As Halo Wars continues to most of its players, the reviews keep pouring in. They’ve been good for the most part. It’s very comforting to see that the FPS-RTS transition went through with some minor hiccups. I’ll be honest, I was having my doubts.
Halo Wars had a lot going against first. It had to make that genre transition. Not only that, console based real time strategy games are generally frowned upon. A keyboard and mouse were pretty much made for RTS’s. However, Ensemble Studios was able to pull it all together for a solid experience.
Here are some reviews of the game in case you haven’t gotten it yet.
Game Informer - 9/10: “Halo Wars does for the RTS genre what Halo did for console FPS. This is neither the most nuanced or complicated strategy game on the market, but Halo Wars succeeds as no other title before it in building a functional and fun mechanic using little more than a d-pad and some face buttons. Fantastic between-mission cutscenes highlight a story that will please any Halo junkie, and everything from the music to the Spartans’ animations are awash in the familiar themes of that fictional universe.“
Kombo - 9/10: “Like many of you, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Halo Wars. The concerns, doubts, and questions circled my gamer brain as it did yours. And while it’s not the first-person shooter experience that Bungie has delivered all these years, it is a damn good RTS game. And who better to deliver the new experience than Ensemble Studios. Nearly everything about Halo Wars is well polished: campaign, co-op and multiplayer modes, hidden skulls, solid controls, refined matchmaking, superb voice talent, engaging cut-scenes and story, and everything else that you expect from the Halo brand. Halo Wars isn’t perfect, but it’s certainly great enough to ignore the minor flaws and enjoy an amazing experience from beginning to end and well beyond with online multiplayer.”
IGN - 8.4/10: “Halo Wars deftly dodges between the hardcore micromanagement of real-time strategy and the instant gratification expected by Halo fans. Ensemble has nailed console RTS controls, but at the expense of some depth. The campaign missions often seem overly scripted and the experience doesn’t have the wide-open feel of some other RTSs. But the Halo feel is most definitely present, and serves as one of the game’s biggest strengths. The cinematic cutscenes are gorgeous, if the narrative is somewhat thin in places. Overall, Halo Wars is a fresh and expertly polished approach to the console strategy genre, and it’s a fitting goodbye from a beloved studio.”
I’ve been very impressed with reviews so far. Considering all Halo Wars was stacked up against, I think it passed with flying colors. Here’s hoping we can see the series improved upon, or maybe even a nice PC port in the future.
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