Now, more Xbox first party games have received the “Steam Deck Verified” tag, which denotes the highest level of compatibility for a game on the device. As announced in an update published on Steam, this new batch includes Fable Anniversary, Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition, Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, Killer Instinct, Kalimba, Halo: Spartan Strike, and Rush: A Disney–Pixar Adventure.

Meanwhile, a handful of new games have also been given the “Playable” tag, which, as you may have guessed, means that though these games are playable on the Steam Deck, they haven’t been fully optimized for the device. The new batch of Playable games includes Gears Tactics, Minecraft Dungeons, Deadlight, and Halo: Spartan Assault.

Microsoft’s been announcing new batches of games at a steady clip until now, so hopefully it won’t be long before more games join the list. Stay tuned for future updates.

Games that will be impacted include Halo 3, Halo 4, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo: Spartan Assault, and Halo Wars. Aspects of the game such as matchmaking will be shut down, while others such as Achievements are yet to be ascertained. Of course, fans will still be able to play through the campaign and the Forge mode alongside Custom Games and Firefight.

343 Industries said that the move was made in an effort to move development resources to Halo Infinite, which is the same reason why Season 8 will the last content update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

343 Industries’ upcoming Halo Infinite also received a new campaign overview trailer, which showcases updated visuals alongside open world elements.

#9. HALO WARS

Halo Wars definitely had some good ideas, and it was by no means a bad game. Its campaign was solid enough in its own right, online play was fun, and it was surprising how well developer Ensemble Studios managed to make a real time strategy game work on a console controller- but there just wasn’t enough here for anyone to really latch on to. For Halo fans, it was a nice distraction, but not exactly what you’d expect from a Halo game, while for RTS fans, it was far too simplified and shallow to be anything more than a decent yet largely forgettable game.

#8. HALO 5: GUARDIANS

The absolute lowest point of the Halo franchise’s numbered entries, Halo 5: Guardians represented a series that just didn’t know what to do with itself anymore. Ask any Halo fan what their least favourite campaign in the series is, and the overwhelming majority will name Halo 5, which for some reason decided to focus on Fireteam Osiris, and Master Chief receding into the background. That could have been forgiven if it at least told a good story- but of course, that was definitely not the case here. Thankfully, Halo 5: Guardians had a great multiplayer component, one that made some smart changes and improvements to the series’ formula. Aggressive monetization was a letdown here as well, but by and large, there was a lot to love in the game’s multiplayer offerings.

#7. HALO WARS 2

Much like its predecessor, Halo Wars 2 deserves credit for translating the real time strategy experience to a console gamepad with surprising ease- but again, much like its predecessor, that came with some sacrifices. As a strategy game, Halo Wars 2 was far too simplified and pared back for genre fans to really be able to get much out of it, and it didn’t help that on the multiplayer side of things, the game was largely a step back from its predecessor. That said, Halo Wars 2 had a solid campaign, with excellent production values, cinematic and flashy cutscenes, and a surprisingly compelling story that explored some interesting parts of the Halo universe. Is it a must-play for Halo fans?Maybe not. But it’s still a solid enough game in its own right.

#6. HALO 4

343 Industries and Microsoft had a lot to live up to with Halo 4. Bungie redefined the entire genre and took the industry by storm with a number of stellar games released over the course of a decade, so of course, Halo 4 had to live up to impossibly high expectations. And maybe it didn’t exactly do that- it was definitely not nearly as good as its predecessors, but it was still an excellent way to start off the series’ next era. In spite of a convoluted story that made the ill-advised decision to focus way too much on extended universe plot elements, Halo 4’s campaign was a blast to play through, with 343 Industries proving beyond a doubt that at least where the core shooting and mechanics of the series were concerned, they were more than up to the task of carrying Bungie’s legacy forward. Multiplayer, though not perfect, and though not on the same level as its recent predecessors, was still a heck of a lot of fun, and laid down solid foundations for its successors.

#5. HALO 3: ODST

A shorter expansion-style game that had relatively sparse multiplayer offerings and didn’t feature series protagonist Master Chief whatsoever? Halo 3: ODST should have been a recipe for disaster- and yet it was a masterstroke by Bungie. No, it never touched the heights of other Halo games that came around it, but as series fans will tell you every chance they get, it still deserved more of the spotlight. It had an excellent campaign that brought a very different tone and style to the series than what we had come to expect from it in previous years, while on the multiplayer front, Firefight was an addictive, tense experience that fans seemed to just never got bored of. The fact that it shipped with Halo 3’s excellent multiplayer made it that much more of a compelling experience.

#4. HALO 2

How do you follow up on one of the best, most influential games ever made? That was the question that Bungie was faced with while developing Halo 2, and in retrospect, it’s safe to say that the answers they came up with were the right ones. The sandbox shooting of Combat Evolved was taken to new heights in Halo 2, which, crucially, introduced dual wielding, while the multiplayer offerings were a huge improvement over the first game, and pretty much set the standards that Halo as a series is still following to this day. Sure, development constraints meant that Halo 2 was not without its issues – the campaign, in particular, is far from perfect, not least because of its infamously abrupt ending – but by and large, it was a worthy follow-up to its spectacular predecessor.

