Microsoft CEO to reveal 2009 lineup for Xbox 360
By Mike Ferro
The CEO of Microsoft is set to talk up two key games that will be heading towards the Xbox 360 in 2009. As part of Microsoft’s CES keynote, he will highlight these two games to show the strength of the companies lineup.
As many of you have already guessed, the two key games both fall in the Halo universe. The first game is Halo Wars developed by Ensemble Studios (which is set to shutdown permanently in 2009). The other game is Halo 3: ODST, an expansion pack to Halo 3. However, even though the game is an expansion pack, Halo 3 is not required to play the addition.
Given that its a standalone expansion, ODST will be a short game clocking in around three to five hours long. The game will also come with a map pack to add new environments to Halo 3 multiplayer. It is assumed that Halo 3: ODST will sell for less than the usual full priced game. ODST will be the final addition to the Halo Trilogy by Bungie.
Halo Wars is a real time strategy (RTS) game, developed by the folks who created the Age of Empire series. Fans of the RTS genre will be in for a rare treat as Ensemble Studios will make sure to leave with a bang rather than a whimper before they are shutdown by Microsoft.
Steve Balmer, CEO of Microsoft, will talk up these two games to show that the company has two stellar games heading towards the Xbox 360 in 2009. Microsoft execs love to show off anything Halo whenever they have the chance because the series has been the poster child of Xbox’s success.
Balmer was extremely excited at the last CES, maybe we can see a repeat this year?
With these two awesome titles heading towards the Xbox 360 in 2009, all fans should follow in Balmer’s footsteps and dance with joy. I know I am looking forward to Bungie’s final hurrah to Halo later this year.
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Tips N4G
January 4th, 2009
And there I was thinking that both games could be completely new IP…
January 4th, 2009
People still play Halo?
January 4th, 2009
I’d be bummed if i hated Halo, a years worth of halo this year, whoop
January 4th, 2009
Sucks for me then. I hate halo
January 4th, 2009
I wonder if they will look better than the Red Faction game?
I must look into this Halo game
(never played any of them)…..but after Gears.
Bourne
Are you seriously suggesting that this years XBox 360 offerings are only going to be about Halo?
Come on, try and be serious.
I can understand you prefering the console you seem to have bought (PS3) but your reaching to take a dig at everything XBox is starting to have all the impact of a pantomime dame doing a rather tired if mildly amusing
‘oh no it isn’t, oh yes it is’
routine.
January 4th, 2009
Love the Balmer vid btw.
Who had a fiver on him opening (after all the leaping around) with
“unaccustomed as I am to public speaking…..”
January 4th, 2009
Happyhockbum Did you see me state i think that the ONLY titles of the year for the 360 are about Halo? I said i’d be bummed out to find ANOTHER washed out series relating to halo.
January 4th, 2009
What do you mean “washed out”?
It’s not like you’ve seen anything yet, is it?
Your meaning was pretty clear.
Fess up, you were taking a little dig.
No biggee.
January 4th, 2009
No no no you don’t understand. The story has been told, so why bother making another game with the Halo name on? They’re dragging the series out, whether i, you or anyone else has seen it yet.
January 4th, 2009
damn… that fat guy can run… or dance… or hop… whatever he was doing…
I hope Halo doesnt become a Star Wars… with the novels and the movie and the games… it has a good reputation where even if they came up with complete crap people would still buy it… I hope they dont… I LUB YOU BUNGIE!!! please do the online matchmaking for Killzone 2…
January 4th, 2009
Isn’t there anything exciting about X360 besides Halo? Wow, enjoy your 3-5 hours of fun folks…
January 4th, 2009
Bourne
Bl**dy hell matey, a PS3 fan is going to carp & complain about a game franchaise and multiple games in a series!?
Wow, the irony!
January 4th, 2009
Hey I happen to like Halo. Even though I don’t play it often it’s still a great game and one that will never leave my collection. Why people hate I don’t understand.
January 4th, 2009
I try not to rip on the Xbox too much (just the Xbots themselves) and instead choose to extol the virtues of my favoured system.
But damn, whats next, Halo Sports? Halo Pod racing? How about Super Halo Smash Brothers? Maybe a Master Chief VS Alien VS Predator, with Sigourney Weaver’s Cameo making fun of coming back from the dead… again.
