Halo Wars 2

Capsule ComputersTravis Bruno

8.5/10

Halo Wars 2’s story may not be enthralling but it does deliver a satisfying RTS experience that is accessible for newcomers while still retaining enough depth to please fans of the genre.

VG247Jaz Rignall

Is this RTS good for beginners? We have just the person to answer that question.

Game RantDalton Cooper

8/10

Technical issues and the lack of content in Blitz aside, Halo Wars 2 is a fun game that is the best bet for RTS fans looking for something to play on Xbox One. The campaign is engrossing from start to finish, the multiplayer matches are consistently exciting, and thanks to its status as an Xbox Play Anywhere game, Halo Wars 2 offers fans plenty of bang for the buck. If 343 and Creative Assembly are able to patch the game's technical issues and add more areas to Blitz mode soon, then Halo Wars 2 will be a no-brainer for fans of the real-time strategy genre and the Halo franchise in general.

Game InformerBen Reeves

7.75/10

After the crew of the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire wakes up from a quarter-century cryogenic nap, they discover that humanity’s war against the Covenant has ended. Stranded a galaxy from home, the crew responds to an emergency beacon only to encounter a bloodthirsty faction of the Covenant known as the Banished. Their leader – an imposing Brute named Atriox – dismantles a team of three Spartans in their first skirmish. As tensions escalate, the Spirit of Fire’s crew is forced to push back against these battle-hardened space gorillas and uncover the mystery at the heart of a new Forerunner insta...

Video ChumsA.J. Maciejewski

7.6/10

Microsoft's popular first-person shooter series has seen a few spin-offs over the years. Here we have the sequel to 2009's real-time strategy game Halo Wars so wake up from your cryosleep and let's smash some Atriox.

GameWatcherJoseph Bradford

7.5/10

Halo Wars 2 is a competent RTS game. It has its fair share of issues, and in some minds might be deemed simple. However, if you’re willing to look past the convoluted and frustrating UI, or maybe you want an RTS to get into, but are intimidated by the offerings on the market, Halo Wars 2 is a great place to start. Its story is good, delivering a true Halo narrative on the platform for the first time since Halo 2, and while the issues with the RTS elements might annoy some, it doesn’t mean...

Press StartBrodie Gibbons

7/10

It’s hard not to be taken aback by the performances of both Erika Soto and Gideon Emery, whose performances as Isabel and Captain James Cutter respectively can only be described as first-rate. While I sang Soto’s praises earlier for her performance, Cutter’s bellicose patriotism is pinned permanently to his sleeve courtesy of Emery’s portrayal. It was certainly jarring for Cutter’s appearance to change so drastically between games, but he’s in good hands.

IGNDan Stapleton

7/10

Halo Wars 2 will scratch a real-time strategy itch and give you a dose of Halo-Universe flavor with a decent story, but it won’t go much deeper than that. A run-of-the-mill campaign, controls that hamper micromanagement, conspicuous bugs, and multiplayer that relies on luck limit its long-term appeal, but its fast and flashy action makes it fun for a while.

PC GamerLeif Johnson

65/100

Halo Wars 2's console focus is a little too strong on the PC, but there's some fun if lightweight strategy nonetheless.

Den of GeekJohn Saavedra

Halo Wars 2 delivers another worthy real-time strategy game - as long as you're here for the Halo and not a unique RTS.

GameTyrant Ryan Engstrom

0/10

Real-time strategy games have been one of my favorite genres for a very long time.  From the days of Command and Conquer to StarCraft 2 I have put months into getting as much out of each game as I could.  Needless to say, I was eager to get my hands on Halo Wars 2!

Rock Paper ShotgunFraser Brown

Unscored

Halo Wars 2 is simultaneously conservative and inventive. It’s definitely trying to evoke traditional RTS games – which is not entirely a bad thing given the recent dearth of them – especially when it comes to the campaign, but elements like base construction and Blitz mode make it stand out enough that it doesn’t feel like you’re just going through the motions for the hundredth time. A clumsy UI and weird, sometimes fixed, keybindings and controls reveal its console heritage, but there are a surprising number of benefits to that side of the design. Some of the places where the formula has bee...