Halo Wars demo out now - impressions thread

[QUOTE="BobHipJames"][QUOTE="death919"]I don't understand, 50 divided by 12 is ~$4.20, where the heck are you getting this number that has almost double that value?death919

[QUOTE="death919"][QUOTE="BobHipJames"] Sir, if you divide 8 by 30 you get 27 cents a day. That number doesn't matter. It's meaningless. The question is what you're going to be paying, i.e. what is the going rate. It's asinine to parse a number that by economy CANNOT be parsed. You spend FIFTY dollars, and you get 13 months. PERIOD. Do not parse the number. $50, 13 months. Anything else is utterly disingenuous, this is what the original commenter was hinting at. If you want to purchase ONE month, and buy the service at a one month rate, it's simply $8 a month. You buy one month for $8, three months for $20, and 13 months for $50. Anything outside of that is simply manipulation of the numbers to prove a point. By the way, why the hell is everyone on about Xbox Live Gold pricing, when this should be a thread for REAL impressions from people who are playing the demo? If you're an agitator against Xbox Live, leave. If you're giving a rebuttal to an agitator or giving another rebuttal to that rebuttal (me), leave. If you don't own Xbox Live Gold and you want to complain that you can't get the demo, leave. If you have actual demo impressions, please plaster your opinions all over this thread, or if you want to discuss the topic. Everybody else, including me, read, but shut up please.BobHipJames

The TC changed the TOPIC, which is why this tangent exists. You explained it well enough.

[QUOTE="waynehead895"]Anyone here who likes Blizzard RTS's enjoy this one? Warcraft III and Starcraft are the only RTS's I've ever enjoyed.FrozenLiquid

It's not going to be as micro-intensive as Warcraft III, that's for certain. And from all the previews I've seen, it's not going to be as macro-intensive as Starcraft.

That being said, virtually everyone has been saying this game is just fun. There are very few detractors, and if they are, they're talking about the simplicity of the game. There are two things that are problematic with that assessment:

1) It's a RTS. RTSs, like fighting games, take awhile for people to get use to, to come up with strategies and counter-strategies to use in multiplayer, which brings me to the next thing.

2) This demo is for the campaign. The difference between playing a RTS in campaign (not even singleplayer which includes skirmish with bots) and RTS in multiplayer is huge. I'm a massive fan of Warcraft III, but I can't bring myself to even play the campaigns, because I have to switch off my brain. I don't want to do that while playing War III.

Pretty much sums it up about Halo Wars.

Even though the game is very simplistic rts game I thought it was decent. I think it had to do with the game being made from the ground up as a console game instead of pc. However I can't see hardcore rts gamers who enjoy micro/macro managening to enjoy this game.

I wish the demo had the option of playing this game against other ppl online instead of versus a comp. Playing the campaign more than once and playing versus comps after a while tends to get boring when it comes to rts games. It isn't as fun as playing agaisnt a human opponent. I want to see how it is playing against other people before I decide to purchase this game.

glad to see most like it

i never really played rts before maybe ill give this a try

Pretty much sums it up about Halo Wars.

Even though the game is very simplistic rts game I thought it was decent. I think it had to do with the game being made from the ground up as a console game instead of pc. However I can't see hardcore rts gamers who enjoy micro/macro managening to enjoy this game.

I wish the demo had the option of playing this game against other ppl online instead of versus a comp. Playing the campaign more than once and playing versus comps after a while tends to get boring when it comes to rts games. It isn't as fun as playing agaisnt a human opponent. I want to see how it is playing against other people before I decide to purchase this game.

istreakforfood

You know, this game doesn't know whether it wants to be RTS or RTT lol. Resource gathering is really a non-issue, yet at the same time you're not given enough reasons to get your tactics sorted. There's some 'cover' options, but it's like the battle of abilities or something, rather than using warfare tactics. It's very strange.

Good for a rental. The MP is boring, but the SP seems like it would be good fun.Espada12

There's no multiplayer options yet? There's skirmish against the bots, but no multiplayer options to speak of.

[QUOTE="Espada12"]Good for a rental. The MP is boring, but the SP seems like it would be good fun.FrozenLiquid

There's no multiplayer options yet? There's skirmish against the bots, but no multiplayer options to speak of.

