Halo Wars

Human forces begin a desperate attack on a Covenant base

A human base easily fends off an attack from Covenant Grunts

Covenant forces launch a deadly air assault with Banshees

The new Elephant transport drops off some UNSC marines

With a story set twenty years before the events of the original Halo game, this features all the familiar elements of the blockbusting originals but from an all-new perspective. Similar in style to games such as Command & Conquer, this has its own unique control system specifically built for the Xbox 360 controller.

What results is an experience that's just as action-packed as any shoot 'em-up, with the resource management elements of the genre made to take a back seat. There's still plenty of tactical depth though, in a game that's good enough to make Halo fans love strategy and strategy fans love Halo.

• Before Master Chief: The first Halo game to embrace a new style of gameplay, with a brand new prequel storyline and a whole new cast of characters.
• Be the bad guy: Play as the alien Covenant for the first time, as you take control of all of their signature equipment and units in intense multiplayer battles.
• Console control : Simplified control system has been two years in the making, allowing you to select and direct your units as quickly and easily as any action game.
• This is Spartan: Direct and control all the familiar troops and vehicles from the original games, including human Warthogs, Covenant Banshees and Spartan Special Forces.
• Team tactics: Rope in three friends for the online co-operative mode and battle each other in specially designed maps on Xbox Live.

With the guidance of Serina, a spirited artificial intelligence (AI) persona, gamers will direct legions of UNSC soldiers, Warthogs, Scorpions and more, each group having its own strengths and uses in battle. Adventurous commanders can also call upon ancient Forerunner technology, if they are fortunate enough to find it hidden throughout the battlefield.

Covenant forces are also waiting for players to lead them into battle in multiplayer skirmishes via the New Xbox Experience. Call upon an arsenal of new and familiar Covenant units such as Grunts, Elites, Ghosts and even Scarabs to defeat foes on the battlefield. Strategic-minded players who react well under pressure will emerge victorious.

Created from the ground up for the Xbox 360 console and controller, “Halo Wars” is being developed by the veteran real-time strategy developer Ensemble Studios, the team responsible for the best-selling and critically acclaimed “Age of Empires” franchise on the PC. “Halo Wars” can be played online through the New Xbox Experience and the single-player campaign. Published by Microsoft Game Studios, “Halo Wars” is an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 video game system. "

Amazon.co.uk Review

Developer Bungie long ago promised that Halo 3 would be the last part in the story, but it’s always been pretty obvious that they were only referring to Master Chief’s initial confrontation with the Flood and Covenant. For now though the only indication of how the Halo universe will continue to evolve is this game: a console only real-time strategy game from Ensemble Studios, makers of Age of Empires. It’s a little known fact that the original Halo, when it was still only a PC game, was actually envisioned and initially designed as a real-time strategy, so Halo Wars really isn’t as much as a stretch as it may seem.

The game’s story takes place before that of the original Halo: Combat Evolved but involves versions of the familiar Halo vehicles from the dropships and Warthogs to the Covenant Banshees and Spectres. There are also many new vehicles as well though, such as the Hawk helicopter and Wolverine rocket tank. As with most real-time strategies you’re also able to build your own buildings and support structures with which to recruit new soldiers and build new vehicles.

A properly accurate and intuitive control system is always a problem for this sort of game on a console, but apparently that’s one of the things Ensemble has spent the most amount of time on, with only the one analogue stick and four face buttons needed to control the whole game. One thing’s for sure the Halo saga and universe has only just begun.

Halo Wars is a strategy game based on the legendary Halo universe. In campaign mode, players will command the armies of the UNSC warship "Spirit of Fire," consisting of familiar and new UNSC units in its initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition threatening to obliterate mankind.

With the guidance of Serina, a spirited A.I. persona, gamers will direct legions of UNSC soldiers, Warthogs, Scorpions and more, each group having its own strengths and uses in battle. Adventurous commanders can also call upon ancient Forerunner technology, if they are fortunate enough to find it hidden throughout the battlefield.

Covenant forces are also waiting for players to lead them into battle in multiplayer skirmishes via the New Xbox Experience. Call upon an arsenal of new and familiar Covenant units such as Grunts, Elites, Ghosts and even Scarabs to defeat foes on the battlefield. Strategic-minded players who react well under pressure will emerge victorious.

• New take on a legendary world: Experience the early battles between the UNSC and Covenant, in a time predating the original Halo. Join the crew aboard the Spirit of Fire, a Phoenix-class colony ship converted for UNSC military use, and guided by the A.I. persona Serina. Discover an ancient artifact during a journey to the planet Harvest, the first planet to be attacked by the Covenant. And then get ready for the wars.
• Strategic command of armies in large-scale combat: Gamers are in command of the battlefield, playing as either of two unique civilisations: UNSC or Covenant. Counter and crush your opponent by tactically fielding the superior army. Choose among leaders possessing elite skills that can turn the tide of battle. Use various combinations of leaders and units, and create countless strategies tailored to your preferred playing styles.
• Groundbreaking Xbox 360 strategy game: Since