I’ll take a dig proudly at this exploitation of the Halo franchise. It’s weak and uninventive, and xbox fans and Xbots alike should be insulted by MS’s lack of effort and creativity.
“Damn, gonna be a thin year for us boys, crack out some Halo and secure our christmas bonuses for next year!”
January 4th, 2009
And for the record, I am not a Halo hater, having played many hours of the various versions over the years.
I recognize and appreciate its polished and thorough approach to the genre, but never found anything really new or compelling about it. I guess considering my experience with the Halos, I shouldn’t be surprised with this standard approach to IP rape.
January 4th, 2009
dude… fix this video… it fucking autoplays everytime I enter this page… it was funny the first two times… now its just annoying…
well unlike some games… Halo isnt something that you need a taste for… its simple FPS… no complications… and thats why its so popular… decent story… easy to pick up and play… fun online…
I dont know about Halo Wars though… RPGs arent very easy to pick up and play… Ensemble still makes games with base building… even thought modern RPGs like Company of Heroes and World in Conflict are different…
so I dont know whether typical Halo fans would like it… Id buy it… then again I play everything… except for Japanese RPGs… they suck ballz…
cept Pokemon.. thats cool
January 4th, 2009
DWH, you are aware of the ‘Pause’ button, right?
January 4th, 2009
Or Firefox with no-script add on. Nothing plays without my consent~
January 5th, 2009
Bourne,
“No no no you don’t understand. The story has been told, so why bother making another game with the Halo name on? They’re dragging the series out, whether i, you or anyone else has seen it yet.”
Yes, you are right of course, why did they ever bother making MGS4? or GTAIV? or Fallout 3? or Elder Scrolls IV? or Final Fantasy XIII? or God of War III? and no, none of these series have never crossed into expansions or other genres, ever, because that would just be “exploiting” the franchise and “IP rape”, right JofaMang?
January 5th, 2009
Lol. They made MGS4 to finish the story off. Without MGS4 answers would remain unanswered of course. But my point is that if they make a wash up version of Metal gear i’d be pretty pissed. They’ve finished the story so now Kojima and Konami should move onto other things. Why didn’t Bungie go off and do something exciting and innovative instead of drag the series back and forth adding this and that.
January 5th, 2009
I see, so that will be the last MGS because anything else would be exploiting the franchise and could contribute nothing to the storyline. I believe they already did make a washed up version of Metal Gear, and according to who you talk to, it is one off of this list:
Metal Gear
Metal Gear Solid
Snake’s Revenge
Metal Gear Ghost Babel
Metal Gear Ac!d
Metal Gear Ac!d II
Metal Gear Ac!d Mobile
Metal Gear Solid Integral
Metal Gear Solid VR Missions
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus
or Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
nope, no dragging “the series back and forth adding this and that” here.
My point is they are experimenting, and there are bound to be hits and misses, just like this and any of the other 5 franchises mentioned here, not to mention countless others in the past and yet to be future. Is it that you are so huge Halo fan that was so engaged with the novels and original game storyline that you are disappointed now? Maybe I could understand your point of view there (which I do not think is the case), but would still disagree with you because I do not believe the games storyline was ever mentioned to be it’s strong point, but rather gameplay.
January 5th, 2009
On Steve,
I think I could dance like that in front of the press if my net worth became 15 billion dollars.
January 5th, 2009
The only reason these Halo games will piss me off is because I don’t feel like seeing it on every bottle of Mountain Dew and every milk shake I buy at Burger King. (I know, a healthy diet). And before you start, I know other companies paint their pictures everywhere in the same manner. Just sick of seeing that Halo dude everywhere. But if you really like the game, enjoy yourself and be happy. I’ll just have to start consuming V8 and Soymilk I guess.
January 5th, 2009
Wylie77
Careful there, assuming you’re a guy, didn’t you know soya milk shrinks your weiner?
January 5th, 2009
Heh, MGS4 old Snake on soy milk because it shrinks your weiner, “Solid” Snake on Viagra, Metal Gear “Ac!d” snake on LSD, “Ac!d Mobile” Snake on walkers with LSD dispensers…
January 5th, 2009
If I had a net worth of 15 billion I still wouldn’t jump around the stage in some kind of wierd ‘happy rage’.
Guys loves ms, but jumps around like he’s about to rip someones head off or something.
He’s also ugly….
