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Halo Wars releases in Feb, LE comes with Mythic Map Pack
click to enlarge Microsoft has announced that Halo Wars, the Halo-themed RTS from Ensemble Studios, will launch in February 2009. Furthermore, the company has announced that a limited edition version of the game will be released and detailed its contents. Retailing for $79.99, the limited edition of Halo Wars includes: Three new Halo 3 (not Halo Wars) multiplayer maps. The maps include Assembly, Orbital, and Sandbox. You might recognize those maps as the upcoming Mythic Map Pack. Halo Wars: Genesis -- A graphic novel by Phil Noto, Ensemble's own Graeme Devine and Halo novelist Eric Nylund. The novel details the first human conflict with the Covenant and "centers around the Spirit of Fire on a mission to discover why the Covenant are so interested in the world of Harvest." The "Honor Guard" Wraith in-game vehicle Six "Leader Cards." Trading cards, we're guessing, or something like them. Spirit of Fire Patch. You know, the iron-on kind. Have fun explaining what it means to your non-gaming friends. The press release also notes that those who pre-order at certain (unannounced) retailers will get a code to unlock a Warthog vehicle with flame decals. While we're intrigued by the graphic novel, we have to admit the inclusion of the Mythic Map Pack is a pretty crafty move. The announcement says that those with the Halo Wars LE will be among "the first to experience the Mythic Map Pack," which implies that they can get their hands on the maps before they become available to the general public. We get the feeling that a lot of Halo players are suddenly very interested in RTS games. %Gallery-36291%
Halo Wars CE to include Halo 3 Mythic map pack
click to enlarge It seems Halo Wars is set to become the new Crackdown, with Microsoft enticing franchise fence sitters with goodies from Halo 3. The real-time strategy game set within Bungie's sprawling, hoop-filled universe will arrive this forthcoming February in both regular form and a Limited Collector's Edition. The latter should prove tempting even to those who prefer to see their aliens on the other side of a crosshair, as it will include early access to Halo 3's Mythic multiplayer map pack. The three maps, named "Assembly," "Orbital" and "Sandbox," join Halo Wars: Genesis, a graphic novel by Phil Noto, Graeme Devine and Eric Nylund; a "unique" in-game Wraith vehicle; six leader cards (they "possess elite skills which can turn the tides of battle," it says here) and a "Spirit of Fire" patch, which your mom can sew onto your favorite jacket. Just be sure to pay her back the $79.99 as well.%Gallery-36281%
Microsoft promises a few surprises in 2009
After confirming plans to stick with its current Xbox 360 pricing, Microsoft UK head Stephen McGill has informed Videogamer that there's a "lot of great stuff" headed to the Xbox 360 in 2009. Secret, surprising stuff."I know a lot of the games coming out from us and our third parties. Most of them, in fact, have not been announced because everyone's very focused on what's out for Christmas" says McGill, admitting that "there's lots of great stuff coming in 2009 that people know about. Lots more, I'm sure that they don't know about." Hmm, lots more we don't know about huh?True, we're all focused on the jam packed Holiday 2008 game lineup, but we've been keen to remember that 2009 will bring Halo Wars, Halo 3: Recon and even Resident Evil 5. But even more surprises in 2009? Unimaginable! We'll be accepting of these Xbox surprises, but we're not sure our bank account will be as understanding.[Via Game Stooge]
Downer: The Flood not playable in Halo Wars
So, Joystiq put up an article summing up its impressions of Halo Wars. Sure, there are a lot of gameplay details to glean from the article, and Ensemble Studios explains why there are vehicles in Halo Wars that aren't in any of the Halo games. There are lots of things you can learn in the article, but there is one glaring thing that stands out like Cliff Bleszinski in a rainbow clown wig: the Flood is not playable. Again, the Flood is not playable in Halo Wars. It's a sad reality, and one we're not willing to accept. Already, we're contorting Ensemble's promise of future DLC to mean that maybe, just maybe the Flood will be added in the future. If not, well, there's always Halo Wars 2.
Video: Halo Wars demo (with the Flood!)