#3. HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED

The one that started it all, and the one that, frankly, is in so many ways what the series is still aspiring to even now. Halo: Combat Evolved was an absolute revelation, delivering a brand of sandbox shooting against vibrant and deviously intelligent enemies the likes of which were had rarely been seen in games before. Its campaign was packed full of incredible, memorable moments that captured audience’s attention and are fondly looked back on two decades from its launch, and the fact that the series still largely abides by the gameplay foundations laid down by Combat Evolved should tell you how timeless they were. Seriously, even today, going back and playing this game is an absolute joy- and that, after all, is the true mark of an unabashed masterpiece.

#2. HALO: REACH

Halo: Reach was the game that Bungie signed off with, the game that would bring about the end of an era for this massive franchise and usher in a new age at the same time- and boy did it live up to expectations. Sure, at the time it ruffled a few feathers with the introduction of abilities that many felt had no place in Halo. But once people calmed down and actually played the game, they realized that Bungie had managed to find the perfect way to implement them without compromising the series’ identity. A stellar multiplayer component was backed up by what is probably the best ever campaign in a Halo game here, all of it coming together in a game where Bungie were at their absolute best.

#1. HALO 3

Think back to the months leading up to Halo 3, and try and come up with a game that demanded as much hype, anticipation, and expectation as Halo 3 did. There aren’t many. The series was on top of the world back then, and millions upon millions were chomping at the bit to “finish the fight” with Halo 3. And without the shadow of a doubt, the game somehow managed to live up to those impossibly high expectations- it was just such a well-rounded experience. An excellent campaign that closed off the trilogy’s story in satisfactory fashion and was full of excellent levels and firefights, and a brilliant multiplayer component that commanded the attention of a deluge of players who logged in every day for a long, long time to come- to this day, in fact. Halo 3 was an absolutely incredible game that took the biggest strengths of all its predecessors and took them to their absolute zenith, to deliver the perfect refinement of Halo formula.

Though they’re not necessarily the best real time strategy titles out there, the Halo Wars games are solid experiences in their own rights, with well-executed mechanics and a thorough understanding of what makes a Halo game tick (not to mention some pretty important narrative elements for the series’ larger lore here and there). Halo Wars 2 in particular has been a fan-favourite since it launched- but can we expect another game in the not-too-distant future?

Well, unfortunately, it seems like that’s not going to be the case. Writing in a recent update on Halo Waypoint, 343 Industries community manager John Junyszek said that the studio has “no current plans” for Halo Wars 3, or even for new content updates to Halo Wars 2. Though things could obviously change in the future (“never say never,” says Junyszek), right now, 343 is focused elsewhere.

“343 Industries has no current plans for further Halo Wars 2 work including content updates, balance patches, bringing the title to other platforms, or a new game in the series. We will, however, continue to monitor the game and ensure everything is working as expected,” he wrote.

“Yes, we did use the word “currently” because it’s the truth – as of today, there is no plan for the development team to re-engage with Halo Wars 2 and we aren’t working on a new game in the series at this time. But, we’re specifically never going to say never because, well, who knows what the future may bring,” Junyszek added. “If you told me back in the day that the totality of MCC would land on Steam or Halo 3 would get content updates 14 years after launch, I’d never have believed it and yet here we are. We know constantly waiting and wondering is equal parts frustrating and exhausting, so we hope this clarity helps alleviate some of that and we want to set clear expectations that there is no work happening on Halo Wars.”

Junsyszek goes on to explain that 343 Industries is focused on other projects (such as the ongoing The Master Chief Collection and the upcoming Halo Infinite), which means there’s simply no room for more Halo Wars plans right now.

“The next question is surely ‘why?’ and it really boils down to the realities of finite time, resources, and focus for the studio,” he explained. “The 343 Publishing team has no shortage of ideas and inspiration to pursue for MCC and plenty of ongoing work to support the Halo franchise. Meanwhile, the majority of the studio is incredibly focused working towards Halo Infinite’s launch (and you may have also heard, ‘launch is only the beginning’). Given the broader impact initiatives the studio is already committed to, we unfortunately can’t devote the time and attention we’d need to deliver additional updates and content for the Halo Wars franchise.”

That’s a bit of a bummer to hear for sure, but it’s good to know that the door hasn’t been completely shut either. Here’s hoping Halo Wars makes a comeback sooner rather than later.

With next gen right around the corner, all of us have all sorts of wishlists in our minds, and most of them, of course, are all about the thing that matters most- the games. There’s so many games we’d like to see on next-gen platforms, so many franchises we’d like to see making a return. In this feature, we’ll be talking about fourteen sequels to Microsoft-owned franchises that we’d like to see on the Xbox Scarlett, at one point or another.

Some of the games we’ll be mentioning will be obvious picks, the kind that will inevitably show up sooner rather than later, while others will be more out there, as hopes and dreams go. In all cases though, keep in mind that this is a wishlist, not a prediction list. With all that out of the way, let’s get started.

