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Halo Wars Review

The Halo universe got a little bigger and a whole lot more strategic with this beauty.

Do note that this Review may contain some spoilers from other Halo titles.

Some key points that this game offers:

  1. Brilliant RTS gameplay mechanics.
  2. Immerse yourself into the fantastic Halo Universe Lore.
  3. Co-op campaign mode.
  4. LEGENDARY difficulty, what is Halo without this…
  5. Timeline, a fancy extra that dates and describes important happenings throughout the Halo timeline.

Gameplay & Controls:

Considering that this gem is an Xbox 360 exclusive, one would think that RTS games might be a drag to play… That is not the case here, this game has been beautifully planned out and executed with exact precision.

The gameplay mechanics are simplistic in design, and I do not say that as a bad thing, they did an outstanding job to keep the ‘heavy’ stuff simple and easy to use on a console with a controller. Halo wars plays brilliantly in every aspect.

I can honestly say that there are very few other RTS games out there that offer this much fun and comfortability in such an easy to play method.

The game takes play prior to the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, by 21 years to be exact. If you played the other tittles over the years you would know what this means and entails, to avoid spoilers I’m simply going to state, that it is still all out war with the Covenant.

Air Support
We will level the floor with you!

You are under Captain James Gregory Cutter command onboard the CFV-88 UNSC Spirit of Fire. It is from this mighty vessel that all ground operations take place.

The game mechanics as I mentioned above have been simplified to make it easier to use and play on console. Base building is done in the form of finding a building spot. Clicking on it and building the base; from there the base gets built automatically. It can be upgraded to support more building pads, these building pads in turn get used to build other buildings on such as the armoury, barracks or warehouse. 

No individual buildings can be built here, it may seem as a downside but in the long run, it keeps the game a lot more stable and easier to play and manage. Other shortcuts were created for the game as well to easier select your units; whether you want to choose the ones on screen or your whole army.  You have most of the basic requirements to make an RTS game fun and enjoyable, and the ones that are not here have alternative methods to make up for that.

Troops control and movement can be done as easily as moving the game with your controller’s joystick. Most units have a special ability which can easily be made use of. Faction powers and abilities such as calling down a transport for troop movement or healing a sectors troops can be done quite easily at the touch of some buttons. Combat plays out very well here, easily to manage and manoeuvre, whether you are commanding ground troops or aircraft, the game has been designed in such a way that it plays perfectly on a console and controller.

Arbiter
Switched sides again?

Each building that you build opens the door to new options, whether it is upgrades or units and their upgrades. The game has no wasted builds, everything has a place that can easily be accessed if the pre-requisites have been met. All in all, for an RTS game everything came together quite beautifully with this one.

I can note here that higher troop command and the ability to give orders to troops would have been  nice features to have but taking into consideration the platform and the game balance it may have proved difficult to maintain all of that on the limited capabilities of the Xbox 360, so as I stated given what we got for the platform, we have., we have a brilliant game.

Graphics:

Simply gorgeous. Halo has always had its own variety of vibrant colour schemes that can be enjoyed whilst in the thick of battle, however this is something that one does not always experience or take the chance to witness, given the action packed and extremely fast combat nature of the game, but it is there and Halo Wars is no different in terms of beauty.

Every aspect of this game is beautiful to behold, whether it is the heinous Covenant or the might of the UNSC, everything is gorgeous.

Base
We are ready for you…

Character design has been done remarkably well, one can easily distinguish the features of the units we play with or against. Larger troops such as the standard marines with their small squad sizes packed with different weapon loadouts are clearly visible.

The same treatment was given to all other units. Vehicles are very realistically created to offer that lifelike behaviour. Aircraft is no different, the behaviour and looks not only offer us that Halo vibe but it offers that unique experience that only Halo can.

Level design has been done extremely well, there are so many different levels if you take the campaign plus skirmish maps into total count and each and everyone of them has been given unique creative layouts. Burning wreckages, damaged terrain and numerous other aspects populate these levels to add to the level’s beauty.

Bases
Covenant Base.

The cinematic scenes are as beautiful as they come, which is exactly what we can expect from anything worthy of the prefix “Halo”

Sounds:

The voice acting has been done beautifully. Each scene is captivating and quite exhilarating to witness. As I stated there is a brilliant story behind the game and the stunning sound effects and voice acting are a big part of what makes that story so great and not just that they play a key part in telling it.

Flood
The never ending enemy!

In game sounds are accurate and very realistically done, to offer a lifelike ‘voice’ behind everything that happens, whether it is troop movement or combat scenarios. The game never fails here. Each level is alive with its own unique background sounds and occurrences, that further add to this already great game.

Last but not least is the stunning soundtrack that just enhances our overall experience in this game.

Replayability:

Halo Wars offers the main campaign which can be played solo or cooperative with a friend, and when that is done, you can take things to Skirmish against some A. I’s. There is also online multiplayer that can be made use of.

Healing
Don’t go into the light.

Last but not least Halo wars offers numerous achievements that are tied to the Campaign, Skirmish and Online play, so plenty to do.

MGR Gaming’s Conclusions:
Spoilers Ahead:

When it comes down to the numbers Halo Wars is simply superb. Every aspect of this game has been beautifully crafted and more so perfectly implemented to offer us a stunning experience.

As far as RTS games go, Halo Wars is a brilliant expansion into this genre of gaming. The mechanics may have been simplified to offer an easy to use experience but this has in no way downgraded the games quality.

Scarab
BFG!

There is a lot of variety in the game, we have our main Factions being the UNSC and the Covenant. When playing Skirmish or online these two factions are broken down into three classes each offering unique units and upgrades that can be made use of in the field.

Whilst in the field there are numerous aspects in each level to make use of to help against the enemy. Forerunner structures that offer support to your war effort, and then some.

All in all, one brilliant game that any Halo Fan’s love at first sight, and that is not all, this game is fun and simple enough that any gamer can take the opportunity to give it a try.

Spartans
Nuf said!
MGR Gaming Score 9

Additional Info:

Platforms: Xbox 360
Genre: RTS:  Strategy: Sci-fi
Censor Rating: Mature
Age Rating: 16
Developer: Ensemble Studios: Robot Entertainment
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date: 26 February 2009

MGR Gaming Steam Curator:
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32364038/