As it promised, GamePro has dished out some juicy details on the upcoming Xbox 360 RTS Halo Wars. Some gameplay details and units have been spilled with Ensemble's permission, and all is looking very cool. Read on after the jump to know more.

Straight from a recent monthly update from Age of Empires creator Ensemble Studios comes the news that the Halo Wars Alpha test period is over. And while the developer was kind enough to spew personal recounts of the Alpha experience, they also revealed that they've lined up more info to unravel at the June issue of GamePro magazine. More at the full story.

It's always sad to see people go. The case doesn't appear to be any different for Bungie Studios' Frank O'Connor, who's making plans to leave the studio to work at Microsoft. That aside, O'Connor's farewell letter also hinted that just what sort of project he's signing on to, which has much to do with Bungie's Halo franchise. More details on this matter are available in the full article.

Shane Kim, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Game Studios, was present at the recent Microsoft spring showcase in San Francisco where he spoke about various issues including the success of Grand Theft Auto 4 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3), the company's 2008 line-up, Halo Wars, and more. To find out what he had to say, head on over to the full article.

A few weeks ago, we reported on a rumor about the existence of Halo Wars Alpha. Ensemble Studios has just confirmed its existence through the April Halo Wars update where the devs also provided a few details about the upcoming real-time strategy game. Head over the full article to find the updates.

Being able to participate in closed alpha or beta tests for upcoming games is a privilege that not many can lay claim to. So what's the natural response if you spot another gamer playing the alpha build of...say, Halo Wars? That's right, you burn with envy. Get ready to turn green once you read the full article.

Still hoping Ensemble Studios just might be making a PC port of the Xbox 360-exclusive Halo Wars RTS? A recent rumor indicated that this could be a possibility, although Microsoft says otherwise.

Details are up ahead in the full article.

Now that it's the start of the year 2008, corporate bigwigs are now doling out some pep to make sure their employees stay happy and motivated for the rest of the year. In Microsoft's case, the internal pep email not only gave some dose of hot-blooded motivation, but also a peek at what's to come, such as Resident Evil 5 (PS3, Xbox 360). Details in the full article!

Ensemble Studios finally unleashed screenshots of the Microsoft Xbox 360 title Halo Wars' multiplayer mode, and if you're remotely a fan of real-time strategy games or the Halo universe, they're worth checking out. Find the screens at the full article.

The novel Halo: Contact Harvest has just been released today under Tor Books, an imprint of sci-fi publisher Tom Doherty Associates, LLC. The work of fiction authored by Joseph Staten, Bungie Studios' lead writer, will take players back through time to the days of humanity's first contact with the zealous Covenant at planet Harvest.

This publishing of Staten's work marks his first official novel since the first day he created the story that became Halo. Halo: Contact Harvest will dive into the human interstellar empire sometime before the Convenant invasion and depict the Halo universe through the eyes of Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson.

Eric Raab, editor at Tor Books, says a bit about the novel:

In the novel, Joseph not only reveals exciting nuances of known events and characters such as Sgt. Johnson. But he also breaks new ground-takes readers on an action-packed journey to a little-known but vital part of the Halo universe: the far-flung, ill-fated word of Harvest.

The paperback will set back interested fans for US$ 14.95, though through the Audio Renaissance Unabridged CD, you could have the piece in digital form for US$ 29.95. The book ships to all major bookstore retail around the "English speaking world."