First I want to say I will do my best to remain positive while writing this.
Halo wars is a game I have spent years enjoying, its one of the few game that while it doesn’t offer the most extensive selection of content, it’s value comes in the simplicity and ingenious game play mechanics. Halo wars thrived on the players ability to prepare and multi take building a defense and putting an offense together, while and attack could happen at any moment. Scouting, gathering resources, building secondary bases, and securing your territory provide the right mix of dynamics to make multiple play last for years. And while the fan base has diminished over time. It’s lure of being a solid, balanced RTS meant it would never die.
At the first sign that Halo wars 2 was on the horizon, I like many others dreams of epic battles with new troops and maps that reignite all of our hunger and thirst for victory.
This isn’t a game that required a re-imagination, new mechanics and a all new method of game play. Staying true to a games roots, doesn’t require a departure of what made the game so loved. Halo wars to shares nothing in common with it’s predecessor, and the changes feel almost as a sabotage to the games potential success.
Halo wars two saw a revamp to the unit count of troops, the balance of generating funds and building defenses, while establishing a force for offensive conquest. Almost from the beginning the game takes a dive for the worst, no longer are you able build resourced and upgrade bases and troops, you now need to generated two forms of currency, it’s as if, you are required to pay for a drink with a dollar but that dollar is not acceptable unless its backed by another dollar from Canada. No matter how much funds you have, you are required to have a second source of funds being generator points to allow you the use of your currency. If nothing else, this simple change along is a departure that only serves to hurt the games rather ad to it’s enjoyment.
From base designs to change of locations of where units and items are located, it seems as the arch nemesis of Halo wars was tasked with the games successor. How can so many ill decisions be made to design of the game, I’m not speaking of graphics solely of the build of the game it’s self. One has to look back and ask themselves, is this halo wars, does this game live up to the original?
Halo wars was simplicity, elegance and raw enjoyment, it was true to it’s roots of an RTS, did you forget to take a second base, forget to research an upgrade, not build enough units? Battles would not be in your favor if you could not prepare for it. Halo wars 2 is a game you spend clunking around the map for 10 to 15 minutes while waiting for the magical moment you finally were able to generate enough points with your 5 generators and 1 bonus generator. along with your half dozen that are still sitting at their first level because you simple can’t get enough points to upgrade them and your base to produce just 1 tank.
How does this make sense? How can we depart so far from the game that what we have, is a PC RTS that isn’t a equal to anything. Let alone being a quality game.
First to fix these issues, Creative assemble and 343 need to address a few priorities.
- Halo wars is about simplicity first, its layout and control did something no other console RTS could, it simplified the game, this game was designed for a console, not a keyboard - Troops, if it’s a Marine, Spartan or just a human (covy too) they need to be centralized to one building for productions and upgrades (why is this so hard?) - Base design, (design looked grate) why do I need to upgraded my base, to upgrade my base, to upgrade my base, to build a tank, or hornet etc? - Lets not mince this here, REMOVE-DELETE-RETRACT all thoughts, decisions and actions taken using generator points as currency, this is critical, no matter the font I use, writing it in bold, highlighting it and adding bulletins or screaming at my laptop can ever express how horrible of a decision this was. This if allowed to stay, will single handily play to the games user base falling faster then the housing bubble. - Unit size, I love ODST, they are awesome, when the enemy isn’t prepared they are just magical to use as a troop. Yet a few turrets a couple flamethrowers and maybe a tank or two has always proven an effective repellent for 40 ODST. We need to provide balance, yet the amount of troops slots units take up now don’t make sense. Are we being forced to play a game in one specific manor? - Rushing, balancing time, multi-tasking, with the ability create a strategy and turn the balance of a game in your favor is the heart of a RTS. What happen here? I am at a loss, why the **** did we eliminate any way possible of rushing (and defending against a rush)? not only is this a game breaker, but why, how can we defend the case of making this decision? Was there a heated debate between 343 and CA on how to build the next Halo wars game, that ended with this decision? I’m dumb founded. I mean, I have made bad, really bad choices in life, namely marriage, but even I can stand here and say, NO, JUST NO to a decision like this.I remember coming home from work and getting a text that Halo Wars 2 had a beta, I was ridiculously excited. I downloaded the beta, logged in and had a good friend join me, I had this euphoria that game all over me, something I haven’t felt in a while playing a game, at the end of my first match, I felt different, at the end of my second match, I simply logged off, and went to bed.
Every day we have to make decision, I’m a market manager and balance decisions every day, I am responsible for the image, and quality of the brand I represent in my market. I couldn’t imagine making a decision to abandon our identity, leave behind who we are, and what made us great. Staying true to who you are is tough, it requires work, ethics, moral, and a constant battle to hold on to your identity all while evolving and being more then you were yesterday. Some one, some where, had to ask themselves, is this game true to it’s roots?
And while I will not ask god for help, I do pray both 343 and CA be make the changes to this game that are needed, because as it stands, this game should be a DO NOT BUY…