Halo Wars cinematic trailer makes its GTTV debut
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Oct 4th 2008 at 3:00PM }
These confused souls were reacting to the cinematic trailer for Ensemble Studios' swan song, Halo Wars, which debuted on GameTrailers TV last night. For those who were laying eyes upon the title for the first time, we can understand any resulting bewilderment. The trailer (which we've posted after the break) is excellent, though it boldly lacks the things players love about the series to date -- including any sign of returning characters, or any heinous acts of postmortem facial desecration.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Steven M @ Oct 4th 2008 3:09PM
These cinematics are beautiful, and halo wars looks like its gonna be awesome, too bad M$ is closing ensemble.....
Steven M @ Oct 4th 2008 3:10PM
I was hoping to see age of empires 4 made by ensemble at some point...
ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Oct 4th 2008 4:46PM
I agree, although you seem to imply that Ensemble did the cinematics as well: it's common practice to outsource cinematics to a third-party since it's resource and time expensive (unless you're Blizzard or something).
Steven M @ Oct 4th 2008 5:59PM
I know they sometimes export cinematics, but being that the halo wars cinematics are this good then it would be expected the next game by ensemble would have similar, if not better, cinematics, but micro$oft is being stupid and closing ensemble after halo wars.....
Mr ESC,Lives Again. @ Oct 4th 2008 7:40PM
If you ask me Ensemble did pretty awesome games but Age of Empires 3 what somehow disappointing compared to Age of Empires 2 and Conquerors. An age of empires 4 would be pretty much like playing Empire earth.
(Say what you want about Empire Earth but nuking cavemen was really fun and the Sci fi campaign wasn’t bad at all)
Age of Mythology wasn't bad but I never found it very interesting.
Another game that was really good until the sequel kick in was Stronghold Crusaders.
ExMcCloud @ Oct 4th 2008 11:35PM
If we buy the game...like expect everyone too (It does say Halo in it) then Microsoft will see the light and probably let ensemble stay open...But they need to at least sell 2 million games or something crazy like that.
That guy @ Oct 4th 2008 11:35PM
That was awesome. After Halo 3, I didn't like the look of the elites, they looked a bit more comical than ferocious. Halo wars is making them look like strong opponents noone should mess with.
jacob @ Oct 4th 2008 3:13PM
what isnt that the arbitor controlling the elites
Moorio - XBL: peacebyanymeans @ Oct 4th 2008 3:18PM
Might be, but I don't think so.
Arbiter was the general during the events on Halo 04.
This is, not only another place, Harvest, but takes place 20 years before Halo 1.
Ratfoot @ Oct 4th 2008 3:19PM
It must be the previous Arbiter the current one didn't become an Arbiter till Halo 2.
pikadude @ Oct 4th 2008 3:23PM
there was more than one arbiter throughout covenant history.
Sam406 @ Oct 4th 2008 3:22PM
Remember the "Arbiter" is a position, not a person. The character in Halo 2 and 3 is merely the last in a long line of arbiters.
Come to think of it, if the humans have Spartan units, maybe the covenant has Arbiter units...
thebigl @ Oct 4th 2008 4:43PM
The arbiter is a position appointed by the Prophets to do their "mission impossibles". The arbiter usually dies in the process of carrying out these missions. This was probably an earlier arbiter seeing as this takes place twenty years before the Halo 2 and 3 Arbiter was appointed his position.
Mal F4cti0n @ Oct 5th 2008 7:56PM
There is nothing in Halo history that says there is always an Arbiter. When the Arbiter is chosen in Halo 2, he could have been the first one chosen in a very long time.
Robotochan @ Oct 4th 2008 3:18PM
The first Halo game I want to play. Wasn't a fan of the previous games but the story interests me somewhat.
Moorio - XBL: peacebyanymeans @ Oct 4th 2008 3:19PM
Read the books. Trust me, books 1, 4 and, from what I read so far, 5 are pretty good.
