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All troops regroup: Halo Wars Strategic Options Review
Halo Wars gets new life thanks to the first and hopefully not last DLC pack. This pack features 3 new game modes and some new achievements for those looking for more. It is available now on the Xbox Live Marketplace for the Price of 800 MS. Let’s find out if these strategic options are worth our money.
Reinforcements Mode.
This is probably the weirdest and most bizarre mode of them all. The game starts off normally; you have to stock on supplies as usual and even start building an army for yourself. After some time every player gets a wave consisting on a small army according to the buildings and resources you have. If you have nothing but barracks and supply pads you will only get standard soldiers, maybe some Warthogs. The waves depend on you supplies and buildings at all time, so you probably have to focus more on gathering resources and conquering other bases as fast as you can.
This mode is faster than the standard mode as you are focusing your efforts on conquering other bases and gathering more resources. You should find yourself with a respectable army in something like 7-10 minutes and from there the winner is determined based on your managing and a little bit of luck. It is a very fun and addictive mode.
Keep Away Mode.
My favorite of them all, think of it as the neutral flag of Halo 3, but with a mobile flag. The game starts normally. After an apparently random time a flag spawns somewhere on the map and you have to chase it in order to destroy it and become the holder. From here you become the holder until a timer runs giving you a point or until a foe destroys your holder. It is important to say that you can choose to have a fast unit as your holder (like a ghost) or a well protected, slow one (let’s say a Wraith). The first one should be able to get to the flag’s location fast but will be vulnerable to a potential surprise attack, while the former may arrive too late to the desired location.
This mode invites you to build different types of unit in order to counter what your opponent may throw at you and to have control over key parts of the map, specially the center. One thing I didn’t like about this new mode is that if you actually destroy a flag carrier you don’t become the carrier of it. It just disappears and you have to wait for another flag to appear, probably enough time for you foe to build a new army and throw it at you. First faction with 3 points is the winner. So these matches actually take their time to be finished.
Tug of War Mode.
This final mode is probably the best of them all if you are trying to improve your game. The game length is actually up to the players and not ruled by any timer. You have to destroy anything crossing your path in order to take an advantage over your opponent. You can either destroy enemy units or buildings or even take on some neutral rebel bases. You have to be fast and start taking the lead quickly, even it that means having a mediocre army at the beginning, first with a considerable advantage wins. This may take 10 minutes or even hours, depending on the level of you opponent and the strategies you take. Do not ever stop building armies, this is an offensive mode, if you start camping or stop building, you are going to have a tough time winning the game.
Overall, I have to say this is a great pack for avid players but it might not be as good for those who are still thinking about getting the game, think of it as an expansion focused on the experienced players, so they can have a little bit more juice out of this game. I still think it is a good idea to include the Flood as a playable faction just because all the structure of it is already in the game, but that’s just me, and we might never see that.
Final score: 8/10
By Reeve