Sorry, I really shouldn't judge it like that I'm just going based off what I played.

[QUOTE="FrozenLiquid"]

[QUOTE="Espada12"]Good for a rental. The MP is boring, but the SP seems like it would be good fun.Espada12

There's no multiplayer options yet? There's skirmish against the bots, but no multiplayer options to speak of.

Sorry, I really shouldn't judge it like that I'm just going based off what I played.

Btw, gimme a PM sometime and we'll have a go at Warcraft 3 :D

[QUOTE="Espada12"][QUOTE="FrozenLiquid"]

There's no multiplayer options yet? There's skirmish against the bots, but no multiplayer options to speak of.

FrozenLiquid

Sorry, I really shouldn't judge it like that I'm just going based off what I played.

Btw, gimme a PM sometime and we'll have a go at Warcraft 3 :D

Sure I'll have to reinstall it. I wiped my HDD, need to go look for the disc.

Just a question here, im going to play the demo tommorow. I am a HUGE WC3 fan, and have played it for 5 years. How does it compare to WC3?C-Lee

Overall I will have to say WC3 is the better game. Halo Wars is really simplified rts game.

Besides the lack being able to micro, I can't see the game being strategic as WC3 like how you can hero rush to kill resource collectors like peasents and wisp or harassing HU to make sure they don't fast expand early on. Then again I'm only going off from playing the demo and playing against other human opponent wasn't available.

If you are like me you will probably prefer playing rts games using keyboard and mouse and miss not being able to use hotkeys.

How is it completely different? If I buy WoW, can it use any of it's features without paying for a monthly account? No? Where is the difference?

Oh right, I forgot, most MMORPGs are online only (PSU being an example of a one that isn't online only), so, if I buy WoW for $60, and take it home, it's a useless box unless I pay the monthly fee of 12.99-14.99, whereas, Gears Of War 2 has an entire single player campaign that I could play through.

Please don't start the whole "people know buying an mmorpg that they have to pay monthly" crap, because people know with X360 that it costs monthly to multiplayer and use other premium features, it's not like microsoft conceals said data.

I've read countless posts about the cost of Live and servers and all kinds of crap, but I've only read a couple posts that pertain to the topic. HOW IS THE GAME?dimebag667

The Topic has been changed! The TC changed it.

I've read countless posts about the cost of Live and servers and all kinds of crap, but I've only read a couple posts that pertain to the topic. HOW IS THE GAME?dimebag667

[QUOTE="dimebag667"]I've read countless posts about the cost of Live and servers and all kinds of crap, but I've only read a couple posts that pertain to the topic. HOW IS THE GAME?xsubtownerx

I didn't. But then again, I literally pulled out my copy of Red Alert 3 right before I booted up the demo. I was borderline bored. The Halo Universe cutscenes were mildly entertaining, but it didn't matter if I made 10 jeeps, 10 tankes, or a bunch of troops, I stomped on the enemy, and I didn't even need to watch the battles. I also upgraded everything possible to upgrade.

[QUOTE="xsubtownerx"][QUOTE="dimebag667"]I've read countless posts about the cost of Live and servers and all kinds of crap, but I've only read a couple posts that pertain to the topic. HOW IS THE GAME?SolidTy

I didn't. But then again, I literally pulled out my copy of Red Alert 3 right before I booted up the demo. I was borderline bored. The Halo Universe cutscenes were mildly entertaining, but it didn't matter if I made 10 jeeps, 10 tankes, or a bunch of troops, I stomped on the enemy, and I didn't even need to watch the battles. I also upgraded everything possible to upgrade.

[QUOTE="SolidTy"]

[QUOTE="xsubtownerx"] The game is flat out fun. Simple RTS or not, you'll have a blast with it.xsubtownerx

I didn't. But then again, I literally pulled out my copy of Red Alert 3 right before I booted up the demo. I was borderline bored. The Halo Universe cutscenes were mildly entertaining, but it didn't matter if I made 10 jeeps, 10 tankes, or a bunch of troops, I stomped on the enemy, and I didn't even need to watch the battles. I also upgraded everything possible to upgrade.

Yeah, I hope so, I'm not too thrilled with the base defenses, and resource management is gone, so it seems more of a race to army's, which could be fun, we shall see.

