Halo is going back to its roots in Microsoft’s upcoming title, Halo Wars.  By roots, I mean real time strategy (RTS) roots.  What’s that?  You say, Halo: Combat Evolved was a first person shooter?  Hmmm.  Yes, it was.  However, long before the first Halo saw the daylight of store shelves, it was originally conceived as a RTS game for Mac and Windows PC platforms.  Development progessed and ultimately pushed the game into the FPS genre.

After three blockbuster titles on the Xbox and Xbox 360, Microsoft, in conjunction with Ensemble Studios, is trying to do something that has never been done - make a blockbuster RTS game.  Sure, there have been some good RTS games over the years, but they pale in comparison to killer console titles.  If any title has the potential, one bearing the name “Halo” can certainly bring life and interest into this niche genre.

Halo Wars Trailer

What is a Real Time Strategy Game?

RTS games are typically military strategy games, where the player has a top-down view of the battlefield and staging areas.  Players control multiple units and can direct them to take general actions, such as attack, defend, stand ground, etc.  Units can usually be grouped together and ordered around by entire groups.  RTS games have been well-suited for computer gaming due to the intricacy of the controls.  A number of keys on the keyboard are generally need to get the most efficiancy out of the game.  Most attempts to transfer RTS games to consoles have failed due to the lack of control options.

Halo Wars - Innovating RTS for Consoles

Ensemble Studios claims that Halo Wars will be a breakthrough for console-based RTS games.  Ensemble spent six months working on a new control scheme for the Xbox 360 so they could make an RTS game work as well (or better) on the 360 than it does on a computer.  Ensemble took their own PC game, Age of Mythology, and built a prototype control scheme for the Xbox 360 controller.

It worked well enough for Microsoft to bless Ensemble’s endeavor of using a bare bones version of their game engine to build Halo Wars around.  The limited number of buttons on the controller means that each button must me wisely used to enable the player to have sufficient control over their army.   The new control scheme allows a single button to have multiple functions, thus taking full advantage of the precious controller real estate.  For example, press the “A” button once and it selects one unit, press it twice and it selects all units on the screen, press it three times and it selects all the units in your army.  Other improvements for the console include the ability to play through the entire game without having to rotate the camera viewpoint (although players will still be able to rotate if desired).

Halo Wars Behind the Scenes Demo

It remains to be seen if it will work or not; however, if the initial buzz surrounding the project is any indication of what the final product will be, then we all may be staying up late with massive Halo Wars clogging up the Live network this Christmas.

Halo Wars Plot

The game is set in 2531, which is prior to the events in Halo: Combat Evolved.  In the Halo universe, contact with the Covenant was made in 2525 in the Harvest system.  The plot reportedly follows the discovery of the first Forerunner artifacts and the battles with the Covenant after the fall of planet Harvest.  Rumor has it that both human and Covenant forces will be playable, which should lend to dual story lines within the game; however, I suspect that the “true” plot will be the story of the humans, which should include the introduction of the SPARTAN II’s into the plot line.

You can follow the story leading up to the plot of Halo Wars in the recent novel Halo: Contact Harvest, which is the fifth novel in the Halo series.  The first four are also excellent reads for Halo fans.  The first four novels are as follows:

• The Fall of Reach - Prequel to the first game, Halo: Combat Evolved
• The Flood - Novelization of Halo: Combat Evolved
• First Strike - Events between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2
• Ghosts of Onyx - Events that occur parallel to the Halo games and involve the rise of a new SPARTAN army.

Halo Wars Hype

No game bearing the Halo namesake has been anything less than a premium package of gameplay and plot.  This is the first Halo game for which Bungie has not been at the helm.  Ensemble Studios have their work cut out for them if they plan on carrying on the Halo torch.  Halo Wars will either be the greatest real time strategy game of all time, or the biggest disappointment that Halo fans have seen.  There is no in-between when you put the Halo badge on the box.

Conclusion

Will Halo Wars live up to the quality standards that we have come to expect from the series?   Only time will tell, but we should get a better glimpse of Halo Wars at E3 in July.