Joystiq

Joystiq E3 hands-on: Halo Wars (Xbox 360)

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-07-17T12:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Strategy

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: Halo Wars

One of the key features of the UI is selecting build/research actions through a circular pop-up interface. Dave Pottinger, lead designer of the game, says the company has "the magic rule of eight" with the ring selection screen. No more than eight things can be on it, which keeps the pace of the game moving and reduces selection clutter. The menu is intuitive and fast for a controller.

The action in the game consists of making squads of diverse classes and sending them out to slaughter the Covenant. Unlike most RTS games, Halo Wars isn't about making four or five diverse squads and just sending them into battle all over the map without a second thought. From our time with the game, it seems like players will make a squad, battle in a location and try to push forward. Then a second group can be made to hold an acquired strategic choke-point on the map. Once in battle, players will quick select troops to strategically attack certain enemies.

The squads we got to work with consisted of staples in the Halo universe like Marines, Spartans, Warthogs, air units, and the introduction of the Elite crisping Flamethrower unit. The game takes place 20 years before the first Halo so there's plenty of Spartan to go around. Once in battle, it's easy to quick select a certain unit with the right trigger and then have them use a special attack by pressing Y on the intended target. For example, the Spartan will jump onto the Covenant's Wraith tanks, punch its way into the cockpit and hijack the vehicle. Voila, now we have a Wraith at our disposal.

In orbit over the planet is The Spirit of Fire, a colonization vessel, which will supply air support when it's needed. When a skirmish isn't looking good, a bombing raid can be called in or a MAC canon can shoot down a single devastating blast. The game actually switches to a drawn out targeting reticle view to give the feel a player is shooting from high above from the messy battle below.

One other quick thing is how building is done. Players will have a main base with seven slots around it. Buildings aren't just placed willy-nilly in Halo Wars; they are an extension of the main building. Barracks, generators, vehicle factories are some of the additional buildings we saw. Once again, the entire process is done to keep the focus on the combat in the game, instead of getting too involved in placement strategy.

The easiest way to describe Halo Wars to a gamer would be to say it is to RTS games what Civilization Revolution is to Civilization. It's not RTS lite, but just RTS different. A judgment on the game is going to require giving the title a chance and seeing how it shakes what Ensemble gave it over many hours. It could introduce a new form of RTS we haven't seen yet.

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New Halo Wars vid shows off 'Ice Level'

Jason Dobson — 2008-07-15T09:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Strategy

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.

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Rumor: Halo Wars for PC with cross-platform competition

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-01-30T16:30:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Strategy

Still very much part of the rumor mill, website The Angry Pixel, "after enough assurances that this is not a cruel hoax," writes that Xbox 360 exclusive Halo Wars is in development for PC and that the game features cross-platform play. The result: Xbox 360 owners may feel what it's like to play an RTS against keyboard and mouse players -- or might it actually be balanced? CVG followed up with a Microsoft rep about the story and was naturally told, "We do not comment on rumour and speculation."

Cross-platform capabilities have been accessible through UNO and Shadowrun, and it's no real shock to postulate that an RTS like Halo Wars could be in development for PC. Apparently Sega's Universe at War will have cross-platform capabilities when it launches on Xbox 360 this spring, so it would seem somewhat plausible for a first-party title like Halo Wars to feature the capability as well.

Update: Predictably, Microsoft has squashed the rumor. "Halo Wars is being developed from the bottom up for the Xbox 360 and its control scheme to ensure that we deliver a groundbreaking console RTS experience. Given that, we have no plans to develop Halo Wars for Windows Vista at this time," a Microsoft representative told IGN.

Read: Fog of War: Halo Wars for PC?
Read: Is Halo Wars going cross-platform?

Gallery: Halo Wars

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Fable 2, Alan Wake and more confirmed for 2008

Ross Miller — 2008-01-07T17:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure, RPGs, Strategy

Microsoft Games chief Don Mattrick has confirmed (or, in some cases, reaffirmed) via a memo a handful of exclusive titles to arrive on Xbox 360 in 2008. The list of assuredly not canceled titles include Halo Wars, Too Human, Fable 2, Alan Wake, Splinter Cell: Conviction and "several exciting yet-to-be-announced titles."

