Halo Wars 2 is not without its flaws. It doesn't have the depth of other RTS's, but it does control surprisingly well and multiplayer options are abundant. There may not be much lasting appeal for hardcore players, but it is certainly fun in the moment, especially for console players that aren't too...

2009's Halo Wars was perhaps the only game on a console to get real-time strategy right. It was made specifically for the Xbox, and the developers went in knowing that certain PC real-time strategy conventions would have to be sacrificed for it to work right.

Halo Wars 2 feels like the relic of two different histories. On the one side you'd find the real-time strategy genre, a collection of games that found a brief period of big-budget dominance on the PC and occasionally ventured onto consoles.

A recommended take on the RTS genre, especially for console and a big must for Halo and Halo Wars fans especially.

Halo Wars 2 takes place in the year 2559, 28 years after the events of the original Halo Wars . When you and your crew awake from cryosleep on the UNSC Spirit of Fire, you soon discover that a lot has changed and despite the UNSC forces sacrifice in the Covenant war, humanities existence is still...

Easy to pick-up and play; Feels natural on the controller; Highly detailed maps; Decent story; Sublime soundtrack

Not as tactical as most PC alternatives; Many missions lack genuine strategy

Consoles and real-time strategy games aren't exactly a match made in heaven. Even if the genre has its origins on console (Herzog Zwei on Mega Drive), it made PC its home in the early '90s and it wasn't really until Halo Wars arrived and we got a game designed from scratch for controllers that the...

Halo Wars 2 does an incredible job of ensuring console players can enjoy the RTS genre and there's certainly a lot of content here, but it's difficult to get really excited about any of it.

The original Halo Wars was a bit of a cult-hit when it released in early 2009 as a legitimate console RTS, gaining a hardcore following that would keep the community alive for years to come.

Contained and focused story; Deep RTS gameplay; Blitz Mode; Blur CG cinematics; Fun cast of characters

A few slower missions

When I experienced the first Halo Wars title eight years ago, developed by the esteemed Ensemble Studios, I was the definition of a greenhorn when it came to the real-time strategy genre. Admittedly, I'm still coming to grips with the nuanced art of commanding legions in wartime scenarios.

If you've played the games that this current rendition stems from, you'd know that it wasn't the most compelling or cohesive RTS you've ever played. That said, is was still one of the benchmarks for the genre to come from a studio that hasn't done RTS for console before.

Frantic gameplay | Multiplayer madness | Intriguing storyline | Marvelous cut scenes

Short campaign | Slightly difficult control scheme | Some odd bugs