3 of 3

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 2

with great care, with no side obviously having an advantage and the rock-paper-scissors (aircraft-vehicles-infantry) no one always wins, no one always loses cycle keeps you and your enemy guessing. As of now, the Covenant's base-killing Locust vehicle seems the super-weapon that turns the tide of the game, but it will only be a matter of time before strategies emerge that allow aircraft to defeat it. As one of the Halo Wars game designers said, driving a scorpion tank is fun but commanding a convoy of them, is really fun. I'd agree, except for the times when your scorpion tank convoy gets torn apart by a fleet of enemy aircraft. That's no fun (for you anyway.)

You can also choose to skirmish against up to three AI opponents, and you can set their difficulties. Working with other humans is ideal, making the possible strategies even more complex. Instead of gathering supplies and building an army yourself, rushing the other base or turtle-ing up before striking, each player on your team could do one of those basic techniques. You can even give your teammates supplies.

Any worry about controlling a game as complex as an RTS on a console is misplaced. RTS games have been on consoles for a long time and working great. Whether it's the radial menu of Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath (very similar to the radial menu of Halo Wars) or the brilliant voice-controls of Tom Clancy's EndWar, RTS games and consoles have been working well together for a while. Obviously, a console won't be able to beat the vast programmability of a QWERTY keyboard, but there are obviously many RTS gamers waiting to play something a little less like work.

With another FPS game coming out every day (it seems) a new RTS is a breath of fresh air. Maybe Halo Wars can kick off a trend.

Learn more about this author, Larry Nocella.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2

Add your voice

Know something about Video game reviews: Halo Wars (Xbox 360)?
We want to hear your view. Write now!