Companies, especially video game companies, tend to over-promise and under-deliver (take Molyneux for example). Due to this I expect to Microsoft to repeat that this game is the one to solve the RTS problem on consoles, but once the game is actually released people see that it was mostly hype and that this game has little beyond a few gimmicks (Halo related at that) and tired gameplay (maybe fun, but by the time it is released quite dull and repetitive).
Ensemble Studios is a great developer, but after AoE III was a bit disappointing, I don't think they can reach their AoE II or AoM levels at the moment, also they are being asked to create a Xbox360 game when all they have created so far are PC games. Due to this I think they will develop this game with that mindset and not realize what makes the Xbox360 crowd different from the PC crowd and consequently will create controls and an interface that don't work well with consoles.
Also, I do not believe that the Halo brand will help this game all that much, especially if it turns out to be only average or below average. Many of the people I know who bought Halo only like the particular style of play that the Halo FPSs are known for, they don't so much care about the brand as the gameplay. Due to this it doesn't seem likely that many people will pick this game up based solely on the Halo brand, especially once they realize it is a RTS, a genre that is much slower paced the FPSs and many therefore put off the people who like twitch games.
From all this I don't see Halo Wars selling over 1.4 million copies or 140DKP, over its lifetime (especially seeing how it will start to face increasing competition from brands and franchises that have become more relevant in the intervening time).
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Companies, especially video game companies, tend to over-promise and under-deliver (take Molyneux for example). Due to this I expect to Microsoft to repeat that this game is the one to solve the RTS problem on consoles, but once the game is actually released people see that it was mostly hype and that this game has little beyond a few gimmicks (Halo related at that) and tired gameplay (maybe fun, but by the time it is released quite dull and repetitive).
Ensemble Studios is a great developer, but after AoE III was a bit disappointing, I don't think they can reach their AoE II or AoM levels at the moment, also they are being asked to create a Xbox360 game when all they have created so far are PC games. Due to this I think they will develop this game with that mindset and not realize what makes the Xbox360 crowd different from the PC crowd and consequently will create controls and an interface that don't work well with consoles.
Also, I do not believe that the Halo brand will help this game all that much, especially if it turns out to be only average or below average. Many of the people I know who bought Halo only like the particular style of play that the Halo FPSs are known for, they don't so much care about the brand as the gameplay. Due to this it doesn't seem likely that many people will pick this game up based solely on the Halo brand, especially once they realize it is a RTS, a genre that is much slower paced the FPSs and many therefore put off the people who like twitch games.
From all this I don't see Halo Wars selling over 1.4 million copies or 140DKP, over its lifetime (especially seeing how it will start to face increasing competition from brands and franchises that have become more relevant in the intervening time).