Halo as an RTS. Does it work?
As a huge fan of Halo and the Real-Time Strategy genre I was thrilled to hear about Halo Wars, so after playing and beating the game I decided to give my lowdown of it.
Story - 4/5
Unless you're a huge fan of Halo and are fully aware of the backstory and pay alot of attention to the other games - the Story in Halo Wars I personally find - isn't exactly engrossing as I was itching to get into the fight and skipped some of the story leaving me somewhat bewildered towards the end.
Visuals - 4/5
The cinematics in the game are fantastic. Probably the best I've ever seen in a video game. Period. (That's a big statement for someone who plays ALOT of RPG games.)
*Spoiler* Watch the beginning cutscene to Mission 15 and tell me it's not badass.*/Spoiler*
The (very colourful :)) ingame graphics are as good as they need to be really. The animation is really well done; for example zooming in close and watching armies fighting made me think of how it well would work in Halo 3 aswell.
Audio - 5/5
From the frivilous sounds of Grunts to the mighty beam of the Scarab, any Halo fan will feel welcomed into this game perhaps from the sounds alone. They are very well done and the soundtrack accompanying the missions work just as well.
Playability 5/5
This IS the "Love it or Hate it" side to the game - the controls. For any gamer playing this - whether beginner or adept the controls are perfect. Beginners will find it easy to control armies and build bases. Adepts will find it easy to micro manage and the like.
Especially for a console RTS, the controls are so well done that anybody can pick up and play.
Longevity - 4/5
There is so much variation in the game for example - the vast amount of units and ways to play (6 leaders each with their own unique units and abilities) that you will always find new strats and different ways to play. The campaign IS pretty short but with alot of collectables. (Skulls, Black boxes, Par times, Medals, Secondary Objectives etc.)
The Online Multiplayer is perhaps, another "Love it or Hate it" side to the game as many people tend to rush (as with most RTS games) so most of the time you'll have to play in a certain way to counter-rush but other than that, it does bring variation to the game as a whole.
This game is SO MUCH FUN IN CO-OP!
Achievements - 4/5 - Won't affect the final score.
There are alot of fun achievements in this. For each mission in the campaign there are mini objectives for achievements such as Ram 50 Grunts. There are collectable skulls and black boxes - these are for fulfilling the optionary timeline (additional story which can be read.)
A pretty easy 800 maybe 900G with guides. Every collectable, Gold Medals, Par Times, the side achievements for every level (5G achievements) and beating on at least Heroic in Co-Op should net you about 700G. Then doing every skirmish mission with every leader picking the odd achievements such as Titan and Empire builder should eventually get you "Ready for the Sequel" which is 100% completion. Without playing online - 800G is easily achievable before 24 hours.
The only achievement which prevents this from being an easy 1k is getting the General Rank. This would take months of solid play and currently, the online isn't solid enough for it at least until the next promised Title Update..
Summary 4.5/5
Overall, Halo Wars is an excellent addition to the Halo franchise. The Campaign is short but great fun (especially with a friend!) and another Halo Wars does look promising! Definately a Buy for any kind of gamer.
