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Halo Wars monthly: Weird code, scrambled image
As we've come to expect, the latest Halo Wars monthly update doesn't contain much in the way of juicy information. No new UNSC units have been uncovered. There are no details about how the Covenant plays. No, what we get is some general info that the game is coming along nicely. There are promises that more info is on the way soon though, along with some significant changes to the Halo Wars website. And then there is the image at right (click here for full size), which is undoubtedly the most intriguing part of the update. It's accompanied by the text below. "Scrambled Transmission Incoming Sub Space Trans Encode ####121478####121381#### ONITrans Priority; Delta ReceiveTrans Loc; Subspace Relay 000003878 ReceiveTrans Loc; Subspace Relay 000003879 ReceiveTrans Loc; Subspace Relay 000017438 CovCarrier Detect; Encode [ Null ]" What does it all mean? We have no idea. We're fairly certain that the image is some kind of environment. Dare we hope it's a Flood containment facility? Given the presence of human lettering in the lower left corner, we're inclined to think it's not. Thoughts?
Halo Wars: It's all about the Spartans
Ensemble posted a new Halo Wars update where they talk about the design decisions and gameplay elements behind one of Halo Wars' most powerful units, the Spartans. It's pretty good wall of text read, full of interesting Halo Wars decision making stories and explanations of how they came to decide upon the Spartan unit's special move: vehicle jacking. What's our favorite Spartan factoid? The fact that the more your Spartan levels up, the "larger your swagger on the battlefiel." Because Spartan swagger is l33t as hell.
Halo Wars introduces the UNSC Wolverine
Ensemble Studios has updated the official Halo Wars website has been updated with a new vehicle, the UNSC Wolverine. The Wolverine is an anti-air vehicle equipped with missile pods that can take out aerial vehicles with the greatest of ease. While designed primarily to take out aerial vehicles, Wolverine's can also aim their missiles at ground targets, though the website implies that the missiles are less accurate when dealing with ground targets, suggesting instead that players aim for "stationary targets or buildings." It's also equipped with a grenade launcher that "can potentially wreck soft targets," though the website adds that Wolverine's need ground support in order to stay alive. Hit the source link for the full entry on the UNSC Wolverine as well as a short video of it in action.
Spartans ho! Halo Wars box art
There it is, the box art for Halo Wars from Ensemble Studios. It was drawn by the same folks who did the art for Halo 2 and Halo 3. And no, this doesn't mean the game is coming out soon (it's still slated for early next year). Here's our suggestion, print out this box art, slap it onto a DVD case and fool your friends! They will totally think you have the game already. When they ask where the disc is, just tell them that it's "in the shop." If they ask you why there is no art on the back of your DVD case ... run.
MS brings Gears of War 2 and Halo Wars to PAX
Late last night, the Gamerscore Blog posted a list of games Microsoft plans on showcasing at the Penny Arcade Expo and if you're a PAX attendee who is huge Gears (slash) Halo fanboy, you should get excited.According to Microsoft's PAX schedule of on stage demos, they plan on demoing both Gears of War 2 and Halo Wars as well as Project Origin during all three days of the expo. Meaning that those who plan on attending PAX and dreamt about getting a chance to see either Gears 2 or Halo Wars will have their dreams fulfilled. Wish granted! Also, according to the schedule, there will a few "Gears of War 2 Signing Sessions" planned which we can all but guarantee a certain blogger will be first in line ... every day.
Halo Wars update talks Legendary and leaders
The latest Halo Wars monthly update is up and gives us a few fun details regarding our favorite Halo themed real time strategy game. First is that the game will include the famous (infamous?) Legendary difficulty found in all the Halo games. In its current state, Legendary appears to be somewhat uneven, with some members of developer Ensemble Studios going so far as to say that Legendary is unbeatable. The game is still being polished though and the update assures fans that "Legendary will be a challenge that will be worthy for the most experienced players." Second, and somewhat more intriguing, the update mentions a new feature in Halo Wars: leaders. Before any given match, players will choose a leader. Each leader will bestow certain abilities, lending another layer of strategy to the game. For example, one leader has the ability to call in a carpet bombing, while another leader order a devastating MAC gun blast from orbit. A leader may also be able to command special units, such as Captain Cutter who can utilize the Elephant, which acts as a mobile barracks that can train new troops. Another leader can command the mech-like Cyclops units. Choosing a leader that complements a player's given play style sounds like it will be key to victory. Don't get to excited though, Spring 2009 is still a long way away.