Following the list of 2008 exclusives, Mattrick continues to say that "Xbox 360 will be home to the next versions of great franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Resident Evil ... Madden and FIFA." We're not sure if he meant to imply Resident Evil 5 is due out this year, but it's certainly a suspicious line. Other than this year, no schedule was given as to the release of these titles, although we now get a sense of what Microsoft feels will keep gamers happy in this post-Halo 3 world.

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New Halo Wars gameplay trailer [Update]

Ross Miller — 2007-08-27T13:24:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters, Online, Strategy

Was that thirty seconds of Halo Wars gameplay footage from July not enough to quench your thirst for wanton Spartan vs. Covenant destruction? A new, ten-minute gameplay trailer with narration is now available ~~in HD over Xbox Live.~~

The trailer goes over how the controls currently work, as well as show off some of more acute details of the game (spoiler: UNSC troops do push-ups). If you can't fire up your Xbox 360 (either because of circumstance or an irksome Red Ring), the new video is embedded above for your viewing pleasure. Be sure to check out our impressions of the game from this year's E3.

[Update: D'oh! Due to extenuating circumstances -- our Xbox 360s are sleeping with digital fishes -- we took the word of the press release that the Halo Wars trailer would be available on Xbox Live. You can still enjoy the video, in standard definition, via the embedded video above.]

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Ensemble: Halo Wars demo before release

Richard Mitchell — 2007-07-15T21:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Strategy, E3

Gamers tend to be (understandably) cautious when it comes to real time strategy games on consoles. The reason for this is simple: RTS games on consoles have been uniformly bad, with the (arguable) exception of Battle for Middle Earth II and Command & Conquer 3 on the Xbox 360. Even with those games, however, the controls are far from perfect, which becomes abundantly clear in later levels. Halo Wars hopes to change all that, or so we were told by Ensemble. Still, we'd like a bit of a safety net if you please. Lucky for us, the folks from Ensemble told us during our Halo Wars E3 presentation that there is a demo on the way. According to producer Chris Rippy, the demo will arrive "for sure before the game comes out." While we were generally impressed with the Halo Wars presentation, our one nagging concern was the control, so it's nice to know that we'll all be able to try before we buy. Halo Wars touches down in 2008.

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Joystiq impressions: Halo Wars

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2007-07-12T02:21:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Strategy, E3

In his enthusiastic Halo Wars presentation, game developer Graeme Devine is more than willing to share information with the press. Though most of the knowledge gained by eager listeners was related to science-fiction shenanigans and enormous space hoops, the most important fact given is one that's never directly stated. Mr. Devine, like most of his comrades at Age of Empires developer, Ensemble Studios, is somewhat of a control freak.

And that's a good thing, especially when an entire genre hinges on how well you can control your on-screen armies. The real-time strategy genre has never enjoyed the same level of success it has on those platforms equipped with handheld rodents, and it's a problem that's been gnawing at Ensemble ever since the decision was made to plunge into the Halo universe. For the first six months of its two and a half year development period, Halo Wars was nothing more than a testing platform for console-based strategy controls. "There was no game," reveals Ensemble Studios producer, Chris Rippy.

Though iteration and refinement is still taking place, Rippy feels the controls are worthy of being called "pretty revolutionary." Of course, it's fairly easy to stage a revolution in a country filled with drunken generals commanding their tanks into the ocean. Though EA's Battle for Middle-Earth II and Command & Conquer 3 have both given the real-time strategy genre a foothold in console territory, some elements of the design still evoked a desire to ditch the controller and grab a mouse. Graeme Devine thinks Halo Wars will jettison that idea and be the first to satisfy armchair generals. "We cracked the genie open."

You obviously want people to obey your wishes in a strategy game, but first, you have to get them to listen. Devine's very picky about unit selection, noting that it's one of the most vital aspects of managing your army. To demonstrate, Devine moves a central on-screen cursor to a group of UNSC soldiers loitering about the middle of a large base. Where the analog stick and cursor move, the camera follows. A tap of the A button selects an individual unit and pressing X sends it it towards the location of the cursor. A double-press (resist the urge to say "double-click") of the A button selects units of a similar type and holding the same button down creates a much larger reticle for sweeping over every character you wish to include. Tying various levels of selection to a single button seems like it would make for a natural process, though it may prove to be imprecise during heated moments.

