We spent some time at Microsoft HQ this week playing through sections of the single and multiplayer modes of this highly anticipated title. Here's five reasons why it may be the RTS of choice this year, whether or not you're a PC devotee or a console fan.
1 Control Freaks
PC RTS gamers will bemoan that a console controller can't deliver the precision of a mouse and keyboard. And they'd be right, even with Halo Wars. That being said, the way the screen maps around the controller -- so your pointer is always in the centre of the screen -- works surprisingly well for swift unit selection
2 It's identifiably Halo
Halo's a huge brand for Microsoft, and it's clear even from a couple of hours of rudimentary solo and multiplayer action that Ensemble studios have done a great job capturing the Halo "feel", from Warthogs to Spartans to Covenant, and everything in-between
3 Well Matched gameplay
One thing that Halo 2 and 3 did very well was match up players of similar skill rankings online. While our play test was essentially within a closed loop on Xbox Live, the game still tried to check our experience levels against each other. Practical upshot: You shouldn't get swamped by an expert on your first playthrough. We did, but then our guide (and then opponent) had finished the whole game before we even started.
4 Keep It Simple, Stupid
One thing that's made console RTS titles too difficult up to now has been mapping all the necessary micromanagement tasks onto a limited button set. Ensemble's done some careful work here, from minimising harvesting roles (you essentially grow your own supplies on base) to quick D-Pad shortcuts for flicking around the map. It's simple and effective even after a short play time.
5 Simple doesn't have to mean stupid, stupid
While the controls are easy to understand, there's a definite level of strategy, even in the early going. We knew the controls and basic build trees, but our Microsoft guide rather mercilessly wiped the floor with us in competitive play, because he knew the strategies and how to keep multiple units on the bubble all the time.
What do you think? Can console RTS titles ever really compete? Would you buy an Xbox 360 for Halo Wars, or hold out hope for a PC version?