Halo Wars

Master Chief's all about being the big hero in the Halo universe. Sure, he has guys like the Arbiter and Cortana to help him along, but there's no denying that within the first person shooter context of the Halo trilogy, he's the star of the show. Giving a different perspective on the Halo universe is Halo Wars, a real time strategy game from Ensemble Studios, the developer behind the best-selling

Age of Empires series. Taking the action away from the frenetic first-person action of the Halo trilogy, Halo Wars puts players in charge of entire units.

The game takes place 20 years before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, dropping players on a planet in the Epsilon Indi solar system on a planet called Harvest. A mysterious relic has turned up there, one that the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) wants and that the Covenant will go to any lengths to stop them from acquiring.

The game has been specifically developed for the Xbox 360 controller, and controlling your troops is a straightforward matter of using the face buttons to select and issue commands, cancel orders and deploy special attacks. As well as its primary function, each unit has a more powerful special attack that can be used after a period of charging. Warthogs can ram enemies, for example, while the Scorpion can unleash heavy cannon fire and UNSC soldiers can lob grenades.

Those familiar with the Halo mythos will find classic Halo equipment, while there are new additions to give them something different with which to eviscerate their foes.

Because war isn't a solitary affair, Halo Wars makes use of Xbox Live to offer co-op play right through the single-player campaign.

If Ensemble Studios has its way, Halo Wars will get the Halo faithful enjoying the RTS genre and RTS fans making their first entry into the Halo universe!