I think it has SecuRom, but not the very bad version(exSpore).  It also doesn't have activation limits I am aware of.

The main problem I have with it is GFWL.  From what I can tell, you need to log into GFWL to even save your single player campaign games.  At least I couldn't load my progress when I went back to it several months ago after not playing for a while(I got to the final campaign).  It also refused to let me log into my GFWL account unless I shut down XFire(that might be specific to this game).  For both of those reasons I have not played it since then and I am considering uninstalling it as I am not sure when I will play it again.

I orignally got the game as a Christmas present and thus didn't have to pay for it so that may cloud my resaoning a bit.  Overall I found the first two campaigns were fun(but I only did play them once each) and the story was decent.  The three races play significantly different.  One deploys drones from a building that bring back resources, the second deploys walkers that use extraction beams to harvest resources and the third has buldings that generate resources on their own.

The gameplay is a bit dumbed downed as it is designed to let PC players go against people on consoles but still acceptable.  The research tree is nice as you can't research everything in a single game:  you must decide between getting high levels in one or two areas or get a little from each field.

This is not a game I would pay full price for, but $10 sounds reasonable.  As I have to put up with SecuRom in NWN2, that is not a turn off point for me.  From what I can tell both games use an older version of SecuRom that is not as invasive as the current one, which is why I tolerate it.

The game is average. It has one function which is super-great, and that is the walking bases that you can customize.

Thanks for all the info. I have one question, though. You said that it has the less invasive SecuRom, but is it still a version that doesn't uninstall when you uninstall the game itself?

I know nothing about Total War, so I have no idea, but Halo Wars is a definite no. I have yet to play a RTS on a console that hasn't sucked. You really need a mouse to play them.

And again, thanks for the info.

For $10.. maybe. But I don't think it's a very good game. The graphics are decent, and the races are generally interesting and unique. But what really killed it for me was the camera, especially when playing Hierarchy. The camera, basically, does not zoom out. The default setting has it way, way too close to the ground. It's hard to fit even one Hierarchy walker (except the science one) on the screen and still be able to see anything else. Often you have to scroll the map because you're either getting shot from off-screen or your units' range extends off-screen.

and as of yesterday, the Halo Wars demo is available to silver accounts on Xbox Live.

p.s. 10 scarabs = OWNAGE!!!

Demigod and Empire: Total War come out next month. I plan on buying both. Even got a new CPU for those especially epic battles

And don't forget! GLaDOS only runs on a PC.

Just looked up halo wars, from the demo movie, it looks like... a dumbed down RTS with graphics like SupCom. Not to dis SupCom, but a new game should at least look better than a game which is what, 2, 3 years old now? Then again, it is running on a 3 or so year old console. By the look of the demo video, it is more a game of rock paper sicsors than strategy. And due to the wonderfully horrible RTS controller, even moving around the map looks to be difficult.

I thought it was horrible. I was really excited to get it and it sucked.  I couldn't even get MP to work.

@Kyogre12

FPS games do not belong on consoles because you cant aim properly with a controller, and in most FPS games for consoles they have Auto Aim put in. FPS games are met for PC's because of mouse and key board which is much easier at aiming. Also Games look better on a PC ( if you have a good graphics card that is) Consoles graphics is basicly a reworked gefore 7900gtx which is about 2 and a half years old.

Universe At War is quite good (I bought it for the achievements and gamerscore) and is made by ex Westwood Studios veterans.

The good:

• Completely unique factions
• The research system adds great variety to every match
• Some tracks of the music are fantastic and the OST can be downloaded from the developers website

The bad:

• The balance is a bit lacking
• The game is dead as far as competetive RTS gamers are concerned
• You have to read forums or find out for yourself how some gamemechanics work

At release, it was plagued by GFWL gold which was required to play ranked matches and Conquer the World (multiplayer campaign against eachother like the Masari campaign) which caused many competetive gamers to not buy UaW.

It's strategy is quite deep and it is worth playing. But it's really best in multiplayer on small to medium maps (On big maps and in lategame, Masari is unstoppable as they get unlimited resources).