<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
is	O
a	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
(	O
RTS	O
)	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Ensemble	O
Studios	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
Game	O
Studios	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
unveiled	O
at	O
the	O
X06	O
Xbox	B-Device
show	O
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ensemble	O
designed	O
the	O
game	O
specifically	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
controller	O
,	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
circumvent	O
issues	O
present	O
in	O
previous	O
console	O
RTS	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ensemble	O
was	O
closed	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
before	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
,	O
but	O
soon	O
after	O
Robot	O
Entertainment	O
was	O
founded	O
by	O
many	O
of	O
Ensemble	O
's	O
former	O
employees	O
;	O
this	O
new	O
company	O
continued	O
to	O
support	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
with	O
updates	O
and	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
enhanced	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
—	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
Definitive	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
—	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Windows	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
in	O
December	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
a	O
sequel	O
developed	O
by	O
343	O
Industries	O
and	O
Creative	O
Assembly	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
February	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
is	O
a	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
(	O
RTS	O
)	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
exclusively	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
console	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
command	O
armies	O
from	O
a	O
bird's-eye	B-Application
view	I-Application
of	O
the	O
battlefield	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
designed	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
controller	O
in	O
mind	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
A	O
button	O
is	O
used	O
for	O
selecting	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
d-pad	B-Device
navigates	O
to	O
current	O
battles	O
and	O
cycles	O
through	O
bases	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
right	O
analog	B-Device
stick	I-Device
adjusts	O
the	O
camera	O
angle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
features	O
a	O
story-based	O
,	O
military	O
campaign	O
game	O
mode	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
played	O
alone	O
or	O
cooperatively	O
over	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combat	O
in	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
is	O
balanced	O
by	O
a	O
"	O
rock-paper-scissors	O
"	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
science	O
fictional	O
universe	O
of	O
the	O
Halo	O
series	O
,	O
during	O
the	O
26th	O
century	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Spirit	O
of	O
Fire	O
is	O
operated	O
with	O
help	O
from	O
Serina	O
(	O
Courtenay	O
Taylor	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
super-intelligent	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
(	O
AI	B-Application
)	O
with	O
a	O
sardonic	O
sense	O
of	O
humor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Anders	O
formulates	O
a	O
plan	O
to	O
detonate	O
the	O
ship	O
's	O
faster-than-light	O
drive	O
in	O
the	O
planet	O
's	O
sun	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
explosion	O
would	O
cause	O
a	O
supernova	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
acquired	O
Bungie	O
in	O
2000	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
became	O
a	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
and	O
"	O
killer	O
app	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
console	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bungie	O
produced	O
two	O
best-selling	O
sequels	O
,	O
Halo	B-Application
2	I-Application
in	O
2004	O
and	O
Halo	B-Application
3	I-Application
in	O
2007	O
,	O
before	O
separating	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
becoming	O
an	O
independent	O
company	O
once	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2004	O
,	O
the	O
Microsoft-owned	O
Ensemble	O
Studios	O
—	O
developers	O
of	O
the	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
strategy	O
series	O
—	O
began	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
that	O
would	O
become	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
originally	O
not	O
a	O
Halo	O
series	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ensemble	O
spent	O
12	O
to	O
18	O
months	O
working	O
on	O
the	O
control	O
scheme	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mythology	I-Application
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
team	O
hacked	O
an	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mythology	I-Application
expansion	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Titans	I-Application
,	O
and	O
used	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
prototype	O
for	O
control	O
experiments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Ensemble	O
had	O
to	O
re-create	O
all	O
of	O
Bungie	O
's	O
assets	O
from	O
scratch	O
,	O
Bungie	O
had	O
produced	O
a	O
large	O
amount	O
of	O
reference	O
material	O
for	O
the	O
Halo	O
film	O
adaptation	O
that	O
the	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
team	O
used	O
for	O
inspiration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
reference	O
point	O
was	O
art	O
from	O
the	O
Halo	O
first-person	O
shooters	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
