Halo Wars

by Microsoft

Product Features

• Control armies in a whole new way as strategy gaming meets the epic Halo universe
• Fight as either UNSC or Convent and employ everything from special Marine units and Warthogs to threatening Scarabs
• Experience smooth, intuitive controls and a friendly UI with a platform developed just for Xbox360
• Enter into skirmishes with up to six players via Xbox LIVE online support
• Premium edition includes three Halo 3 maps, Halo Wars: Genesis graphic novel, access to the Honor Guard Wraith, six Leader cards, and patch

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001F6KSDM
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches ; 1.2 pounds
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: March 3, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,926 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #38 in Video Games > Xbox 360 > Role-Playing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Edition: Collector's

Amazon.com Product Description

Get your hands dirty in the early stages of the epic battle between UNSC and Covenant. Developed by Ensemble Studios, the Limited Collector's Edition of Halo Wars for Xbox 360 brings all the drama of a real-time strategy game to the popular Halo Universe. Set in the year 2531, before the initial Halo first-person shooter game, this game lets you control the human armies of UNSC in a whole new way.

Play as UNSC or Covenant and exploit your faction's unique strengths. View larger.

Invade enemy strongholds full of advanced technology. View larger.

Find ways to make the detailed environments work for you. View larger.

Bring in air support to turn the tide of battle. View larger.

Experience the Epic Battle from a New Perspective
Defense, offense, and the ability to hold down a command center in the face of hostile attacks: there's a lot to think about when laying out tactics for an all-out alien war. Featuring detailed environments and complicated new battle mechanisms, this game demands a different kind of perspective than the first-person shooters from the original Halo series. You'll need to uncover the hidden strengths and weaknesses of each unit and play them to your tactical advantage, and that's just the beginning.

UNSC: Be Part of a Legendary Conflict
The story opens with UNSC forces retaking the planet Harvest from the Covenant. At your disposal -- should you choose to take command of UNSC forces -- will be everything from a corps of highly-trained Marines to the Warthogs, Scorpions, and Hornets you'll need for air and land attacks. You'll take stock of the map and decide between holding your ground or advancing on enemy strongholds, all while trying to navigate the local terrain and outsmart Covenant forces. And when you need something extra to tip the tide in your favor, UNSC leaders can provide you with the ability to mobilize highly specialized units or call the Spirit of Fire vessel for support from above. And with this collector's edition, you also get access to the Honor Guard Wraith, a truly unique in-game vehicle with awesome capabilities.

Covenant: A Capable, Playable Enemy Faction
That's right, Covenant is playable in this corner of the Halo universe. This alliance of alien species has manipulated advanced technology, firepower, and tactical prowess into a powerful force that is engaged in a Genocidal war against human race, having branded humans as heretics. With the ability to play as these tough, alien fighters, you'll have advanced shield technology, the modular Citadel at the heart of Covenant's colonizing power, and, of course, the iconic Scarab attack vehicle at your disposal, adding a whole new dimension to your strategic warfare. The Scarab is a terrifying military vehicle crafted from heavy mining equipment. And with a mining laser that delivers massive damage across battlefields large and small, turrets for taking on air attacks, and the ability to clamber over any terrain, what's not to love about commanding Scarabs instead of fighting against them?

Developed Exclusively for Xbox 360
Most console RTS games are adapted from existing PC games, which can make their controls bulky or awkward, but Halo Wars has been developed for Xbox 360 from the ground up. This means the controls are sensitive, intuitive, and easy-to-operate in the midst of battle. And the UI is just as intuitive, so whether you're managing a unit of marines or a deadly machine, you can focus on creating a battle strategy instead of worrying about how to overcome a clumsy controller.

No matter which faction you choose to play as, you can test your skills against those of other players in online skirmishes that allow up to six players with the New Xbox Experience through Xbox LIVE.

