Microsoft has been promoting Halo Wars 2 for the past few months with the release of an Xbox One S bundle, the sale of limited edition prints and the release of the launch trailer earlier this month. Today, Halo Wars 2 is finally available for Xbox One and Windows 10 as an Xbox Play Anywhere title.
The story behind Halo Wars 2 was featured in a documentary released by Microsoft in July 2016. The game focuses on UNSC leader Captain Cutter, who now faces a new faction named The Banished:
"After experiencing a pyrrhic victory following the events of the first Halo Wars, Captain Cutter and the brave crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire wake up after 28 years of cryosleep to discover themselves orbiting a familiar Forerunner construct; Halo 3 fans, you know what it is. After receiving a distress signal and sending down some Spartans to investigate, the crew meets Atriox – an incredibly dangerous Brute who is as intelligent as he is strong. He poses a grave threat to humanity, and it’s up to you to stop him and his Banished."
Furthermore, the game features real-time strategy, multiplayer capability - which requires an Xbox Live Gold subscription - and a completely new gameplay mode named Blitz, which was tested in open beta last month:
Real-time strategy makes an explosive return to the Halo universe in Halo Wars 2. Lead Spartans, Warthogs and other classic Halo fighting forces in a brutal war against a terrifying new enemy on the biggest Halo battlefield ever.
- All-new, Action-packed Story – The heroes of Halo Wars return to find themselves - and the galaxy - in more danger than ever. Following the events of Halo 5, the all-new story is told in action-packed missions set on the legendary Halo destination known as the Ark. Players will strategically command overwhelming firepower in large-scale battles against a terrifying threat facing the UNSC and all of humanity.
- Build Your Halo Army – Construct your bases, prepare your vehicles and amass your troops. Lead them into huge battles that span across alien environments in a vast collection of campaign and multiplayer maps.
- Multiplayer Warfare – Play with or against your friends and the Xbox Live community in up to 3v3 matches. All-new units with explosive firepower, Leaders with special abilities that help to turn the tide in battle and thrilling multiplayer modes are at your fingertips as you wage war on a variety of maps.
- Blitz: Instant Command – Blitz is an entirely new way to experience Halo Wars and real-time strategy gameplay. Combining tactical combat with card-based strategy, your deck is your army in Blitz as you build collections of powerful Halo vehicles and troops and command those units in fast-action matches online or solo against waves of enemies.
Finally, you can get Halo Wars 2 for your Xbox One or Windows 10 PC right now from the Microsoft Store using the links below:
Halo Wars 2 (Xbox One) - $59.99
Halo Wars 2 (Windows 10 PC) - $59.99
Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition (Xbox One) - $79.99
Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition (Windows 10 PC) - $79.99
Source: Major Nelson