Book 3 is alright, but Book 2 is pretty crap, it's just the first game with horrible writing.
Cinder @ Oct 4th 2008 5:06PM
If you do want to get some background reading on the Halo series, the books are decent enough. However, don't go in expecting a great literary work, as the novels are pretty poor in this regard.
Robotochan @ Oct 4th 2008 5:16PM
Cheers for the information chaps, drinks are on me*
*limited time offer, expired by the time you read this
crzygamer208 @ Oct 4th 2008 3:26PM
Seriously, Peter Jackson needs to get on these damn movies ASAP. I don't care if he can't find a studio to finance it. He has enough money, if he's so damn sure about the Halo franchise and won't give up on it, then just finance a movie yourself.
He would make millions if he made series of quality movies that have the same tone as this cinematic. Quality story, tone, characters, emotions, etc. Do all the books as movies so theres substance, just like LoTR. The first movie was slow and no action and it finished with a bang with huge battles, just like the books of Halo are. Seriously.
SpekOpz @ Oct 4th 2008 3:26PM
It truly looks awesome
Ranus Studios @ Oct 4th 2008 3:26PM
That was gorgeous and really well done. It's not going to make me get the game, but still- I enjoyed that trailer.
Noshino @ Oct 4th 2008 3:31PM
its Ensemble, its hard to not buy it.
Ghostbuddy @ Oct 4th 2008 3:27PM
Flood in campaign confirmed.
One...two...three...told you so..
Ghostbuddy @ Oct 4th 2008 3:28PM
And that was an Arbiter controlling the Elites. A different Arbiter then Halo 2/3, but an arbiter none the less.
Huey2k2 @ Oct 4th 2008 3:30PM
OK so. In the video the elites talk about the "infection" which makes me believe that they are talking about the Flood.
Humans don't find out about the flood until the events of the first game, I am curious as to how they are going to make this work.
D dogg @ Oct 4th 2008 3:42PM
Humans don't find OUT until Halo 1 but they never said humans haven't been in contact with the Flood before Halo 1.
Humans may see the Flood and die before they can tell anyone... that'd work.
Snowblind @ Oct 4th 2008 3:45PM
This game takes place on Harvest, and they're not in contact with Earth, the Spirit of Fire is a colony ship.
They have no way of telling anyone about the Flood, and the Covenant already knew.
uncharted @ Oct 4th 2008 3:32PM
nathan drake!
FireAnt360 (GamerTag, Zune80 and PSN ID but no PS3..YET) @ Oct 4th 2008 3:35PM
Hot DAMN, this CG cinematic look slick, can't wait for the game :) gawd I wish they would just release the movie already.
elmersglue @ Oct 4th 2008 3:34PM
Bungie...make halo 4 look like that please...not just the cinematics, but gameplay too... I think taking Halo away from the vibrant cartoony look to a more gritty/realistic look would be a welcome change.
Steven M @ Oct 4th 2008 3:37PM
i agree
ice~ @ Oct 4th 2008 3:40PM
Too bad bungie alledgedly isn't making Halo 4...
brian @ Oct 4th 2008 3:44PM
there is not halo 4, get over it!
elmersglue @ Oct 4th 2008 3:55PM
Do you really think Bungie is gonna pass up future opportunities to make tremendous amounts of money and never come back to the franchise with a new game? Come on....
It might not come out any time soon (and by soon, i mean the next 4 years), but I'll bet you anything that another one WILL come out (probably on the next microsoft box).
theturtle363 @ Oct 4th 2008 4:47PM
hey brian, KEEP IT CLEAN
Anticrawl @ Oct 4th 2008 6:33PM
There will be no Halo 4. But that doesn't stop Bungie from making another game with Master Chief in it. The story won't revolve around a Halo though, all of the Halo's have been destroyed. To say there won't be another game wtih Master Chief in it would be moronic though, it just won't be called Halo 4.