In addition to including the standard retail version of Halo Wars , this Collector's Edition includes:

• The Mythic Map Pack from Bungie with three new Halo 3 multiplayer maps: Assembly, Orbital, and Sandbox.
• Halo Wars: Genesis, a graphic novel by Phil Noto, Graeme Devine, and Eric Nylund that follows the Spirit of Fire and examines the very first UNSC military campaign against the Covenant
• Access to the Covenant Honor Guard Wraith in-game vehicle
• Six Leader Cards representing Leaders' with access to elite skills
• A Spirit of Fire Patch for identifying yourself as a real crew member

Product Description

Halo Wars LE X360

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Halo Wars: Console RTS Evolved, March 6, 2009

By 

W. Starrett "Gr1mace" (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Halo Wars Limited (Video Game)

Having just completed my first play through, I can say that Ensemble Studios did a remarkable job bring usually complicated RTS genre to a console. The controls are nearly flawless. I say nearly because there is no way to create subgroups or set way point paths for units to patrol. Though once you get several groups or bases scattered around this is less of an issue.

As far as the story, it's passable. The characters are pretty cliche but the narrative solid, if a tad predictable. The moment you catch your first glimpse of a Spartan is pure Halo gold, though.

The one thing that makes the game rise above this in my opinion is the music and sound. The score of Halo Wars sounds like it came straight from the mind of Marty O'Donnell, who composed the scores for Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3. The sound effects for explosions, weapons fire, and everything else combat related sounds right out of any of the previous Halo games.

All in all Halo Wars is very good console RTS that deserves to played. Halo fan or not. Though it may be a little too simple for RTS veterans.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great addition to the Halo Universe, April 1, 2009

By 

Melissa Elio (Franklin, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Halo Wars Limited (Video Game)

Let just say to all the people deciding whether or not they want legendary or not let me tell you its worth it. All the extra stuff is awesome addition to the halo story telling. The honor wraith and Mythic Maps are indeed a nice bonus, On to the game...
Having played through the campaign and completed the game I have to say the experience was great. It's amazing the great work Ensemble put into the game, you would swear it was done by Bungie themselves. I am a huge fan of cinematic and the cut scenes between missions do not disappoint. The story telling is great and when you get to watch Spartans do their thing you are just sold!
Game play is very fluid. I wasn't a fan of RTS on consoles; however being a halo and RTS fan I thought I'd give this a run. The control and management of your forces are well built. You usually can perform almost any action with no more than two presses of a button. The production and actions of your forces are easily managed in a easily maneuvered radial menu. In my opinion the greatest asset to this game is the removed focus on resource gathering. You don't have to keep an eye out on miners or units gathering resources. U resurrects supply pads and the rest is taken care of leaving you open to focus on game tactics. There are no difficult tech trees here either. No need to worry about having to need a building for another building to make the next building to research the actual building you want. Tech tree is simplified to rely mostly on enough energy to handle the unit and researching the ability to produce that unit as long as you of course have the building (Example: Vehicle building for tanks).
The sound in the game is excellent. They did a great job getting unit sounds, dialogue and music to be interesting, entertaining and motivating. I love when I smack dab in a battle with a massive UNSC army versus a huge covenant force and then this epic music begins to play. It definitely gets you engrossed into the game an amped up to win this epic skirmish.
All and all it is a great game for fans of the Halo universe as well as a great game for an RTS player.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Halo Wars Limited Edition = Win, May 25, 2009

By 

J. Fleury (South Burlington, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Halo Wars Limited (Video Game)

I first tried the demo on Xbox Live Marketplace and was instantly hooked, and shortly thereafter found out the limited edition is the same price on Amazon as the regular edition is in stores. So if you liked the demo, and like to save a little money, pick this up.

The game works very very well for being an RTS on a console, at times the game can be choppy but really only if you have a bunch of squads on the screen at any given time. The music is great, very Halo-like.

At first I was expecting to play both the Human and Covenant campaigns but I eventually found out, its the Human missions and thats it, 15 in total. But the game also includes a nice Skirmish mode and Online Multiplayer. I myself have yet to explore the multiplayer but the skirmish gives you a good idea of what it might be like.

If you've played the demo and liked it, and if you have Halo 3 but haven't bought the Mythic Map Pack I strongly recommend buying this.

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