The original Halo, released for the Xbox in 2001, had several notable features that made it one of the better first-person shooters of its time, including a novel "two-at-a-time" weapon system, a rechargeable player shield, and the incorporation of vehicular combat. For all that, though, the game's biggest innovation is the one most often unremarked upon. It was a first-person shooter -- on a console -- and it worked. It may not have been the most advanced FPS on the block, but it took what had previously been the exclusive province of the PC and brought it in fine form to a much larger audience on the Xbox. In playing Halo Wars at E3 2008, a console RTS designed by Ensemble Studios (creator of the Age of Empires PC RTS series), it's clear that the developer has this history in mind. Halo Wars is a fairly simple old-school RTS by PC standards, but it seems to be working and that may be all it takes to succeed.
Halo Wars takes place in 2531, years before the time period covered in the FPS games. There is no Master Chief in the game (something confirmed here at the show) though the familiar green armor of the SPARTANs will grace the form of more than a few elite infantry under the player's command. At this time the war between the humans and their relentless enemy the Covenant is in full swing, with the humans getting the short end of the stick after an initial rush of success. Into this hopeless situation, though, comes the player and the crew of the Spirit of Fire, a refitted colony ship now outfitted to bring the full might of the UNSC against its enemies.
The game's order-of-battle is fairly simple, though not without its strategic subtleties. The backbone of the UNSC forces is the basic Marine, a brave if otherwise ordinary trooper who has a secondary ability to toss out grenades suitable for hitting vehicles and defensive turrets. The game will also sport flamethrower infantry who wear heavier armor and can, well, throw flame. Finally there are the elite members of SPARTAN Group Omega, genetically enhanced warriors of the same "generation" as Master Chief who take to the field in their distinctive green armor and boast the ability to clamber aboard Covenant vehicles and (after a brief struggle with the driver) take it over and add its alien firepower to the UNSC's cause. The game also sports a host of iconic vehicles ranging from fishtailing Warthog scouts to a Grizzly tank. Each sports a particular secondary ability useful in particular situations, triggered by pressing the controller's Y button.
Base building (or "dirt-farming" in the RTS vernacular) is similarly simplified. Rather than building anywhere, UNSC bases are a single platform with a number of "build slots" that are filled with buildings constructed in the base's underground portion that can only be placed at certain locations on the map. The dearth of build slots is one of Halo Wars classic "guns-or-butter" strategic decisions as a player's resources are provided by slotted reactors and supply pads. Building more than one of these will, of course, provide a player with more resources and power at the cost of the ability to build enough barracks, vehicle depots, air fields or tech labs that a player needs to field a complete force. One of the game's key strategic considerations will be whether acquiring the extra build slots on another base build point is worth the effort of defending two geographically separated locations.