Hopefully, a MP demo will hit soon.

I've read countless posts about the cost of Live and servers and all kinds of crap, but I've only read a couple posts that pertain to the topic. HOW IS THE GAME?dimebag667

The only thing that matters is that it is fun. It is going to be fun, fun, fun, for many people. It is very accessible and will appeal to a broad base of people.

It won't satisfy some of the hardcore RTS crowd. But then again, who cares? You can't satisfy everyone, all the time. This game will be a watershed in terms of controls and accessibility of the genre for consoles.

Great music. Great sound effects. Great graphics. Great controls. Excellent gameplay. Accessible gameplay for most people. Probably too shallow for the hardcore. But complex enough for the majority. Great use of cutscenes. Actually, awesome cutscenes. Great use of the Halo lore. Instantly recognizable and familiar as a Halo game in the Halo universe.

AA for sure.

AAA depending on MP and overall length of campaign/replayability.

HWs haters guaranteed to be biatch slapped by the reviews.

I think people don't understand that console RTS's are basically like fighting games. A demo especially cannot be enough for you to get used to the controls and really know what to do with them. I felt I was a bit slow, but that was more because I was fumbling with the controls in the sense that I coulden't decern from "local units" to "all units" button a lot of the times. Obviously this is something that will be corrected by myself overtime, but it's like when you first jump into a fighting game, you can only really have a basic understanding of what you can actually do.

Other than that, I like Halo Wars most not because of its gameplay, but its art direction. It's a lot more realistic and gritty looking than the bright and colourful Halo universe and I think it's a refreshing change of pace for the Halo series.

[QUOTE="dimebag667"]I've read countless posts about the cost of Live and servers and all kinds of crap, but I've only read a couple posts that pertain to the topic. HOW IS THE GAME?SUD123456

This game will be a watershed in terms of controls and accessibility of the genre for consoles.

This game will go down as another success soley because of the mass appeal for the packaged deal. Its Crackdown taken to another level. 60 bucks for a half assed game plus 3 Halo maps for an additional 20 bucks.

Its not going to be a watershed anything and its going to get torn to shreds by any sensible reviewer. The primary purpose of reviews is to gauge a game against similar games (primarily in the same genre), this game (from what I've seen) does not compare favorably to other RTS games...even RTS games that are 10 years old.

This is an RTS. Things like graphics, music, cutscenes, are not high on the priority list of things to get right. If thats all this game has going for it, its a fail and should be labeled as such. Having Halo on the game case does not mean it should be given a pass.

Other than that, I like Halo Wars most not because of its gameplay, but its art direction. It's a lot more realistic and gritty looking than the bright and colourful Halo universe and I think it's a refreshing change of pace for the Halo series.

insanejedi

[QUOTE="insanejedi"]Other than that, I like Halo Wars most not because of its gameplay, but its art direction. It's a lot more realistic and gritty looking than the bright and colourful Halo universe and I think it's a refreshing change of pace for the Halo series.

Cloud_Insurance

[QUOTE="Cloud_Insurance"][QUOTE="insanejedi"]Other than that, I like Halo Wars most not because of its gameplay, but its art direction. It's a lot more realistic and gritty looking than the bright and colourful Halo universe and I think it's a refreshing change of pace for the Halo series.

insanejedi

[QUOTE="insanejedi"][QUOTE="Cloud_Insurance"] It has the exact same color palette as the rest of the games in the Halo universe.Cloud_Insurance

It made MGS4 didn't it?

[QUOTE="Cloud_Insurance"][QUOTE="insanejedi"] Well, in the cutscenes they are a lot more grittier and a lot more realistic. Espada12

It made MGS4 didn't it?

It's a pretty fun RTS. Basic? Yes. Simple? Most certainly. But it's fun, and that's what counts.

One gripe I do have though...are the Elites. I mean, how did you from an arguably "handsome" (for lack of a better word) appearance like pictured below...

...to this?

