Presentation 8/10
Halo Wars gives you a very good opening cinematic where you quickly learn what is going on, and the characters are lovable. The tutorial is fast and simple, the game takes you in a fast stable pace as you figure out the controls and beginning strategies.
Story 8/10
The game certainly has an interesting story, from landing on the flood infested planet, to entering the shield world, to stopping the covenant from activating colossal sized destroyer juggernauts. I also love the new (erm, old i suppose) arbiter, he is truly bad ass and cruel as i'd expect any elite to be. It also has the interesting Spartans, in addition to the level where you get other Spartans like the Master Chief, Fred Linda, etc. for a while. It's interesting all the way to the end where you use the FTL drive to destroy the world and escape, only to drift endlessly through the dark lifeless void of space. My only complaint is the utter lack of a Covenant campaign.
Gameplay/Controls 9/10
I'm very surprised by the controls of Halo Wars, most RTS games don't play very well on consoles. Believed to a genre which belongs to the PC, Halo Wars is truly an RTS game built for a console, the Xbox 360. The controls are simple and efficient, and Micro Management has turned out to be surprisingly possible, though not as fast and vicious as Micro Management may be on a game like Command and Conquer or Starcraft on the PC. It's easy to learn and very fun to try using out the different uses of your units. It lacks a large variety of units, but that is made up for by the upgrade uses where your units can become stronger or learn a new ability. You can also select a certain commander, 3 for the UNSC, and 3 for the Covenant. Each leader has a unique ability and can be used for different playing styles and tactics. The Power Wheel also changes based on the commander that you choose to be. And certain units are exclusive to some commanders, or even more powerful variants of a different unit. The game can be very addicting, and the use of skulls to either assist you or make it more challenging is also a fun feature to use, as is the automatic difficulty setting where the AI will fight you in accordance to your skill level and get stronger and stronger as you improve your own skills. The game is very fun and rewarding which may eat up a lot of your time quickly. My only complaint is the limited amount of tactics used online. As you play online you see a very familiar amount of strategies, such as the Warthog Rush, Tank Rush, Hornet Rush, Vulture Rush, or Leader Rush, although with proper counters and/or great teamwork you can quickly advance up the ranks, and even a loss will reward you with EXP points. Although a flood faction would be nice too.
Graphics/Sound 10/10
The soundtrack is enjoyable as always, but what is really amazing are the outstanding cut scenes made by Ensemble with those beautiful graphics. They are truly amazing and great looking. They leave you with awe as you watch beautifully orchestrated cut scenes do their best to move you along the story and give you a good grasp of what is happening in the world of Halo. Even the more outlandish radical PS3 fanboys would be fools to not see the beastliness of those cut scenes.
Lasting Appeal 9/10
The game is very enjoyable, maybe not the most addictive online experience as in Halo 3, or Gears of War, but the game is certainly one you will pick up and play whenever you want. Whenever i find myself bored Halo Wars is quickly one of the first games to mind in what i wish to play. It is very fun tinkering around finding new and unorthodox strategies, or just doing a noob rush on an AI for fun. It is also very enjoyable to get on with and play with your friends against each other and show off those uber strategies of yours, crush some bots, or challenge your brains as you take your tactics online. This is one of those game you'll pick up to enjoy even years after it's release. The skirmish matches are there and as enjoyable as always, and there are some interesting game types like reinforcements that can teach you to adapt to certain situations. The game is very fun, and the campaign has very high replayability count, whether it's for achievements or to take on those hordes of mindless goons that suicide run your base whenever possible.
Overall Score 44/50, 88%, Impressive