art	O
was	O
from	O
a	O
forward	O
perspective	O
and	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
from	O
a	O
bird's-eye	B-Application
view	I-Application
,	O
the	O
team	O
exaggerated	O
shapes	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
units	O
recognizable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
ensure	O
artistic	O
continuity	O
between	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
and	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
Ensemble	O
created	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
guidelines	O
for	O
their	O
artists	O
to	O
follow	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
Covenant	O
were	O
to	O
retain	O
their	O
curvy	O
,	O
organic	O
look	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
Forerunner	O
and	O
UNSC	O
were	O
to	O
keep	O
the	O
same	O
geometry	O
angles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devine	O
described	O
the	O
challenge	O
of	O
developing	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
as	O
"	O
getting	O
Halo	O
fans	O
to	O
play	O
a	O
realtime	O
strategy	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
getting	O
realtime	O
strategy	O
fans	O
to	O
play	O
a	O
Halo	O
game.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
themes	O
were	O
considered	O
fundamental	O
to	O
the	O
Halo	O
experience	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
Ensemble	O
tried	O
to	O
replicate	O
them	O
for	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
position	O
the	O
Spartans	O
as	O
"	O
kingmakers	B-Application
"	O
in	O
gameplay	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
gave	O
them	O
what	O
it	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
"	O
coolest	O
"	O
unit	O
ability	O
:	O
hijacking	O
enemy	O
vehicles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
they	O
created	O
a	O
lumbering	O
,	O
mechanized	O
unit	O
called	O
the	O
Cyclops	O
,	O
a	O
nod	O
to	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mythology	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pottinger	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
animations	O
,	O
while	O
interesting	O
,	O
did	O
not	O
mesh	O
with	O
the	O
fast-paced	O
combat	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
and	O
raised	O
balance	O
concerns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
officially	O
announced	O
at	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
X06	O
media	O
briefing	O
on	O
September	O
27	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
pre-rendered	O
trailer	O
created	O
by	O
Blur	O
Studio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
exhibited	O
at	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
(	O
E3	O
)	O
in	O
2007	O
and	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devine	O
narrated	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
for	O
a	O
video	O
shown	O
at	O
E3	O
2007	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
later	O
made	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
Marketplace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
,	O
Next	O
Generation	O
,	O
and	O
PC	O
World	O
ranked	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
anticipated	O
showings	O
at	O
E3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
10	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Ensemble	O
Studios	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
close	O
after	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
completion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Robot	O
announced	O
that	O
,	O
while	O
developing	O
new	O
intellectual	O
property	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
support	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
and	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
through	O
a	O
partnership	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
Game	O
Studios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
music	O
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Stephen	O
Rippy	O
,	O
the	O
composer	O
for	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
starting	O
work	O
on	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
Rippy	O
listened	O
to	O
previous	O
Halo	O
soundtracks	O
and	O
searched	O
for	O
useful	O
material	O
in	O
discarded	O
Ensemble	O
projects	O
;	O
"	O
I	O
'm	O
a	O
big	O
fan	O
of	O
both	O
cataloging	O
that	O
stuff	O
and	O
stealing	O
from	O
it	O
without	O
remorse	O
,	O
"	O
Rippy	O
said	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rippy	O
and	O
audio	O
lead	O
Kevin	O
McMullan	O
examined	O
Donnell	O
's	O
tracks	O
to	O
identify	O
elements	O
to	O
reuse	O
in	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Some	O
of	O
the	O
plot	O
points	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
revolve	O
around	O
discovery	O
,	O
and	O
I	O
think	O
that	O
was	O
my	O
favorite	O
idea	O
to	O
write	O
to	O
—	O
that	O
sense	O
of	O
,	O
'	O
no	O
one	O
's	O
seen	O
this	O
before	O
,	O
'	O
 "	O
he	O
said	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Flollo	O
"	O
contained	O
musical	O
ideas	O
Rippy	O
had	O
experimented	O
with	O
since	O
his	O
last	O
project	O
,	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
WarChiefs	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
previous	O
live	O
orchestrations	O
for	O
Halo	O
games	O
were	O
performed	O
by	O
the	O
Northwest	O
Sinfonia	O
in	O
Seattle	O
,	O
Washington	O
,	O
Rippy	O
chose	O
the	O
FILMharmonic	O
Orchestra	O
of	O
Prague	O
to	O
record	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rippy	O
had	O
been	O
in	O
Prague	O
attending	O
recording	O
sessions	O
for	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Asian	I-Application
Dynasties	I-Application
and	O
loved	O
both	O
the	O
city	O
and	O
the	O
