The annual Consumer Electronics Show isn't typically known for its high-profile game announcements, but Microsoft tossed a few choice bits of news towards eager gaming fans at CES 2009. First and foremost, the next chapter of the Halo saga, Halo Wars will have a demo on Xbox Live, and we'll be getting it within a month! February 5 will be the worldwide release date for the demo. We haven't heard any further detail of the demo, but hopefully they can fit some sweet, sweet online multiplayer into the package.

Itching for some sweet Halo Wars info to tide you over until then? Be sure to check out the February 2009 GamePro, which features a beefy twelve page blowout on Halo Wars and Halo 3: ODST, as well as 16 other Xbox 360 games that will pwn 2009!

Also announced at CES was a new game creation tool aimed at helping the casual create their own unique video game stages wherein you use "basic concepts like vision, hearing and time to control your character's behavior." LittleBigPlanet-killer or mindless casual fluff? The jury's still out. The press release is reproduced below. Maybe you guys can make better sense of it than I.

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