Halo Wars 2 Dev Diary Explores Threatening New Villain
Go Warthog Wild!
I've always been a big fan of the universe that the Halo games are set in, and with Halo Wars 2 [official site] headed our way in February of next year, I'm keen on gleaning as much information about its story as possible. That's good for me, because Microsoft have released a short video documentary detailing some of the finer points of the story with an added emphasis on the villain who will be tying everything together.
I wasn't much of a fan of the the later Halo installments because of the direction they went with new villains, which is why I'm excited to be revisiting more familiar territory in Halo Wars 2. The main villain, a Brute named Atriox, is as savage a warrior as he is a commander—a point driven home during the video when he bests a fireteam single-handedly. Atriox, who belongs to a splinter group called the Banished, is also backed with a really cool army that have replaced the bulbous violet shapes of many recognizable covenant vehicles with something more vicious and spartan.
Labelled as an "action RTS" because of its emphasis on quicker play over in-depth strategy, Halo Wars 2 will also be focusing on being approachable for RTS newbies and veterans alike. In an interview during the PC Gaming Show at E3 this year, studio head Dan Ayoub talked about how multiplayer for Halo Wars 2 will be split between classic modes intended for an experienced audience and more casual modes aimed at newcomers.
While it was a bit sad that Halo Wars wasn't originally released on PC, it will be arriving as a remastered version next year as part of a deluxe version of Halo Wars 2. Halo Wars 2 will be available on February 21 for Windows 10 and will cost $60/£40 or $80/£60 if you want Halo Wars as well. There's also a closed beta expected nearer to launch.