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Halo Wars
The Covenant has declared war on humanity, and Harvest is the first battleground. Set 21 years before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo Wars is an exciting real-time strategy game set in the legendary Halo universe. In this unique installment in the Halo franchise, players experience the epic battles that marked the beginning of the Covenant...
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Halo Wars Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
Halo Wars deftly dodges between the hardcore micromanagement of real-time strategy and the instant gratification expected by Halo fans. Ensemble has nailed console RTS controls, but at the expense of some depth. The campaign missions often seem overly scripted and the experience doesn’t have the wide-open feel of some other RTSs. But the Halo feel is most definitely present, and serves as one of the game’s biggest strengths. The cinematic cutscenes are gorgeous, if the narrative is somewhat thin in places. Overall, Halo Wars is a fresh and expertly polished approach to the console strategy gen...
Halo Wars is as good as RTS games get on console, and the perfect opportunity for 360 owners who have never played an RTS before to see what all that geeky micro-management stuff is all about.
But enough about the campaign. We all know why people bought this game; Skirmish and multiplayer. The Skirmish mode lets you choose from 6 leaders, each with varying units, powers, and bonuses, and take the fight online with other people or against AIs with varying difficulties. Teamwork is essential in 4 or 6 player games; try to attack a base on your own, and your enemy's allies will make you regret it. Again, the game is simple enough for first-time RTS fans, but complicated enough to give hardcore-RTS fans who know what they're doing a slight advantage.
The original Halo way back in 2001 was, believe it or not, originally meant to be an RTS game and it was only through repeat trips back to the drawing board that the title ended up in the FPS genre. Once you know that, it comes as no surprise that the Halo universe is finally getting the RTS treatment. The potential is there to deliver a heavily story driven RTS headed up by a goldmine license, and that is what Ensemble planned on doing. With Bungie out the picture, the franchise is still in ...