I really wasn't expecting much from Halo Wars, the real-time strategy prequel to the Xbox and Xbox 360's blockbuster Halo shooters. Developer Ensemble Studios, whose credits include the excellent Age of Empires series for Windows, are masters of real-time tactics, but it seemed clear that they would need to deliver a relatively rudimentary experience if they wanted the game to appeal to the millions of existing Halo fans who've never played an RTS game before. The demo released in February, which began with players given command of just a few warthog jeeps and soldiers, seemed only to confirm that this was the case.
However, once I began delving into the retail version the game began to grow on me.
To be clear, Halo Wars is no Age of Empires or Rome: Total War. That said, it does have a diversity of missions that few strategy games can match. Some levels force players to dig in and defend, some require rapid base acquisition and expansion, and still others see us on the move trying to take down multiple objectives within a given time limit, a bit like the sort of play found in games such as Company of Heroes and World in Conflict.
And I found the simple manner in which bases and units are built and upgraded to somewhat refreshing. A United Nations Space Command base, for example, has just three upgrades and allows for a maximum of eight buildings, plus four turrets. I often built, outfitted, and fully upgraded these bases in a matter of minutes, which left more time for exploration and battle.
The units we manufacture have similarly limited upgrades, but they are often highly potent. Infantry, for example, start off as fodder for Covenant brutes and scarabs, but upgrade them to orbital drop shock troopers and suddenly you have a cadre of soldiers that nearly rivals the UNSC's legendary spartans (the elite force that counts the iconic Master Chief as a member). A unit cap prevents us from building up massive armies, and trying to create and command multiple groups of tanks and soldiers is a pain, but that just forced me to focus on one objective at a time and replace units as they were lost.
Unburdened by the sort of complex, multi-tasking activities found in other real-time strategy games, Halo Wars ends up being a surprisingly relaxing play. When I get up from playing an RTS I usually feel like I just drank a couple litres of Red Bull-my hands are sweaty, my eyes wide, and I have a bit of a headache-but after each of my sessions with Halo Wars I found myself oddly at ease and immediately ready to re-enter the real world.
That's not to say the game isn't exciting or engrossing; the action is at times quite tense-the massive battles I waged against Covenant scarabs were nothing if not exhilerating. Plus, more than 30 minutes of visually spectacular cut scenes play out over the course of the game. They tell the tale of an isolated UNSC ship in deep space working to prevent the Covenant from achieving an upper-hand in their ongoing war with humanity. Playing these clips back-to-back makes for a satisfying-and modestly moving-CGI movie watching experience.
I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that while Halo Wars is clearly a simplified RTS made with the world's legions of Halo fans in mind, it's still clever and polished enough to offer something to hardcore video game tacticians. I don't expect it will win any awards in the genre, but it is nonetheless a competent, compelling, and fun RTS romp.