Doh. I really think Ensemble has dropped the ball on this one.
For one thing, this feels like something mandated from above, rather than something they came up with on their own. “It takes too long for Bungie to make a Halo game,” I can hear the Microsoft execs saying. “Surely we’ve got another studio who can be working on another Halo game somewhere….” Hell, it’s conceivable that Microsoft ordered Ensemble to get working on this because they knew that if they didn’t, they wouldn ‘t have anything Halo-related to show at X06.
Second thing: the FAQ states that this game is an RTS and it is 360-only. I’ve never felt that real-time strategy games belonged on consoles. Of course, I’ve never felt that first-person shooters belonged on consoles either, which is why I never really got into the Halo games.
Third thing: this is why Microsoft stepped on Halogen. Which is fine, its their right, but they did it in the worst possible way – with a cease-and-desist right before Halo Wars was announced. Very ham-handed, and just the type of thing that can create a fan backlash.
This will probably end up being the first Ensemble game that I don’t buy. Which makes me sad.
I am also confused as to how they can put an RTS on a console. Certainly I could see Wii doing it, but with the basic Xbox 360 controller, I’m kind of at a loss as to how that’ll be smooth. Certainly the tried and true (or tired and overused) Dune model used by EVERY RTS EVER SINCE might not work without a mouse to select units and order them around. I rather think something more like a real time version of Disgaea might be in order.
I don’t see the big deal about Halo and the Halo “universe” but maybe Peter Jackson’s movie will change my mind about that.
Well, Battle For Middle-Earth II on the 360 proved that you can do an RTS on a console, but it’s still a prom dress made out of carpet remnants.