Halo Wars: Definitive Edition

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 55
  3. Negative: 6 out of 55

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  1. Mandulum
    Oct 27, 2017
    6
    Five Word Review: RTS bogged down by console
    Favorite Thing: It's an RTS in the Halo universe. While I'm no huge Halo fan I've played most of them so it kept my interest.
    Least Favorite Thing: If I didn't know this game supported console I'd be really confused as to why so many poor design decision were made. This game has been hobbled to support console. Date Completed: 2017-10-21    Five Word Review: RTS bogged down by console
    Favorite Thing: It's an RTS in the Halo universe. While I'm no huge Halo fan I've played most of them so it kept my interest.
    Least Favorite Thing: If I didn't know this game supported console I'd be really confused as to why so many poor design decision were made. This game has been hobbled to support console.

    Date Completed: 2017-10-21
    Playtime: ~ 9h
    Enjoyment: 6/10
    Recommendation: ... No. Unless you're planning to play Halo Wars 2. Hopefully that one's better.    … Expand
  2. Destouches
    Nov 12, 2017
    9
    RTS on PC has been plagued for long enough: dumbed down campaigns fully rush oriented, no strategic turtles allowed anymore, micromanagement everywhere, elitist and unfun online ladders...In one word: TAYLORISM killed RTS, one must be blind not to see that.

    Since the C&C franchise vanished, trying to bring back this genra to consoles was only attempted by Microsoft with HW, copying Dawn    RTS on PC has been plagued for long enough: dumbed down campaigns fully rush oriented, no strategic turtles allowed anymore, micromanagement everywhere, elitist and unfun online ladders...In one word: TAYLORISM killed RTS, one must be blind not to see that.

    Since the C&C franchise vanished, trying to bring back this genra to consoles was only attempted by Microsoft with HW, copying Dawn of war "ground control" scheme, for the best or the worst, take your pick.

    You honestly can't compare it to any Starcraft wannabe, it aims for simplicity and effectiveness, no micromanagement stuff: tactic has been reduced to focus more on strategy, that's why so many pepole complain about it.

    Discover units and powers, their forces and weaknesses, dev tree is easily adaptable depending on your situation, rushers are more easy to counter than SC where APM and reflexes are more important than a good strategy, Using a controller is far more confortable than the K&M combo, even faster in some situations, just get used to it, you'll see what I mean (can't wait to try it on SmachZ).

    In the end, it makes a fun game, but not flawless. Will one of the best console RTS purge the taylorism plague on PC ? Of course not, just look at users note. But this attempt must be encouraged. Will we see more HALO on PC ? We can only hope for it.    … Expand
  3. Petethepig123
    Jun 30, 2018
    10
    This game is one of my favorite Halo games. It does a fantastic job turning the Halo gameplay into an RTS format. When it originally game out, I was skeptical about a Halo RTS, but it turned out fantastic. The Definitive Edition improves the graphics slightly, includes all original DLC, and probably the biggest change is that it is available on Xbox One and PC. The campaign is great, andThis game is one of my favorite Halo games. It does a fantastic job turning the Halo gameplay into an RTS format. When it originally game out, I was skeptical about a Halo RTS, but it turned out fantastic. The Definitive Edition improves the graphics slightly, includes all original DLC, and probably the biggest change is that it is available on Xbox One and PC. The campaign is great, and even on easy mode will take you a while to complete. The levels are pretty diverse with different objectives. Toward the end and especially at the last mission, it gets pretty hard. The multiplayer is pretty fun, but I haven't really gotten into it because it is pretty hard to find a match. All my multiplayer experience, aside from that, has been pretty good. The cutscenes look perfect. It almost looks like a movie as characters express emotion and move realistically. It is only $19.99 on Steam or the Microsoft Store, and that itself is enough of a reason to play it. If you have access to a computer, I would recommend playing it on that seeing as RTS games before it have been made for PC. I prefer the PC version, and I don't have any problems with it. But this is definitely the best RTS out there for console. This game really is near perfect, and I could not recommend it more. I have never played an RTS before this and I was worried I would not like it, but this game, at least the campaign, is fantastic.… Expand
  4. Ricardete
    Apr 16, 2018
    10
    In the end, I'm surprised how well it holds up as it's a wholly worthwhile game even eight year pc
  5. Fabioski
    Apr 16, 2018
    10
    Definitive Edition provides a truly exceptional title that shows just how well an RTS title can work on console
  6. juanjp
    Apr 16, 2018
    10
    Halo Wars: Definitive Edition is a solid game for series fans although real-time strategy enthusiasts may be put off by its simplistic gameplay formula.
  7. Carlosrat
    Apr 16, 2018
    10
    may not be as strong as some other legitimate classics of the genre, or even the franchise it is associated with.
  8. gamerz4life
    Sep 27, 2020
    6
    I loved Halo Wars when it released on Console (got the Special Edition) but Halo Wars is not a ‘real’ RTS (yes there’s ”Base ‘Building” with pre-set Bases, and unit ‘Types’ which don’t really ever ‘rock paper scissors’ like a Strategy game). It’s more of a select all units and attack; type of strategy and I mean that’s about it as others have said (spam-and-bam) a RTS for the FPS crowd.I loved Halo Wars when it released on Console (got the Special Edition) but Halo Wars is not a ‘real’ RTS (yes there’s ”Base ‘Building” with pre-set Bases, and unit ‘Types’ which don’t really ever ‘rock paper scissors’ like a Strategy game). It’s more of a select all units and attack; type of strategy and I mean that’s about it as others have said (spam-and-bam) a RTS for the FPS crowd. The controls cannot be re-mapped so you’re stuck with the keys the creators give you and you are also stuck with one of the worst RTS cameras on the PC which you can’t really zoom out to see the map (which exists due to the Xbox360s frame rate dropping when you viewed more then 10 units). Worst of all in the control aspect is that there is no commands in the game but ‘move’ and ‘direct attack’, (there is no ‘Attack Move’ ‘Guard’ ‘Patrol’ ‘Garrison’ ‘Hold Position’) so units get pulled away by enemy’s while defending and garrison is limited to a few towers across the map making infantry useless.

