That doesn't sound too promising. I was hoping for more of a Company of Heroes type gameplay. Do the units die ridiculously fast like the do in C&C?

From the campaign the units seemed fairly hardy, and there are cover spots on the map to help infantry. Seemed pretty good for a console RTS, with my biggest initial gripe being a fairly limited ability to zoom out.

Very pretty and lengthy cut scenes with the demo for those who like the Halo universe.

I've never been very interested in Halo, and I'm not particularly good at RTS games, but this looks interesting enough that I'll give the demo a try when it's available to Silver members.

It looks like StarCraft with the Protoss lopped out, so I'm worried that it will lack depth. However, it looks like it would be fun and intuitive, and I appreciate that they've taken out a lot of the resource micromanaging. Also, it's neat to see air battles that take place in the actual air instead of hovering twenty feet above the ground.

I like the music and the cutscenes. Why is there a RTS attached to the content I'd purchase?

Didn't have any problems with the controls or interface, but the prospect of making and moving little dudes remains as unexciting as ever. That hasn't been really all that entertaining since Red Alert, my first RTS.

The best bits of the strategy/tactics spectrum are at the extremes. I feel like these games would be more fun if I were either more in control, but also more focused, like Full Spectrum Warrior; or less in control with a broader focus, like Dwarf Fortress. The traditional RTS compromise misses the good parts and picks up the baggage of each type of game.

You can pause the cutscenes as well as skip them. Is that a completely new thing? I haven't played a game where I've noticed it before, but now that I have I'm certain every game from now on needs this.

I enjoyed the demo. The controls worked pretty well, the only time I really wanted a mouse is when I had a big group of units and I wanted to quickly select one of them and use its special ability.

Yeah, I was worried it was going to be shallow but I was pleasantly surprised with how many units and upgrades there are, not that the numbers necessarily make the game deep, but certainly not overly simple. There also seem to be 3 commander types you can choose before the game (in multiplayer) but the demo only allowed 1 for each race.

I was impressed by the demo. It controls well, although I wish there was an option to select one type of unit on screen (although that may be in there, as I didn't play the advanced tutorial).

It's kinda cheesy that you can destroy a base by only destroying the main part of it, though. That might lead to some problems in multiplayer matches.

It's not going to replace Dawn of War II for me, but I'll have some fun with the single player.

I am still puzzled, why this is not a GFW Live title. I think that is the wrong term, Microsoft has been rather candid why their top 360 games are not, but still, why?

F*ck.

I don't know why but I was really hoping for Myth in the Haloverse rather than gather/build/attack nonsense. I should have known.

Having to spend time mucking around with peasants and robots for resource gathering is what has really put me off to RTS games. I feel like I spend too much time micromanaging the resource gathering and not enough time in the battle. It sounds like this game trades that in at the cost of a bit less complexity in the strategies; it could be fun.

I just tried the demo out and it was fun.

Did I miss something in the tutorial about how to assign units to control groups? I played around with the controls afterwards and wasn't able to do it.

I just gave the demo a go this evening and damn, what a fun little title. I wasn't even seriously watching Halo Wars, but the demo showed up on Live so I figured, "Why the heck not?".

I'm quite smitten based on what I've seen so far. Sure, it's RTS-lite, but I think it's a perfect fit and speed for the console. Controls are quick and streamlined, the combat-action fast and the engine performance smooth as butter (so far, at least). It gives the whole experience a very arcade-like feel.

Now I'm not the biggest Halo fan, as I know there's better shooters out there on both console and PC, but seeing the universe explored in a whole new game genre is actually really fresh. It makes me excited about the material again much like the first Halo game felt way back when on Xbox.

I suspected myself that the typical frat-boy Halo audience would not take to Halo Wars and that the project was likely doomed, but I'm wondering if the streamlined RTS experience might just catch hold with more casual gamers who are drawn in by the name, yet might just stay for the friendly execution.

Am I actually considering pre-ordering this game? Hell, I couldn't even be bothered to finish the sp campaign in Halo 2 & 3 (both of which I own), but this short demo of Halo Wars has got me completely jazzed.

EDIT:

Just had to add that the graphics are freakin' dope in this game. There's a great use of lighting on this thing and it makes the models really "pop". Awesome cut-scenes too.

Agreed. It is in no way going to replace any other RTS for me. But it does seem to be a fun, simple game.

They do have the, "I like that tank, I think I'll take it." special ability.

You're missing the infantry. Cheap and very effective. At your main base I reccommend 1 power, 1 barracks and the rest supply. Build another power and the vehicle stations at the second base. Supply is huge in this game. Being able to pump out hundreds of cheap infantry is the key.

The demo is fun, I'm not much into RTS, not by a long shot. That LotR game on the 360 was unenjoyable, maybe it's the story (or lack of) and familiarity of characters?