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'Journey Live' blends video games with the symphony stage
Journey is going on tour. No, not the band -- the innovative PlayStation 3 game, Journey, and Chicago's Fifth House Ensemble are embarking on a tour that blends gaming with live, reactive music. Journey Live is an interactive event where selected people will play the game and the ensemble will respond to their actions on-stage. Grammy-nominated Journey composer Austin Wintory and fellow musician Patrick O'Malley drew up a special, interactive version of the game's score that allows the ensemble to mirror a live playthrough.
Ensemble Online gears up for beta, launches Kickstarter drive
It's been nearly two years since we first heard of Ensemble Online, a browser-based MMO that combines elements from RPG and RTS titles. SemiFormal Studios is gearing up to launch Ensemble's beta testing phase, and the firm has taken to Kickstarter to help with funding. SemiFormal bills the game as "the world's first MMORTS"; the company says that it allows you to "tactically control territory, harvest resources, and build buildings anywhere on an expansive, real-time, never-ending map." The game doesn't limit where you can build, either, and there are no text-based battles (nor do you lose your progress when you log out). If that's piqued your interest, head to the official site to learn more about the game, and don't forget to check out the Ensemble Kickstarter page to contribute.
Halo MMO had $90 million budget, canceled as Microsoft eyed 'casual, broader audience'
Over the past couple of years, we've seen dribbles of information here and there about the canceled Halo MMO, but a recent conversation IncGamers had with ex-Ensemble Studios employee Dusty Monk (yep, that's his real name) revealed not only the exorbitant cost of the planned development (three years of which took place before the game was canceled), but much, much more. First and foremost, the game's development was said to cost $90 million, as you likely inferred from the headline above. Second, the game was intended to be a "WoW killer," according to Monk. "It was absolutely going to compete against WoW. You have to remember that Ensemble came from a standpoint of being really good at competing against Blizzard Entertainment," Monk said, using the Age of Empires series as an example. Unfortunately for the folks at Ensemble working on "Titan" (the codename for the Halo MMO), the launch and subsequent blistering success of the Nintendo Wii allegedly altered the direction that Microsoft wanted to take. "Microsoft, from its gaming division, was really changing directions. They were looking really hard at the Nintendo Wii and they were really excited by the numbers that the Wii was turning. This was about the time that Microsoft decided that its Xbox platform and XBLA really needed to go more in the direction of appealing to a more casual, broader audience." Given that new direction and what Monk calls a "very expensive, very long, and very protracted" development, Microsoft eventually shut down the project. But hey, at least we got Halo Wars, right? Right?!
Recently laid-off devs rant about being recently laid off
I think we can all agree that, aside from being hit by a speeding train or dropping a hot meal you've been cooking for hours, being fired from your job is like, the worst thing that can happen to you. As such, we expected the speakers on last week's GDC rant panel, titled "Fired and Fired-up: Jobless Developer's Rant," to be especially inflammatory. We were not disappointed. Just past the jump, we've highlighted three of our favorite presentations from the panel. Some of them get awfully, explicitly blue, so if you happen to find yourself reading this video game news site while at work, you might want to think twice about going beyond the break. (You should also get back to work, you lazy so-and-so!)
Halo Wars title update incoming, new details
A post on the Halo Wars website has announced that a title update for the Halo RTS is on the way. The update looks to address some matchmaking bugs, fine tune game balance and implement a new feature. While the bulk of the update remains a mystery, community manager Aloysius does mention two changes.One, the Prophet of Regret will have his land speed reduced to match the speed of the other Covenant leaders, thus balancing the Prophet rush tactic (which is a lot of fun, by the way). Another fix will allow users to enable the Honor Guard Wraith and Fireball Warthog units (available to collector's edition owners and those who pre-ordered the game, respectively) inside of multiplayer matches with other players. We're not sure why that wasn't included in the game in the first place, but it's a welcome addition.No details are given regarding when the patch will release, but Aloysius promises more info will appear on the official Halo Wars site.
