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Ensemble talks controls in Halo Wars ViDoc 3
The third in the Halo Wars video documentary series has been released. The third ViDoc centers around the game's control scheme, which was crafted from the ground up for the Xbox 360. The boys (formerly) from Ensemble Studios discuss how the control scheme came about and explain some of its nuances, such as the circle menu. Sure, you could watch the video to learn about the history of Halo Wars, or you could just watch it to see tiny men slaughter each other. We won't judge.[Thanks, Sgt Barone]
Brick by brick preview of Halo Wars Mega Bloks
Action-Figure.com just posted a few pre-release photos of this Summer's upcoming Halo Wars Mega Bloks and, yes, they're mildly cute. You know, in a blocky, mini-fig kind of way. Per the preview photos, we can confirm that most of the iconic Halo characters (and vehicles) will be Mega Blok'ed. Spartans, Elites, Grunts, Warthogs, Ghosts, Hornets, Scorpions and even Banshees are all there. Our only question: Will the building instructions be presented in a radial pie menu? [Thanks, sambob117]
Listen up! Halo Wars soundtrack debuts on AOL Radio
Even though Monday has all but expired, there's still time to catch a preview of the upcoming Halo Wars soundtrack. All day today, AOL's Video Game Scores channel is exclusively debuting Spartan-inspired songs from the album. The tracks will air every hour, on the hour throughout the evening.The Halo Wars soundtrack will be releasing to stores February 17th, which means it'll be available just in time to melodically accompany your Halo Wars gaming this March and your Mega Blok construction this Summer.
Halo Wars trailer advises us to 'command the forces'
Much like your backseat gamer girlfriend during intense Halo 3 sessions, Halo Wars finally lets you shunt Spartans around, telling them to shoot over here and hide over there. You can experience the real-time stategery for yourself in today's Halo Wars demo, or check out the latest trailer embedded above. "Command the forces" strikes us as particularly helpful advice.If you'd like even more, you can access the official Halo Wars manual at Xbox.com (PDF) -- it's not like you'll read the copy included with the game next month.
Halo Wars demo now accepting recruits via the XBLM
For the past hour, we've been pacing back and forth, waiting for the content to become available. We're sure you've been doing that same anxious pacing. But the wait is over and, from high atop our blogger soapbox (which makes us feel Elite-sized in height), we're pleased to announce that a Halo Wars demo is now available for download off the Xbox Live Marketplace. Cue thunderous applause and Grunt birthday party-like cheers!The free 1.4GB Halo Wars demo download will give curious (Gold subscriber) gamers a chance to test Ensemble Studios' innovative console RTS controls through a portion of the game -- including a smattering of lovely cutscenes. Enough talk, get to downloading already.%Gallery-23398%
Toys 'R' Us, GameStop get Halo Wars figs this month
McFarlane Toys has announced that Toys 'R' Us, GameStop and an unnamed third retailer will be exclusively selling the company's new line of Halo Wars figures early. The three retailers will begin selling three different 3-packs of the figurines sometime this month, while other retailers will begin selling the toys after the Halo Wars launch in March. Each of the three "First Look" retailers will have an exclusive 3-pack on offer, each containing three 2½ inch UNSC or Covenant figures. McFarlane announced late last year that each pack will priced from $9.99 to $11.99. Find out where each pack will be available in the list below. TBA -- UNSC TROOPS (Blue)1 Spartan (with assault rifle) 1 Marine Infantry (with assault rifle) 1 Spartan (with dual magnums) Toys "R" Us -- UNSC TROOPS (Red)1 Spartan (with dual magnums) 1 Spartan (with assault rifle) 1 Marine Infantry (with assault rifle) GameStop -- COVENANT TROOPS (Purple)2 Elites (with Plasma rifles)1 Grunt (with Needler)
Build your own war with licensed Halo Wars Mega Bloks
Here's an interesting business partnership to consider. MEGA Brands and Microsoft Game Studios have entered into an agreement to manufacture officially licensed Halo Wars Mega Bloks construction toys. You read correctly: Halo Wars construction toys that are said to include "iconic characters and vehicles of the video game." You know, things like Warthogs, Spartans and (dare we get too excited) Grunts. Our only worry about the Halo edition of Mega Bloks is that they'll look too much like Mega's current "kid friendly" offerings. If they're a bit more manly, we have no qualms about buying ourselves a Halo construction toy.Halo Wars Mega Bloks construction sets are coming to a retailer near you, Summer 2009.