TwEE @ Oct 4th 2008 6:42PM
Ahhh nooo.. Halo believes in colour. There's enough brown and grey in "mature" gaming.
ice~ @ Oct 4th 2008 8:14PM
I MEANT THE BUNGIE TEAM ISNT WORKING ON HALO 4 alledgedly, GearBox might....that's all i meant i didnt mean there wont be anymore halos...jeeze
Mr ESC,Lives Again. @ Oct 4th 2008 7:43PM
“Ahhh nooo.. Halo believes in colour. There's enough brown and grey in "mature" gaming”.
Repeat that to Epitaph and Guardian, all I see in those maps are Grey, Purple, Yellow, Green and Brown.I guess is still better than just Brown and grey.
Lone Starr @ Oct 4th 2008 10:01PM
Why do people agree with Anticrawl?
*SPOILER
The Halos weren't destroyed.
Anticrawl @ Oct 4th 2008 11:35PM
@Lone Starr
All of the ring worlds were indeed destroyed and Bungie said the trilogy has ended. There will indeed be more games revolving around Master Chief and they mysterious world he lands on and some people speculated that it might have another Halo on it but it could also be the Prophet homeworld or a forerunner world or anything else.
That guy @ Oct 5th 2008 1:29AM
The ark and the new alpha halo were destroyed when the new halo was fired. The others still remain. Unless the other 6 rings for some reason blow up when the Ark does. But that wouldn't make much sense.
I'm always up for enlightenment/corrections, where exactly did it say the others blew up? The trilogy being over to me means they won't be focussing on that aspect of the story anymore - not everything to do with the previous story got blown up.
knighty (GT: ZeraKnight) @ Oct 5th 2008 11:48AM
Yeah I'm not entirely sure where this idea that the other 6 Halos were destroyed comes from. Maybe they're unfirable now the Ark has been destroyed?
Lone Starr @ Oct 5th 2008 1:09PM
@ Anticrawl
No, they never said they were destroyed. See the two posts above mine. Only the Ark and Halo 4 Mk. II were destroyed. Trilogy ending does not equal all Halos destroyed.
Basic comprehension people...
Lone Starr @ Oct 5th 2008 1:17PM
As an addendum,
The *local* Flood infestation was the reason for the Ark and the new Halo being destroyed. The Ark *may* not be able to produce new Halos, but that is not fully established. Honestly, which cutscene/part of Bungie lore said all the Halos were destroyed?
Oh, that's right, there weren't any. Goodness people. Do you not pay attention to the games you play?
knighty (GT: ZeraKnight) @ Oct 6th 2008 7:33AM
It also consequently means there are more Flood out there. Anything in the section of the galaxy 04 was supposed to kill (would have been Earth if it wasn't destroyed) would be fine, as would the flood on the other Halos which were kept for research. Though I'm not sure how they survived on the rings. If the Forerunners were able to make "shielding" to protect against the rings firing, why didn't they do that for themselves? For that matter, why did they just disappear if at least some of them were on the Ark?
jarhead906 @ Oct 4th 2008 3:42PM
Wait. So is this game not going to be made if Ensemble is being closed? No comprendo. Was/Is this title for PC only?
The guy that voices Nathan Drake is getting a lot of work, including Halo Wars and Prince of Persia.
By the way, that's what Halo 3 would have looked like on the Playstation 3 with a company other than Bungie in charge. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
brian @ Oct 4th 2008 3:45PM
this is the last game ensemble will make.
Arnon @ Oct 4th 2008 4:15PM
"By the way, that's what Halo 3 would have looked like on the Playstation 3 with a company other than Bungie in charge. Just thought I'd throw that out there."
We should get Free Radical Design to do it... (Lulz.. I had to.)
Tiptup300 @ Oct 4th 2008 5:40PM
The loading speeds of the ps3 would have doubled the length of Campaign!