I wanted to make this since a lot of "demo impression" threads pop up when a new one is released. Most of them aren't fleshed-out well enough to even warrant it's own thread. Therefore, if you have played the demo and want to express your opinion, post it here. I just finished it so continue reading for my impressions.
Demo Overview
When you first boot up Halo Wars you'll be greeted with a Halo 3'ish interface. You can change the options, boot up the tutorial, delve into the campaign, or set up a basic skirmish (1 on 1, no storyline, set map, set race, limited units). Selecting the multiplayer option only informs you of the modes that will be available, and this demo does not actually have online integrated (a la Command and Conquer 3 demo).
As far as the tutorial is concerned, you have a basic and advanced one. Basic will teach you how to move your units and select them, fight other units, and pick up supply crates. The advanced tutorial goes into the basics of base building. A majority of your experience thereafter will be picked up as you play more of the actual game.
Your next choice will probably be the campaign, as opposed to skirmish. The campaign in the demo gives you two missions to play. The first one will task you with controller a hero, Forge, and moving along the map in a very linear mission structure. As you drive along, you'll save marines and build up a bigger army, eventually killing 90-100 grunts (which is the optional objective). The mission then ends, pretty short and straight-forward.
The second mission is a bit more interesting, but will also introduce new players of the RTS genre to how slow it can sometimes be. You'll have a base which should, and has, to be built up. Once you make a significant army, you can head to the left to pick up more troops, then North (from the basic camera angle) to encounter an enemy base. Head Northeast and begin crossing the bridge, a lot of fighting is done in this mission. It can be a bit hectic, but you'll eventually reach the end and destroy the detonator.
Both missions have cinematics in them. I believe four in total: one before and after each mission. The story is a bit of a stretch for me, since I have not read any books. But as any fan of Halo might know, Halo Wars takes place 20 years before.
Demo Impressions
The control is pretty simple. You can select everybody with a simple command, you don't have to place buildings (your base has "slots" which can be built into buildings), and overall it's a breeze. I do have some nit-picks, but that is just because I am use to RTS on the PC. It will always feel to me like it's that much slower and you have that much less control over the battle. It's possible to micro, but not that much.
Mission structure was alright, I liked the first one better than the second. I can only hope that they balance it to the realization you are using a controller and not a mouse. Optional objectives like killing 10 jackals, or killing 100 grunts, or even destroying an enemy base was a nice alternative to rushing in and completing the main objective.
The graphics are great. If you think about it, this kind of aerial view puts more things on the screen. If you zoom in you can notice the little workings of your supply building picking up a crate and setting it down as the crate then moves along. A very different perspective in general from the normal Halo FPS. Interesting to see that bulky sniper tower in Halo 3 as the size of a penny in Halo Wars.
Sound is not what I expected. Acting in cinematics was alright, but the basic narrations of your leaders were just annoying. When I mean leaders, I am talking about the guy who tells you what to build and the "Cortana" of Halo Wars.
I'm not sure if I will buy the game. Probably going to wait. It's basic enough for new RTS players, and offers up the art and style of the Halo universe. However, there are also a lot of other games coming out that might warrant my money more.
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