Game Review: Halo Wars

Billy O'Keefe - Mclatchy -Tribune News Service

Halo Wars

For: Xbox 360

From: Ensemble Studios/Microsoft

ESRB Rating: Teen (mild blood, mild language, violence)

Easily the best thing about "Halo Wars" is the degree to which Ensemble Studios has translated the Xbox's most recognized shooter into a real-time strategy game.

"Wars" steps backward to narrate the events that preceded the first "Halo" game, but it doesn't dare get fancy with the franchise. The same three factions you've fought as or against all return in full, and the troops, vehicles and special facilities from those games are replicated here without exception. (Other staples, including the music, menu interface, mission scoring system and even the collectible hidden skulls that enable special cheats, are tucked inside as well.)

On the other hand, if you don't care about "Halo" and want, as Ensemble promised, a PC-quality strategy game that's made for a controller, some measure of disappointment lies ahead.

Yes, "Wars" streamlines the controls, making it effortless to manage units without performing the kind of acrobatics needed in EA's "Command and Conquer" games. But Ensemble's solution doesn't solve the problem so much as smooth it over. You can't, for instance, create pre-defined assortments of different units for easy reference later. "Wars" automatically figures this stuff out as you send units to different sides of the map, but it's a level of handholding that experienced RTS players will not appreciate.

Then again, "Wars'" equally simple single-player missions make nuanced micromanagement mostly unnecessary. Resources practically accumulate on their own, and if you build and maintain some relatively inexpensive turrets where the constricted base-building model allows them, you rarely need worry about defense, either. Outside of a few exceptions, the missions place an excessive emphasis on offense: Build an overwhelming force, steamroll forward, and you almost cannot lose.

The problems with the campaign - which, despite a short length and the complete omission of Covenant-perspective missions, drags on due to repetition - mean that, like most "Halo" games, "Wars" is best recommended for its multiplayer features (2-6 players, online/system link only).

Sure enough, this is where it shines. "Wars" lets you play as either the UNSC or the Covenant (though never the Flood) in its freeform skirmish mode, and the hands-off approach - your base and battle strategy versus theirs - makes for less predictable outcomes. It would've been nice to see Ensemble try something more ambitious with the Xbox Live infrastructure, but the simple controls and general fast pace of the action (by RTS standards) make this a fun option for those who like their real-time strategy in short, accessible doses.

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