It doesn't take long before things get hot. Moments after leaving the military stronghold, the soldiers encounter a group of Grunts and Elites. The ensuing firefight sees lasers lighting up the landscape and the combatants casting tall shadows on the ground due to the light of a nearby blue light from an alien structure. The humans are quickly wiped out, prompting a return to the base (instantly initiated by pressing a direction on the D-pad) and a trip to a vehicle factory. Once the building is targeted, a circular menu is displayed, showing the possible vehicles that may exit its confines. Not too long afterwards, a couple of warthogs come roaring out and are sent off to the previous battlefield. Things go better this time -- except for the grunts that don't jump out of the way in time.

After leaping across a considerable chasm, the warthogs join an occupied human attack force, currently being bombarded by Banshees and Ghosts. Scorpion tanks roll in, anti-air Wolverines take on the flying targets and the graceful Chinchillas wonder why they didn't make it into the game. The battle's climax comes when an enormous Covenant Scarab arrives on the scene, only to be decimated by a massive cannon blast from an orbiting ship.

In case you haven't noticed, Halo Wars remains true to the franchise's interstellar bravado and larger-than-life sensibilities. Devine notes that stuffing new vehicles and characters into Halo cannon allows them to tell their own "over-the-top story" within the universe and that the collaboration with Bungie still allowed "Ensemble to make an Ensemble game."

Based purely on our observations, this Ensemble game looks to be a well-presented real-time strategy title, with only the controls remaining somewhat vague. Things seemed to proceed smoothly and without interference from controller contrivances, but it isn't until hectic micromanagement is required that a control set shines or shatters. A further concern lies in the possibility that Halo Wars may just be shooting too low. Though Ensemble's commitment to efficient controls is commendable, there needs to be a drive to produce a striking example of the genre, regardless of the platform. After all, if you're the first to get it right, it simply means everyone else was getting it wrong.

We'll learn more once Ensemble Studios declares war on clunky console strategy next year.

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First gameplay footage of Halo Wars

Jared Rea — 2007-07-11T02:03:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Strategy

Hot from the smoldering work stations at GameVideos, 30 seconds of gameplay from Ensemble Studio's highly anticipated RTS, Halo Wars. It's only a tiny morsel of what's in store for us down here in Santa Monica, but it sure is a tasty one. Halo's signature vehicle, the Warthog, flying majestically through the air as though it were a Pelican. Gorgeous, close-up shots of units that make us weep -- knowing that we'll be spending the game zoomed out for tactical reasons.

All in all it looks to be very Halo, all the way down to the selection reticule. We'll be sure to hunt it down this week and let you know how it's shaping up. If you don't feel like squinting, visit GameVideos and download the high resolution version.

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EGM: "Word is another Halo game is in the works."

Kevin Kelly — 2007-04-11T15:29:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, First Person Shooters, Online

We may transition from waiting years between Halo releases right into Halo overload extremis. Halo will become the Will Ferrell of the gaming world, and we'll see the Master Chief in every game that comes down the line.

Reader Hashbrown_Hunter sent in a scan from the latest EGM Rumor Mill reporting that it isn't the episodic Peter Jackson project or the Halo Wars RTS that Bungie is currently working on ... so where does that leave us? "Word is another Halo game is in the works," they say. There's always a chance it'll be Halo 2.5, with all the missing single-player levels added in so it doesn't feel so short. And we're also not counting out Halo: Warthog Racing just yet.

[Thanks, Hashbrown_Hunter]

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Halo 3 beta: Microsoft says "the experience will be deep"

Christopher Grant — 2007-02-16T09:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters

While at D.I.C.E., MTV News' Stephen Totilo spoke with Phil Spencer, general manager of Microsoft Game Studios, to check in on the status of some of Microsoft's bigger projects ... say, the litany of Halo games in the works. While Spencer wouldn't say much about Peter Jackson's as-yet-untitled Halo project, or Ensemble Studios' Halo Wars RTS -- both are still in the early stages of development -- he did have a little more to say about the upcoming Halo 3 beta. When asked about the size of the beta, Spencer responded, "It isn't really a tease ... People should expect a pretty robust experience when they're playing. Don't call it a demo." More than one map? Spencer assures us, "The experience will definitely be deep." Deep, eh? Remember, if you didn't get a Rule of Three invite, you can always grab an "initial" copy of Crackdown.

