Halo Wars 2 Reviews

Halo Wars 2 is ranked in the 75th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10.0
Feb 28, 2017

Halo Wars 2 is a dull RTS with a beautiful spirit

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PCMag
Top Critic
Feb 22, 2017

Halo Wars 2 is an RTS for the layman. Easy-to-learn mechanics and basic micromanagement keep the game interesting and engaging, but it lacks the strategic depth to keep hardcore RTS fans invested for long.

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7 / 10.0
Feb 23, 2017

Halo Wars 2 both illustrates the problems traditional RTS titles have on console, and demonstrates how to overcome them with its excellent Blitz mode.

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7.5 / 10.0
Feb 21, 2017

At the end of the day, Halo Wars 2 is still a highly recommendable title — in fact, likely one of the best RTS games that can be found on the current generation. However, accessibility on consoles came with a price to both controls and gameplay in both campaign and multiplayer modes. But don’t let that stop fans of the series or newcoming gamers to the genre enjoy the game — you are assured to have a blast.

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Feb 21, 2017

Halo Wars 2 isn't a bad game, but compared to the wealth of excellent strategy games we've been spoilt by over the last few years, it feels positively ordinary. Exceptionally well-handled Halo fan service obfuscates a mediocre game that doesn't really have any new ideas. Fans of the franchise will appreciate what is here, but RTS buffs will be better served elsewhere.

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80 / 100
Feb 20, 2017

Halo Wars 2 is a great and light RTS experience. If you like campaigns in this genre, you should check it out, but if you are looking for a hardcore competitive experience, you will not find it here. Blitz is ok, but the micro transactions system dose not work well.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

4.5 / 5.0
Feb 15, 2017

Halo Wars 2 has an epic campaign, a complete multiplayer and amazing cinematic moments. Meet a new and fearsome enemy Atriox that endangers the entire galaxy and the UNSC must stop it by all means. It improves all aspects and adds new things like the addictive Blitz mode. Play alone or in company and enjoy one of the best experiences.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Feb 16, 2017

'Halo Wars 2' isn't a great competitive strategy game, but it's an enjoyable take on Halo.

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Feb 16, 2017

Halo Wars 2 suffers a little from its console limitations, but it’s a solid RTS with a strong campaign and a good overall feel for the Halo universe. After a slow start the mission design grows much more interesting and while there’s little here you won’t have seen in a StarCraft, it’s all handled with variety, pace and drama. There’s potential too in the multiplayer modes, particularly Blitz with its unique hybrid style. It might not be the Halo sequel that you asked for, but it’s a fine one to be getting on with.

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4 / 5.0
Feb 16, 2017

In terms of a console RTS, Halo Wars 2 stands just about at the top. It’s easy for newcomers of the genre to pick up and play, but still has a enough meat and complexity for veterans to be satisfied. Because of how the campaign wraps things up, I truly hope it gets a sequel. But until then, Halo Wars 2 is definitely a quality exclusive to add to your Xbox One lineup.

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ACG
Top Critic
Rent
Feb 16, 2017
Halo Wars 2 Review "Buy, Wait for Sale, Rent, Never Touch?" video thumbnail
8.5 / 10.0
Feb 16, 2017

Halo Wars 2 is a ballroom blitz with dangerously addictive levels of fun. It may be lacking in the length department when it comes to its tragically short campaign, but it’s a shining second chance example at proving that strategy games can work on console.

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Feb 16, 2017

Halo Wars 2 isn't afraid to mess with the standard RTS formula, and it's a better game because of it.

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Ray Carsillo
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Feb 16, 2017

Halo Wars 2 does a fantastic job building on the foundation laid out by the original game. New modes and new characters highlight what is a fun return to the Halo universe, even if the campaign is shorter than I'd prefer.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 16, 2017

Halo Wars 2 is a terrific successor that manages to be everything you could hope for in a console RTS.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 19, 2017

There are several levels of madness. Until now, attempts to create an RTS for the console were probably only ahead of a bungee jump without bungee. Halo Wars 2 of the development duo 343 Industries and Creative Assembly clearly shows that times are changing.

Review in Polish | Read full review

7 / 10
Feb 16, 2017

Halo Wars 2 is familiar but different in all of the right ways. A short, robust campaign, rich with genuinely effective character performances and a compelling (though far too absent) villain is complemented by a multiplayer facet that is far better off on the back of a daring deck-building venture.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 8, 2016

When two unfamiliar leaders of two very familiar factions square off, an interstellar David and Goliath struggle ensues!  Microsoft Studios is enlisting keepers of the Halo franchise mantle 343 Industries with crucial support from Creative Assembly for the second call to arms in this RTS aside.

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5.5 / 10.0
Feb 21, 2017

Halo Wars 2’s compromise between strategy and speed leaves a system without a functional amount of either. Its story bears the hallmarks of the world Bungie first crafted 16 years ago without any of the melodrama or myth. Missing so much of what makes an RTS work and what makes Halo a fiction so many choose to escape into, it’s easy to wonder who Halo Wars 2 is even for.

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80%
Feb 16, 2017

Halo Wars 2 is a worthy follow-up to one of the most underrated exclusives on the Xbox 360. The game makes a point of proving RTS games have a place on consoles with a smart, intuitive control system and a campaign that puts older RTS stories to shame. The Halo universe suits the units/base system so well, and if you’re a fan of the series we recommend this game to you - even if you’re not an RTS nut: it’s easy to pick up, it’s fun to play, and it gives a wonderful new perspective on the Halo universe.

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