A video demonstration of Halo Wars from TGS has hit GameTrailers, and we think it's fairly safe to say that the game is looking pretty good. Then again, we thought as much when we got a chance to play it at E3, so what would you expect? Nevertheless, the video showcases some things that we didn't see at E3, namely a commander unit, the Vulture "Uber Unit," and a new command ability called the Cryo Bomb which freezes enemy units, giving you extra time to destroy them. Without a doubt though, the most intriguing part of the video happens right at the end of the demonstration, when we get our first glimpse at the Flood. We only get a general idea of how the Flood base is structured and also a brief look at the Infection Forms as well as what look like (former) human Combat Forms. Now, if we can just get this time machine working, we can play it right now.
TGS 08: Halo Wars in early '09, Flood confirmed!
It was just revealed at the Tokyo Game Show that the long, long delayed Halo Wars (whose developer has had a bit of a struggle) will be releasing to the Xbox 360 EARLY 2009. Got that fellow fanboys, EARLY 2009 and you can bet we're going to hold Ensemble and Microsoft to that. Also confirmed (after months and months of speculation) is the inclusion of the Flood in Halo Wars. No specifics yet, just know that they'll be part of the Marine and Covenant party.
Video: Halo Wars 'Field Trip to Harvest' trailer
Just as Mr. Geoff Keighley promised, a new Halo Wars trailer titled Field Trip to Harvest recently aired over on Gametrailers (it's their exclusive, don'tcha know) and it gives us our first taste of what the Halo Wars storyline is all about. And in typical Halo fashion, the trailer is hella' entertaining, visually impressive and quite the informative piece of video. Check out the trailer embedded after the break. We also wanted to say that if the presented images are the actual in-game cut scenes, then man oh man will we be impressed. It's freakin' beautiful! Oh, and for the geeky Halo folks in the crowd, our own Richard wanted to point out that the the main Elite towards the end of the video is wearing the Arbiter's armor. That means he'd be the Arbiter Elite that was bestowed the "honor" prior to the Arbiter we came to know in the Halo games. Geektacular!
First Halo Wars footage releases this Saturday
Halo Wars fanatics, listen up. This Friday night (technically Saturday morning at 1:00AM eastern), GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley will be airing in-game footage from Halo Wars, introduce us to the cast of Halo characters and debut some cut scene footage. Not only that, but Keighley will sit down with the Ensemble crew to discuss their feelings (Dr. Phil style) about being shut down by Microsoft. And just from watching the GTTV teaser trailer, we can't wait to see the informative Halo Wars cinematics that they're going to share. Joy![Via HBO]
Ensemble founder speaks about studio closure
Remember that amazing relationship you once had where you didn't even see the breakup coming? Well, that's sort of what Ensemble Studios founder Bruce Shelley sounds like when talking about Microsoft's closure of his studio. Shelley explains he "remains very disappointed" and that everyone at the studio still has a job until Halo Wars is finished later this year.Shelley does give some detail on why the ax got dropped on the studio, explaining that Microsoft wanted to shift the budget to other development houses which were "expected to deliver" more strategic and profitable games. Won't this all end up being just a bundle of awkward if Halo Wars magically becomes a smash hit?[Via Big Download]
Canceled Ensemble title was Halo MMO
Gamasutra has discovered that a canceled project at Ensemble Studios -- soon to be shuttered by Microsoft -- was in fact a Halo MMO. The game was supposedly in development in 2006 and part of 2007, which would jive with rumors that were circulating at the time. Gamasutra managed to dig up some of Ensemble's concept art and mocked up screenshots of what the game would have looked like. Taking a look at the screenshot, it's clear that the game's interface would have borrowed heavily from World of Warcraft, while the concept art shows off a dual sword wielding Spartan with what appears to be an AI companion standing (floating?) behind him. The 'magic' energy of the game was apparently refered to as Psion, so perhaps the AIs would have been part of the game's magic system.Alas, the game is kaput, though it's unclear exactly why it was canceled. It could be that a similar game was also in the works, a likely possibility given how many teams are currently working on Halo projects. Then again, maybe it was canceled when Ensemble realized it would get pretty boring if everyone picks Master Chief.[Thanks to everyone that sent this in. Via Joystiq]
Ensemble Studios was working on Halo MMO