sound	O
the	O
orchestra	O
produced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
all	O
,	O
roughly	O
65minutes	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
75-minute	O
score	O
were	O
recorded	O
in	O
Prague	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rippy	O
used	O
the	O
Audiokinetic	B-Application
Wwise	I-Application
pipeline	O
to	O
create	O
dynamic	O
music	O
that	O
changes	O
with	O
the	O
action	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Rippy	O
used	O
Wwise	B-Application
's	O
tools	O
only	O
for	O
dynamic	O
music	O
,	O
they	O
made	O
audio	O
system	O
setup	O
much	O
easier	O
than	O
in	O
previous	O
Ensemble	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Four	O
tracks	O
from	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
were	O
included	O
as	O
a	O
preview	O
on	O
a	O
bonus	O
DVD	O
bundled	O
with	O
Halo	O
Trilogy	O
—	O
The	O
Complete	O
Original	O
Soundtracks	O
,	O
a	O
December	O
2008	O
compilation	O
of	O
previous	O
Halo	O
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AOL	B-Application
Radio	I-Application
secured	O
the	O
exclusive	O
rights	O
to	O
premiere	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
early	O
,	O
playing	O
a	O
new	O
track	O
at	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
every	O
hour	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pre-release	O
playable	O
demo	O
for	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
first	O
mentioned	O
in	O
the	O
October	O
2007	O
issue	O
of	O
Official	O
Xbox	B-Device
Magazine	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
became	O
available	O
for	O
download	O
on	O
February	O
5	O
,	O
2009	O
;	O
redemption	O
codes	O
for	O
early	O
access	O
were	O
given	O
starting	O
January	O
29	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
demo	O
was	O
downloaded	O
by	O
more	O
than	O
2million	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
members	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
five	O
days	O
,	O
and	O
set	O
a	O
record	O
for	O
most	O
demo	O
downloads	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
standard	O
retail	O
version	O
,	O
a	O
Limited	O
Collector	O
's	O
Edition	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
made	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
attract	O
Halo	B-Application
3s	I-Application
player	O
base	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
bundled	O
early	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
Mythic	O
Map	O
Pack	O
,	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
three	O
Halo	B-Application
3	I-Application
multiplayer	O
maps	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
collector	O
's	O
edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
48-page	O
,	O
half-size	O
hardcover	O
graphic	O
novel	O
was	O
also	O
included	O
;	O
titled	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	O
Genesis	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
Phil	O
Noto	O
,	O
Graeme	O
Devine	O
,	O
and	O
Eric	O
Nylund	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameStop	O
announced	O
that	O
on	O
February	O
28	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
one	O
thousand	O
stores	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
would	O
hold	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
tournaments	O
,	O
and	O
two	O
thousand	O
GameStop	O
stores	O
held	O
midnight	O
releases	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
European	O
markets	O
sold	O
a	O
"	O
Best	O
of	O
Halo	O
"	O
bundle	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
Halo	B-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
release	O
,	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
reached	O
second	O
place	O
on	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
weekly	O
sales	O
charts	O
behind	O
Killzone	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
reached	O
only	O
16.7	O
%	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
3s	I-Application
first-week	O
sales	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
outsold	O
Command	B-Application
&	I-Application
Conquer	I-Application
3	I-Application
:	I-Application
Tiberium	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
threefold	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
fastest-selling	O
console	O
strategy	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Australia	O
,	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
weekly	O
sales	O
ranked	O
highest	O
,	O
ahead	O
of	O
Killzone	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
March	O
12	O
,	O
the	O
limited	O
edition	O
and	O
standard	O
version	O
were	O
ranked	O
second	O
and	O
third	O
,	O
respectively	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
sales	O
charts	O
,	O
behind	O
Call	B-Application
of	I-Application
Duty	I-Application
:	I-Application
World	I-Application
at	I-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gamasutra	O
attributed	O
the	O
surge	O
in	O
Halo	B-Application
3	I-Application
sales	O
to	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
;	O
the	O
former	O
was	O
fourth	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
second	O
in	O
Australia	O
in	O
sales	O
of	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
games	O
,	O
and	O
reappeared	O
on	O
the	O
list	O
of	O
top	O
20	O
United	O
States	O
console	O
games	O
for	O
February	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
,	O
industry	O
analyst	O
Michael	O
Pachter	O
estimated	O
that	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
would	O
sell	O
2	O
million	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
NPD	O
Group	O
's	O
March	O
sales	O
figures	O
,	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
sold	O
639,000	O
copies	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
through	O
