STACK February 2017 Issue 148

60 / 95

While PC users have no shortage of great real
time strategy games, those who’ve hitched their
wagons to consoles have been left wanting. As
such, 2009’s Halo Wars on Xbox 360 was a shining
beacon for fans of the genre – not just because it
existed, but because it was also really good! Total
War people Creative Assembly have been drafted
for this sequel that’s (obviously) set in Halo’s sci-fi
universe. It’s the year 2559, twenty-eight years
on from the events of the first Halo Wars and not
long after those of Halo 5: Guardians . As part of
the UNSC Spirit of Fire crew (should you wish
to be on the side of all that’s good, of course),
you awake from cryosleep to discover that as far
as the UNSC is concerned, your entire ship is
MIA, presumed dead. Much has changed; with
the Covenant defeated there’s a new enemy in
the Banished, led by big Brute Atriox. The main
campaign mode deals 13 missions, and co-op
gameplay is go. That’s not the only multiplayer
option though, as up to six players can battle
online. From the card-influenced sorties of
‘Blitz’ to ‘Deathmatch’, ‘Skirmish’ ‘Stronghold’
and ‘Domination’, there’s plenty to keep master
strategists coming back for more.
If you liked this, you may also like...
XCOM 2, Tropico 5
HALO WARS 2
GENRE: RTS PLATFORM: XBO
RELEASE: 21/02/17 MULTIPLAYER: YES
When Mortal Kombat first drenched our screens in
human innards, games lost what little innocence they’d
been clinging to. Since then, as hardware has improved
the dive into the most forensic examinations of violence,
games have kept pace. This allowed Sniper Elite’s system
of letting your sniper bullet fly and following along as
it – assuming you were accurate – ripped apart some
poor baddie’s insides. Ouch! But hey, it was them or you,
yeah? Following on directly from Sniper Elite III , this fourth
incarnation of the popular stealthy, strategy-infused third-person shooter
sees further gory advances as you help the Italian resistance bring down
WWII fascists. Hey, we hate WWII fascists – spill their bloody guts!
SNIPER ELITE 4
f you’ve ever gleaned a LEGO-ish vibe from Minecraft
hen you’re scarcely alone. The toy box-conquering Danish
rick purveyors have certainly noticed, and in a vaguely
hicken or egg kind of situation have come up with LEGO
orlds, which is more or less Notch’s thing with LEGO-
onogrammed studs. This, of course, is a great thing.
elivering an open environment consisting entirely of
EGO bricks, players can create giant landscapes, populate
them with houses, vehicles, bizarre creatures – whatever can be imagined
– then interact with them in numerous ways. You’re free to do what you
want with an endless box of blocks – even in your jocks or moccs while
reading Fox in Socks!
LEGO WORLDS
If you liked this, you may also like...
Tom Clancy’s The Division, Call of Duty: Ghosts
If you liked this, you may also like...
Minecraft, Terraria
GENRE: SHOOTERPLATFORM: PS4 | XBO RELEASE: 14/02/17 MULTIPLAYER: YES GENRE: ACT/ADV PLATFORM: PS4 | XBO RELEASE: 01/03/17 MULTIPLAYER: YES
60 FEBRUARY 2017
visit GAMES PREVIEWS with Amy Flower