Bungie 'very excited' for Ensemble's Halo Wars
Proving that there is absolutely no bad blood between Bungie and Ensemble Studios (with Microsoft though, that's another story), team Bungie's AI tech Damian Isla praised their Halo Wars efforts saying that Bungie is "very excited" to see the game finished."We've done a lot of talking with Ensemble guys, and we're all really excited about Halo Wars, because from everything we've seen so far it's a very cool, faithful adaptation," Isla recently told Eurogamer. "Everything we've seen has been very, very encouraging - we're very excited about it." Aww, best friends forever!Then again, it isn't that far of a stretch for Bungie to be supportive of Ensemble seeing that both developers have been working as a team to make Halo Wars what it is today. And from our time with Halo Wars at E3, we can safely say that the game is visually stunning and the control scheme just works so beautifully. Love all around!
Beware fake Halo Wars beta invites (also, tanks)
Word comes down from the official Halo Wars website that some fake beta invites are making their way into gamers' inboxes. In truth, the invites aren't actually fake, they are simply leftover from the Halo Wars alpha test that took place in March. At the time, Ensemble Studios had planned to let a small selection of community members participate in the alpha test but later decided to keep it private. This left that group of community members with useless invites to the beta and now it looks like some of these people are distributing the emails to other gamers -- as a joke we suppose -- claiming that an open beta is forthcoming. Ensemble has made it clear that "There is no Beta right now, private or public, and no sign-ups are being taken." Anyone who tells you otherwise is pulling your leg. Also, we're not quite sure how we missed it, but the UNSC database on HaloWars.com has also been updated with the Vehicle Depot and the Scorpion Tank. Hit the source link to check out some new images and even a short video of the Scorpion in action.
Halo Wars panel hints at the inclusion of the Flood
During the long, extensive and detailed Q&A session at the Comic-Con Halo Wars panel, details about a certain Floody race were awkwardly hinted at. After asked whether or not the Flood would be included in Halo Wars, the entire panel (made up of all sorts of Halo developers, writers and figure creators) went silent, looked uncomfortable and finally gave the pseudo answer "it is a complete Halo game." Confirmation that the Flood will appear in Halo Wars? No, not at all. Confirmation that mention of the Flood being included in Halo Wars makes the dev team feel uneasy? Definitely![Thanks, ericddrum]
Joystiq E3 hands-on: Halo Wars (Xbox 360)
After all this time we finally got to touch Halo Wars and ... it was good. There's visual polishing to be done, but the user interface (UI) is as intuitive as developer Ensemble Studios has been hyping since (what feels like) the time of the Forerunners. This is an RTS game clearly made for a console first.The UI is incredibly intuitive. Left analog moves the camera, right analog zooms, A selects, X is the move/attack button and Y activates special moves. If you've played other RTS games ported to the Xbox 360, this is a very different experience.%Gallery-1676%
E308: Hands on with Halo Wars
Since it was first announced, it was made clear that Ensemble Studios' goal in creating Halo Wars was to do for real time strategy games what Halo did for first person shooters: take a genre predominantly played on the PC and make it work on a console. Bridging the gap between a console controller and the combination of keyboard and mouse is no easy task. Beyond that, RTS games just don't feel like they belong on consoles. So, Ensemble set out to build an RTS title for the Xbox 360 from the ground up, a game designed to work with a controller and work. Did Ensemble do it? Based on my time with the E3 demo, I'm inclined to say yes.
And so it begins: New Halo Wars screens and art
With E3 beginning so soon the news is really starting to flow, and over the next few days things'll be moving pretty fast around here. The first thing we've got are a few new Halo Wars screens along with a bit of concept art and info. Apparently Ensemble has worked hard to make sure to get all sorts of little things from the Halo universe into the game. We'll be seeing Sentinels in one or more forms (with a least a single variant that aids you if you gain control over its factory), and while the developers are coy about it, it's extremely likely the flood will show up in some fashion. After tomorrow's press conference there'll likely be much, much more on Halo Wars. Including, if loose talk is to be believed, some news on a demo. %Gallery-23398%
A trio of new Halo Wars screens
click to embiggen After sinking tens of dollars into research and development, our attempts to accelerate time and start E3 early have failed. As we can't force time to go faster -- not for lack of trying -- we'll just have to settle with a few digital hors d'oeuvres to tide us over in the meantime. And, since Halo Wars is definitely one of the must play games on our list, why don't we make those digital snacks some fresh, hot out of the capture station screenshots? We only have three new shots but, again, since we cannot change the irrevocable flow of time, they'll have to do. Enjoy them in the gallery below. %Gallery-23398%
Epson's Ensemble HD Home Cinema System now shipping
We're still rather bummed that Epson failed to add in a third option for its Ensemble HD Home Cinema System that included a Blu-ray player, but nevertheless, those interested in picking up a complete -- and we mean complete -- home theater system at once can finally do so. Said package is available with your choice of a PowerLite 1080p or 720p projector, a 100-inch motorized screen, upconverting DVD player, Atlantic Technology 5.1 speaker system, universal remote, every single cable you'll need to hook things up, a wire management track system and all necessary mounting brackets. Ready for the sting? You're looking at $6,999 for the 1080p system and $4,999 for the 720p edition.
