Halo Wars: Definitive Edition hits PC and Xbox One this month, with a caveat

Halo Wars is a brilliant game. While not the best RTS made, the title from Ensemble was the first to tackle the genre on home consoles in a way that made sense while still being fun. It also featured a solid story and some great gameplay moments.

Halo Wars will jump two new platforms this month. Halo Wars: Definitive Edition will roll out to gamers on the Xbox One and Windows 10 platforms beginning on December 20. It will include enhanced graphics, more achievements and all of the original’s DLC.

There’s a catch. Currently, Microsoft has only announced the game’s availability for those who pre-order Halo Wars 2 digitally.

Halo Wars: Definitive Edition has not been confirmed for individual sale

In order to get Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, you need to pre-order the sequel. Here’s the process, straight from Microsoft:

• Pre-order the digital version of Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition, which includes the standard game, Season Pass, four-day early access to Halo Wars 2 and Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
• Once you pre-order the digital version of Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition, expect to receive a 5×5 code in your Xbox message center for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition starting on Dec. 20. Codes will be sent out in waves and it may take up to 7-10 days to receive your code after Dec. 20.
• If you pre-ordered the digital version of Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition from a participating retailer, redeem that code from your Xbox account and your Halo Wars: Definitive Edition code will be sent to that account. Similarly, it may take up to 7-10 days to receive your code after Dec. 20.

As great as the notion of re-experiencing Halo Wars on new consoles is, I find its current state of sale frustrating at best.

I don’t pre-order games. You shouldn’t either. It’s a bad practice, especially given how often companies release titles that don’t work as they should.

I want to hand my money to Microsoft for a game that I already know is good. Yet, I can’t, because they want me to pre-order one I have no impression of in order to get it.

I love the idea of playing Halo Wars again on my PC. Not like this, though.