Halo Waypoint, the new virtual home for all things Halo, launches today on Xbox LIVE, and will be the exclusive destination for full-episode previews of Halo Legends beginning Saturday, November 7. Available for Halo fans worldwide following a successful preview period, Halo Waypoint brings all the richness of the Halo universe together in one place. Halo Waypoint features daily updates of fresh, exciting content such as developer interviews, trailers and screenshots, exclusive video footage, community activities, and the latest Halo news.

Avatar Awardables

In addition, Halo Waypoint includes an innovative career system that tracks players’ accomplishments across multiple Halo games and gives them new ways to show off their heroic gameplay feats. By downloading and “enlisting” in Halo Waypoint, players will be rewarded with a variety of Bungie-created Halo 3: ODST Avatar Awardables for attaining specific Achievements in the game. Rewards vary from stylish T-shirts to full sets of ODST armor. The experience is retroactive, so if players have already unlocked the requisite Achievements, the awards will be ready for them once they enlist in Halo Waypoint.

Players can unlock the following Achievements to gain access to Halo 3: ODST Avatar Awardables:

As a bonus for enlisting in Halo Waypoint, fans receive a Monitor accessory for their Avatars modeled after the Halo character, 343 Guilty Spark. The Monitor will help fans find their way around Halo Waypoint.

Halo Legends Anime

The rollout of exciting new Halo content doesn’t stop there. This Saturday, the first preview episode of the highly anticipated anime series, Halo Legends, will debut ONLY on Halo Waypoint.

Set to be distributed in early 2010 by Warner Home Video, written and created by an array of renowned anime studios and produced by 343 Industries, Halo Legends will explore never-before-told stories based on themes and characters in the vast Halo universe. Sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, previews of four new Halo Legends episodes will be available only on Halo Waypoint during 24-hour live-streaming events on Xbox LIVE over the next three months.

The first Halo Legends preview episode, “The Babysitter,” is created by famed anime house STUDIO4°C, and follows the story of a group of ODSTs who reluctantly accept a Spartan sniper into their strike team. As they embark on a perilous mission to assassinate a high-ranking Covenant Prophet, old rivalries must be reexamined if the mission is to succeed. Watch what happens as the mission progresses into hostile territory, and both the Spartan and the ODSTs discover something important about the other.

Following each preview episode on Xbox LIVE, fans will receive exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at each studio’s creative process through “making of” specials. Below is the current broadcast schedule of upcoming Halo Legends live-streaming events (subject to change):

05-Nov-09 – Introduction to “Halo Legends”
07-Nov-09 – “The Babysitter”
14-Nov-09 – Making of “The Babysitter”
21-Nov-09 – “The Duel”
28-Nov-09 – Making of “The Duel”
05-Dec-09 – “The Package” Part 1
12-Dec-09 – Making of “The Package”
19-Dec-09 – “The Package” Part 2
26-Dec-09 – Making of “The Package”
02-Jan-10 – “Origins” Part 1
09-Jan-10 – Making of “Origins”

Source: Xbox Press Releases & Feature Stories

On November 5, fans around the world will have a completely new way to access all things Halo with the launch of Halo Waypoint, the new destination for the iconic franchise available exclusively on Xbox LIVE.

Produced and developed by 343 Industries in collaboration with Certain Affinity, Halo Waypoint offers a diverse selection of unique and immersive content, bringing together all the goodness of the rich Halo universe in one place. Halo Waypoint informs fans of the latest Halo news and activities, granting access to content ranging from interviews, trailers and screenshots, to exclusive video footage and community content that you won’t find anywhere else.

Halo Waypoint provides a new challenge for Halo gamers with a career system tied to in-game accomplishments across multiple Halo games. At launch, career tracking will include Halo 3: ODST, Halo 3, Halo Wars and all Game Add-on content for those titles. Available exclusively on Xbox LIVE, Halo Waypoint provides a dynamic experience that will continue to grow and expand with new content updated regularly.

