Following rumors from earlier today, Microsoft confirmed it has decided to close Ensemble Studios following the completion of Halo Wars. After the closure, the Ensemble leadership team will form a new studio and has agreed to provide ongoing support for Halo Wars as well as work on other projects with Microsoft Game Studios.

Another day, another batch of game trailers was released. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are trailers for:

• NHL 09 [ALL] - New Features r Trailer
• Far Cry 2 [PS3/X360/PC] - Pre-Order Trailer
• The Sims 3 - Behind the Scenes Trailer #1
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  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Fallout 3 places a player in the role of a Vault-dweller, who ventures from his secluded, underground survival Vault into a post-apocalyptic world of mutants, radiation, gangs and violence. In a recent interview, Bethesda's Pete Hines revealed that as a result of the issues raised by the Australian censorship board, it decided to remove real world references, and proscribing Morphine in the game from any and all versions of the game.

Savage Moon is a frantic, action-packed PlayStation Network tower defense game in a gritty sci-fi setting. You are tasked with protecting mining facilities from ravenous space bugs using some truly fearsome weaponry. And you’ll need as much strategy as firepower as you fend off wave after wave.

Madden NFL 09 marks the 20th anniversary of the franchises, and features adaptable gameplay tailored to every type of gamer, online enhancements and a broadcast style presentation delivering an authentic NFL experience. Madden NFL 09 has registered approx. $133.5 million in retail sales for the month of August, more than any blockbuster movie during that same month.

Simulation games developer Wolverine Studios announced that it is collaborating with Rick Cole to bring hockey simulation FaceOff Hockey under its wings.

Motorm4x is a non-formulaic all-terrain off-road racing title that lets players drive and explore large outdoor terrains in a variety of SUV and off-road vehicles featuring simulated GPS and 4WD functions including player-controlled axle-locking, 4-wheel drive and GPS pathfinding.

Legends of Norrath is the first online card game playable within the EverQuest and EverQuest II live MMO games where you can challenge opponents in both casual games and high-level tournaments. The Ethernauts set adds 280 new cards, 20+ new loot cards, and a new Starter Pack option that provides gamers with enough cards to build four starter decks for one low price.

From Software's Ninja Blade is a cinematic action game where, armed with an arsenal of specialized ninja weapons, tools and skills, players will be given the epic task of defending Tokyo and ultimately humanity from a horrific, genetically mutating disease.

Halo Wars is a strategy game based on the Halo universe where players will command armies of familiar and new UNSC units in its initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition threatening to obliterate mankind. Ensemble Studios, founded in 1995 and best known for the Age of Empires series, has laid off non-essential employees and plans on shutting down after completion of Halo Wars according to online reports. We contacted Microsoft and Ensemble but so far have yet to receive a reply.