    I cannot overstate the amount of times you will be hearing the words ‘Select All Units’ or ‘Local Units’ by the announcer, and it’s really the only way to play, you want to play strategic (because it’s a Real Time Strategy) but you can't. Ensemble Studios even knew this because the A.I. works the same way, as it regularly creates and upgrades about one to two units and rushes your base with 20 of those same units in the first 10 mins of the game (Zurg rush anyone?). This is even worse when you use higher Unit Cap mods and the spam gets in the hundreds of guess what one or two units along with heroes. Some units also have special abilities, by which I mean one special, (usually speed or high damage attack), though you never really get to use them in the heat of battle due to there being many units on the screen and it being rather difficult to just select one unit with the bad camera, then select the target, that’s about as tactical as it gets; not very deep. It really disappoints because ‘Ensemble Studios’ could have made a great RTS if they were not bound to the Xbox360 or any other console.

    Wish it would have been like the E3 gameplay demo which was far superior. Unless you are a hard core fan of ‘Halo’ like me I cannot recommend this game…. There are many other great RTS’s on the PC (Command and Conquer, Company of Heroes, Warhammer 40k, StarCraft, Supreme Commander, Red Alert, Age of Empires) just to say a few, the real reason to play ‘Halo Wars’ is in the very title.

    Pro: Halo game (on the PC), Halo ‘RTS’

    Con: No Strategy in a ‘RTS’, Select All Units, Special abilities have no sway on Gameplay, Not able to remap Controls!?! There is no ‘ATTACK MOVE’ in a RTS!?!?!?    … Expand
  9. GentlemanHunter
    Jul 16, 2023
    8
    Things I like:
    - Simple (especially in comparison to other RTS titles) but Challenging
    - Iconic Maps
    - Amazing Soundtrack (but that is to be expected from any Halo game)
    Things I dislike:
    - Plenty of difficulty spikes

    Conclusion: this game is a CLASSIC game that any RTS fan should have

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. PC Games
    Jan 29, 2017
    75
    Thanks to its varied missions, co-op mode and solid presentation Halo Wars: Definitive Edition is a welcome addition to the PC library, despite the poorly adapted interface and heavy price tag.
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  2. GameStar
    Jan 29, 2017
    78
    Halo Wars is a great fan service and a solid strategy game, the co-op campaign makes it worth a look for all RTS gamers.
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  3. Meristation
    Dec 26, 2016
    80
    Halo Wars comes to One and PC with a remastering of the original game, launched for 360 in 2009. Although the update lacks new features, It remains an excellent game, ideal for introducing in the real-time strategy.
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