Punctual, quirky, original and a great addition to the Halo franchise. You went out with grace, Ensemble.
This game is a testament to good Franchise development. Not simply spinning off a cheap, inarticulate game to try and cash in on the power of the Halo name, this game is made of substance and it is of very high calibre. I would be hesitant however to place it directly in the RTS genre, it is very micro-management intensive, it's probably closer to an RTT game, in other words it's a cross-over. Despite this, it's a very good effort, it holds the Halo franchise name proudly and with gusto, a game that is easy to follow, delighful and with depth and originality on it's side in terms of the unit and story structure. For this, I am grateful to Ensemble, and give them great credit for such a fine piece of work, including innovation on the controls and base-module-structure format of base-building. Both were risky territories to interfere with, potentially game-destroying, both worked out just fine.
In terms of the visuals, there's not a lot wrong, yet they aren't going to make you fall off your chair. The CGI cinematic cutscenes are some of the best presented I've seen in a RTS/RTT game, certainly thorough and well paced throughout the production. The in-game real-time visuals are very detailed, but I most loved the way they kept the artistic design of the Halo FPS trilogy, a very well done to the graphic designers there. They are however hampered by a lack of being able to zoom out far enough to control all units at all times, a problem that plagues other RTS games such as Command and Conquer. Work on increasing the altitude of the camera, would have been credable.
In terms of sound design, absolutely nailed. The musical style is not Martin O'Donnell, but it is more fitting instead perhaps to the genre of this particular Halo game. The soft synth and pretty piano movements are very Microsofty, if that makes any sense to those of you out there familar with MS's history in OS's and Encarta World Atlas in the early days. This reinforces the game's place in the games industry, and does credit to it's position.
Story, plot design, pacing and depth are all excellent in this game. With wit, sincerity, awe-moments and narrative all strong elements in play.
Overall this is a great game, with a few notable flaws, none of which show-destroying. The fact that this game was half-developed with the studio imminently lined up for dismissal, is of great credit upon the pedigree and value of the Ensemble teams. On a personal note, I wish them the very best in their ongoing careers and will be tracking their efforts as time passes. Thank you for leaving us with such a great piece of work to remember you by.
As a side note, i dedicate this review in rebuttal of the rediculous and crass 6.5 which Gamespot decided to give it. This is a game of calibre and quality far beyond any sort of mediocrity, and the fact the GS review sits alongside an industry average of over 82% shows their ignorance and lack of appropriate analysis to shame.