The grind of real-time strategy gave birth to MOBA, and MOBA turned around and forced real-time strategy to break production. If Blizzard hadn't added a map editor to StarCraft and Warcraft 3, perhaps real-time strategy would still be able to occupy half of the PC game, rather than the current withering.
This sentiment is nothing else, but to emphasize how precious the new real-time strategy game of this year is.
The Fire Spirit is back
The Halo Wars series is a separate set of stories from the Master Sergeant Series, whose protagonists are the Fire Spirit and its crew, and in a sense their impact on the entire Halo universe is no less than that of the Master Chief. The Fire Spirit takes place before the Sergeant Major's great adventure (the original Halo Wars takes place in 2531 and the original Halo takes place in 2552), and it also encounters the legacy and demons of the Forerunners before the Sergeant Major and other UNSC troops. In the final battle of the previous game, the Fire Spirit lost the ability to sail faster than light due to the battle, and had to let the entire crew enter the hibernation chamber to wait for rescue. And this class, that's 28 years. By the time they woke up from the UNSC signal again, the war between humanity and the Star Alliance was over.
However, the fire spirit's war did not stop, and the signal to awaken them came from the UNSC Institute on an ark, where they encountered a new enemy, the Banished. They were originally subordinate to the Star Alliance, but they were used as cheap cannon fodder by the Star Alliance. They eventually chose to rise up and set off a bloody rebellion behind the Star Alliance. Although humans had not heard their names before, they were far more dangerous enemies to the Star Alliance than humans, and the kamikaze martyrs seemed vulnerable in front of them.
So, in this new space epic, an old battleship with only half a crew will have to fight against an enemy that the Star Alliance was unable to defeat in its heyday, and from experience, it is simply a win.
RTS on the host
Halo Wars 2 supports both keyboard and mouse and gamepad operation, but a few years ago, the previous game that was only released on Xbox 360 was a real-time strategy game based entirely on the controller as the operating hardware. This special means of operation largely determines some of the characteristics of the game, those small icons that are common in classical RTS can not be used in the game, and all the options that require precise operation are integrated into a set of simple panel systems. Locating bases and troops on the map now has specific hotkeys, and on this basis, the developers have also limited the size of the battlefield to a certain extent, minimizing the possibility of players fighting on multiple lines.
Here it is actually necessary to explain that playing with a controller is not as bad as imagined, although there is no micro-manipulation and precision, but the controller operation is surprisingly intuitive and comfortable, you know, not many real-time strategy games can allow players to play lying down. Considering that this game should not have much potential esports value, for pure entertainment reasons, simply using the handle operation is a feasible choice, and it is certainly the most comfortable choice. Not to mention that this game also supports keyboard and mouse operations, in such an operating environment, Halo Wars 2 is no different from other real-time strategy games.
Although this generation of works has been fully compatible with keyboard and mouse operations, these features from the previous generation have left a deep mark on the new work, making Halo Wars 2 a fast, compact and popular real-time strategy game. In contemporary times, this is both the biggest feature of Halo Wars 2 as RTS and one of its most important competitivenesses.
This feature, which is based on hardware limitations, has many specific manifestations in the actual mechanics, one of which is the basic gameplay of this game. In the game, base building has been greatly simplified, all building options have been integrated into a single base module, and players can only add the desired building to the base's secondary plots. The starting point of this design is naturally to simplify the operation, but it also pushes the game in an interesting tactical direction.
There are two kinds of resources in the game, one is replenishment, and the other is energy. But at the end of the day, the base is the most important resource in the game, because both resource buildings and production buildings must be built in the limited plots of the base. The number of places where bases can be built is limited throughout the map, so the battle for these bases becomes the focus of almost every battle. In contrast to its predecessor, Halo Wars 2 also added the concept of a "mini base", which allows players to build mini-bases in specific locations that are different from the standard base. These bases are essentially no different from the big ones we were given at the beginning, except that there is less room to build auxiliary modules, and the strategic value is naturally smaller.
For more information, please pay attention to: Halo Wars 2 Zone
This design completely liberates the player's energy and operation, so that combat and command occupy an overwhelming position in the content of the game. This actually makes halo wars 2's gameplay experience particularly similar to MOBA's — battles take place with a high frequency, but rarely a final battle. Since the base is difficult to destroy, even in the most traditional game modes, the balance of the situation will tilt a little. Except for the early quick attack, it is rare for one side to lose the pants because of a losing battle (except in cases where the difference in strength is particularly large).
