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Anything with the word "Halo" in it is going to come to the Xbox 360 system facing enormous expectations from gamers. The feature-list will need to include everything: an extensive campaign, single player options, and multiplayer options over Xbox Live. Fortunately, Halo Wars delivers on all of those, including another recently added must-have, the co-op campaign option, so you and a friend can play the storyline over Xbox Live. In addition to all those functions, any Halo game is going to need a storyline that meshes with the previously released games and books. The final hurdle that Halo Wars must cross is that it's the first real time strategy game (RTS) in a line of first-person shooters (FPS).

The challenges could not be more numerous, but I'm pleased to say Halo Wars is equal to the task. First-time RTS gamers will be able to pick up and understand the game immediately, following the in-game tutorial. Veteran RTS gamers might be able to skip the tutorial, and they'll still do just fine. Hard-core RTS gamers will probably not enjoy the simplicity of Halo Wars relative to a PC RTS game, or they might enjoy dominating more casual players. As for FPS gamers, the experience is different, but they can expect the same frantic combat and win by a hair excitement that all the Halo games provide.

Like all the Halo games, the campaign is a short adventure that shows you the ropes and fleshes out the history of the Halo universe and its characters' history. Where the game really shines, and gets its endless playability from, is multiplayer, either over Xbox Live or locally against AI or AI on your team in chaotic three army versus three army battles.

The campaign forces you to play as the UNSC but the multiplayer is packed with options. You play as one of six leaders (three from the Human UNSC, three from The Covenant) and of course, that gives you access to different units or different powers. If playing 3v3, your team can be any combination of UNSC and Covenant (imagine The Prophet of Regret and the UNSC fighting on the same side.) You can choose one of several maps to battle on (surely more will be offered for download in the future.) The maps offer geographical challenges but also feature Forerunner structures that, once taken, give your army a boost either in upgrades or supplies. As always in the Halo mythos, whoever controls Forerunner technology will rule the galaxy. Sometimes you even have to fight The Flood to get them.

The balance of the game seems handled

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