Halo Wars definitive edition announced along with Halo Wars 2 release date
At Microsoft’s XBOX E3 event today there was some big news for Halo Wars fans. The previously announced Halo Wars 2 title, a follow up to Ensemble’s Halo Wars by 343 Industries and Creative Assembly will be landing in February 2017 and has two sweet, sweet new trailers. The Spirit of Fire is returning along with Captain Cutter and his crew. Blur Studio is also back on hand delivering the visuals. There is also an open beta which can be played right now! Not only that, but Ensemble Studios’ Halo Wars is also being re-mastered for Xbox One and Windows 10!
Trailers
There are two brand new trailers for Halo Wars 2, the first is an excellent CGI trailer and the second trailer shows more gameplay scenes. Both of these trailers look excellent and it seems that Creative Assembly are keeping the quality bar very high in testament to the great work on Ensemble’s legacy with Halo Wars. Check out these awesome new trailers:
CGI Trailer
Game trailer
Judging by the videos above it looks like Halo Wars is in safe hands, taking on where Ensemble left off. Its great to see Halo Wars in this generation. 343 Industries writes:
A New Kind of Strategy: Halo Wars redefined the real-time strategy (RTS) genre on consoles and Halo Wars 2 is set to take that evolution even further with a hybrid of action-oriented and classic tactical gameplay modes. Veteran developer Creative Assembly (Total War: Rome II, Total War: Shogun 2) brings decades of RTS experience to the Halo universe and delivers a game which will be action-packed fun for players new to strategy games and deeply challenging and rewarding for RTS experts.
The game will feature the classic multiplayer from Halo Wars, including new modes such as Strongholds where players race to capture the most bases in a certain time and a new mode called “Blitz” which promises “An all-new multiplayer mode that is an exciting addition to the Halo Wars series with a unique approach to RTS gameplay.” Sounds intriguing.
Open Beta playable now
As just announced at E3, a multiplayer beta of Halo Wars 2 is live now on Xbox One. Players can download the game now and take a look at how it is shaping up with this free multiplayer open beta which runs up until June 20th. Download it now. An open beta for Windows 10 is expected later down the line.
Halo Wars Definitive Edition announced
In amongst the Halo Wars 2 news, its has also been revealed that Ensemble’s original Halo Wars, which redefined console RTS, will be getting a re-release on Xbox One and Windows 10 with a remastered edition, featuring improved graphics. Recognising the greatness of the first Halo Wars its absolutely fantastic to see that the title is making a refreshed appearance for more gamers to enjoy and keep enjoying for many more years to come. It is a little odd though to hear that it is coming to Windows 10. There is no information if it will be gamepad only or if keyboard support is planned. Noting that Ensemble’s original vision was for it to work with gamepads and fitted the Xbox controller perfectly. It will be interesting to learn more about how this will be working.
Halo Wars is also the third Ensemble Studios game to be re-mastered in recent years, following Age of Empires 2 and Age of Mythology re-releases on Steam. You just can’t put a good Ensemble game down.
Its a great time to be a Halo Wars fan and to see the series continue, both with Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2 paying homage to its Ensemble legacy. Stand by for more news!
