HALO WARS | XBOX 360

MICROSOFT | 3.3.09

By GARRETT MARTIN

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Halo's the Mario of the new millennium, and like that mustachioed fatso, those space marines can't be contained by a single genre. Master Chief doesn't mess around with go-karts, settling for the complex military precision found in real-time strategy games. Halo Wars is basically a simplified Command & Conquer, or, for Luddites, Risk, if everyone goes at once. Shooting aliens remains the primary goal, but it's done indirectly, as you control infantry squadrons and land and air vehicles from an overhead perspective. You're responsible for deploying units strategically and defeating the aliens while protecting your base. It's a simplified take on core RTS gameplay, dolled up with solid controls and Halo's marketability. It's also a rare spin off that's fun and makes more than financial sense.