Originally posted by Halo Wars Wiki

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Halo Wars is a real-time strategy video game being designed by Ensemble Studios and set for release on the Xbox 360.[1] Announced during Microsoft's X06 media briefing on September 27, 2006, details of the game first appeared on 1UP.com.[2] A pre-rendered[3] trailer for the game was shown at X06.[4] The trailer can be downloaded from the official website or from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The Halo Wars official FAQ states that the game will take place prior to the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, presumably in the 27 years' war that followed the United Nations Space Command's first contact with Covenant. It will allow the player to control the crew and vehicles of the UNSC ship CFV-88 Spirit of Fire in the first battles against the Covenant. Bungie Studios has reported that the game is already in playable form, stating that it is "going to be awesome".[5]
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X06 Trailer
The battlefield from the trailer
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The battlefield from the trailer

The trailer shown at the X06 began with an Ensemble Studios logo, followed by five M12 LRV Warthogs and two modified (turretless) Warthogs leaping over a rise in a snowy night landscape. Two Marines from the outfit Blue 6, dressed in Arctic uniforms that haven't been seen in any other Halo productions before are radioing in to Spirit of Fire, confirming their joining with Blue 5 (an outfit of five Scorpion tanks) and their trajectory towards the last-known position of the recon force with whom communications were severed. The camera then pans to two members of the recon patrol that seem to have re-established contact, as they radio in to Blue 6 as they flee from an unidentified enemy towards a waiting Warthog. Both Marines, however, are promptly gunned down by plasma fire, with one man surviving long enough to turn on his back and witness an Elite decloaking and arming an Energy Sword. Screams are heard over the radio, and it is revealed that the last remaining patrol member has been killed. The Elite picks up the corpse and inspects it, after which he tosses it aside. Additional Elites decloak behind him as eleven Banshee jets rise into the air and charge forward.

All-out battle breaks out as several previously unknown dropships land; Longswords, unidentified UNSC fighters (possibly Skyhawks as mentioned in Halo: Fall of Reach), Scorpions, and Warthogs are deployed along the line. A wing of Banshees is shown wreaking havoc upon the UNSC air force, but several Marines taking cover behind an overturned Warthog are able to gun down the first of several charging Elites with what appears to be Battle Rifles.

The camera then cuts to an over-the-shoulder view from behind a Spartan, which reveals that the battle has already progressed to a point where several columns of smoke are rising from the destruction. The lead SPARTAN then identifies himself, along with his 4 Spartan squadmates as Spartan Group Omega. Their armor seems to be an earlier version of the MJOLNIR, with a different mouthpiece and a shoulder defensive plate (at this point in time, the SPARTANS did not have the rechargable shielding that was introduced in Halo: Combat Evolved, so the shoulder guard can be accounted to extra defense before it is removed in Halo. This is most likely Mark IV armor, the predecessor to the MJOLNIR used in Halo. Its similarities to the Mark VI armor is probably due the increased graphic cabilities compared to Halo). The Spartans all seem to be carrying Battle Rifles. They give a bravado-charged "If they want war, we'll give 'em war", before the screen cuts to a Halo Wars logo and the trailer ends.
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Known elements

The following are known elements within the game that have been shown in concept art and pre-rendered trailers for Halo Wars. They are not necessarily confirmed as elements in the final game.
Spartan Group Omega, surrounded by soldiers and vehicles. Note the armor, which has a different design than other versions
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Spartan Group Omega, surrounded by soldiers and vehicles. Note the armor, which has a different design than other versions

UNSC

* Ships
o UNSC CFV-88 Spirit of Fire
* Infantry
o UNSC Marine Corps
+ Unknown UNSC Marine Unit
o SPARTAN-IIs
+ SPARTAN Group Omega (probably forces stationed on the Spirit of Fire)
* Vehicles
o Scorpion MBT (or an early variant)
o M12 LRV Warthog
o Unidentified Warthog variant, missing rear LAAG
o D77-TC Pelican Dropship
o Unidentified UNSC fighter (possibly a Skyhawk Jump Jet)
o Unidentified UNSC dropship (possibly an Albatross)
* Weapons
o Battle Rifle (possibly an early variant)
* Buildings
o Unidentified Capsule (possibly Barracks)

The Elites as depicted in the Halo Wars trailer, with Banshees flying in formation overhead.
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The Elites as depicted in the Halo Wars trailer, with Banshees flying in formation overhead.

Covenant

* Infantry
o Covenant Elite
o Covenant Hunter
o Covenant Grunt
* Vehicles
o Banshee
o Ghost
o Scarab
* Weapons
o Energy Sword (possibly Dual-Wielded as shown in concept art [6])
o Plasma Rifle

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