Somewhat of an Achievement Hunter here, and I’ve been thinking of picking up Halo Wars & Halo Wars 2 for a while. Since Halo Wars: Definitive Edition has come out, I can choose to play the old version, the new version, or both. Seems like the old version has some annoying grinding (dozens of hours I’m guessing?), while the new version is easier to complete, and has better graphics (I assume). So I’m leaning towards that one. What would you guys recommend? Is the single player cool enough, and are the achievements cool enough, to do both of them? Or will it definitely be boring? I can’t imagine ever becoming an avid online RTS player, but I will probably enjoy Halo atmosphere and lore.
There is achievements for completing the campaign on various difficulties, secondary objectives and 2 others involving gold medals (any difficulty) and PAR time on Heroic.
If you like micromanagement there is a decent chance for you to like the campaign because of the way gold medals are earned.
Definitive Edition is far easier to complete because it does not have the General achievement, while the old one does. If you choose the old version, the completion will be at least 10 hours longer. I say at least if you can double box the boosting. If not it will be even longer. Halo Wars is a great game regardless, but I would simply recommend the Definitive Edition if you are a completionist.
Halo Wars is the better game in my mind. DE claims to play at 60fps but frame rate drops happen almost all the time. Matchmaking is completely broken in DE and it might take you ages to play a private match with a friend. Some of the physics are wonky too. Like I had a Banshee crash into my base and then go flying vertically at a comical speed. That’s only one example but nothing like that has happened in the original. The only advantages of DE are the easier achievement list and the cleaner graphics.