'Best of Halo' Xbox 360 console: Now with more box art
We can't think of a better way to start the work week than with a few high-res photos of the European exclusive Best of Halo Xbox 360 bundle. Believe us, we tried. Galleried below are the three console box shots, which include full frontal, corner angled and the textual backside. Just try not to drool on your keyboard.%Gallery-43653%
Ensemble co-founder says goodbye as studio closes
Today Ensemble Studios co-founder Bruce Shelley wrote his final blog for the company, which is set to shut its doors forever now that work on Halo Wars is complete. Shelley said that "about 60%" of the staff that worked on the first Age of Empires title stayed with the company for its entire lifespan, making for some mixed emotions during the studio's final week. "Boxes are piled in the hallways for trash; people are giving away games and other stuff they don't want anymore; computers are being wiped; and our corporate IDs are being turned in," he said, adding, "Although we will be keeping in touch through some alumni initiatives, many of us may not cross paths again." He then went on to thank everyone that supported the studio throughout the years. According to Shelley, "at least two new studios" will be formed by former Ensemble Studios employees, one of which will handle Ensemble Studios Online and post-launch support for Halo Wars. We wish all Ensemble Studios staff members the best of luck in their new endeavors. [Via Big Download]
Lucky Europe receives 'Best of Halo' Xbox 360 bundle
Because Halo Wars is in dire need of more promotion and marketing (not really), Microsoft will be releasing a special edition Xbox 360 console dubbed the "Best of Halo edition". Swedish retailer Webhallen has the listing, mentioning the bundle will ship February 27th and will include all the standard 360 Pro amenities (60GB HDD, wireless controller, headset, cables, etc.) with the addition of both Halo 3 and Halo Wars. And for 2795 kr or about $350 USD, it's actually a decent deal.As far as we know, Europe will be the only market this Best of Halo Xbox 360 will see a release in. But that doesn't mean Stateside fanboys can't keep their fingers crossed and continue to pray to the prophets above.[Via Teamxbox]
Ensemble already 'looking into' Halo Wars DLC
Even though Halo Wars has already gone gold, Ensemble Studios isn't sitting back twiddling its thumbs and drinking celebratory martinis. In fact, the developer is busy plotting post-launch plans and even kicking around the idea of Halo Wars DLC. "We are committed to supporting the franchise," studio producer Jason Pace told Electricpig in a recent interview. Pace admitted that while the studio doesn't have definite plans, "additional downloadable content is something we're looking into." We just hope that Ensemble's studio closure doesn't factor into the DLC decision. And if we end up receiving additional Halo Wars content, our only requirements are that it be cheap, expansive, cheap, story driven and well ... cheap. Get our drift?
Sooloos delivers RackMount media server models at no extra cost
So far as we can tell, this is the first major product introduction from Sooloos since it was acquired by Meridian Audio Limited in December 2008. For those who've already plunked down for one of the company's music management devices, you'd be better off holding your ears and scrolling down with haste. For everyone else, you should know that Sooloos's Source, Twinstore and Ensemble units will now be available in a 2U rackmount enclosure for -- get this -- no additional cost. The mountable iterations will include internal fans for heat dispersion and a front-panel power switch, though functionally everything will remain the same. Pays to wait sometimes, huh? The full release (prices included) is after the break.
Game developers sound off on industry layoffs
It's all too easy to forget that there are real people behind the power-ups we're so fond of collecting. Gamasutra has posted a sobering look at the industry, interviewing recently out-of-work employees from such companies as Eidos and Pandemic while putting faces on the disturbing number of layoffs that have impacted the business behind the games we play. "In our industry, there's a relatively high chance that once your game is finished, the studio will make some cuts," noted David Lewis, a software test engineer at Ensemble, which will close its doors after Halo Wars (pictured) rolls out the door later this year. "But I had no reason to suspect that the whole studio would be closed." Even so, some, like recruiter T.J. Summers, believe that there is work to be had for those willing to stretch beyond their comfort zones and look for work in "new growth sectors" such as web or mobile. Still, we sympathize with those impacted, especially knowing that the drop off from developing AAA titles to Flash games has to be enough to lose your stomach.
