Web: New Halo gives the smoking gun a breather; Halo Wars (Xbox 360).

Byline: by Steve Wollaston

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 taking it 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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