HALO WARS 3

Halo will, of course, be a major presence on Xbox Scarlett – it’s launching with the next big Halo title, after all – but we’d like to see more from the franchise on the console than just its mainline games. Halo Wars started as an interesting strategy offshoot, and though the first game was definitely a flawed one, it showed plenty of promise. Halo Wars 2 made good on a lot of its potential, and was a much better game than any of us were expecting it to be. Our hope is that Microsoft will continue to invest in this branch of Halo, and allow Halo Wars to continue its upward trajectory with a third game.

If you’re not big on Halo’s first person shooter offerings and are more keen on other Halo-related experiences, then the Halo Wars series has some pretty good deals happening this weekend. On October 18th, till October 21st, Halo Wars: Definitive Edition will be free to play on Steam. Currently priced at $19.99, this version features all of the DLC, improved visuals, and some new achievements to earn.

Those interested in something a little more contemporary can try out Halo Wars 2. That’s available on the Xbox One from October 18th to 21st as part of the Free Play Days event. It doesn’t seem like the copious amounts of DLC released till now will be available as well. However, you can still play through the entire campaign and try out multiplayer (which presumably requires Xbox Live Gold).

343 Industries is currently working on Halo Infinite, the next mainline sequel in the Halo franchise. It will feature a new engine called SlipSpace and is being co-developed by Skybox Labs. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait for more information – 343 Industries confirmed that the game won’t be appearing at Microsoft’s upcoming X018 event.

Okay, guys, it looks like it might finally be happening. The pieces have been falling into place for the longest time- from Microsoft’s purchase of the Age of Empires and Rise of Nations IPs recently, to them then releasing Age of Empires and Rise of Nations games on Steam, remastered. From them teasing that their older PC IPs will return some time soon, to them teasing a focus on PC gaming at the upcoming Windows 10 event this month.

And now, it seems like it might finally be happening. Meet Decisive Games- it appears to be a brand new studio formed by Microsoft to bring the “next installment in a beloved strategy game franchise to the next generation of gamers”.

Guys, it is very clear what this listing is referring to.

The only sour patch in this entire celebratory moment is that the listing seems to indicate the game will be for Xbox as well as for PC, but you know what, The Battle for Middle Earth II or Halo Wars were both released for Xbox as well, and they were great RTSs regardless. If this is what it takes for me to get a brand new Age of Empires, Microsoft, bring it on.

Halo Wars was an RTS that was well received and managed to sell a decent amount, however, it was not developed by Bungie but by creators of the fantastic Age of Empires franchise, Ensemble Studios.

Bungie was upset that their franchise was given out to others and called it ‘whoring out’. I can understand what they’re trying to say, but Microsoft has to make money, right?

“Microsoft was pretty risk averse and they said, ‘I don’t know if we want to take the risk of creating strategy games on a console. We’d feel better if Halo were attached to it.’The difficult part of that was it took the game back about a year in development, and I think it never quite turned out the same,” Ensemble founder Tony Goodman said to GamesIndustry International.

“They just said, ‘Why don’t you just paint over what you have with Halo stuff?’ But things aren’t quite that simple.

“Another problem was that Bungie was never up for it… Bungie was kind of sore about the idea. What they called it was ‘the whoring out of our franchise’ or something. Yeah, that didn’t create a great relationship between us and Bungie; they viewed us as someone infringing [on their franchise].”

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Microsoft’s internal Halo studio, 343 Industries, reckons that a sequel to Halo Wars could work well with the Xbox 360’s Kinect motion controller.

343’s creative director, Frank O’Connor, said that the original Halo Wars was a success in the companies eyes and that a sequel was on the cards. He did also say that they aren’t currently working on such a project.

“The funny thing about Halo Wars is it actually beat our sales forecasts, so it was a bigger success than we expected,” he said. “It was a big critical success and it’s still the number one selling RTS on consoles this generation. In that regard it was a huge success but is the will to do a sequel there? Who knows. We could do something that works on Kinect, for example. There’s no will against it but we’re not working on it right now.”

“We take risks in the universe and we always have done over the last ten years,” he added. “The new novel explores the Forerunner universe which was originally a mystery and it goes deep, it explores it pretty fully. The appetite for this stuff is huge as long as the quality is there – and that’s the way that we should approach it.”

Considering the controls worked so well in the original Halo Wars it would be a shame to see them ditched for motion controls, but a Kinect RTS does sound like an exciting prospect.

Thanks to CVG for the info.

“My expectation is it could be upwards of 3 million people,” said Jarrard to The Seattle Times in an interview. “I think that’s a fairly conservative estimate. Certainly there will never be a console beta of this magnitude.”

In the interview, Chris Carney, multiplayer design lead, added that the game’s near enough done.

“It’s pretty close to done,” he said. “We still absolutely will tweak things after the beta, based on all [stat] information.”

Halo: Reach is due for release this fall with the Multiplayer beta set to start on May 3 on Xbox Live.

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