At it’s core, Halo Wars is a simplified RTS game designed around what can be done on a controller.  I say simplified, but make no mistake, this game will kick your ass on the harder difficulty settings.  You know how Halo 3 got easier the more players you added? Well, Halo Wars is kind of the opposite.  The AI just pounds you with more units that you think you can manage.  Maranda and I have barely squeaked through the last few missions (we’re just over half way through the 15 campaign missions as of this writing) and I’m not sure we’ll manage the later ones at all.

It’s a fun game though, and I am enjoying it quite a bit.  It’s almost amazing that it’s taken this long for someone to really nail down RTS controls on a console and believe me when I say that the late Ensemble Studios has really done an incredible job.  I’ve heard the complaints about unit grouping and let me tell you that, with a little bit of practice and brain re-training, you can manage multiple armies with ease (just press down on the d-pad).

I’ve also rocked the Mythic map pack, although not enough to give any intelligent feedback.  I can say that I’m very impressed with Sandbox and I can’t wait to see what people do to that map! If you’re looking for more, visit ReadyUpLive for a solid write-up.

The other game we’ve been playing is Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 2 on PC.  Maranda is stalwart in her opinion that it’s the better game of the two (they’re both on par for my money).  What’s interesting to me though, is that Dawn of War 2 is the kind of game that, with a few tweaks, would do really well on a console. The combat is simplified thanks to a maximum of four small squads at any given time and there is a significantly expanded focus on combat and special abilities.  The entire campaign is playable in co-op, and the versus modes play out more like EA’s Battlefield series than a typical RTS match (like the ones found in Halo Wars).

Oh, and if you ever meet Jake who works for Xbox Canada, be sure to tell him he’s a jerk.

We don’t talk a lot about PC games around here, but if you follow me closely enough you’ll know that in addition to loving my Xbox 360, I’m also a big PC gamer.  And, if you don’t play WoW (which I don’t) then when you’re playing a game on PC there’s a pretty good chance it’s an RTS.  And boy, do I play a lot of RTS games.  For a long time I’ve been hoping that someone would master RTS development on consoles and, while EA has made some truly valiant attempts, no one has really nailed it.  Ensemble, creators of the Age of Empires series, have delivered Halo Wars to us and are seeking to break the trend of ‘just okay’ RTS games on the Xbox 360 platform.  How did they fair? Let’s analyze their demo and find out…