The recent release of Halo Wars has caused many fans to jump for joy. Unlike the previous installments of the Halo series, Halo Wars is a Real Time Strategy (RTS) game. The game itself takes place 5 years after the book Contact Harvest and 20 years before the original Halo. This allows it to effectively fill in an important missing gap in the storyline

Halo Wars includes an extensive selection of available units and is extremely easy to play once players gain an understanding of the controls. In addition, the entire campaign contains an abundant supply of scenarios for players to complete. Unfortunately, players are unable to play as the Flood and can only play as the Covenant in multiplayer mode. Additionally, few multiplayer options are available and players can only utilize a limited number of units on their map.

Overall, Halo Wars is a successful foray into the RTS genre that effectively contributes to the series’ overall storyline.

Pros:

+ Extensive selection of UNSC and Covenant forces

+ Easy to play once players grasp the controls

+ Engaging storyline and cut scenes

+ Excellent mission variety in campaign mode

Cons:

- The Covenant are not playable in campaign mode and the Flood are not playable at all

- Small unit counts and map size limit the scale of battles

- Very few multiplayer options available