The other two game modes exhibit the same characteristics, and also prove in some ways that Halo Wars 2 abandoned esports in favor of pursuing entertainment development choices. For example, the point occupation mode, as the name suggests, is a model in which the two sides of the battle rely on controlling the stronghold to accumulate points and win and lose, and its tactical characteristics are very different from most of the previous RTSs. In addition, in this new work, the most exaggerated change is probably the "Blitz" model strongly promoted by developers.
This mode incorporates elements of a lot of card games, and before playing, players need to prepare their own deck like playing Hearthstone. Cards are mainly purchased in game currency (of course, you can also buy them directly for some real money), and players will also receive promo packs for most of the actions in the game (such as playing the campaign mode). Everyone knows how to open the card, in short, these cards obtained will become our troops and various "spells" in the game.
In fact, apart from the combat itself, the Blitzkrieg mode is no different from most contemporary card games, and there are even heroes who decide on different tactics and basic card types to choose from. Players will randomly draw a certain number of cards according to their deck in the game, and play these cards to get the corresponding troop or support effects. The speed of playing cards is also limited, but players can gain a certain advantage in this regard by snatching resources from the map. In combat, the player's command of these troops is still free, and the charm of the most essential part of real-time strategy is also deeply reflected here.
It's a pretty cutting-edge model, and it's also a pretty interesting one. "Halo Wars" is already a big open routine in the real-time strategy family, and this model has raised this feature to a new height. Each "Blitz" game lasts around 10 minutes, faster than most contemporary MOBAs. Now it seems that the "Blitz" mode is also the most innovative mode in the whole Halo War 2, which is particularly valuable for the development of the entire RTS genre, and it is also the most promising part of the whole work.
What's more, the unique charm of card games is also a highlight of this mode. The collection of cards and the collation of decks themselves have great appeal to many players, and the fun of drawing cards and group cards that have appeared in card games is not lacking in this, and the related content undoubtedly brings several very new tactical layers to the game. What's even more remarkable is that these new tactical layers are both deep and difficult to execute, and both old fans of real-time strategy and new players who are just getting a glimpse of the doorway can quickly find fun here.
The power of Halo
Today, the world of Halo has been constructed into games, movies, novels, and comics, and each new story has a strong appeal to fans of the series. Because of this, even if the battle of Halo Wars 2 is done badly, it is a treasure that fans must not miss. What's more, the fact is just the opposite, the battle quality of Halo Wars 2 is very high, if it has achieved great success after the release, the content of the campaign part must be an important contributor.
Rather than a multiplayer mode that requires consideration of confrontation and repetitive play value, campaign mode is actually more suitable for developers to play their creativity. The campaign of Halo Wars 2 reflects the value of this creativity, in the game, almost every level has its own unique gameplay, while incorporating several multiplayer modes, but also added a lot of very novel elements. In addition to the blood-soaked large army battles, the developers even managed to integrate car chases, infiltrations, and even MMORPG-style boss battles into the game. So, even if you're not interested in the plot of the Halo series, you shouldn't miss out on the simple and full-bodied gameplay here.
And if you're a fan of the Halo series, halo wars 2's campaign mode is a treasure trove not to be missed. Because in addition to gameplay, the game's campaign is also an excellent story carrier. Here, together with the Fire Spirit, we will go through a series of tragic battles on the Ark, with the Spartan Red Team on the most dangerous battlefields, interspersed with a multitude of expensive CGs, almost every second of which makes people's blood boil. The developers obviously know what the fans need, and the plot of the campaign is particularly densely arranged. In fact, we can unlock a lot of interesting materials in the campaign, and through these materials, the history of the entire Halo world will slowly unfold in front of us.
summary
Halo Wars 2 is not only an excellent real-time strategy game, but also a wonderful addition to the Halo universe. If you like real-time strategy or Halo, you can find plenty of fun here. It's also a real-time strategy game that can be played with a gamepad, and on Xbox One consoles, similar games are rare.
This game supports XPA, players only need to purchase a copy of the game, you can use it on WIN10 and Xbox One at the same time. The current price of the national area is only 199 yuan, and interested players can buy it.