Microsoft Halo Wars - Platinum Hit (Xbox 360)

Besides telling a new story in the Halo saga, the point of this game was to prove that the real-time strategy could work as well on consoles as on PCs. "Command & Conquer 3" came close in its controls, Koei's "Bladestorm" had great depth in its action-tactics, and "Endwar" had a breakthrough innovation with voice commands, but this is the game that really lays the foundation. It's hard to explain just why it succeeds so thoroughly at this; I can only say that this is the only console RTS where I have felt truly in control of what's happening all over the battlefield, as much as when I play Warcraft 3 or Red Alert 2 on PC. Judging it on its RTS merits alone, it still stands up tall. There's only one campaign, but it delivers a satisfying experience by making each mission unique. Unit/tech trees are simple but deep enough to support varied strategic approaches. Both large and small scale combat encounters happen at a pace that lets you exercise complete tactical control. Multiplayer maps vary from simple to intricate, offering a variety of shapes for the battle to take, whether you're playing 1v1 or 3v3, and balance is nearly perfect. If you thought this was game was supposed to be another shooter, you weren't paying attention. If you own a 360 and like to use your higher-level thought processes, you owe it to yourself to get this game.