Gamasutra has broken the news that Ensemble Studios, responsible for Halo Wars, was working on a Halo MMO. It's not clear at what stage the project was canned, but Gamasutra's analysis based on available material is that it was probably cancelled in mid to late 2007. Gamasutra has also gained access to some prototype UI and level screenshots. With the help of our own lead blogger here at Massively, Michael Zenke, they've attempted to unscramble how the UI might function. Michael points out the clear similarities with the World of Warcraft interface, identifying what appear to be a mana bar, inventory button, talent tree and other functions. Louis Wu of the unofficial Halo website halo.bungie.org offers expert commentary on the level shots, identifying the familiar and the hitherto unseen aspects.As Gamasutra points out in the article, there are multiple development teams at work on Halo-related projects right now. It's therefore possible that a Halo MMO could still exist, but if it does, there's not a whisper of its presence so far.Update: Apologies for referring to Ensemble Studios as 'closed'; they are scheduled to be closed after the release of Halo Wars, but this has not yet taken place.Update 2: Gamespot's Rumor Control department has taken a long hard look at the evidence, and has pointed to a Flickr photostream containing 50 images of what appears to be a Halo MMO in development.
Canceled Ensemble project was Halo MMO
With Ensemble now disbanded, Gamasutra reveals one of its big projects that never saw the light of day: a Halo MMO. According to various reports, it appears that the game was in development for some time during 2006 and 2007 before being canceled. Seen above, a shot of the UI and an action pose of a Spartan duel-wielding. The design, from what little we can see of it, borrows a lot from World of Warcraft's simplicity and (judging by the dual-wield screenshot) hokeyness.We understand there are reasons for cancellations, but this seems like a money printer on par with Pokémon and Blizzard's aforementioned MMO, regardless of quality. As Microsoft's Phil Spencer recently mentioned to GamesIndustry.biz, there are "more than two or three teams" working on Halo projects at the moment, so the MMO concept might not be entirely dead.
New details on Halo Wars Marines and Hornet
The Halo Wars website has been updated with info on two new units as well as two new structures. The first is the trusty UNSC Marine, deployed in squads of five from a barracks, they come equipped with MA5 assault rifles and grenades. They are quick (and cheap) to train and, from the sound of things, their grenades can be upgraded to rockets. They are described as a good all around unit and effective in large numbers. The second unit is the Hornet, which is deployed from a UNSC airpad. It is described as an anti-aircraft unit, though it does have the ability to attack ground units as well. We imagine they make a decent reconaissance vehicle as well. Hit the source links below to see images of the new units as well as some videos of each unit in action. Source - UNSC barracks and Marines Source - UNSC airpad and Hornet %Gallery-27630%
Brutish new concept art from Halo Wars
Scavengers that we are, we are obligated to post everything, nay, anything related to Halo Wars, the upcoming real time strategy game from (soon to be defunct) Ensemble Studios. With this slavish devotion to duty in mind, we present you with concept art of the game's Brute units. Brutes, for the three of you unfamiliar with Halo, are huge, muscular, gorilla-like soldiers with the kind of grim determination usually reserved for freight trains. The Brute uniform in Halo Wars -- which takes place before the first Halo -- looks decidedly different than the uniforms in any of the Halo games. Our heads are filled with all of the nerdy reasons for -- and implications of -- the differences. We won't jump down that rabbit hole just now (though we hope Ensemble gives us a few hints). Instead, we simply direct you to the images, which you can find in the gallery below. Our biggest question: At what point between Halo Wars and Halo 2 did Brute beards go out of style? %Gallery-32026% %Gallery-23398%
Microsoft sees 'future potential' in Age of Empires
Those of you riddled with angst over the fate of Age of Empires had best prepare for an antithetical application of ... Unangst! That's Kevin Unangst, Games for Windows director over at Microsoft. In a brief message posted on the Gamerscore Blog, Unangst has assured point-and-conquer fans that the closure of developer Ensemble Studios doesn't necessarily spell doom for the renowned PC franchise."I want to reassure you that Microsoft will still own the Age of Empires intellectual property," he said. "As a company, we're very excited about the future potential for Age of Empires, and as a PC gamer I'm looking forward to what that future holds."Of course, not everybody is buying into this somewhat formless placation, with one commenter diplomatically venturing, "Go to hell you Microsoft pigs!" Nurse, we're going to need some oinkment for that burn.