The Halo Wars Elites are more insectoid and thugish looking.

postVerge_6

[QUOTE="Verge_6"]postkillerfist

[QUOTE="killerfist"][QUOTE="Verge_6"]postVerge_6

[QUOTE="Verge_6"][QUOTE="killerfist"] This first is not an elite. It's an Arbiter (see Halo2 & 3). Can't see the second pic. killerfist

Au Contraire, Elite is a general term for the entire Sangheili race, usually used by the humans. What you have pictured is a Zealot.Verge_6

[QUOTE="Verge_6"]Au Contraire, Elite is a general term for the entire Sangheili race, usually used by the humans. What you have pictured is a Zealot.killerfist

[QUOTE="killerfist"][QUOTE="Verge_6"]Au Contraire, Elite is a general term for the entire Sangheili race, usually used by the humans. What you have pictured is a Zealot.Verge_6

[QUOTE="killerfist"][QUOTE="Verge_6"] And the Arbiter's an Elite Really? I can...Verge_6

[QUOTE="Espada12"]

[QUOTE="Cloud_Insurance"] cutscenes make the game.Cloud_Insurance

It made MGS4 didn't it?

Well, I just tried a Gauss Cannon Warthog strat against the Heroic A.I. It took some time getting use to, but the payoff is damn satisfying. You have to forfeit Forerunner elevator supplies because you won't be building a barracks for marines, and you have to manage Supply Depots, Reactors, and Field Armoury very wisely. The leader option makes all the difference here, and Captain Cutter's MAC Cannon ability really helps as an anti-vehicle weapon, because those wraiths will really get to your warthogs if you're not up to the Gauss tech, and the heal ability keeps your 'hogs going after the initial bombardment. I'm hoping other sort of exploit options are available.
FrozenLiquid

i thought the MAC gun was universal..........so forge and anders cant use the mac? can u back up that claim?

caus eif so.....then its cutter all the way. Using a triple Mac blast is a quick way to kill a scarab :p

This is atrocious. There is nothing correct in thinking this. Nothing about the game is amazing. It doesn't set the bar for RTS, there are 10 year old RTS games that accomplish 10x what this game does.

If this game didn't have the Halo name attached to it, nobody would be paying any attention to it at all. The only people that would be interested in it would be the niche console RTS userbase, and even then half of them would rip it, despite the fact that they are desperate and welcoming of any RTS game that makes it to consoles (similar to SRPG fans).

This game is a cash in on the Halo name, nothing else. Really surprising considering who is responsible for making it.

This is another example of the dumbing down of videogames to appeal to the masses. Its an insult to RTS users and its sad that far better games in the genre will be outsold by this game.

The price breakdown for the LE looks like this:

60 bucks for a half assed RTS.

20 bucks for 3 maps for Halo 3.

They can't make games for **** but they sure can market them.

This is atrocious. There is nothing correct in thinking this. Nothing about the game is amazing. It doesn't set the bar for RTS, there are 10 year old RTS games that accomplish 10x what this game does.

If this game didn't have the Halo name attached to it, nobody would be paying any attention to it at all. The only people that would be interested in it would be the niche console RTS userbase, and even then half of them would rip it, despite the fact that they are desperate and welcoming of any RTS game that makes it to consoles (similar to SRPG fans).

This game is a cash in on the Halo name, nothing else. Really surprising considering who is responsible for making it.

This is another example of the dumbing down of videogames to appeal to the masses. Its an insult to RTS users and its sad that far better games in the genre will be outsold by this game.

The price breakdown for the LE looks like this:

60 bucks for a half assed RTS.

20 bucks for 3 maps for Halo 3.

They can't make games for **** but they sure can market them.

Well, I just tried a Gauss Cannon Warthog strat against the Heroic A.I. It took some time getting use to, but the payoff is damn satisfying. You have to forfeit Forerunner elevator supplies because you won't be building a barracks for marines, and you have to manage Supply Depots, Reactors, and Field Armoury very wisely. The leader option makes all the difference here, and Captain Cutter's MAC Cannon ability really helps as an anti-vehicle weapon, because those wraiths will really get to your warthogs if you're not up to the Gauss tech, and the heal ability keeps your 'hogs going after the initial bombardment. I'm hoping other sort of exploit options are available.
FrozenLiquid

I have absolutely no idea what you just said, but it sounded pretty cool. Is the Halo Wars demo available for silver members too? I'm pretty skeptical about a console RTS, but it sounds like fun.

I like how you people keep saying : "its a good CONSOLE rts"

:D:D:D:D

why can't you just say its a good rts. lmao