Parent Game: Halo Wars
Halo Wars: Definitive Edition

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GAME
2009
Halo Wars

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Summary

Halo Wars: Definitive Edition is an enhanced version of the real-time strategy classic, Halo Wars, updated to run natively on Xbox One and Windows 10. Set early in the iconic war between the Covenant and UNSC - made famous by the Halo FPS games - Halo Wars: Definitive Edition provides a unique angle on the war while bringing new heroes to the battlefield. Control large Halo armies and direct them in action-packed warfare. Halo Wars: Definitive Edition includes improved graphics, new achievements and all the DLC from the landmark game. Re-live the epic campaign or compete in online multiplayer battles with armies of powerful Halo forces at your command.

Storyline

The Covenant has declared war on humanity, and Harvest is the first battleground. Set 21 years before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo Wars is an exciting real-time strategy game set in the legendary Halo universe. In this unique installment in the Halo franchise, players experience the epic battles that marked the beginning of the Covenant War. With the UNSC Spirit of Fire at their disposal, players fight in the intense and enormous conflicts that would define humanity's relentless heroism in its darkest hour.


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Halo Wars: Definitive Edition Reviews & Ratings

80
Review by Stan_Osbourne [user]
2022-04-22

For the most part, I really enjoyed this real-time strategy game. This is what the Halo series was supposed to be from the beginning. VeryFor the most part, I really enjoyed this real-time strategy game. This is what the Halo series was supposed to be from the beginning. Very dynamic, cool set. I was pleased with the Russian localization, especially considering its complete absence in the Master Chief's Collection. Also, the game has a pretty good balance and there are interesting solutions in terms of gameplay (strategic positions for infantry on heights or neutral objects, for example)The only thing I didn't like here is that the company is extremely one-sided - we only play for the UNSC forces, but you can not go through the company for the Covenant or the Flood. Who knows the genre well, he knows that they give the opportunity to play for all sides of the conflict, given that they have a different structure of combat and construction, this could be expected, but the company came out very one-sided here. Well, in multiplayer you can only play for the Covenant and the UNSC, although for what reason the Flood is not available - I do not know.All in all, a good strategy is to play once on Xbox One. No more. Glory to Ukraine!

60
Review by gamerz4life [user]
2020-09-27

I loved Halo Wars when it released on Console (got the Special Edition) but Halo Wars is not a ‘real’ RTS (yes there’s ”Base ‘Building” withI loved Halo Wars when it released on Console (got the Special Edition) but Halo Wars is not a ‘real’ RTS (yes there’s ”Base ‘Building” with pre-set Bases, and unit ‘Types’ which don’t really ever ‘rock paper scissors’ like a Strategy game). It’s more of a select all units and attack; type of strategy and I mean that’s about it as others have said (spam-and-bam) a RTS for the FPS crowd. The controls cannot be re-mapped so you’re stuck with the keys the creators give you and you are also stuck with one of the worst RTS cameras on the PC which you can’t really zoom out to see the map (which exists due to the Xbox360s frame rate dropping when you viewed more then 10 units). Worst of all in the control aspect is that there is no commands in the game but ‘move’ and ‘direct attack’, (there is no ‘Attack Move’ ‘Guard’ ‘Patrol’ ‘Garrison’ ‘Hold Position’) so units get pulled away by enemy’s while defending and garrison is limited to a few towers across the map making infantry useless.I cannot overstate the amount of times you will be hearing the words ‘Select All Units’ or ‘Local Units’ by the announcer, and it’s really the only way to play, you want to play strategic (because it’s a Real Time Strategy) but you can't. Ensemble Studios even knew this because the A.I. works the same way, as it regularly creates and upgrades about one to two units and rushes your base with 20 of those same units in the first 10 mins of the game (Zurg rush anyone?). This is even worse when you use higher Unit Cap mods and the spam gets in the hundreds of guess what one or two units along with heroes. Some units also have special abilities, by which I mean one special, (usually speed or high damage attack), though you never really get to use them in the heat of battle due to there being many units on the screen and it being rather difficult to just select one unit with the bad camera, then select the target, that’s about as tactical as it gets; not very deep. It really disappoints because ‘Ensemble Studios’ could have made a great RTS if they were not bound to the Xbox360 or any other console.Wish it would have been like the E3 gameplay demo which was far superior. Unless you are a hard core fan of ‘Halo’ like me I cannot recommend this game…. There are many other great RTS’s on the PC (Command and Conquer, Company of Heroes, Warhammer 40k, StarCraft, Supreme Commander, Red Alert, Age of Empires) just to say a few, the real reason to play ‘Halo Wars’ is in the very title.Pro: Halo game (on the PC), Halo ‘RTS’Con: No Strategy in a ‘RTS’, Select All Units, Special abilities have no sway on Gameplay, Not able to remap Controls!?! There is no ‘ATTACK MOVE’ in a RTS!?!?!?

100
Review by Petethepig123 [user]
2018-06-30

This game is one of my favorite Halo games. It does a fantastic job turning the Halo gameplay into an RTS format. When it originally game out,This game is one of my favorite Halo games. It does a fantastic job turning the Halo gameplay into an RTS format. When it originally game out, I was skeptical about a Halo RTS, but it turned out fantastic. The Definitive Edition improves the graphics slightly, includes all original DLC, and probably the biggest change is that it is available on Xbox One and PC. The campaign is great, and even on easy mode will take you a while to complete. The levels are pretty diverse with different objectives. Toward the end and especially at the last mission, it gets pretty hard. The multiplayer is pretty fun, but I haven't really gotten into it because it is pretty hard to find a match. All my multiplayer experience, aside from that, has been pretty good. The cutscenes look perfect. It almost looks like a movie as characters express emotion and move realistically. It is only $19.99 on Steam or the Microsoft Store, and that itself is enough of a reason to play it. If you have access to a computer, I would recommend playing it on that seeing as RTS games before it have been made for PC. I prefer the PC version, and I don't have any problems with it. But this is definitely the best RTS out there for console. This game really is near perfect, and I could not recommend it more. I have never played an RTS before this and I was worried I would not like it, but this game, at least the campaign, is fantastic.

60
Review by Mandulum [user]
2017-10-27

Five Word Review: RTS bogged down by consoleFavorite Thing: It's an RTS in the Halo universe. While I'm no huge Halo fan I've played most ofFive Word Review: RTS bogged down by consoleFavorite Thing: It's an RTS in the Halo universe. While I'm no huge Halo fan I've played most of them so it kept my interest.Least Favorite Thing: If I didn't know this game supported console I'd be really confused as to why so many poor design decision were made. This game has been hobbled to support console.Date Completed: 2017-10-21Playtime: ~ 9hEnjoyment: 6/10Recommendation: ... No. Unless you're planning to play Halo Wars 2. Hopefully that one's better.

90
Review by ITZZZPERRY [user]
2017-08-11

Halo Wars: Definitive Edition was a walk down memory lane. The original Halo Wars was one of my most played games on the Xbox 360. To replayHalo Wars: Definitive Edition was a walk down memory lane. The original Halo Wars was one of my most played games on the Xbox 360. To replay it on the Xbox One was a treat, as everything was just as good.

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Game Information
Release Date 2016-12-20
Publisher 343 Industries, Microsoft Studios, Ensemble Studios
Content Rated T (Teen)
Game Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
Player Perspectives Bird view / Isometric
Genres Real Time Strategy (RTS), Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Strategy
Themes Science fiction, Warfare
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One