Halo Wars
A console real-time strategy game set in the Halo universe.
Halo Wars is a real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. Set in the Halo universe in 2531, it was released in early 2009 and became the best-selling console real-time strategy game at the time. The game was designed specifically for the Xbox 360 controller to address issues common in previous console RTS titles.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Ensemble Studios
- Publisher
- Microsoft Game Studios
- Writer
- Graeme Devine
- Composer
- Stephen Rippy
- Series
- Halo
- Platforms
- Xbox 360
- Windows
- Xbox One
- Genre
- Real-time strategy
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Synopsis
Halo Wars takes place in the Halo universe during the 26th century. In 2525, the Covenant attacked humanity, and the game is set in 2531, about 20 years before Halo: Combat Evolved. Years after the Covenant invaded the colony of Harvest, UNSC forces remain locked in battle there. The UNSC warship Spirit of Fire is commanded by Captain James Cutter, a strong leader admired by his subordinates but held back by his lack of political ambition.
Serving under him is Sergeant John Forge, a Marine whose devotion to his men has led to two jailings for disobeying orders. Joining the expedition is Professor Ellen Anders, a scientist interested in Forerunner ruins. The ship is operated with help from Serina, an AI with a sardonic sense of humor. Leading the Covenant search for Forerunner technology is the Arbiter, a holy warrior tasked by the Prophet Hierarchs with overseeing humanity's destruction.
The Spirit of Fire is sent to Harvest to investigate Covenant activity, where Cutter learns the Covenant has excavated something at the northern pole. After the UNSC's main outpost is captured, Cutter orders Forge to retake it. Forge scouts the excavation and discovers the Covenant, under the Arbiter, have found a Forerunner facility. Forge's troops defeat the Covenant before they can destroy the installation, and Anders identifies the facility as an interstellar map with coordinates pointing to the human colony of Arcadia.
Development
Bungie originally conceived Halo: Combat Evolved as a real-time strategy game, but after Microsoft acquired Bungie in 2000, it became a first-person shooter. Bungie later produced Halo 2 and Halo 3 before separating from Microsoft, though Microsoft retained the Halo rights. In 2004, Microsoft-owned Ensemble Studios, known for the Age of Empires series, began work on what would become Halo Wars. The studio confirmed in April 2006 that it was working on a console-based RTS.
CEO Tony Goodman said they spent a year reconstructing how controls would work on an RTS game, describing the title as shorter and more visceral than previous projects. Halo Wars was originally not a Halo title. Ensemble spent 12 to 18 months on the control scheme using the Age of Mythology engine, hacking an expansion to prototype control experiments. They found managing resources, units, and buildings too difficult with the console controller.
Microsoft Game Studio's lead producer Jason Pace stated that a PC-style strategy game could not be effectively brought to console because the fundamental mechanic is tied to mouse and keyboard; the underlying strategy mechanic needed adaptation. Senior designer Justin Rouse said the team kept the controls from their research but scrapped the rest, building from the ground up what was needed for the core of a strategy game.
Reception
Halo Wars received generally positive reviews, with an average score of 82/100 on Metacritic. Critics were divided on whether it successfully translated the RTS genre to consoles. GameSpy's Allen Rausch argued it showed RTS could work on a console, while Tom Price of TeamXbox said gamers had waited long for a console RTS to get it right. Official Xbox Magazine credited Ensemble with creating a strategy game that felt at home on the console rather than a poorly shoehorned port. 1UP's Thierry Nguyen called it a solid beginning for console RTS.
Digital Trends' Scott Steinberg said it made a strong case for RTS viability on consoles. Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle dismissed it as a remedial game with little innovation. Reviewers generally praised the controls. Less experienced RTS players like Darren Zenko of the Toronto Star appreciated the streamlined experience, while critics like Luke Anderson of GameSpot said it lacked depth for seasoned players.
Some critics noted the lack of control features such as unit grouping, hotkeys, rally points, and the need to return to base for production. Nguyen wrote that finesse maneuvers were more difficult than they should be. Brett Molina of USA Today said experts would find it oversimplified but that it was excellent for Halo fans and new RTS players. Reviewers for GameSpy, G4TV, and Eurogamer stated the controls worked well because developers omitted features to keep options quickly available, such as limiting base construction to select areas.
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