Over the past few years Bungie studios have taken the world by storm with their Halo series, from its humble beginnings of Halo: Combat Evolved to the very popular Halo 3 which is a fresh today as it was when released. But now Ensemble studios have been given the chance to become part of the Halo legend with their take on the Halo universe in their latest and final game Halo Wars.
Skepticism has been surrounding this game since it was announced. Not only was Halo Wars going to be a different game type (moving from first person shooter to strategy), it was also going to be made by a different game developers that have had no affiliation with the previous Halo games what so ever. But oddly enough this game which seemed to be destined for failure has taken us all by surprise. It’s gripping storyline takes us twenty years before Halo CE and sees Humanity battling to the control the planet “Harvest”, only to discover that the Covenant are hunting for something bigger and better than just the control of a single planet. The well written story and outstanding cinematic graphics will keep you playing the campaign for hours just to see what will happen next.
Many console strategy games have failed due to their poor in-game controls. But Halo Wars brings us a simple and effective control system that will allow any gamer to jump right into the action. As you start a game be it matchmaking or other, you start off with a single base structure which you have a limited number of ports to build supply pads, reactors, barracks etc. You can build other base structures in designated spots which are hidden around the map which this can make it very frustrating as you can not just build whatever, wherever as with most strategy games. On the other hand this does mean you have to learn to prioritise your resources and be more…..well….strategic. If you’re having difficulty playing matchmaking with a friend you can always try out the two player Co-Op mode where you can play out the main campaign story but have an extra hand to help you out with finding those hidden skull or getting past a particularly difficult level. Sadly you both have to share a single base which can become a struggle for space and lead to extensive arguing on who’s got too many vehicles. Luckily Halo Wars is littered with hidden extras so you and your friend and hunt for these bonuses. One such extra is just like in Halo 3 are bonus skulls which are scattered around the campaign maps these can alter the game play if found and activated.
In the online matchmaking modes you can choose to not only be with the UNSC or the covenant but you can also select your leader with each one having their own unique abilities. They online game play works fine unless someone has a poor connection, if one person leaves the game prior to the end for what ever reason the match is ended for everyone. This does make it incredibly difficult to play as there are hundreds of poor connection gamers out there to spoil your fun. But the main problem with this is that it’s just not enticing to play online so once you’ve completed the campaign mode there’s not much more you really fell compelled to do.
If you are a big fan of the Halo series then you will no doubt be aware of the Bonuses that come with the limited collector’s edition of the game, such as special vehicles (if pre-ordered from curtain outlets) and the long awaited Mythic Map Pack for Halo 3. This is an enticing offer for any Halo fan but is this all to distract us from some a failing in the game? Well we may never know. Unfortunately the bonus vehicles can’t be used during online matchmaking which surly would be the one place we would expect it to be, which is very disappointing but can still be used in the other modes including the main campaign.
Halo Wars may not have made it to the high stature of Halo 3 but then again no one expected it to, this game was meet with skepticism at every turn during the development but has ploughed on and has given us something well thought out and enjoyable to play. Although there are some obvious bits and peaces which could have been improved and would have only enhance the Halo Wars experience we still have something which is quite a rarity these days, a workable console strategy game.
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