Halo Wars

Halo Wars

X-Box 360
Demo Available on XBL




I like this game. I know that to many hard core RTS players, playing an RTS on a console is akin to wearing white after labor day, but Ensemble Studios has done a tremendous job in converting complicated controls to the 360 controller.


The game takes place about 25 years before the events of the first HALO game. There is no Master Chief, there aren't even Spartans as we know them, since old Chieffy was a SPARTAN II. Your squad mostly consists of regular human types.


But who cares? You want to know about the control, right?


Again, for a console RTS, the control is adequate. Would I want more control? Yes. But without the option of a keyboard/mouse, control of the game is handled VERY well. Ensemble has taken the best parts of an RTS, and focused on those. One button selects a local squad (visible on screen) and one button selects ALL UNTIS. One button takes the camera back to your base, another takes you to the anyh erupting action. One button attacks, one button tells your until to unleash HELL ( special attacks). It is simple...it gets you into the action and doesn't bog you down trying to manage everything. You fight. All other actions are secondary. Contrast that with Age of Empires or C&C...in which you are attacking, defending, and gathering all at once.


Speaking of, resource gathering ( which I LOATHE and has taken me out of many a RTS) is kind of an afterthought in Halo Wars. You buiild a base, and it makes resources for you. There are resources in the field that your sqauds can pick up...but thats it. They dont even have to lug them back...you just move the unit on top of them and they are added to your tally. You spend them on barracks ( more troops) , reactors (more stuff) and upgraded your stuff ( warthogs, troops, etc) That's it. Your time is devoted to winning the objective.


And therin lies the only fault I have found with this game so far. In simplifying the controls, it seems in some cases they forgot to simplify the game. THere are times when there is just too much going on combat wise. While the game does a fantastic job of notifying you that stuff is going down, actually doing something effective with the info can at times prove difficult, and this can result in failed missions and re-tries. As long as you just keep telling yourself that this is a console based RTS, and a good one, you wont be that upset. I made myself go back and play the LOTR RTS for 360 to remind myself how good a job Ensemble Studios did.


This is a game worth buying.l It is a huge step forward for RTS games on a console. While I am sure that hard core RTS players will find plenty to hate, the casual RTS player will have a blast.