Halo Wars sells a million, Ensemble still disbanded
Microsoft announced today that Ensemble's Halo Wars has sold one million units worldwide. According to the publisher, that makes the wars of the Halos the best selling real-time strategy game on any current-gen console -- 'cause, you know, it's such a "Flood"-ed field.As for the stats: there have been 2.6 million multiplayer matches, over 118 years of time have been spent by players in matches on Xbox Live, more than 200,000 players battle each day and 80% of them achieve wins through Warthog rushes (okay, we made that last one up). If you're looking for more stats, click here. Microsoft says more content is on the way for the game from Robot Entertainment, "so stay tuned."%Gallery-1676%
Rippy: Ensemble Studios was a 'victim of its own success'
David Rippy, founder of Bonfire Studios and a lead producer on Halo Wars, believes Ensemble's death occurred because the studio was only known for -- and allowed to create -- RTS titles. In an interview with GI.biz, Rippy expresses that Ensemble couldn't get non-RTS project prototypes approved, stating that the group represented "the RTS guys." He notes that lack of diversity is something he'd like to avoid in the future with his new studio.Rippy states that Bonfire's first project will not be an RTS game, but that the company may consider doing one again in the future. He states that the game will be different than what the team has done in the past, while still offering "a strong strategy element." As Bonfire works on the new project -- which will apparently not be published by Microsoft -- the other studio born out of Ensemble's remains, Robot Entertainment, will continue employing "the RTS guys."
Download a digital copy of the Halo Wars tech tree
To give us a better understanding of Halo Wars' units and all the upgrades available, Xbox.com posted a downloadable Halo Wars tech tree chart (PDF).The Halo Wars tech tree (not to be confused with the plantable type) is an easy-to-use reference guide that visually explains the technology progression of both Covenant and UNSC units, as well as each of their Leaders' unique powers. The chart comes in especially handy when creating the nearly invincible Grizzly and ODST combo. It's a strategy we nicknamed the "Drop Shock and Awe."[Via HaloWars.com]
Halo Wars program hits Korean TV
Siliconera reports that MBC Game, a Korean television station, is adding a show dedicated to Halo Wars to its lineup. That might sound strange, but the network already airs several programs dedicated to video games. The decision to add Halo Wars to the lineup was probably fairly simple, as the network's StarCraft program is its most popular, according to Siliconera. Details about the show are sparse -- the MBC Game website shows up as malicious on Google, no thanks -- but we assume from the images posted on Siliconera that people will actually play the game on the program.Televised Brute rushes? Count us in.
Joyswag: Halo Wars (Day Three)
This is it, folks the third and final day of Joystiq's Halo Wars giveaway. Congratulations to Steve H, who won our Day One giveaway. With so many people checking their email to see if they've won Day Two, now is your chance to enter Day Three. Hurry up, before someone gets wise.To enter: Leave a comment on this post naming your favorite RTS unit of all time (real or imagined). You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person This entry period ends at 2:59 pm ET on Thursday, March 5. We'll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive one copy of Halo Wars (ARV: $59.99). For a list of complete rules, click here
Video: Halo Wars universe expands yet again
The third in the Halo Wars "Universe Expanded" videos is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace (for Gold members). Again we see several voices in the gaming industry waxing poetic about Halo. The latest video focuses on exactly how Halo Wars adds to the lore established in other Halo titles. On particularly interesting tidbit, Microsoft's own Frank O'Connor notes that the new elements present in Halo Wars will show up in future titles in the franchise. Who knows, maybe we'll be hijacking Locust tanks or piloting a Vulture in Halo 3: ODST.
Play Halo Wars online and (possibly) win prizes
Microsoft is hosting another Play & Win giveaway. This time, Halo Wars is required to participate in the "odds are slim that anyone reading this is actually going to win anything" prize-winning fun.To enter, download this gamer picture, play Halo Wars multiplayer between March 6-8, then patiently wait for the winners to be announced. Microsoft is giving away an assortment of prizes, including a 52" television, a Halo Wars themed Xbox 360 (nice!), an assortment of MS points and even an overpriced Ultra Series 1000 Monster Cable.