Halo Wars screenshots show lots of progress
A fresh batch of four new Halo Wars screenshots have been provided to use thanks to Ensemble Studios and we'll be the first to praise them on how visually stunning the game is turning out. For serious. Simply compare the new screens with some of the older ones and you'll instantly see what we mean. Both the units and the environments look much more polished and clean. Thankfully, Ensemble promises to let us give it a go at E3, because we've been getting sick of their constant screenshot teases. Anyway, back to the screenshots. You view all four new and all the older Halo Wars screenshots in the gallery below. Yummy yum!%Gallery-23398%
'Several' Halo Wars demo stations at E3
Ensemble Studios' Bruce Shelley says that "several demo stations" of Halo Wars will be available at E3. This is generally considered good news, because it means Halo Wars has gotten to the point where it's no longer held in captivity by the developers who don't want anybody to touch a thing. It also eases our fears of further delays following Ensemble's "when it's done" quote from last month.We will certainly have hands-on impressions of the game at E3 and with luck, we'll be able to nail down a more solid release window. We keep hope alive that Halo Wars, built from the ground up for the Xbox 360, could finally figure out the RTS genre for consoles.[Via X3F]
Ensemble: "Several" Halo Wars demo stations at E3
Excitement for Halo Wars has been palpable of late, what with a recent GamePro cover story and Ensemble finally allowing a few details to hit the tubes (even from the official Halo Wars website, no less). It wasn't long ago that Ensemble made it known that they would "hopefully" have a playable build at E3. Considering no one outside of Ensemble and a few lucky journalists have laid their hands on the game, it was pretty exciting news. Prepare to be even more excited, as the "hopefully" part of the equation seems to have shifted to definitely. According to Ensemble's Bruce Shelley, as noted on his blog, there will be "several demo stations set up and a large number of media representatives will be getting a chance to play." Smiley face to that. There are other details about the game in the blog but, frankly, we sort of blanked out after the playable bit. There was this: "This is not a strategy game where you don't interact with your opponent for the first 15 to 25 minutes. Many games are over by that point." E3 can't get here fast enough.
New Halo Wars info: the UNSC Firebase and Warthog
Halo Wars fans will know that updates to their would be favorite game are few and far between, especially on the official Halo Wars website. Well, fret no more, because the beginning of the recently promised roll-out of new information has officially begun. Specifically, today we have new images, video, and information regarding a UNSC structure called the Firebase and the ever popular Warthog vehicle. The Firebase, from the sound of things, is a portable UNSC base of operations and presumably the first structure players will start with. It is capable of constructing vehicles and deploying troops. The base also features a 'lock down mode' which you can see on the left of the image above. The Warthog sounds as you would expect, though a few new details are revealed. For one, Warthogs are available in three flavors: unarmed, chaingun, and gauss cannon. The unarmed variant is the most basic unit, whereas it sounds like the others will have to be acquired via upgrades performed at the Firebase. Good stuff. Here's hoping we'll get new information on a more regular basis from now on. Hit the source link for more images and even a short Flash video of the Firebase in action.
GamePro Halo Wars article now online
With the GamePro Halo Wars cover story on shelves for a while now, the magazine has seen fit to post a (less robust) preview on their website. It's a good read for anyone who can't get their hands on the magazine (or those who don't care to do so). While a good portion of the article is spent rehashing the genesis of the game and how hard Ensemble is working to make it true to the Halo universe -- seriously, we get it now -- there are a few choice nuggets to be found. Units have both primary and secondary fire modes for one. As an example the article notes that marines typically use assault rifles but can also toss grenades -- on command -- if the situation calls for it. Also, the article notes that micromanagement of the in-game economy -- a common practice in most RTS games -- is basically non-existent thanks to the all-consuming unit of currency, which is simply dubbed 'supplies.' Finally, another nod to streamlining the genre for consoles, Ensemble notes that it took 10 minutes to create a sizable force in early builds of Halo Wars, whereas now it takes "about 10 seconds."We're fairly sure we're not alone when we say that we really hope there's a playable build of Halo Wars at E3 next month.
Halo Wars will ship "when it's ready"
The aptly named Halo Wars Addict website recently interviewed Ensemble Studios' Graham Somers regarding the company's upcoming RTS title, Halo Wars (you know, the one based on Halo). While the interview covers a broad range of topics, such as how Ensemble plans to please Halo fans and newcomers alike, we quickly zeroed in on the end of the interview. When asked whether Halo Wars would release in 2008 or 2009, Somers responded, "We're going to ship Halo Wars when it's ready." After missing Microsoft's Spring Showcase, we wondered whether or not Halo Wars would make its projected 2008 release. Now you can color us officially worried.Halo Wars will be shown at E3 this year. Here's hoping someone comes clean on a release date come convention time.[Thanks, Jon B]
