Halo Wars
SCORE: 65
Halo Wars takes the Halo franchise and tries it in the real time strategy genre. Which is slightly better than the first person shooter genre. Control groups of troops and have them attack enemies in the way. Build bases, troops, reactors, etc. Send those troops into the intense battle ground to achieve objectives. The search and destroy is the most prevalent, but there are also protect, and escape levels (editor: to name a few). Between each level the storyline unfolds in some nice cinema style movies. The characters have different attitudes, and they routinely clash. As for the timeline this game takes place twenty years before the events of the first person shooters. Which ultimately tells us what will be coming in the future.
Halo Wars has some nice details, even if many of the troops are small. A lot of the images are recycled throughout the game, which includes the violent explosive ones. There are some female characters who wear skin tight clothing which is worth a mention at the very least. The cinema cut scene movies in Halo Wars has great quality. The saving grace of the blood and gore is how small those images are. They are there, and visible if you are looking for them.
The quality of the sound in this Xbox 360 game is also top notch. There are words, and phrases used that I refrain from using, and would not want children exposed to. Some of the sound bytes in Halo Wars get over used in my opinion. In fact that has to be one of my biggest complaints in the sounds review section. The bad guys are aliens who are shown to be a people of faith. In many ways they act more honorable than the "good" characters.
Halo Wars has multiplayer modes, online, co-op, content downloads, and leaderboards. The niche hardcore gamers will completely dig all of the different modes, and content.
There are difficult games, and then there are difficult games. Halo Wars is a difficult game. There are some levels that have to be played a specific way, or failure is guaranteed. The developer Ensemble Studios created an intelligent design to the control layout. The tutorial mode will help games get the feel for this game. The explosive action gets repetitive after awhile, and outbuilding your opponent is always the way to go. The scary part is life has no value in Halo Wars. Throwing groups of space marines after space marines to obtain an onjective was no thing at all. Lose some, then just build more at the base to be cannon fodder.
Halo Wars teaches some lessons in war, but not always overtly. I
never had to explain to thousands of parents why their child died. The
galaxy needs saving, and that is exactly what the player gets to do. I
am not sure if the side I was fighting on was actually the right side or
not. At times I felt like I was on the wrong side. Halo Wars is a
different game for me, and it has led to a lot of prayer.
- Frank
Graphics: 61%
Sound: 64%
Replay/Extras: 73%
Gameplay: 69%
Family Friendly Factor: 58%
System: Xbox 360
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Rating: 'T'
for Teen
{Mild Blood, Mild Language, Violence}
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