Platform

(This review is based on a release copy of the game graciously provided by MGS)

Halo Wars is the final game to emerge from the venerable Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires series), and the first title from Ensemble to be exclusive to the Xbox 360 console. The game will be released in PAL territories on the 26th February 2009, and in North America on the 3rd March 2009. The title is available in Standard and Limited editions, with the limited edition contained in a plastic covering that holds a Steelbook case for the game, and an extras package for the bonus items, just like Halo 3.

The limited edition contains a code for a Honour Guard Wraith vehicle that can be redeemed on Xbox Live, and a code to download the upcoming Mythic Map pack for Halo 3. It also contains a rubber patch from the Spirit of Fire (the UNSC ship in the game), 6 leader cards that describe the leader powers, and a graphic novel set in the Halo universe.

Gameplay

If you believed that Halo Wars is simply Halo 3 scaled up, you would be right. The gameplay has the feel of its FPS cousin, and the game manages to maintain that feel in the writing, and even in the menus. However the RTS base of the game still shows, for example when air units sit in place to attack a building. Unit feel and movement was obviously emphasised in the game, Warthogs will fishtail, bounce around when they land, and get knocked about when they ram through a group of enemies.

The unit selection is rather extensive,from units you know and love, like the Warthog and Grunts, to some craft previously unseen in Halo games, like the Vulture super unit, which is great for unleashing devastating barrage attacks on the enemy base. Covenant bring the old favourites like the Elites, Jackals and Hunters to the party, and you gain a feeling of satisfaction when you unleash a couple of Scarab super-units on the enemy, knowing what they were like in Halo 3.

The two sides really differ when it comes to leader powers. The UNSC uses a special attack menu which is called up by pressing Up on the D-Pad. The power you have, depends on the leader chosen at the start of the match. However unlike the UNSC, who does not have any units to represent their leaders in skirmish/multiplayer, the Covenant leader is actually a controllable unit on the battlefield. The covenant deploy their leader abilities through the use of the Special Attack that each unit has. Whilst the UNSC can use their powers in any visible area, the Covenant leader must be within range to use its ability. However the Covenant also gain the ability to teleport other units to the leader’s position, creating a great way to reinforce an attack on the enemy.

The “console simplification” can really be seen in the base building mechanic where all buildings are constructed in fixed locations around a central base, (Firebase for the UNSC, Citadel for the Covenant) and supplies (the resource for the game) are collected over time by a specific type of building. Most maps have at least 4 base locations, with the empty ones being held by an AI party that you simply need to crush to gain control of the position.

The control scheme works very nicely with the Xbox 360 controller, however the lack of control groups and more advanced controls will be an issue for those coming from the PC and wanting to try out Ensemble’s final offering on consoles.

Movement is handled with the Left Thumbstick, and camera rotation and zooming is handled with the Right Thumbstick. The ability to select all units, or just all units on screen, as well as being able to cycle through the unit types selected using the Right Trigger will certainly help those who are willing to learn the controls. Moving around the map can be sped up by using the Left Trigger, and without this, the movement controls simply wouldn’t work.

However this console simplification has really worked for Halo Wars. Whilst the game would most likely fail if it appeared in this state on the PC, the game controls, and mechanics work quite well for console, enough to make Halo Wars one of, if not the best RTS games on consoles to date.

Difficulty in the single player campaign ramps up pretty fast, with the jump from Normal to Heroic being much harder than the jump from Easy to Normal. Certain campaign missions also cause a spike in difficulty. You could be progressing nicely through the campaign, and then get stuck for a long time on one mission due to what look like overwhelming odds. One mission has you defending civilian transports for 20 minutes whilst the Covenant mount a full scale attack on you, your Spartan allies, and the Civilians. Combined with the love that AI Spartans have for hijacking vehicles, this can quickly become a painful mission where surviving  through to the end is difficult; especially when the enemy has their full tech tree, and you are limited to just over 1/2 your units.  This can ruin the fun of the game, especially when a reasonably early mission causes a great amount of frustration.

Skirmish has the player fighting alongside AI teammates, or alone, against one or multiple AI foes. The skirmish AI can be challenging, however they are not very “smart”. It is quite possible to take over a base right next to their own, and they will continue to try to send forces to your main base. Recreations of famous maps like Blood Gulch will surely bring fond memories for fans of the previous Halo games, and being able to fight those same battles on a much larger scale is certainly enjoyable. Halo Wars ships with a good number of maps that range from 1v1 to 3v3, and span all of the locale types in the game. More than enough to keep you playing for a while.

Graphics & Audio

Being a console RTS, Halo Wars certainly does not have the detail of Empire Total War, however the game does have a reasonably high quality for its class. Animations are the key point here, with the quality level being close to, if not the same as Halo 3 (I wouldn’t be surprised if the animations were given to Ensemble by Bungie).

Textures are at a pretty good resolution, and the particle effects really add to the scene, and the feeling that this is a Halo game however the game does occasionally slow down at 1080p, although this is very rare and usually only during heavy action.

Halo Wars simply has to be played in High Definition to look good, and due to the detail required and information on screen, players need the extra space afforded by a minimum resolution of 720p to really experience the game.

The pre-rendered cut scenes which break each mission were created by the CG studio Blur and as usual are top notch. The colours in many missions are bright and lush, which looks great as a backdrop to the destruction that is about to occur. However in keeping with the Halo universe, many locales are dull, and Ensemble has put a lot of effort into ensuring that the game looks great in any environment.

The audio in the game is very similar to Halo 3, with many sounds most likely brought over from the FPS title. You cannot fault Halo Wars on the audio, the engine appears to be able to handle the many diverse sounds on screen at once, and the score by Stephen Rippy manages to keep the Halo musical theme alive throughout the game.

Overall

At the end of the day, Halo Wars does not manage to do what Halo did for FPS on the console. If Halo Wars was a PC game, it would be lacking immensely, however for the needs of consoles, the game is executed extremely well. The controls are well designed for the Xbox 360 controller, and this is crucial for the gameplay of an RTS on a console. Difficulty spikes are an issue, and it is never fun repeating the same mission over and over again, especially one running on a timer.

Whilst I am certain that most Ensemble fans would have preferred a PC RTS for their final game, it is nice to see one of the best do justice to a Halo RTS. This is a solid effort by Ensemble to bring RTS to the consoles, and it is certainly above par when compared to other games in the same class. A very fun game to play, and an awesome way to experience the Halo universe. The addition of a timeline will certainly be loved by the Halo universe fans, and provides an easy way for new players to learn about the back story behind the war, as well as the major events leading up until the events on earth in Halo 3.

I did not get a chance to experience the multiplayer, however the skirmish games were good fun, and I can only hope that playing over Live enhances the experience.

If you are a console gamer wanting to experience the wonderful world of RTS games, this is a perfect introduction to the genre in a familiar setting. We can expect DLC and updates for the game to appear down the line from the newly formed Robot Entertainment, which is staffed by ex-Ensemble employees.

If you intend to pick this up, you cannot go wrong by picking up the limited edition, especially if you are a Halo 3 fan. Early access to the Mythic map pack, and a good Halo Graphic Novel is worth the extra price for a fan, however if you do not play Halo 3 on Live, then you should probably just choose the standard edition.

Pros:

• Excellent graphics
• Fitting control scheme
• RTS replay value

Cons:

• Mission difficulty increase is annoying
• Occasional slowdown/stuttering
• Lack of ‘standard’ RTS features (Control groups)

Rating:

8.9/10

Best of luck to the employees of Ensemble in your future endeavours, and great work on your final game as Ensemble studios.