Halo Wars (Xbox 360)
Halo is Microsoft's biggest brand name for the Xbox 360 and arguably their finest. The game quite simply took First Person Shooters
to another level and has steadily improved in quality time after time.
The latest offering from Microsoft's favourite son is a little bit different... my first thought was 'cash in' but the alarm bells were unfounded.
What you actually have is a pretty darn good strategy game based on the Halo universe and set before the seminal first game.
Interestingly this is how Halo was first envisaged as a strategy game and there is no better team on board to make that a reality than those behind Age Of Empires.
Strategy games on consoles are largely more miss than hit but thankfully this game wades through that inconsistency to offer a very neat game with easy, intuitive controls.
Familiar weaponry, units and vehicles makes this a real joy for fans; it captures the essence and magic of the franchise without just seeming like an after-thought, some really good cut-scenes and addictive gameplay
take this game to a higher level from the start.
The whole universe on offer is the real winner here, at its guts it is a quite simple real time strategy game but the design and graphics of the game just give it a really nice feel.
There is a real Command and Conquer feel to the game and anyone who knows anything about gaming will tell you that's not a bad thing at all.
No it isn't the next Halo game, but it is a great fun for fans of the franchise.
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Authors
Steve Wollaston - Sunday Mercury games reviewer Steve has been writing about video games for donkey's years. In fact he is probably far too old for it now which is why you will see a lot of reviews been done by kids... He has been nominated three times for Regional Games Journalist Of The Year at the Games Media Awards, but never wins. His major love is sports games and rates Sensible World of Soccer circa 90's as the greatest game ever made - closely followed by Championship Manager 2. Skyrim has currently taken over his life.
