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Surprise!: Spartans are awesome in Halo Wars
Though Master Chief is little more than an adorable baby during the events of Halo Wars, it should come as no surprise that his Spartan brethren are a pretty big factor on the battlefield. Ensemble recently went into detail about the role of the Spartan in a fight on their official site.The secret to nailing the right feel for the Spartan according to Ensemble? Not nerfing them. Spartans aren't just dudes in good armor: They're one-man tipping points, able to grab an enemy vehicle and turn the tide. Sounds good to us; now, if there were only some way to get some more Spartans on the box.[Via X3F]
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.
Microsoft releases its PAX schedule: Gears 2, Halo Wars, New Xbox Experience
Microsoft has released their partial game schedule for the upcoming Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, and it's chock full of Gears of War 2, Halo Wars, and the New Xbox Experience ... experience. Sure there's plenty of other stuff happening at their booth as well, but we're drooling over these three right now, fetch the bibs. Hopefully those "TBA" slots mean there's going to be some surprises from Bungie someone, which will really kick our saliva glands into high gear.If you're going to be at PAX, be sure and stop by for some hands-on time with these titles, and then search out one of your favorite Joystiq bloggers to pal around with. We'll be the ones with the plastic spit-shields on to keep the precious electronics dry.Pictured: our inner child at the Microsoft PAX booth, via Gamerscoreblog's Flickr feed.
New Halo Wars unit goes 'pew, pew, pew' at flying enemies
Halo doesn't have a ton of airborne combat in it, but if you've ever been on the receiving end of a non-stop Banshee spawnkilling attack, you know how frustrating the skies can be. Thankfully, Halo Wars feels your pain and is introducing a new unit: the UNSC Wolverine.It's armed with two anti-aircraft missile pods that can be lowered to target ground units as well, and it features a front-mounted heavy grenade launcher to take out "soft targets," like meat-shield infantry puppets. However, it looks like the thing is pretty vulnerable and will need plenty of ground support so it doesn't get blown to smithereens after it launches its first missile volley. We can't wait to see if they include this in the upcoming PAX demo. WOLVERINES!
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.
Behold: Halo Wars box art
click to enlarge Well, we've got a box (from the same team that doodled the Halo 2 and Halo 3 art, no less). That's a start. Unfortunately, we're no closer to nailing down a release date for Halo Wars. The "first half of 2009" is where the date stands.%Gallery-30406%
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]
Covenant playable in Halo Wars
Some guy over at Joystiq named Richard Mitchell, swear that name sounds familiar, was able to finagle some details from Ensemble Studios during a demo of the game. Ensemble confirmed that the evil Covenant will be playable in Halo Wars. The only catch is that the Covenant will not have a campaign mode and the option to play as them is in multiplayer only. Now, if they would just confirm the Flood already -- we could I go home! Halo Wars is set to release sometime during the Spring of 2009. Looking for more information? Read X3F's hands-on impressions with Halo Wars today!
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.
E308: Mattrick confirms that Bungie is developing new Halo game
Maybe all the drama revolving the Bungie announcement and subsequent postponement wasn't worth the headache.In an interview with MTV Multiplayer blog Microsoft's head of Xbox Don Mattrick confirmed that Bungie is working on a new Halo title. Mattrick told MTV that Bungie's next title wasn't revealed because Microsoft felt they had enough content and excitement surrounding its other announcements (Sup, Final Fantasy XIII). When pressed on the lack of Halo news, specifically regarding Ensemble Studio's real-time title, Halo Wars, Matrrick told MTV not to worry and announcements would be coming and then let it slip that Bungie is working on a Halo title. Matrrick then clarified that the Bungie project is not related to Halo Wars or the the long-announced Peter Jackson project, codenamed Halo: Chronicles. Was this the 10:07 AM PT announcement, the rumored Halo-based tactical shooter or were they the same?[Thanks, Dan Dizzle]
New Halo Wars vid shows off 'Ice Level'
If Halo Wars' absence from Microsoft's E3 keynote left you blue, you're likely in the right frame of mind to enjoy a new gameplay video of Ensemble's tactical take on the Halo universe set upon a descriptively titled "Ice Level."Marvel as Spartans rain down MAC Cannon devastation from above. Be astounded as good guys gather resources, and then spend them. Be astonished as you forget to care about Halo Wars well before the game's early 2009 release.
E308: Halo Wars screens
Halo Wars, the unfortunately delayed RTS from famed PC developers Ensemble Studios, is looking better every time we see it. The latest screenshots are no different. Showcasing the epic battles of a world before a lone Spartan was called into action, Halo Wars is certain to be a blockbuster title when it hits in Spring 2009 exclusively on the Xbox 360. As an added bonus, Microsoft included a trio of stills from the awesome CGI trailer -- which you can watch now on X3F TV!%Gallery-27630%
E308: Halo Wars confirmed for 2009
Confirming a rumor we heard earlier in the day, 1UP.com is reporting that Halo Wars has indeed slipped to the first half of 2009. While we're upset we won't get the chance to destroy squads with our very own Scarab in 2008, we've anticipated this delay in the past. It's a shame gamers won't get to experience the game this year but with the recent announcements at E3 2008 of online cooperative play in Fable 2 and Gears of War 2 we don't anticipate anyone getting bored for a while.[Thanks, Tyler]
Halo Wars promised in first half of 2009
Two words not uttered during the Microsoft keynote today: "Halo Wars." While the game's absence didn't force the only missing piece from an N-column "Bingo!" (curse you Alan Wake!), it certainly raises questions about the RTS's status, despite those supposed demo stations lurking in the bowels of the E3 convention center. 1UP today relieved some of the skepticism, reporting that lead designer Dave Pottinger confirmed last week that Halo Wars would not slip to 2010. In fact, the release date apparently has been narrowed down to ... the first half of 2009. Break out the magic markers, we still gotta lotta calendar days to x off!
