Halo Wars 2

[Dark Drakan]

As a big RTS fan im happy to see more coming out recently & this could potentially be the 1st big one on console for quite some time (its on PC too). If it does well im hoping it will show Microsoft that there is life in the genre yet (*cough* New Ages of Empires *cough*) and we could see more coming out in the future.

So far it seems Halo Wars 2 is shaping up well & with the added expertise of RTS veterans Creative Assembly it has all of the right ingredients to make a great title. A lot of RTS games on console suffer from poor controls (just bring in mouse & keyboard support already) but it sounds like there are a decent amount of ideas in place to combat this.

Halo Wars 2 benefits from the experience of Creative Assembly

As well as the modes you expect to see in an RTS title like Campaign, Skirmish & co-op modes there is also a new mode known as Blitz Mode. It is described as a part arcade game, part excuse to collect a digital deck of cards mode.

Halo Wars 2 arrives in the Xbox Store and the Windows Store on February 21st. As an Xbox Play Anywhere title, purchasing the game on one platform unlocks it on the other.

The title is also getting a boxed release for PC which is a rarity.

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[Steve]

Whoa! That box content actually looks pretty meaty! Good on Microsoft! Presuming that PC gamers are treated to the same sweetness as Xbox One gamers, that is...

I've got an idea that PC gamers are going to have to use Microsoft's Windows Store platform thingy to play the game. They used it for the Gears of War re-release and pretty sure they did the same for Gears 4. That alone is enough to make me want to give this one a miss. Shame, really, as I really enjoyed the first Halo Wars even with its dodgy controller scheme.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Whoa! That box content actually looks pretty meaty! Good on Microsoft! Presuming that PC gamers are treated to the same sweetness as Xbox One gamers, that is...

I've got an idea that PC gamers are going to have to use Microsoft's Windows Store platform thingy to play the game. They used it for the Gears of War re-release and pretty sure they did the same for Gears 4. That alone is enough to make me want to give this one a miss. Shame, really, as I really enjoyed the first Halo Wars even with its dodgy controller scheme.

From what I heard Gears of War was actually pretty decent on the Windows Store in the end & it is getting better. Not sure if the boxed retail version will still need the store to run the game (I havent actually used the store myself) but seems the game will get the same content on both XB1 & PC. I didnt play the original but it looked like it had potential & framework to be a decent RTS. Creative Assembly have totally reworked the controller scheme for the sequel on console & previews are very positive at moment.

Last disc game I purchased on PC was Starcraft II & Heart of the Swarm and they still ran through Blizzard launcher so might be the case with this and Microsoft Store (not sure). I am tempted to purchase the retail version as it looks an impressive package (if reviews are good). Depends on digital price as wouldnt mind getting the extra copy & buy it on XB1 & get PC copy for free. Im hoping its good as I want to support the RTS genre & would like it to be a success so theres a chance Microsoft could bring back Age of Empires & maybe C&C could return.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Halo Wars 2 Official PC Requirements

Minimum

OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Keyboard: Integrated Keyboard
Mouse: Integrated Mouse
DirectX: DirectX 12 API, Hardware Feature Level 12
Memory: 6 GB
Video Memory: 2 GB
Processor: Intel i5-2500, AMD FX-4350
Graphics: nVidia GeForce GTX 660 ,AMD Radeon HD 7750, Intel HD 520


Recommended

OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Keyboard: Integrated Keyboard
Mouse: Integrated Mouse
DirectX: DirectX 12 API, Hardware Feature Level 12
Memory: 8 GB
Video Memory: 4 GB
Processor: Intel Core i5-4690K, AMD FX-8350
Graphics: nVidia GeForce GTX 1060, AMD Radeon RX 480
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