E3: Halo Wars

Halo Wars, if you didn't know already, is a strategy game on a console, which usually isn't a rip-roaring recommendation to buy it. Console strategy titles have a reputation for being severely watered down, mindless affairs. Either that or they are 'too hardcore' and end up not being bought for that reason.

Anyway, Halo Wars should at least sell well, even if the game does turn out to be a bit on the lightweight side for strategy fans.

In campaign mode, players will command the armies of the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire, which will consist of both familiar and newly conceived UNSC units.

The players will take control of these forces as they make their initial encounters with the Covenant. The game, essentially, is defining the pre-story for the first 'proper' Halo game.

With the guidance of Serina, a spirited artificial intelligence persona, gamers will direct the actions of their legions of UNSC soldiers, Warthogs, Scorpions and so on. Each group will have its own strengths and weaknesses in battle, meaning you can't just build one type of unit and steamroller your way to victory.

Adventurous commanders can also call upon ancient Forerunner technology, if they are fortunate enough to find it hidden on the battlefield (think Command and Conquer's crates).

Covenant forces can be controlled in multiplayer via what Microsoft is calling the 'New Xbox Experience'. New and familiar Covenant units such as Grunts, Elites, Ghosts and carabs can be used to combat the enemy UNSC forces on the battlefield.

Worryingly, the PR blurb says that "strategic minded players who react under pressure will be victorious" ... so it'll be build-and-rush then?

Halo Wars is being developed by veteran RTS developer, Ensemble Studios, the team responsible for the Age of Empires franchise on the PC. As you might also have expected, Halo Wars is an Xbox 360 exclusive.