14 DAY TRIAL // With Halo 3 launched and out of the way, the only interesting thing on the planet for Halo fans is how development on Halo Wars, the real time strategy title coming from Ensemble Studios and Microsoft, is going. It seems that all is well and the game is shaping up nicely.
The latest issue of GamePro has some details regarding the game. Ensemble is really trying to create an instant action RTS, with promises that players will be fighting for their lives "within ten seconds" of entering a match. Supply management and resource harvesting will also be kept at minimum levels, with automated workers doing their job mostly without requiring any micro-management from the players.
This will leave the player more time to focus on creating units and crushing his enemy. The battlefields in the game will vary between normal human worlds, worlds taken over by the Covenant and even Halo's. Each battlefield will require different tactics and a different mix of units because of the unique challenges they pose. The campaign will also offer co-op support for two players, which seems to have become the standard in strategy titles.
The UNSC will feature both units already seen in the Halo shooters and new additions to the universe. Your basic marines will be complemented by flamethrower carrying marines, while anti-tank armed Cobras will serve along Warthogs as the main vehicles of the UNSC. The Cyclops is set to be a giant mecha available to the marines, while the Spartans will make an appearance in the game as a special unit for the UNSC that can only be used once battlefield actions have "earned" it.
The Covenant will feature the now usual assortment of low level Grunts and Jackals, supplemented by the more elite Hunters, Ghosts and Banshees. Remember, the game is set roughly 20 years earlier in the timeline of the universe than the first Halo game, so some of the units might look a bit different.
The game is still in development and no release date is available.