I hadn't played Halo Wars that much on the 360 and only really played it properly when I bought it recently, and from what I played I really enjoyed it. I for one am a massive fan of strategy games, specifically base building games, so getting used to this game was a little jarring at first, as the base is in a fixed position with fixed locations around the base which you have to build in, but this system works far better than you may think.
Example of a UNSC base within the game
Being able to simply build a structure in a fixed location allows you to think more about other strategies and tactics without worrying too much about the base and considering this form of RTS isn't abundant in nature, Halo Wars stands out from the rest. The game itself is very much a re-skin of the original, making it look like a modern game and ultimately keeping the original feel of the game spot on.
Spawning an army of Marines, Scorpion tanks, Warthogs and even beloved Spartan-IIs and giving everything you have got against an equally large Covenant army could never have been achieved through the FPS main Halo games, but Halo Wars hits it on the spot and looks gorgeous at the same time. Throughout my entire play through of the campaign and skirmishes that I have completed, I have haven't encountered any major issues or glitches, my only beef is the story.
Halo has always had a good story running through its core, from Halo: Combat Evolved right through to Halo 5, but sadly it is lacking in Halo Wars. Yes, there is an overall story that you are following, but the switching from short-cutscenes to gameplay is a bit jarring and doesn't provide much story. The cutscenes and interactions in the missions do provide a story, but at the end of the game I was underwhelmed by the overall story, which was a shame as it does have a good story, it just hasn't been fleshed out enough to make it an amazing story that is worth multiple play throughs, unlike the main franchise.
Regardless, the game itself is definitely worth the price that I paid for it, especially as a free add-on to Halo Wars 2, so I am not going to complain as the game is great. It holds true to the fast paced nature of FPSs but also incorporates the more complex strategic decisions in RTS games, so is well worth a play. If you are a Halo fan, this is definitely a game for you to play.
Anyone else played Halo Wars: Definitive Edition? Or even the original? What are your thoughts on it? Are you excited for Halo Wars 2?
