E3 07: Halo Wars Fact Sheet @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on July 11, 2007

News: The Halo universe expands.

Microsoft has revealed a little bit more about the next chapter in the Halo universe, the real-time strategy title Halo Wars.

Here are all the latest details:

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Ensemble Studios
Format: DVD for the Xbox 360 video game system
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
Availability: TBD 2008
Price: TBD

Product Overview
Halo Wars is a strategy game based on the legendary Halo universe. Players will command armies of familiar and new UNSC units in its initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition threatening to obliterate mankind. Halo Wars will immerse gamers in an early period of the storied Halo universe, allowing them to experience events leading up to the first Halo title for Xbox.

With the guidance of Serina, a spirited artificial intelligence (AI) persona, gamers will direct legions of UNSC soldiers, Warthogs and Scorpions against Covenant Grunts, Elites, Ghosts and Scarabs, each group having its own strengths and uses in battle. Strategic-minded players who react well under pressure will emerge victorious.

Created from the ground up for the Xbox 360 console and Controller, Halo Wars is being developed by the veteran real-time strategy developer Ensemble Studios, the team responsible for the best-selling and critically acclaimed Age of Empires franchise on the PC. Halo Wars can be played online via Xbox Live and through the single-player campaign. Published by Microsoft Game Studios, Halo Wars is an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 video game system.

Features

New take on a legendary world. Set in the iconic Halo universe, Halo Wars predates the original first-person shooter УHalo.Ф Fans of the Halo franchise will have the opportunity to experience the early battles between the UNSC and Covenant, the far-reaching conflict that has been diligently followed by the masses in the blockbuster Halo series.

Players join the crew onboard the Spirit of Fire, a Phoenix-class colony ship converted for UNSC military use and guided by the AI persona Serina. The Halo Wars story line follows the Spirit of Fire's discovery of an ancient artifact during a journey to the planet Harvest, the first planet to be attacked by the Covenant.

Strategic command of armies in large-scale combat. Halo Wars put gamers in command of the battlefield, playing as either of two unique civilizations: UNSC and Covenant. They can counter and crush their opponent by tactically fielding the superior army. Players can also choose among Leaders that possess elite skills which can turn the tides of battle. Using various combinations of Leaders and units, players can create countless strategies tailored to their preferred playing styles and personalized strategies.

Groundbreaking strategy game for the Xbox 360. Since inception, Halo Wars was explicitly designed to cater to console gamers and bring to the Xbox 360 a genre that has typically been played on the PC. Gamers can easily command and manage powerful armies, effortlessly control troops and incredible machines, engage in epic battles and expand their empire using an intuitive user interface for the Xbox 360. Halo Wars represents the true next-generation experience, combining a masterful control scheme using the Xbox 360 Controller with the award-winning strategic gameplay only Ensemble Studios can provide.