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From the moment you start up the demo you get this strange feeling of excitement. Just think back to the moment you picked up Halo 3 and you will understand what I mean. The title screen along with game menu is identical to Halo 3. Ensemble Studios have given us a few things you can play with, Campaign, Skirmish, Tutorial there is a multiplayer option but unfortunately this area is locked. I can tell you however that Halo Wars will feature co-op through the story campaign which you can do via XBOX LIVE. You will also be able to battle online in 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 warfare.
In the campaign mode you are give two missions 01-Alpha Base where your objective is to try and help scattered groups of pinned-down soldiers and retake Alpha Base. In the second mission called "Relic Approach" You must rebuild your base and get it back online. Military units must then be trained and sent to investigate the relic.
Available in the demo is skirmish along with "Chasms" one of the 14 multiplayer maps. Players can either choose to take the side of the UNSC along with Captain Cutter's leader powers, or they may wish to play as the Covenant along with Prophet of Regret's and his own unique abilities.
I myself am not a big RTS fan but with the simple controls along with the compelling story Halo Wars is pretty easy to get in to. I love the idea of a secondary fire for your troops, X button can be used to fire a weapon but by press Y instead it will allow them to throw a grenade.
If you are new to this style of game I would recommend you go through the tutorial.
The Story also seems very interesting, I'm not going to spoil anything for you or give away any details regarding it. I will say however the cinematics are very good and set the stage for an epic battle ahead.
The graphics are impressive also for a game of this nature, the best way to describe it, is to imagine Halo 2 or 3 but from a birds eye view looking down over the battle. The audio is on par with the graphics, your standard Halo weapon effects will be heard along with the classic one liners from the UNSC and Covenant. The main musical score from the Halo series has been remixed and sounds great.
HaloOverall Wars will appeal to RTS fans but will also gain fans from the FPS series. With solid RTS gameplay along with a world based around the Halo universe Halo Wars is set to be a sure hit. Even though the demo isn't all that long it's well worth the download.