New off-screen Halo Wars footage
GameTrailers has posted some new footage of Halo Wars from CES. Unfortunately, it's off-screen footage, and portions of the screen are cut off. Still, There's plenty of interesting things to see if you know where to look. For one, you can see the system that lets you cycle through each individual unit type when you've selected a large group of different units -- the player uses it at around 0:35 to select the Warthog and ram the enemy. Another prominent feature is the circle menu, which is used to queue up new units and research upgrades. And, of course, you get to see delicious carnage. Check out the video after the break.
Ensemble's gift to you: Halo Wars units and structures revealed
Late last week, the crew at Ensemble left us a present and we didn't even notice it. The company unlocked every unit and structure in both the UNSC and Covenant field manuals for Halo Wars. If you're hankerin' for some Halo Wars, you might want to browse through each field manual. After all, the game is only a few months away, so you might as well start planning your strategies now. One strange note, we're not seeing any Brute units for the Covenant. We know they're in there somewhere though. Upgrades from Elites perhaps? Source - UNSC Field Manual Source - Covenant Field Manual
Forget February, Halo Wars set for U.S. release on March 3rd
Admittedly, Microsoft may have promised those of us in North America that we'd be getting Halo Wars sometime in February. But now, with the worsening economy, lower fuel costs and location of Mars in relation to Jupiter, the game will actually release to retail in the U.S. and Canada the first week March. Europe and everyone else on the globe are still set for a February Halo Wars release. Lucky monkeys. Officially, Halo Wars will release to "the Americas" on March 3rd, to EMEA territories on February 27th, and to Japan and Asia on February 26th. Europe and Japan, you win this round.
Halo MMO received green light approval before managment canceled
After hearing about the canceled Halo MMO back in September and taking a look at some of the game's leaked assets, Shacknews questioned Ensemble Studios' Dave Pottinger about the project and why it died away."We had staffed up an almost-40 person team" says Pottinger, claiming that the Halo MMO "had actually been green-lit", but that new Microsoft management axed the game's development soon after. Pottinger also explained that their approach to the Halo MMO mirrored some of the familiar concepts in games like World of Warcraft, but stayed true to the Halo art style and overall action theme. But no, Microsoft says we cannot haz Halo MMO ... not yet.
Joystiq plays first three missions of Halo Wars
Joystiq recently got the chance to play through the first three levels of Halo Wars. The game is still good, which isn't too surprising given our impressions of the game from E3. It's worth noting though, that the player in question managed to figure out the majority of the "advanced" controls before actually starting the "advanced" tutorial, which is good news for anyone doubting that an RTS can work on a console. Head over to Joystiq for full impressions and a heap of new screens to boot. Now where's that demo, hmmm? Gallery: Halo Wars (11-17-2008)
Further details emerge on the canceled Halo MMO
Shacknews had the chance to speak with Ensemble director of technology Dave Pottinger, who had quite a bit to say about the Halo MMO. The biggest surprise revealed was that the game had gotten a green light and was in development for a good length of time before leadership changed at Microsoft, and the title was canceled. Pottinger also acknowledge the fact that conceptual screens leaked were in fact designed with a very World of Warcraft mentality, although he stressed that what Ensemble actually ended up with internally at the time had more emphasis on feeling like the traditional Halo universe.Combat was also a topic of discussion. Pottinger says the game's combat had a very classic MMO feel to it, but there was a leaning towards an "actiony" feel. Whether or not Ensemble's Halo MMO was or is a good idea, there's no denying the fact that a properly made title could still appeal to a lot of people.
McFarlane unveils final Halo Wars figure sculpts
Recently, McFarlane unveiled the final sculpts for the mini Halo Wars figures that they announced back in September and, with the unveil, announced the pricing will be between $9.99 and $11.99. You can view all four sets of new Halo Wars mini-figures including the traditional UNSC troops along with blue and red variants as well as a set of purple Covenant. Seriously, how adorable is that purple Grunt? Each set includes three 2.5" figures with various weapons and will release to retail March 2009.[Via HBO]
