The latest games in the popular Halo and National Hockey League franchises concentrate on teamwork. NY1’s Adam Balkin filed the following report.

“Halo Wars” is a different kind of game than the previous installments of the massively popular “Halo,” but fans will likely enjoy it. It's a real time strategy game, as opposed to the other games which focus on one-on-one combat or many first-person shooters who blast everything in sight. “Halo Wars” allows players to create and control entire armies, and decide where to deploy them, and whether to attack or defend.

“Halo Wars” takes place chronologically before the first “Halo” title, during the beginnings of the battles between UNSC and Covenant. But players who are not familiar with “Halo” can jump into “Halo Wars” because it doesn't require much prior knowledge of the franchise. It’s also easy to grasp and play - most moves just take a couple presses of a button and an option wheel helps gamers figure things out.

The XBox 360-exclusive game can be played online, via XBox Live, with up to six other players. It’s rated "T" for Teen and costs $60.

Meanwhile, hockey fans who love near-lawlessness on ice will love “3-on-3 NHL Arcade.” It lets players create threesomes from 40 National Hockey League stars, representing every team. A neat online feature lets three players on one console play another three players anywhere in the world.

“This is totally different because there are no rules,” says Matt Mahar of EA Sports. “It's only ‘3v3’ - three guys versus three guys. And there's power-ups in the game - those range from big goalie to small goalie, powershot, super-shot, super-speed.”

For amateurs, there's a simple button-control setup. Seasoned veterans of the NHL ‘09 game will enjoy the skill-stick setting. “3- on-3 NHL Arcade” is rated “E” for Everyone and is available as a download on the Playstation Network and Xbox Live for about $10.