Gallery: Halo Wars

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X06 announcements crammed into a single post

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2006-09-28T19:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

Microsoft's X06 event started off in a thunderous explosion of news, with pieces of informative debris raining down upon the unshielded denizens of the internet since yesterday. If you're feeling clueless or overwhelmed, allow us to subject you to a helpful hail of bullet points:

Peter Jackson reveals a new partnership with Microsoft Game Studios. The king of the rings and his newly established Wingnut Interactive studio will work on an original property for the Xbox 360, as well as an unnamed Halo title. One can only hope that the crappy-game-based-on-a-movie and the crappy-movie-based-on-a-game curses cancel each other out when it comes time to play Peter Jackson's Halo: The Game of the Movie of the Game.
A new RTS, Halo Wars, is unveiled. Set in a time before the first Halo, the real-time strategy game is being developed exclusively for the Xbox 360 by Ensemble Studios. Many confused pundits take the opportunity to point out that the Xbox 360 does not have a keyboard or a mouse.
Grand Theft Auto IV will have two "epic" downloadable episodes exclusively on Xbox 360. Rockstar and Take-Two promise that the new episodes will provide "hours" of new gameplay and will be available "just months" after the game's October 2007 release. The vague wording of the announcement fails to rule out the possibility that the PS3 could receive different downloadable episodes of its own.
The next Splinter Cell game is console-exclusive to the Xbox 360 -- meaning handhelds and the PC are still fair game. Fewer people are upset by this than those who realize Splinter Cell: Double Agent isn't available on anything yet.
Bioshock is exclusive to Xbox 360 and Windows when it releases "next Spring". The wording of the press release says nothing of the game should it release during any other season following Spring. Of course, nobody likes waiting ...
Project Gotham Racing 4 is coming. And the surprise hit gamers with all the force of a linen sheet flapping in the wind.
Rare is working on a new Banjo-Kazooie game. Presumably, players are still keen on collecting all the coins, apples, music notes, beans, feathers, diamonds, pearls, potions, rings, blocks, wrenches and / or yams mysteriously floating around the finely rendered landscape.
Marvel Universe Online is announced for the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista. It's being developed by the folks behind City of Heroes -- perhaps you remember Marvel suing them for creating tools that allowed people to venture online as, err, Marvel characters.
Doom and Sensible World of Soccer join the Xbox Live Arcade lineup. The classic first-person shooter was already available yesterday for 800 points ($10). The Amiga footie title has not been given a release date yet, though the press release insists on using the word "soon."
The Xbox 360 HD-DVD costs $199.99 in North America and €199.99/£129.99 in the UK, France and Germany. It arrives in mid-November and will include the Xbox 360's Universal Media Remote and the HD-DVD version of Peter Jackson's King Kong. And with that, the circle is complete.

Congrats, scavenger hunter, you've found the secret c o d e good for one free copy of B A N K S H O T B I L L I A R D S 2: PRF4Q W798V G7JX9 2RX2W VT94G (Contest ran on 12/30/2006. The code has been redeemed.)

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Bringing home a barrage of Xbox 360 trailers

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2006-09-27T21:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

Major Nelson has once again updated his blog with a convenient list of X06 additions to the Xbox Live marketplace. If you're in any way enamored with glitzy trailers, pre-rendered footage or relentless teasing, you'd best switch on your console and start downloading some of these clips:

Call of Duty 3
Banjo Kazooie
Marvel Ultimate Online
Viva Pinata
Assassin's Creed
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Blue Dragon
Lost Odyssey
Bioshock
FIFA 07
Rainbow Six Vegas
Halo Wars

If you're a more traditional gamer and actually enjoy interactive forms of entertainment, you'll be pleased to learn that several of our readers have spied F.E.A.R. and Sonic the Hedgehog demos scurrying about in the marketplace. Be sure to let us know what you think of them, but not before viewing the embedded video (after the break) and answering one simple question: What the hell is going on with that nose?

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