Previews of the highly anticipated anime anthology Halo Legends, will be available exclusively on Halo Waypoint starting November 7. Halo Legends is just one of the Halo exclusives that won’t be found anywhere outside of Halo Waypoint.

Halo Waypoint will be accessible for Xbox LIVE Silver Members as a trial until November 26. After that time, Halo Waypoint will be available exclusively for Gold subscribers. For a content schedule of Halo Waypoint programming, visit the online Halo Portal Web site, and follow the Halo Waypoint team on Twitter at @HaloWaypoint or on Facebook.
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Halo Wars: Strategic Options add-on pack is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The DLC is available in all Xbox Live regions and costs 800 points.

Expand your Halo Wars experience with the Historical Battle Map Pack Add-on. These four new maps highlight key turning points in the epic war between the UNSC and Covenant forces. The maps include: Blood River – battle a single opponent over a treacherous natural chokepoint; Barrens – engage your enemy in the midst of the Flood; Memorial Basin – two vs. two team play in one of the bloodiest battles in Halo history; and Glacial Ravine — three vs. three action as you fight to control a narrow corridor flanked by energy walls.

It’s called Historic Battles and it will be available July 21st for 800 points and it has four new maps and four new Achievements. Here is a breakdown of what Historic Battles for Halo Wars will contain:

• Barrens (1v1 Map): Difficult terrain channels units into killing zones. The side that controls the Forerunner artifacts will have the advantage.
• Blood River (1v1 Map): Secure base locations on nearby cliffs overlook this naturally red-tinged river. The soldiers that fought over its two narrow crossings gave the river its name, which has since taken on a greater meaning.
• Glacial Ravine (3v3 Map): A snow-topped mountain range forms a natural barrier that cuts this region in half. Control of the two energy walls at the narrow central pass often determines the outcome of the battle, though clever use of the Sentinel Factories may play a role as well.
• Memorial Basin (2v2 Map): The high ground in the middle offers good cover for infantry, while the generally open terrain transforms organized battle plans into bloodbaths.

The four new Achievements worth a total of 100 points are:

• Tour Coming Through: Hot drop 50 squads to your Covenant Leader in a single game on Memorial Basin (30 points)
• Never Leave a Man Behind: Finish a game with 5000 net resources contributed to your teammates on Barrens (15 points)
• Drain Cleaner: Kill 20 enemy squads with a continuous Covenant Leader Power on Memorial Basin (30 points)
• Killjoy: Disrupt 5 active Leader Powers in a single game on Blood River (25 points)

Source: Xbox Press Releases & Feature Stories

Halo Wars: Strategic Options add-on pack is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The DLC is available in all Xbox Live regions and costs 800 points.

Experience Halo Wars in a whole new way with the Strategic Options Game Add-on. Three new game modes will require players to re-think their entire strategy and approach to the game. The modes include: Keepaway – capture the flag style game; Tug of War – who can field and maintain the strongest army; and Reinforcements – adapt your tactics as you are granted waves of troops.

Halo Wars, the best selling real-time strategy game on any current generation console, mixes up the battlefield like never before with the Strategic Options Game Add-on Pack, available in the coming weeks exclusively on Xbox 360.

Strategic Options ushers in the next wave of battle for Halo Wars with three new game modes which dramatically change the multiplayer experience and challenge you to rethink your battle tactics.

Keepaway Mode: This is the Halo Wars adaptation of “Capture the Flag.” Teams battle it out to capture a free-roaming Forerunner Sentinel to score points before the other team. Capture three sentinels to claim victory.

Tug of War Mode: This mode is all about having a stronger army than your opponent. Defeating enemies is essential, but success is determined by a combination of the army, buildings, and resources left standing in the end.

Reinforcement Mode: All active battle units are provided in successive waves. Adapt to their tactics and use the ever-changing set of units to outwit and outlast the enemy.