January 5th, 2009
SW,
Yes, I am sure you are prettier than all get out and make all the other girls jealous of your good looks and girlish figure…
I said “became”. Would you jump around stage in a ‘weird happy rage’ if somebody or some company paid/gave you a hundred thousand dollars? A million? A billion? Nah, your standards are too high. Not saying MS did this (why would they?), but the man certainly has something to be happy about and not be afraid to show it. Sorry, I haven’t reached the billionaire’s, or even the millionaire’s club yet. I do hear some of them have done even more eccentric things though.
January 5th, 2009
IF I had 15 billion. I would be somewhere buying an island/house/car/jet/ and getting a tan, thank you very much. Not jumping on a stage.
So yes, you could say my standards are better.
Anywhoos, I’m sorry I offended you Mr. Bal., I mean carl.
January 5th, 2009
I think he already did that and was just bored.
Of course your standards are better, you know this because you know him so well from watching a couple of minutes of years old footage, reading a few of his interviews, reading/commenting on gamer.blorge in your spare time, and being a multi-billionaire yourself.
I am sure he is really offended from what you say about him, because of your obvious importance, ability to accurately judge people without bias, and being such a powerful figure in his life.
Anywhoos, I’m sorry I offended you Mr. String., I mean SW.
January 5th, 2009
SW,
what the hell did you do to CarlB? He seems pissed about something.
Anyways, millionaire, billionaire, whatever, no one and I mean no one should dance around like that. Also, I think I may have to introduce him to my V8 and Soy Milk diet. Looks like he could use it. And besides, I doubt he would notice much shrinkage!
January 5th, 2009
Sure, I’ll be Peter Stringfellow… Odd comparison, but you da’ man… (yes yes i know who you really mean, so stop typing already!)
‘Of course your standards are better,’
We agree again! You the man, again!
Also, Ill have you know I have read ZERO of his interviews (why would i? Give me a miyamoto interview and ill read it - maybe).
As for “I am sure he is really offended from what you say about him”.
Oh come on, you’re not that silly that you think that I ever expect him to read this website do you? Sheesh…
I tell you what.
For you.
I love Mr. Balmer. I would let him take me, any hole, no lube. I love him, he’s handsome, rich, popular, a style guru and should be the leader of the entire universe only serving Bill Gates.
Happy now?
January 5th, 2009
Oh ‘ability to accurately judge people without bias,’
Why am I biased?
Jealous of his stunning looks or his mountains of money?
January 5th, 2009
We’re going off topic. Does Soya milk really shrink your ding dong?
January 6th, 2009
SW,
ah yes, you put new and graphically disturbing meaning behind the old proverb, “Many a true word is spoken in jest.”
Please really, you do not have to confess your love affair (and it’s “no lube” details) here, no matter how guilty you may feel.
January 6th, 2009
Harry
Don’t take it too seriously.
Google is your friend.
January 6th, 2009
” years worth of halo this year, whoop”
poor bourne…so bitter…
how is TWO games a”years worth”? bah..nevermind…i have a feeling your response will make even less sense than your original statement.
yep..sure don’t want to overmilk franchises, right?
how many franchise repeats have there been on a sony console? hint: waaaaay more than halo, sport.
January 6th, 2009
people are speculating ODST is going to be more stealth based… which warms my loins… I hope its fun…
January 6th, 2009
Happyhockum,
Damn….. ok soy milk is off the shopping list. My balls are small enough already….
January 7th, 2009
Microsoft is so fvck1n stupid wow
January 7th, 2009
Ivan is so smart, wow.
January 7th, 2009
Carl - you forgot the digital commic for the PSP. “Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel” I had to go to 5 different GameStops to find it.
Metal Gear
Metal Gear Solid
Snake’s Revenge
Metal Gear Ghost Babel
Metal Gear Ac!d
Metal Gear Ac!d II
Metal Gear Ac!d Mobile
Metal Gear Solid Integral
Metal Gear Solid VR Missions
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus
or Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
January 7th, 2009
I shouldn’t have to feel guilty for thinking that ODST looks pretty cool, right?
I’ve just always had a soft spot for the Halo storyline ever since reading the first and third novels. Even if the second and third games were crap.
-Arvis
January 8th, 2009
I didn’t forget Barnabe, I just didn’t consider it a game. It is a little more interactive than the UMD movie for FF, but I wanted to stick with games.