Halo Wars 2 (2017)

I liked Halo Wars 2, although there is not a huge amount I can say beyond the fact that it was a fun and solid game.

I was always more of a Skirmish player, both in this game and the original Halo Wars. I enjoyed experimenting with different leaders, building armies and trying different strategies. The campaign was decent, but it was nowhere near as memorable as the first game’s campaign.

One of the best parts was the variety between the different leaders and their units. Each one had unique abilities, special units and different ways to play, which gave Skirmish a lot of replay value.

My main issue was how many leaders were locked behind paid DLC. The extra variety was great, but it was disappointing that so much of it required additional purchases.

Overall, Halo Wars 2 was a good strategy game with enjoyable gameplay, plenty of unit variety and a strong Skirmish mode. It did not leave the same impression as the original, but I still had a lot of fun with it.

I first played this game back in 2018 when it was on free weekend, and I beat the campaign and called that a day. I tackled it again in 2020 and I beat the campaign and most of the DLC missions. I didn't dive into the multiplayer modes like I did in 2024, and I really wish I did from earlier.

On the surface, it looks like a knockoff of StarCraft 2, and to some extent it is. There's Ghosts, Siege Tanks, Battlecruisers, Medivacs and Marauders, and on the UNSC side the units even look the same. But where it lacked in creativity it made up for in accessibility and play-style variety. The leaders are what truly introduces variety and you'd never experience that playing just the campaign. Each leader has a different playstyle that essentially adds on another tech tree to the base factions.

The campaign itself has a lot of fun missions even if the story is mostly forgettable. Upon my 2024 revisit I was surprised with how much fun I was having. I definitely remembered the individual missions, but I still can't remember the story. If you're into the Halo lore, I'm sure there's a lot of great and memorable moments, but if you're like me and find the stories for most of the Halo games to be weak then this one isn't going to change that (For reference, I liked the stories of Halo 1, Halo 2, Halo Wars 1, Halo Reach and I HATED Infinite's story).

The multiplayer is really where the game shines. There's no shortage of game modes and Blitz is probably the best one. A RTS game mode that takes 5 minutes to play is a godsend for the genre known for long drawn-out matches or early game cheese strats. Halo Wars 2 is a low skill barrier and a low skill ceiling game, so it is fully possible to join games against veterans and not get trounced instantly.

However, aside from the forgettable campaign, the game's biggest flaw is its Windows Store exclusivity. This game would've benefited greatly from a Steam release and would've gotten player numbers up in addition to existing Game Pass players. As it stands, I take longer to get a match of Blitz than to actually play it. The vs AI game modes have a decent number of players, but PvP is lacking and that's really sad because the game has 16 leaders and a slew of fun and quick game modes with well-tuned gameplay. It’s probably the only objectively good Halo game made under 343's tenure, which says a lot since they didn't even make it.

Halo Wars 2 just feels more like Halo Wars to me.

I'll say it once and I'll say it again, I'm not a huge fan of RTS games. They aren't a genre that is bad... It's just not something I'm particularly into. So don't take my review of this game as fact...

Halo Wars 2 does do things better than the first game. The scale is so much bigger and the protagonists this time is way better. We follow the Spirit of Fire again after they wake from Cryosleep. They slept through basically the entire franchise. Captain Cutter and Professor Anders return with the characters we control being Spartan Jerome. Who is way better than Sgt. Forge. After waking up, they discover The Ark, a Forerunner Installation essentially designed to create more Halo's. Much like The Ark from Halo 3. After investigating they meet AI Isabel. And they meet Atriox. The leader of "The Banished", a group mostly consisting of Brutes. They are essentially mercenaries who oppose the Covenant and Humanity. It's The Banished vs. The Spirit of Fire for control of The Ark.

Now this game does look way better and controls better. But like Halo Wars, I found myself getting bored as the game got more and more repetitive. The DLC with the ODST's were cool and the DLC where you play as The Banished as they fight a re-awakened Flood is cool. But other than that the game becomes a slog just like the first one.

But again, don't take my word for it, I'm not really into RTS games

2/5

Wouldn't Recommend

(Review for both Console and PC version I guess? Since I played parts on both!)

I thoroughly enjoyed my playthroughs of Halo Wars! I also enjoyed my first playthrough of Halo Wars 2. In terms of control, it is quite a solid experience to play on Console using a controller. Using a mouse and keyboard also is perfectly fine and my preferred choice when I started playing this on PC. It is not a very complex RTS, as it focuses on a Rock-Paper-Scissors type strategy, which was pretty much the same in Halo Wars. Most of the mechanics are the same, but a handful of things were changed, such as having to gather Energy instead of increasing the Tech level.

In terms of story, I love the introduction of the Banished. I like how quickly the game introduces them as a threat. I also enjoyed the DLC, particularly the Awakening of the Nightmare, where we got to play as the Banished facing a classic threat.

I haven't played the multiplayer yet, so this review does not include that unfortunately!