The interest in “Halo Wars 2” seems to be inspired by multiple features of the upcoming game, but many critics and gamers seem particularly excited about the idea of making a successful real-time strategy game on a console platform. We’ve already seen 343 Industries making a solid attempt with the original “Halo Wars”, and while that game was good, the studio is apparently planning something even greater this time around.
We’ve been hearing some interesting claims about “Halo Wars 2”, and it does seem like the developers are putting extra effort in the game this time, particularly when it comes to exploring new aspects of its gameplay. Still, some keep bringing up the question of how much potential a game in this genre has on a console platform today.
It doesn’t have to work like traditional PC-based RTS games of course, and we may see “Halo Wars 2” innovating in the controls department a little bit. The most important thing is pacing, as a real-time strategy game can quickly become overwhelming for someone holding a gamepad when they have to control multiple units at the same time.
Some players apparently see a focus on macromanagement as the answer, as opposed to a more micromanagement-oriented title. We’ve seen various strategies using this approach that have worked great, so it could definitely have potential for “Halo Wars 2” as well.
Looking at what 343 Industries themselves have been saying about “Halo Wars 2”, it seems like the studio has their ambitions even higher than simply making a game that works. Apparently, the main idea behind “Halo Wars 2” is to develop the ultimate modern strategy game, one that can even rival the leaders of the genre.
Of course that sounds like an overly ambitious task, but the studio also has quite a lot of cumulative experience between its developers, plus they also have strong support on the market from their partners. With the right marketing push, we trust that “Halo Wars 2” can truly turn out to be a masterpiece of its genre.
Some players have been talking about cross-platform support for the new game. Reports stated that the feature was initially being considered, but was ultimately dropped from the equation. We can probably guess what the main reason was – the developers likely had trouble making the game balanced enough between players using a gamepad and a mouse/keyboard combo.
This doesn’t have to imply any serious gameplay differences between the two titles though, as some players seem to be worried about that aspect. While some things will likely work in slightly different ways – such as building times and movement speeds – the game should still feel pretty consistent between the two platforms.
That would make it much easier to balance, in the very least, and we’re sure that 343 Industries don’t want to invest a lot of extra manpower into something that can be optimized quite easily. The studio may have lots of resources, but they’re not unlimited after all.
No matter what happens in the end, some players simply see it as a positive development that the “Halo” franchise is being expanded in so many interesting directions. An RTS setting is one of the perfect ideas for the “Halo” brand, and with the right touch from the developers, we can easily see it becoming one of the hottest hits on today’s market.