Halo Wars 2

                                             Halo Wars 2

Halo Wars 2 is an upcoming real-time strategy (RTS) video game developed by 343 Industries and Creative Assembly, and published by Microsoft Studios. It is scheduled to be released in February 2017 for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox One video game console. The game is set in the science fiction universe of the Halo series in the year 2559, and is a sequel to the 2009 video game Halo Wars. The game sees the return of the human crew aboard the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire and introduces a new alien faction known as the Banished. Development of Halo Wars 2 began in 2014 and the game was announced at Gamescom in 2015.

Gameplay

Halo Wars 2 is a real-time strategy video game, in which players command armies from a bird's-eye view of the battlefield. Like Halo Wars, the game features two playable factions: humanity's main military arm, the United Nations Space Command (UNSC), who return from the first game, and a new alien faction known as the Banished, who serve as replacement for the Covenant. Each faction has different leader units. The campaign mode is composed of thirteen missions, and will support cooperative gameplay.

The game features a number of multiplayer modes that can be played online with up to six players.Skirmish supports cooperative or solo play against AI opponents. Deathmatch involves fighting until only one player remains. Stronghold and Domination are multiplayer modes centred around controlling bases or nodes on the map. Blitz is an all-new multiplayer mode

Development

In 2009, Microsoft Studios launched Halo Wars, a real-time strategy spin-off to the first-person shooter video game series Halo. The game was created by subsidiary developer Ensemble Studios. While Halo Wars was a commercial success, Ensemble Studios was shut down upon completion of its development. Prior to its closure, Ensemble had started writing a script and laying the narrative groundwork for a sequel. According to Halo Wars lead writer Graeme Devine, this original script explored the history of the Forerunners and involved the Spirit of Fire arriving at a Forerunner station that Anders had tracked. Later that year, Microsoft formed an internal division named 343 Industries to oversee and develop products in the Halo franchise. The division did not want to create a sequel to Halo Wars until they found the right developer to partner with on the project. In 2014, 343 Industries began development on Halo Wars 2 after approaching UK-based studio Creative Assembly about collaborating on the game. Creative Assembly—known for their Total War strategy game series— were chosen because of their reputation in developing real-time strategy games. While Creative Assembly is primarily a PC-centric developer, the Halo Wars 2 development team is mainly composed of people who worked on Alien: Isolation (2014), due to their experience in producing games for a console devices. At Gamescom in August 2015, Microsoft Studios announced Halo Wars 2 for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox One video game console.

CAMPAIGN

The Return of the Spirit of Fire: Experience a riveting campaign which reintroduces the Spirit of Fire to the current Halo timeline, as Captain Cutter and his crew fight a dangerous new enemy intent on conquering everything in their path. Brought to life through detailed in-game graphics and the cinematic artistry of Blur Studio, the story of Halo Wars 2 dives straight into the chaotic state of the Halo universe directly after the events of Halo 5: Guardians.

The Dawn of Atriox: Halo Wars 2 introduces a new menacing villain to the Halo universe – Atriox, the leader of a violent, mercenary force known as The Banished. The Banished bring many classic Halo alien weapons of war to the battlefield with an explosive new redesign, making them as brutal and deadly as anything the UNSC has ever encountered in their battles with the Covenant

The Biggest Halo Battlefield Ever:  Halo Wars 2 takes place on the mythical Ark, an incredibly powerful and mysterious alien installation created by the Forerunners millennia ago. The Ark was first introduced in Halo 3, and is the literal birthplace of the series’ eponymous Halo rings. Now players will have a chance to fight to control that power for themselves.

A New Kind of Strategy: Halo Wars redefined the real-time strategy (RTS) genre on consoles and Halo Wars 2 is set to take that evolution even further with a hybrid of action-oriented and classic tactical gameplay modes. Veteran developer Creative Assembly (Total War: Rome II, Total War: Shogun 2) brings decades of RTS experience to the Halo universe and delivers a game which will be action-packed fun for players new to strategy games and deeply challenging and rewarding for RTS experts.

MULTIPLAYER

Skirmish: Test your battle strategies against a range of AI difficulty levels. Fight across all the environments and multiplayer game modes with as many AI and co-op friends (or enemies!) as each mode will allow.

Strongholds: Strongholds is a fast-paced, timed game mode where the objective is to control more bases than your opponent when the timer stops.

Domination: Domination offers the classic RTS gameplay of Halo Wars, now with all the new units, leaders, special abilities, and depth of Halo Wars 2. Build your base, build your army, and battle for control of the map and supremacy of the Ark!

Deathmatch: In Deathmatch you’ll plan and build your base and army, but instead of fighting for map control you’ll fight until only one player remains standing. Outthink and outflank your opponents, then have a celebratory barbecue on the smoking remains of their home bases.

Blitz: An all-new multiplayer mode that is an exciting addition to the Halo Wars series with a unique approach to RTS gameplay.