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.

Halo Wars will have 2 player co-op vs. Covenant, and you will be able to jump on Xbox Live with up to 6 player for some multiplayer mayhem. No wood, iron, resource gathering, just "supplies," in order to steamline the action.

The Xbox LIVE public demo for “Halo Wars” is now available where fans will be able master Ensemble’s groundbreaking control scheme in optional beginner and advanced tutorials or jump right into the action to experience the beginning of the “Halo Wars” story with the first two campaign missions. The demo also includes “Chasms,” one of “Halo Wars’” 14 multiplayer maps, wherein players can battle it out in Skirmish mode vs. A.I., playing either as the UNSC with Captain Cutter’s leader powers, or as the Covenant with the Prophet of Regret’s own unique abilities.

GameStop announced that it will host Halo Wars tournaments at approximately 1,000 of its U.S. GameStop locations on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009. This exclusive pre-launch tournament will give players the opportunity to get their hands on the newest Halo game three days prior to release.

Players will compete one-on-one with other contestants in a single-elimination tournament to determine each store winner. Store winners will receive a copy of Halo Wars Limited Collector’s Edition and a Halo Wars t-shirt. Second place winners will also receive a Halo Wars t-shirt.

Many of the participating GameStop locations will begin their tournaments at 2 p.m. local time; however, customers are encouraged to contact their local store to confirm the exact time of the tournament. All contestants must check-in at least 30 minutes prior to the start of play, and must be at least 13 years old to participate. Participants under 18 must have a parent or guardian sign their registration form.

Halo Wars Achievements:

• Adjudicate the Arbiter: Complete the Campaign on Heroic Difficulty (30)
• Detour the Great Journey: Complete the Campaign on Legendary Difficulty (50)
• Momma’s Boy: Get a Gold Medal on any mission (5)
• Crushed Colors: Improve your Score in any Campaign Mission (10)
• Mr. Punctual: Finish all missions under Par Time on Heroic difficulty (15)
• Own Worst Enemy: Get a Gold Medal with all Debuff Skulls Active (20)
• Wall of Recognition: Get a Gold Medal on every Campaign Mission (30)
• Epic Grinder: Obtain a Lifetime Campaign Score over 1,000,000 (40)
• Everything’s Better with Bacon: Mission 1: Ram 50 Grunts with Warthogs (5)
• Endless Fun: Mission 2: Destroy every Methane Tank (5)
• Covenant “Hot Drop”: Mission 3: Kill at least 5 Covenant Units with the Bridge (5)
• The Real Winner: Mission 4: Save Adam (5)
• He’s Got The Jack: Mission 5: Jack 6 Covenant Vehicles (5)
• Rhino Hugger: Mission 6: Successfully protect every Rhino (5)
• Micro Manager: Mission 7: Do not destroy any Power Node (5)
• Ramblin’ Man: Mission 8: Use Elephants to train 100 Infantry (5)
• Sweet Naptime: Mission 9: Put every Colony in Hibernation Mode at the same time (5)
• The Procrastinator: Mission 10: Disrupt all Tractor Beams (5)
• Battened Down the Hatches: Mission 11: Save all the Airlocks (5)
• Handy with Tools: Mission 12: Repair the Power Core in less than 4 minutes (5)
• Beaming with Pride: Mission 13: Destroy 25 units with the Scarab (5)
• Didn’t Get To Second Base: Mission 14: Don’t claim an extra base (5)
• Thinkin’ about My Doorbell: Mission 15: Open the Doors in order (5)
• Backscratcher: Complete any Campaign Mission in Co-op Mode (10)
• OMG BFF FTW: Complete entire Campaign in Co-op Mode (40)
• Playin’ the Field: Win a Skirmish Game with every Leader (15)
• Gallivant around the Galaxy: Win a game on every Skirmish Map (25)
• Empire Builder: Win a game in every Skirmish Game Mode (5)
• Titan: Get 20,000 points in any Skirmish Game (15)
• Big Al’s Scooter: Win a Heroic Skirmish Game against the AI in under 10 minutes (10)
• My Virtual Friends Love Me: Win a 3v3 Skirmish game with 2 AI Allies (10)
• Walk-Off Winner: Use one of the 6 Major Leader Powers to destroy an enemy’s last unit (30)
• 2 Bugs are Better Than 1: Win a Skirmish Game with Dual Scarabs (10)
• Penny Pincher: Get a winning High Score with 10 or less Squads against the Heroic AI (10)
• N00b n0 M0r3: Win a Matchmade Skirmish Game on Xbox LIVE (10)
• So Lonely at the Top: Win and have the Highest Score in a Matchmade Skirmish Game on Xbox LIVE (20)
• Basically Naive: Obtain the Recruit Rank on Xbox LIVE (10)
• Officer on Deck: Obtain the Lieutenant Rank on Xbox LIVE (30)
• Running the Show: Obtain the General Rank on Xbox LIVE (50)
• Alas, Poor Andrew Thomas: Collect your first Skull (5)
• Graverobber: Collect all Skulls (30)
• Halo Academic: Unlock 20 Timeline Events (15)
• Halo Historian: Unlock All Timeline Events (40)
• Ready for the Sequel: 100% Completion (75)
• 24 Hours of Quality: Play Halo Wars for at least 24 Total Hours 20)
• Secret Achievement: Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement (10)
• Secret Achievement: Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement (40)
• Secret Achievement: Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement (50)
• Secret Achievement: Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement (70)
• Secret Achievement: Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement (70)

In addition to the standard retail version ($59.99), “Halo Wars” will be offered in a Limited Collector’s Edition ($79.99) through participating retailers and will feature:

• Three New “Halo 3” Multiplayer Maps – Be one of the first to experience the Mythic Map Pack from Bungie which includes three new maps, “Assembly,” “Orbital” and “Sandbox”
• Halo Wars: Genesis – a beautiful graphic novel by Phil Noto, Graeme Devine and Eric Nylund chronicling the first military campaign against the Covenant. The novel centers around the Sprit of Fire on a mission to discover why the Covenant are so interested in the world of Harvest
• Unique In-game Vehicle – “Honor Guard” Wraith
• Six Leader Cards – Leaders possess elite skills which can turn the tides of battle
• Spirit of Fire Patch – Start the journey as an official Spirit of Fire crew member

As an added bonus, fans eager for their chance to battle the Covenant will be able to pre-order “Halo Wars” and receive a pre-order card to download a special in-game Warthog vehicle with flame decals from select participating retailers.

Features:

• New take on a legendary world. Set in the iconic “Halo” universe, “Halo Wars” predates the original first-person shooter “Halo.” 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.

“Halo Wars, rated “T” for Teen, will be available on the following dates:

• Japan and Asia Pacific: Feb. 26, 2009
• EMEA: Feb. 27, 2009
• Americas (US, Canada, Mexico and South America): March 3, 2009