DigitalBattle.com

Microsoft has announced a tentative release date of Halo Wars, the RTS set in the Halo universe along with all the perks that those willing to shell out the the extra funds for the Legendary Edition will receive. Both editions are set to release some time in February 2009. The standard edition will retail for an unsurprising $59.99 MSRP and the Legendary Edition is $20 more.

The Legendary Edition contains:

• Three New “Halo 3″ Multiplayer Maps – Be one of the first to experience the Mythic Map Pack from Bungie which includes three new maps, “Assembly,” “Orbital” and “Sandbox”
• Halo Wars: Genesis – a beautiful graphic novel by Phil Noto, Graeme Devine and Eric Nylund chronicling the first military campaign against the Covenant. The novel centers around the Sprit of Fire on a mission to discover why the Covenant are so interested in the world of Harvest
• Unique In-game Vehicle – “Honor Guard” Wraith
• Six Leader Cards – Leaders possess elite skills which can turn the tides of battle
• Spirit of Fire Patch – Start the journey as an official Spirit of Fire crew member

Interestingly the Legendary Edition lacks the usual ‘making of’ and ‘behind the scenes’ content that is prominently featured in many collectors editions. Any gamers who pre-order the game will get a card that allows them to download an in-game Warthog with flame decals.