Crispy Gamer News

Halo Wars will be available at U.S. retail stores on March 3, 2009, according to Microsoft. The last game developed by the artist formerly known as Ensemble Studios will also hit Canada, Mexico and South America on March 3, while Japan and Asia Pacific will get the game a bit earlier on Feb. 26. 

Microsoft is also pushing the pre-order package for this RTS game set in the Halo universe: Pre-order customers will receive an exclusive in-game Warthog with flame decals. The Limited Collector’s Edition is also available for pre-order and includes a special in-game “Honor Guard” Wraith, a graphic novel, six Leader cards and a “Spirit of Fire” patch. As an additional exclusive, LCE owners will get early access to the in-game “Halo 3” Mythic Map Pack.

The LCE retails for $79.99, while the standard edition is available at $59.99.

THQ has released Age of Empires: Mythologies, a portable game inspired by the real-time strategy game series originally created by Ensemble. Obviously this hand held game is a remarkably different in scope and focus; Age of Empires: Mythologies features epic turn-based combat and fast-paced multiplayer skirmishes between Greek, Egyptian and Norse civilizations. For the first time in the series’ history, players will control legendary heroes, battle mythical beasts and call upon the divine power of gods.

If the theme sound familiar; that is because it is loosely based on age of Mythology as well. That game offered the same kinds of epic settings, races and mythological creatures. Age of Empires: Mythologies is rated “E10+” and is now available for the suggested retail price of $29.99.

Square Enix, for the first time in its history, is teaming up with a Western developer. That developer is Gas Powered Games and the first fruits of this newfound relationship will be Supreme Commander 2, the sequel to GPG and THQ’s 2007 RTS game. Prior to today’s announcement, Square Enix had worked exclusively with Japanese development companies, so the decision to form strategic partnerships with developers located outside of Japan is a first step in a long-term plan to target consumers in North America and Europe with Western style games.

Supreme Commander 2 also represent the first time the company has had anything to do with a pure real-time strategy game. Sorry folks, no details on the game as of yet, but Square Enix promises some more details “at a later date.”

Source: Square Enix

Electronic Arts has shipped Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 to retailers worldwide and will be in stores October 30th in North America and Europe for the PC. Developed at EA Los Angeles, the game will also ship for the Xbox 360 on November 11th. Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 promises to blend the humor the series is known for with new real-time strategy innovations.

The game features three co-operative, story driven-campaigns, an emphasis on naval gameplay, and live-action movie sequences starring Gemma Atkinson, Gina Carano, Randy Couture, Tim Curry, Kelly Hu, Jenny McCarthy, Jonathan Pryce, Autumn Reeser, J.K. Simmons, Peter Stormare, and George Takei.

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Though it sounds highly unlikely, the prevailing rumor today is that Ensemble Studios will be shut down after the development of Halo Wars is complete. According to a Shacknews report citing anonymous sources, the company is set to close after Halo Wars is done and staff at Ensemble that aren’t working on that game have been laid off. The report says that the team working on Halo Wars has been given extra incentives to stay on board until the game is done.

While this all sounds highly unlikely stranger things have happened in this industry. Why would Microsoft shut down a studio that has been relatively successful before and after it was acquired? The Age of Empires series of games, which have been released on the PC, Mac and DS (by THQ) have made millions of dollars for Microsoft. Perhaps Ensemble, like Bungie is getting ready to become an independent studio again, much like Bungie did recently.

Whatever the truth is, we have asked both Ensemble and Microsoft for an official response. More on this story as it develops.

Source: Shacknews

SEGA today announced the development of Stormrise a real time strategy game for the PS3, PC and Xbox 360. Stormrise marks The Creative Assembly’s first foray into developing a console-based RTS title . The game is slated to ship in 2009. Stormrise does things a little differently than most RTS games: you control troops from the front line, instead of the traditional way of controlling the units from a detached view point. Stormrise also allows units to be commanded in the air, across rooftops, on the earth’s surface and even underground .According to Sega, the experience is heightened by a simple yet effective control system tailored specifically for consoles, which allows easy unit selection, rapid navigation and precise deployment.

Set on an earth devastated by a catastrophic event centuries ago, Stormrise sees the Echelon and the Sai battle to survive on this hostile and uninhabitable wasteland of a planet. The Echelon survived the event through self-educed hibernation, while the Sai learned to adapt to the new environment. Having evolved in vastly different ways, the differences between the two factions have caused animosity and hatred between the two races and the future of the planet is now hanging by a thread. Stormrise is in development at The Creative Assembly’s Australia studio and will be released in 2009.

For those looking to play Starcraft II this year some very sad news this morning: It won’t be ready, despite rumors saying it would be released in December of this year. Blizzard executive vice president Rob Pardo put the rumor to bed over the weekend at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational.Pardo said that the game was about a third of the way through the campaign’s development and are currently working on story structure and cinematics.

Blizzard hopes to have something “to show” people that will be impressive.. by year’s end. Which would lead us to believe it will not be released this year. Pardo did reveal that the game will be a simultaneous release on Mac and PC - no great shock there.

Source games.internode.on.net by way of Blue’s News