Microsoft Game Studios and Ensemble Studios are on course to ship their strategy take on the Halo universe this February, and they're readying one hell of a Limited Collector's Edition for those willing to drop a little extra coin. $79.99 gets you the game, six leader cards, a Spirit of Fire patch, a Halo Wars: Genesis graphic novel, and the Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack, which comes with "Assembly," "Orbital" and "Sandbox". One hell of a way to ensure your core audience stays intact in the face of wildly shifting genres, isn't it?

On the downloadable content side of things, the LE also comes with a bonus in-game "Honor Guard" Wraith, with folks who pre-order from select retailers receiving a code for a special flaming Warthog. It's a very exciting package, but then again so was Fable II when they started out. Think I'll wait and see.