can't wait) and an exclusive Covenant vehicle that you can use in multiplayer and singleplayer skirmish games (not that excited about it) .

So, if I had to sum up Halo Wars, and I do, I'd say it is a great installment in the Halo series, but it doesn't have the gameplay to make it an amazing game. I'd suggest any die-hard fans of RTS games and fans of the Halo series (like myself) to pick it up. I give Halo Wars for the Xbox 360 a 8/10.