Halo Wars 2 - Back to the Ark!
Whether you enjoy the RTS genre or have never tried an RTS before, Halo Wars 2 sets out to accomplish a satisfying RTS for both type of players and then some.
The campaign is both an introduction to RTS novices and an open Sandbox for RTS veterans, it accomplishes this by creating scenarios that can be experienced in both basic and complex ways. If you're an RTS novice you probably want to play on easy or Normal and learn the fundamentals of RTS gameplay while the game sets up scenarios for you that can be tackled by understanding the basic principles of the game (how resources are generated, the tech tier and the build order on how to get there, and the units & counter units), taking your sweet time to get it right.
If you're a veteran of the RTS genre you should be playing on Heroic or Legendary where time, flanking, counter attacks, baits, choke points, kiting, and creativity is what will get you to the end without heavy unit loss and at a respectable pace without spending hours upon hours on a single mission.
This lateral scope is impressive considering how well the two previous paragraphs are executed by Creative Assembly. I played the game on Normal the first time around for the narrative (more on that below) with my second play-through being on Legendary where I can be fully methodical and a stickler for the details of the strategy I am trying to implement.
The campaign levels start straightforward enough with the art style and tone of the game trumping complex level design for the first few introductory missions but that happily gives way to far more complex level design and crazy fun scenarios to play through that rival some of the best missions from Starcraft 2 in this reviewers eyes.
From a narrative standpoint the game mirrors it's approach to level design in that it starts off by trying to ease new players in but then ratchets up the layers as the campaign progresses albeit with more emphasis on following through with answering some questions left after Halo Wars 1 in the beginning. That's not to say someone who hasn't played the first game would be lost here but I would say there is enough story line in this to warrant a play-through of the first game if you absolutely must know who Serena is, and why the crew was in cryo (all things discussed and explained within the first hour of the game) or you can simply look up these details online.
My normal run of the campaign took me almost 11 hours, the level variety is great and as stated before, the level design is equally so. The story of the game is paced well enough with some true moments of spectacle for the Halo fan of Yore and the new comer that may not know who Red team is or who the Covenant are ( by the end of this you'll know why so many Halo fans love their Spartans), however it isn't perfect due to a bit much of an emphasis on backround dialogue filling the role of keeping the story ball moving, It isn't something that hurts the game in any serious way but rather serves to ding the overall narrative presentation rather than the story being told.
The characters in this game are great, and while you won't be having any Ellie and Joel moments here this game sets up these characters with enough depth for you to care what's happening in your 10-12 hour romp.
For you fellow Halo nuts reading this, there are indeed tie ins to the mainline Halo story (the one with Master Chief), but this is a story about the Spirit of Fire, it's crew, it's Spartans that time forgot, and an enemy no one in the Halo universe wanted to remember was there and are now paying the price.
On the Multiplayer side of things the same depth reserved for the higher difficulties of the campaign is in full demand here, These are the modes you RTS-starved console players want, whether it's Strongholds, Domination, or straight up Deathmatch, your full skill-set is required here. While three game modes in the non-Blitz side of things sounds scarce (More on Blitz below) the modes are almost a night and day difference from each other and change the pace for you enough to satisfy different approaches to play styles depending on how you feel like playing during any particular session.
Finally there's Blitz, a card based, fast paced game mode designed as an entirely new way of playing an RTS. As you play Halo Wars 2 you get packs, these packs have cards, and these cards are used to create a deck, Energy is used to play 1 of 4 cards you have at your disposal at any time, using those same units to play what is essentially king of the hill. The mode is fun, and serves as a quick match type for those looking for a more laid back approach to their online PvP activity without sacrificing depth and exhilaration. Think of Overwatch pacing in an RTS. It isn't a mode for everyone but it stands well enough alone to be noteworthy.
Halo Wars 2 is an excellent RTS with a lot of depth and things to do for all types of players with varying interest in the genre.