Microsoft exec. sends breakup letter to Ensemble
GI.biz got a hold of the letter sent out by Phil Spencer, big cheese of Microsoft Games Studios, to the staff about the closure of Ensemble Studios. He explains that the closure isn't Ensemble's fault, it's Microsoft's; the company just needs to grow, and is "accountable for making tradeoffs and the right level of investments that will drive profit and future growth." Of course, like any good break-up, Spencer still wants to be friends with the newly dejected. He says that Microsoft will try to pick up any employees not moving on to the new company being started by Ensemble's leadership team. Spencer emphasizes in the letter that Microsoft is still heavily invested in making video games, but is looking to put the money where it can get "the most ROI" (return on investment) -- and yet, Rare survives? We'll take that to mean Microsoft wasn't getting the bang for its buck from RTS-developer Ensemble.
Ensemble Studios to close its doors, Halo Wars will remain unaffected
In a shocking announcement made late last night, Microsoft confirmed rumors that Age of Empires and Halo Wars developer Ensemble Studios will be shut down as soon as work on Halo Wars is completed. An astonishing decision Microsoft claims to be one that is "fiscally rooted". Wowzaz! In Microsoft's official statement to the media, Ensemble Studios' closure is addressed, mentioning that after completion of Halo Wars, the "leadership team will form a new studio and has agreed to provide ongoing support for Halo Wars as well as work on other projects with Microsoft Game Studios." Microsoft also makes it clear that they'll "place as many Ensemble employees who do not move to the newly formed studio into open positions within Microsoft" and insists that the studio's closure has nothing to do with "Ensembles talent or the quality of Halo Wars."What can be said? How random, how unexpected and how troubling it is to hear this news. News that we never would have seen coming. From our early experience with Halo Wars and the Age of Empires franchise, the level of talent the entire Ensemble crew possess is more than apparent as we wish them all the best with their future endeavors.
Microsoft confirms Ensemble closure, new studio opening
After only briefly being classified as rumor, Microsoft has confirmed that Halo Wars developer Ensemble Studios is indeed closing. Said the company in a statement (via Gamespot), "This decision does not reflect at all on Ensemble's talent or the quality of Halo Wars -- in fact, many people who have had a chance to test drive Halo Wars agree that it is on track to being a fantastic game."According to Microsoft, Ensemble's "leadership team" is founding a new development studio that has already agreed to support Halo Wars after its launch in addition to other Microsoft Games Studios titles.
Rumor: Ensemble to close after Halo Wars [update]
Multiple unnamed sources have allegedly confirmed that Ensemble Studios will be shuttered upon completion of Halo Wars, reports Shacknews. Layoffs have reportedly struck staff not currently working on the project, while Microsoft, Ensemble's parent company, has supposedly offered incentives to those employees critical to the Halo-themed RTS, goading them to stick around. We'll hit you with an update as soon as we've got one.Update: Confirmed.
McFarlane announces Halo Wars figures for '09
To compliment their already expansive sets of Halo 3 figures, Todd McFarlane and crew just announced that they'll be releasing Halo Wars figures to retail beginning March 2009. The first series of Halo Wars figures are actually mini-figures, 2.5 inches tall (aww, shucks!), rotatable at the waist and sold as a three pack. At release, the first series will be comprised of four different sets including Spartans, Marine Infantry and Covenant with each set packaged with various weapons. You can get learned about all four different Halo Wars sets after the break and view the work-in-progress figure sculpts in the gallery below. Lovely, aren't they?%Gallery-31539%