March	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
third	O
best-selling	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2016	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
Definitive	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
—	O
an	O
enhanced	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
—	O
for	O
Windows	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
on	O
December	O
20	O
,	O
2016	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Ultimate	O
Edition	O
version	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Ensemble	O
's	O
closing	O
,	O
Robot	O
Entertainment	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
developing	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
(	O
DLC	B-Protocol
)	O
for	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pottinger	O
described	O
support	O
as	O
ongoing	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
one-time	O
effort	O
and	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
Bungie	O
's	O
post-launch	O
additions	O
to	O
Halo	B-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
stated	O
that	O
Robot	O
would	O
also	O
work	O
on	O
balance	O
issues	O
,	O
bug	B-Error_Name
fixes	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
patches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
DLC	B-Protocol
package	O
,	O
Strategic	O
Options	O
,	O
added	O
three	O
new	O
multiplayer	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Keepaway	O
"	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
capture	B-Application
the	I-Application
flag	I-Application
;	O
in	O
it	O
,	O
players	O
try	O
to	O
capture	O
and	O
hold	O
Forerunner	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Strategic	O
Options	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
19	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
after	O
a	O
patch	O
that	O
addressed	O
software	B-Error_Name
bugs	I-Error_Name
and	O
game	O
balance	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pottinger	O
responded	O
on	O
the	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
forums	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
modes	O
were	O
small	O
downloads	O
"	O
because	O
they	O
are	O
rules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Robot	O
released	O
a	O
second	O
DLC	B-Protocol
package	O
on	O
July	O
21	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DLC	B-Protocol
,	O
dubbed	O
"	O
Historic	O
Battles	O
"	O
,	O
contains	O
four	O
additional	O
maps	O
and	O
four	O
new	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
achievements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
garnered	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
were	O
split	O
on	O
whether	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
a	O
successful	O
console	O
translation	O
of	O
the	O
RTS	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpy	O
's	O
Allen	O
Rausch	O
argued	O
that	O
,	O
as	O
Halo	O
:	O
Combat	O
Evolved	O
showed	O
that	O
first-person	O
shooters	O
could	O
work	O
on	O
consoles	O
,	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
"	O
is	O
an	O
RTS	O
...	O
on	O
a	O
console	O
...	O
and	O
it	O
works	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tom	O
Price	O
of	O
TeamXbox	O
said	O
that	O
gamers	O
have	O
been	O
waiting	O
a	O
long	O
time	O
for	O
a	O
console	O
RTS	O
"	O
to	O
get	O
it	O
right	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
did	O
so	O
;	O
reviewers	O
for	O
Official	O
Xbox	B-Device
Magazine	O
credited	O
Ensemble	O
with	O
creating	O
a	O
strategy	O
game	O
that	O
felt	O
"	O
absolutely	O
at	O
home	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
"	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
"	O
poorly	O
shoehorned	O
...	O
port	O
"	O
of	O
a	O
PC	O
game	O
with	O
clumsy	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	O
Trends	O
 '	O
Scott	O
Steinberg	O
said	O
that	O
,	O
while	O
not	O
perfect	O
,	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
made	O
a	O
strong	O
case	O
for	O
the	O
viability	O
of	O
RTS	O
on	O
consoles	O
;	O
"	O
There	O
's	O
certainly	O
the	O
potential	O
to	O
have	O
PC	O
holdouts	O
seriously	O
reconsidering	O
hoisting	O
the	O
controller.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Price	O
said	O
that	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
story	O
and	O
mission	O
structure	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
fairly	O
standard	O
,	O
levels	O
that	O
were	O
"	O
rote	O
"	O
in	O
other	O
RTS	O
games	O
seemed	O
more	O
substantial	O
in	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Adam	O
Biessener	O
of	O
Game	O
Informer	O
wrote	O
that	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
gameplay	O
was	O
better	O
against	O
human	O
players	O
,	O
as	O
campaign	O
"	O
gimmicks	O
"	O
and	O
poor	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
were	O
not	O
an	O
issue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nguyen	O
said	O
that	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
core	O
units	O
meshed	O
well	O
,	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
Ensemble-developed	O
units	O
gave	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
the	O
feeling	O
of	O
a	O
generic	O
science-fiction	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overall	O
,	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
judged	O
a	O
fitting	O
final	O
game	O
for	O
Ensemble	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
4	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
Halo	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
developed	O
by	O
Creative	O
Assembly	O
with	O
assistance	O
from	O
343	O
Industries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
February	O
21	O
,	O
2017	O
for	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
