Halo Wars: Definitive Edition (PC)

I don't know if I just missed the PSA about it or what the situation was but I wasn't aware they had already released this for PC until recently. Definitely enjoying the game thus far and fans of the first likely will, however keep in mind that this is a PORT of the original so it may not be everything you expect from your traditional PC RTS (ex. Dawn of War 2/COH 2) however it stays true to the original Halo Wars with the changes they originally promised.

That is all I have to say in the matter of Halo. Halo Wars DE is a stable and flawless port of the Xbox 360 game. This simplistic strategy game was perfect for the Xbox, but on PC it could have been better. I highly recommend using a controller since the PC controls take some time to get use to. The reason I say that now is this game was designed around the 360 pad. Everything from selecting all units to units on the screen to snapping between different bases and conflicts. Story wise, it's alright. If you're here to see what happened before HW2, expect a 7-8 Hour Campaign on Heroic difficulty. Graphics wise, expect 2005 models up close. You can tell the difference between the Arbiter and a Elite. But when the action gets tense and chaotic it's easy to have them blend together. Overall the 4/5 is justified for the easy to play-difficult to master gameplay, The characters to set up HW2, and alright graphics. If you missed on this Xbox cult classic, then 20 bucks is completely justified.

This game brings me back to the old days on the Xbox 360. I will list the two reasons I put 4/5 stars. First, the launch and distribution of redemption codes to people who pre-ordered HW2 was the worst I have ever seen. Just to let you guys know, you need to pre-order the digital version of the HW2 Ultimate Edition to access this game. Second, the online multiplayer is based on searching through a server browser. They should have kept matchmaking the way it use to be when looking for other players. For now I find the same people when hosting a game and a lot of them do not ready up because they don't want to go against me or other players that have beat them in previous games. The server method is horrible, please bring back the matchmaking option. Keeping both methods would be a plus. Overall though, the gameplay is superb. The campaign may crash a few times (my app just closes without an error), but playing online has not. I love how I can play this on my PC running Windows 10.

Halo wars was a blast on console, and its awesome to see it come to pc! besides a couple minor gripes with the controls and being able to change some of them, Halo wars is fantastic on pc, and it feels like it runs faster and smoother than the original on console!

Luckily Halo Wars: DE is great game overall, exactly as I remember it with noticeably improved graphics. You can't get into the nitty gritty PC key rebinding or change your resolution (though it automatically adapts to your monitor/TV's recommended best resolution), but the controls are solid as-is and we all know they only released this to wet our palettes for HW2 anyway. The fact that you have to wait an arbitrary amount of time before you can get your key is absolutely asinine, however. Even the 7-10 day claim thing is a load of bs. I know people who have gotten their keys after 1 day, and people who got it after 21 days. It makes absolutely no sense to create artificial scarcity on what's little more than an HD remaster.

You are getting a port of a great game. Play with a controller sit back and enjoy. If you are looking for an ultra competitive platform or a SCII like...then you will be disappointed. You will be better off playing HW2. But regardless know its a port and don't act surprised when it feels like one. Great fun.