 |
KOCH Hearts of Iron PC Gaming Devices
The market may be flooded with WWII games, but there's nothing that offers the scope of Hearts of Iron. This Grand Strategic war game puts you in the role of national leader, responsible for everything from appointing government ministers to forming political allegiances, controlling the direction of military research and directing operational-level military campaigns. The whole globe is up for grabs and you can jump in from 1936, before the political landscape of wartime has taken shape, or you can leap into the thick of things at 1939 or even 1941. You can take control of one of eight major nations, ranging from the obvious--Germany, Great Britain and Russia--through to the likes of nationalist China. You can also opt to play the role of any minor nation, though the challenge becomes very different as you are frequently forced to ally with whichever major force approaches your territory first and then hope for the best. The game will look very familiar to fans of Europa Universalis and its sequel. There's a good reason for this: Hearts of Iron is built on an adapted version of the engine. It drives the game's massive depth and scope, but also causes some problems. The interface is clunky at times and struggles to cope with the masses of information available. Also, the map territories don't always make a lot of sense. Perseverance is required, but also rewarded. The level of micro management is intense, but gives you full control. It ranges from choosing to research nuclear technology at the expense of building more advanced conventional military might to staging coups in opposing countries. You just don't get the chance to play out WWII at this level every day and that's reason enough to pick up this game, put up with its sometimes annoying foibles and revel in global conquest. --Jason Weston
|
|
KOCH World War II Frontline Command PC Gaming Devices
Kicking off at the back of the battle, World War II: Frontline Command is a challenging real-time strategy game that boasts some quite neat ideas. Developed by the legendary Bitmap Brothers--who have classics such as Speedball and its sequel on their resume--the game initially comes across as a lesser clone of the excellent Command & Conquer series. Its interface is similar, controlling your troops follows a similar pattern and the viewpoint also bears similarities. But it's the little touches here that make a difference. Dismissing the resource management side of things, the game focuses on tactics and action, giving you a set number of troops--frequently replenished by reinforcements--and a mission to complete. Yet avoiding a battle can often be as important as fighting one here, and that's why sneaking around and hiding away are both legitimate tactics. What makes this the more satisfying is well developed AI on behalf of the computer-controlled enemy, who have a realistic line of sight, and can be satisfyingly ambushed if you play things right. On the action side, a little diversity is implemented through a secondary fire system, which equips the majority of your troops with a second means of attack, thus expanding your tactical options. Troops are also affected by what's going on around them, and are more likely to react well when their own morale is high. Credit where credit's due, there are quite a few slightly different ideas at work here, and the game pulls together very well. At heart, it's another release that's similar to others in the genre, but the long-lasting gameplay and sheer enjoyment factor do make it a worthy purchase. It's not quite the classic Bitmap Brothers fare of old, but proof positive that they still know how to knock out a good game. --Simon Brew
|