Strategic Options also adds four new Achievements worth a total of 100 points:

• One and Done: Score the winning point in a game of Keepaway against Legendary A.I.’s
• Pull Hard, Pull Deep: Win and never trail in a Tug of War game
• Freak on a Streak: Gain at least 15 population from a single wave in a Reinforcement game
• Living Loving Bug: Obtain a Scarab during a Reinforcement game

Haven’t tried Halo Wars yet? A free demo is also available on Marketplace. The full-featured demo includes two levels of the Campaign mode, plus a one-on-one Skirmish battle between the USNC and Covenant.

Source: Xbox Press Releases & Feature Stories

Microsoft today announced that sales of Halo Wars have reached more than one million units worldwide, making the exclusive Xbox 360 title the best selling real-time strategy game on any current generation console. With a revolutionary control scheme designed expressly for the Xbox 360 controller and a riveting story that takes Halo fans deeper into the Halo universe, Halo Wars is breaking new ground for the strategy genre by introducing a new wave of fans to strategy games and reminding existing fans why it’s so fun.

Since the game’s release throughout Asia on February 26 and subsequent launches in Europe and the Americas, fans around the world have been taking full advantage of the gameplay. To date:

• There have been more than 2.6 million multiplayer matches played
• More than 118 years of time has been spent in multiplayer matches on Xbox LIVE
• On average, more than 200,000 Halo Wars fans have taken up arms in battles between the UNSC and Covenant each day

But these initial explosive battles in Halo Wars are just beginning. Microsoft is working closely with partner and newly formed studio Robot Entertainment, which is comprised of Halo Wars and Age of Empires veterans from Ensemble Studios. More Halo Wars content is being prepared, so stay tuned.

Xbox Press Releases & Feature Stories

Developer: Ensemble Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Genre: Strategy
Release Date: 03/03/2009
Content: Halo Wars

Halo Wars is an exciting strategy game based on the legendary Halo universe. In campaign mode, command the armies of the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire, with familiar and new UNSC units in its initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition threatening to obliterate mankind. Halo Wars will immerses you in an early period of the storied Halo universe, allowing you to experience events leading up to the first Halo title for Xbox.

With the guidance of Serina, a spirited artificial intelligence (A.I.) persona, direct legions of UNSC soldiers, Warthogs, Scorpions, and more, each group having its own strengths and uses in battle. Adventurous commanders can also call upon ancient Forerunner technology, if they are fortunate enough to find it hidden throughout the battlefield.

Covenant forces are also waiting for you to lead them into battle in multiplayer skirmishes via the New Xbox Experience. Call upon an arsenal of new and familiar Covenant units such as Grunts, Elites, Ghosts, and even Scarabs to defeat foes on the battlefield. Strategic-minded players who react well under pressure will emerge victorious.

Gametrailers Video Review

Gametrailers.com

Halo Wars demo is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo is available in all Xbox Live regions.

Halo Wars is an exciting strategy game based on the legendary Halo universe. In campaign mode, command the armies of the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire, with familiar and new UNSC units in its initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition threatening to obliterate mankind. Halo Wars will immerses you in an early period of the storied Halo universe, allowing you to experience events leading up to the first Halo title for Xbox.

With the guidance of Serina, a spirited artificial intelligence (A.I.) persona, direct legions of UNSC soldiers, Warthogs, Scorpions, and more, each group having its own strengths and uses in battle. Adventurous commanders can also call upon ancient Forerunner technology, if they are fortunate enough to find it hidden throughout the battlefield.

Covenant forces are also waiting for you to lead them into battle in multiplayer skirmishes via the New Xbox Experience. Call upon an arsenal of new and familiar Covenant units such as Grunts, Elites, Ghosts, and even Scarabs to defeat foes on the battlefield. Strategic-minded players who react well under pressure will emerge victorious.

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Halo Wars: the next big real-time strategy game from Ensemble Studios, creators of Age of Empires. Designed exclusively for the Xbox 360, Halo Wars allows you to take charge of the human UNSC armies and see the Halo universe from a totally new perspective.

Oh, and you can catch the trailer, download wallpapers plus other cool things over at the official Halo Wars website.