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All Articles: Halo Wars
Xbox Store Today: Cities Skylines, Halo Wars Definitive Edition, Deformers, more
Build and destroy in today’s Xbox Games Store update…
Cities: Skylines was originally released for the PC back in 2015, but console players will get the chance to create the cityscape of their dreams with its Xbox One debut. Rebuilt from the ground up to make use of the Xbox One controller, Cities: Skylines also includes the After Dark expansion, which adds nightlife and tourist attractions to your urban planning portfolio.
Also available to download today is Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, an Xbox One re-release of the real-time strategy game that was originally released for the Xbox 360. Featuring improved graphics, new Achievements, and all the DLC from the original game, players will be able to build their army and destroy the Covenant in this spinoff from the popular Halo series.
Finally today, GameStop’s GameTrust label will bring Ready At Dawn’s Deformers to the Xbox One. The “fast and frantic” multiplayer arena game includes both couch co-op and online battles with combatants ranging from aliens to animals to blobs.
You can learn more about all of these games (and a few other new releases) after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Cities: Skylines, Halo Wars
All PC and Xbox One owners will get the chance to purchase Halo Wars: Definitive Edition on April 20
Microsoft and 343 Industries released Halo Wars 2 earlier this year, and players who pre-ordered it also received early access to Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, a revamped version of the first game in the RTS series. But starting April 20, all PC and Xbox One owners will have the chance to purchase the remaster as a standalone download.
In addition to improved graphics, which are on display in the new trailer embedded above, 343 added additional Achievements to Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, and bundled in both downloadable expansions (Strategic Options and Historic Battles).
Like Halo Wars 2, Halo Wars: Definitive Edition is an Xbox Play Anywhere title, and players who purchase will receive access to the game on the Xbox One and Windows 10.
New Retail Releases: For Honor, Sniper Elite 4, Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition, More
Five new games will be available on store shelves this week, and three of them will ask players to study the art of war…
The combat-heavy For Honor certainly fits the theme, and Ubisoft’s action game will pit some of history’s strongest warriors against each other. Coming to the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this week, For Honor asks players to choose their Faction (Knights, Vikings, or Samurai) and take them into battle in a single-player Campaign and an online Multiplayer Mode.
Another historical skirmish will be waged on the PS4 and Xbox One this week in Sniper Elite 4. Once again developed by Rebellion, Sniper Elite 4 transports players back to World War II and provides them with a series of missions for the Allies on the Italian front. The Day One Edition will also give early adopters the chance to kill Hitler in the “Target: Fuhrer” bonus mission.
It’s unlikely that future conflicts will play out like they do in science fiction, but Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition will give fans of the franchise a chance to try out 21st century tactics against Atriox and his Banished followers. The real time strategy game will be available for the Xbox One and as an Windows 10 Digital Code (which also includes an Xbox One download thanks to the Xbox Play Anywhere program), and the Ultimate Edition will be bundled with the Season Pass and a digital copy of Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
And speaking of bundles, an Xbox One S 1TB + Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition Bundle will also launch this week, alongside a brand new Xbox One S 500GB + Forza Horizon 3 Bundle.
A different kind of war will take place on the racetracks of Ride 2, which will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this week. The hyperrealistic motorcycle racing sim will include more than 230 licensed bikes, as well as 1,200 real-world parts, 800 accessories, and over 30 tracks.
Finally, a special Retail Edition of Earthlock: Festvial of Magic will be released for the PS4. Currently available to download from the PlayStation Store, Earthlock is a turn-based RPG that features a very retro sensibility.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Earthlock: Festival of Magic, For Honor, Halo Wars, Halo Wars 2, Sniper Elite 4
PC/Xbox One owners will be able to purchase Halo Wars: Definitive Edition as a standalone game in 2017
Microsoft sent out codes for an “Xbox Game Preview” version of Halo Wars: Definitive Edition to everyone who pre-ordered Halo Wars 2 last week. The remaster will continue to be tweaked and enhanced ahead of its “final” release, but the consolemaker had yet to announce if it would ever be available to PC and Xbox One owners who weren’t interested in the sequel… until now.
Buried deep within an Xbox Support page for Halo Wars 2 is a single paragraph confirming that Halo Wars: Definitive Edition will indeed receive a standalone release sometime in 2017:
When you pre-order Halo Wars 2, you’ll receive a code for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition when the game is made available early on December 20, 2016. The game won’t be available to purchase separately until later in 2017.
Halo Wars 2 will be available for the PC and Xbox One on February 21, so there’s still time to pre-order it to receive early access to Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
343 Industries is working on “super secret future stuff” related to Halo
Halo 5: Guardians was released late last year, so it’s pretty much assumed that Microsoft and 343 Industries have already begun work on Halo 6. That assumption was reinforced on Friday when Community Manager Brian “Ske7ch” Jarrard said the development team shared some “super secret future stuff” about the Halo franchise with him in a new post on Halo Waypoint:
I can’t really say anything of substance but yesterday we had a studio-wide presentation by Tim Longo, Halo Creative Director, on some super interesting topics pertaining to super secret future stuff. All I can say is that I left that meeting feeling very excited [me too – Grim].
Jarrard doesn’t specifically call out Halo 6, but believe it or not, the game was actually announced all the way back in 2011 as part of the “new trilogy” that began with Halo 4.
In other Halo news, Jarrard also revealed the Achievements for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, which will be released as a “Game Preview” title on December 20 for everyone who pre-ordered Halo Wars 2. A total of 75 Achievements (including a mix of new and old Achievements) will be included and they’re worth 1,500 Gamerscore.
But hopefully, this mention of “super secret future stuff” is the first sign that an official re-announcement for Halo 6 is coming soon.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Halo Infinite, Halo Wars, Halo Wars 2
Halo Wars 2 Cinematic Trailer unveiled at Game Awards 2016
Microsoft took to the Game Awards stage to show off a cinematic trailer for Halo Wars 2. The trailer gave us a first look at the game’s big bad… Atriox, a Brute commander who wants to destroy both humanity and the Covenant. Atriox and his followers, known as The Banished, look to be quite the formidable foes.
Microsoft also revealed a new trailer for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, which you’ll receive if you pre-order the digital version of Halo Wars 2. Halo Wars: Definitive Edition will be available on December 20th and the trailer can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Game Awards 2016, Halo Wars, Halo Wars 2