Video: The Halo Wars universe expands even further
As if we haven't already been smothered with gobs of Halo Wars footage lately, a second Halo Wars: Universe Expanded documentary has made its way onto the Xbox Live Marketplace. Us being the ninjas that we are, we captured the video and uploaded it to the internet for everyone's viewing pleasure.Just like the first Universe Expanded vid, this second ViDoc talks about the scope of the Halo Wars story, explains the key players involved and Adam Sessler is seen expressing himself using grand hand gestures. It's a great watch and a superb example of how to artistically decorate a film set using honeycomb shapes.
X3F TV -- Behold: The Halo Wars Limited Edition unboxing
Joystiq Xbox presents to you the fantabulous Halo Wars Limited Edition unboxing video. Gasp as you see the iron-on patch unveiled. Scream as you eye the coveted Mythic Map Pack DLC redemption card. Shriek as you peer at naked Elite flesh in the graphic novel (no, seriously).If none of that works for you, you could always just watch the video in thoughtful silence. You should definitely watch it, though.[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon).[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[M4V] Download the M4V directly.
Halo Wars includes final farewell from Ensemble Studios
With today's (North American) release of Halo Wars, we thought we'd share Ensemble Studios' heartfelt goodbye message included in the game's end credits. The video, which shares the same sentimental weight as Bruce Shelley's final remarks, starts with a message to all of Ensemble's fans and is followed by individual notes from everyone on the development team.We wish the best of luck to everyone who was a part of the team at Ensemble Studios and hope success follows with their new ventures.
GameStop plans nationwide Halo Wars midnight launch events
This coming Monday, March 2 at around 10 pm, over 2,000 GameStop stores Stateside will be hosting Halo Wars midnight launch events.No, there won't be a DJ or any beverages being served at these gatherings. Instead, GameStop plans on wooing midnight launch goers with trivia challenges, a dress up contest, some sort of Warthog races and (because it's Halo'verse related) a Halo 3 tournament. Some attendees can even win (get this) a Halo themed Xbox 360 skin. We only hope their employees are prepared for the influx of fanboys that will descend on their teeny-tiny establishments.A list of stores participating in the midnight launch can be viewed here (PDF alert), but we recommend giving your local GameStop a ringle-jingle. Also, if one night of Halo Wars excitement just isn't enough to satisfy, be sure to check out their pre-launch Halo Wars tournament that takes place this weekend.
Video: The expanded Halo universe of Halo Wars
With the release of Halo Wars less than a week away, Microsoft has released a new video examining the expanded Halo universe present in the game. Believe it or not, Halo actually has a very detailed background. Over the years, it's been laid out in books, graphic novels, comic books and even ARGs. Still, for a great deal of Halo fans, Halo Wars will be the first time players get to experience the history behind the first three games.Check out the video and learn your Halo history, because it's much more fun than learning about real history.
Even more of your Halo Wars questions answered
Technightly posted an extensive Halo Wars Q&A that aims to answer some common and rather peculiar game-related inquiries. The list of 74 questions covers topics from UNSC and Covenant unit details, to the explanation of Flood's involvement in multiplayer. If there's a random Halo Wars question in need of answering, reading through this informative Q&A would be a good place to start. Then again, one could wait a week for the game's retail release to become an all-knowing Halo Wars expert.[Thanks, Mills]
Joystiq Review: Halo Wars
click to enlarge Halo Wars is a loaded game. For one, it's the first Halo title developed outside of Bungie, and you can bet Microsoft doesn't want anyone killing its golden goose. Furthermore, the developers have touted the control scheme since the game was first announced, allowing myself and others to hope that it might, just might, do for console RTS games what Halo did for console FPS games. And then, of course, it's the last game from Ensemble Studios ... ever. That's a lot to live up to.%Gallery-45393%
Ensemble gives strategic advice in Halo Wars ViDoc 4
The fourth and final Halo Wars video documentary (the cool kids call 'em ViDocs) just made its way online. This time, Ensemble Studios talks about the design process, how much enjoyment can be had with the various multiplayer modes and a few Ensemble members even detail their personal Halo Wars strategy. Pottinger's plan that involves two Scarabs firing blue death like an uncontrollable fire hose is pure strategic genius.
