Halo Wars has a whole new meaning to the games of Halo. This is nothing like the Halo games you've seen before, being the first Halo RTS game on the market. The
Halo series starts off when the UNSC is expanding there planets for population and resources. When the human forces UNSC are attacked at the last major stronghold that they control. The master Chief escapes on the Pillar of Autumn in a attempt to lead the Covenant away from earth. Unfortunately the UNSC and Covenant forces release the Flood which was thought to be destroyed on the ring in the first Halo, but I'm not leaving a 30 minute review on the storey so here's the good, bad, and unique things about Halo Wars.
First off Halo Wars is the first Halo game to bring a RTS game play to the Halo legacy. This is not a first person shooter which is a common mistake due to the Halo franchise, me and my friends all had the impression that it was another first person shooter, we were way wrong. If your not into RTS games but into Halo I would still stay away from this game, even if your a huge Halo fan.
Halo Wars has a very good quality of graphics, very well for being a RTS which is usually not so much focused on the graphics. The view is 3d so you have the options of zooming in, out, and around. Unfortunately you cant zoom out very far, which can get very annoying when your trying to track down where your army split up. The graphics are rich giving good quality of terrain, structures, and units a look of the old Halo games. I haven't ran into any severe problems as far as lagging or blotchy units. There are some parts that slow down but that's due to "stuff" going down. Halo Wars also has good quality sound. The soundtrack sounds good but it can get old hearing the "same" halo theme music that you heard on other Halo missions. Voice expressions are done well, fitting appropriat espressions in the correct enviroments. The fighting also sounds good when your in a big battle or fighting for a new base or to keep an old one.
The game play in Halo Wars is pretty good but there are a few places it's lacking and excelling. The worst part this game lacks is the campaign play. The campaign needs more missions and more story depth to match the previous Halo games. The story depth is a little weaker than the Command and Conquer series. The AI in campaign and skirmish mode needed some more tuning to make them more effective for us that have played Halo Wars more than several times. The AI seems to use the same tactics throughout the Skirmishes as well. Another place Halo Wars is lacking in is your Army's size. This is not the typical build 300 guys and send them off RTS, the army you can control is very small. One other thing I don't like about Halo Wars is the base building. Unlike most RTS game you must find a outpost to build a base onto. This can get real annoying when your choosing between building techs, units, or buildings.
One of the things Unique from most RTS games is your tech tree. You can't just build several buildings and start building whatever units you want. You must use caution and upgrade your units,unit types, buildings, and other techs. The coolest part I find in this game as a Halo fan, how many RTS games have anything close to the Halo enemies. Although I wasn't aware this was a RTS at first I've always thought a Halo RTS would be pretty cool. I've mentioned that finding outposts to expands sucks, but it also encourages quick action beginning within minutes of the game. Lot's of RTS games start out fairly slow waiting up to an hour before you have a sizable army. Halo Wars also has something I haven't ween in many RTS games is that you must build a supply pad for ships out in space to bring you in resources.
UNSC
Buildings Firebase which is your command center, Turrets for base deffense, Field armoury to increasetechs and abilities, Reactor a power plant to run your base, Vehicle depot, Barracks, Airpad
Units Marines, Flamethrowers, the mighty Spartan, Warthog a military jeep, Scorpian tank, Wolverine which excels in AA, Cobra which gives support,
Covenant
Buildings Citadel your command center, Shield generators, Warehouse your income source, Turrets, Temple, Hall (barracks), Factory (vehicle expansion), and the Summit (Aircraft production)
Units Jackal, Grunts, Hunters, Ghost fast ground vehicle, Wraith a powerfull tank, Locust a ranged vehicle, Banshee mane aircraft, Engineer repairs things, Vampire AA, and the mighty Scarab a walking fortress
I have to give the game play a good rating. Although army size and different unit types have a weak score. Much more command points are needed in a RTS even if it is Halo. Halo Wars is a game that you would pull out on a rainy day or when there's nothing to do, this game is fun but it doesn't have the best replay value. I did not have xbox Live at the moment when I was renting this game so I can't tell you much about on line. Although I have heard both good and bad things about it. I guess it depends on what kind of games you like to play on line.
Overall I reccomend this game to those that are
not to picky when it comes to RTS. However you might want to rent Halo Wars or borrow before you consider purchasing. Lot's of people have weird different opinions about this game, I hear lot's of good, and Lot's of bad. If your knew to the RTS games and getting interested in them this would be a good game for you. Or if your into the slower paced RTS games. Like I said earlier if your a intense RTS gamer this is recommended that you stay away.
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