Customer Reviews

Hearts of Iron 2

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This will be another wonderful strategy game that doesn't sell as many copies as it deserves.

The bad:

The graphics are lacking, there's no denying that. Being able to change the resolution would be a nice option as well. The sound is functional, a few more chimes for events would be nice. Being able to reconfigure some things on they keyboard would be very helpful as well, I have to disable the F-lock key on my keyboard to use the pause key; if I could move it to something else that would be keen.

The manual is a bit too conversational. The fact that they include a manual is nice, many games just give you PDFs. There were a few things that weren't explained well in the manual, but overall the explanations are reasonably good. Some things, like the formulae for industrial capacity should be put into the manual. It's nice to have in writing the base number of resources required for industrial capacity. There is no table of contents and the index is in page order at the back of book instead of alphabetical order by topic.

A game of "grand strategy" shouldn't come in a grand paper sleeve, a jewel case would be nice.

The good:

The players are allowed to choose any sovereign state at the time of their scenario. You aren't restricted to playing only major powers. For interesting games, try some of the regional powers like Brazil, Italy, or even Spain (extremely complex with the revolution throwing off your plans). Plus, playing these other capable, but extremely limited states helps you improve your efficiency since you cannot merely squander any resources. Every country plays in its own unique way, you cannot merely use a one-size-fits-all strategy.

The political model is very good. Your actions are restricted by the policies of your government, which you can slowly change over time. This means that pre-Pearl Harbor US is an extremely hard country to use well on the global level, because you are limited by very isolationist policies. Essentially, this forces you to play in-character for your choice, although you still have very many ways to play each state.

The units are extremely well made, clearly a lot of research was put into this.

The research trees are very, very good. Excellent variety on the air, land, and see doctrine research trees. Each nation again has it's own options here. The ability to try secret weapons research is a great addition, it's not a guaranteed things which adds some actual choice in the matter to pay for it or not. Plus, again each nation has it's own feel for research due to it's available research capacity and research capabilities. Some nations are extremely powerful in research, some are destined to always be behind a bit.

There are many other good things about this game, leaders, special events, etc. I wish I could list them all, but I'd need much more space.

Overall:

Overall, this is a great strategy game. It won't dazzle you with amazing graphics. You can find nearly all of the information you could wantthere were a few things I'd like that aren't available, at least anywhere I could find. My list of complaints are minor and are mostly concerning things that happen outside the game itself. If you like serious, number-crunching strategy, this is a great game. It takes quite a while to play, but every state in every scenario can be a rewarding challenge which makes the replay value seem quite high to me. Plus, it's a nice light lesson in international relations, history, and strategy. Paradox has put a lot of research and effort into this game and it really, really shows.

I'm evaluating the game out the box with no patches. There IS, however, a patch available.

If you play games like Civ, M:TW, R:TW, etc then this game is probably not for you. If you like RTS type games, then this game is also probably not for you. HOI 2 has much closer kinship to boardgames as do most games released by Paradox (CK, EU 1, EU 2, Vicky, HOI 1 are the games I have played of theirs previously and I still play every single one of those games, except for EU 1, now).

Lets talk about the target audience for the game first before I give my review. If you are interested in graphics, snazzy user interfaces, or rock-paper-scissors kinds of unit relations, then this game is not for you, there are plenty well-made games on the market that cater to this.

Now, lets take a look at what the game has to offer.

1. Replayability - 4.5 ****1/2 - The game has many, many options and decision points through the various scenarios to ever play exactly the same way twice. I deduct 1/2 star for almost hard-coding tech paths. The penalties for researching "out of order" are too severe to do other than blinding follow along by year. The decoupling of tech tree research with the economy and limiting concurrent research to a max of 5 items was all that was necessary to fix the problems from HOI 1. Further limiting options by imposing penalties for researching "early" are not necessary.

2. Playability - 4.5 ****1/2 - Compared to other Paradox games, this one makes the micro-management far easier. Automating most aspects of convoys, for example, is a huge step forward. The integrated Production screen is another great advancement. I can manage all aspects of production right here including build orders. I deduct 1/2 star because the game gets sluggish around 1942 for me.

3. Modding - 5 ***** - As all former and current Paradox gamers know, the heart of a Paradox game is in the modding. Many, many "bugs" are fixed directly and quickly by the user modding community. This is a "feature" fully supported by Paradox as well. The Paradox staff also responds quickly for requests to make some things moddable that weren't before. Modding is the #1 reason that Paradox games remain playable for years.

HOI 2 is an event-driven game for the most part. What that means is that most of the things that happen in the game are the result of events firing. These events are found in various folders in the installation directory and can be changed (modded) by you. This is what makes the game so flexible and adaptable.

4. Customer Support - 5 ***** - The Paradox forums are the best community forums for any game out there. You can get an answer to your question almost immediately. The developers are also frequent posters. Parts of mods that have general user acceptance are frequently integrated into the game. The games are patched with great frequency as issues are found.

5. Historical Accuracy. I don't give a star rating because a game either is or it isn't. Paradox games have always been about being historically accurate from a capability point of view. If you run a game "hands off" (i.e., play as a small, out-of-the-way country), it will generally "evolve" around historical lines.

Why am I wasting time writing a review...
when I could be playing Hearts of Iron 2 (HOI2)?
The answer is the one "thumbs-down" review I read. You know which one; I really don't think there can be a second similar review.

To tell you the truth, I am a fan of Paradox games. I like micromanagement; I like the historical aspects of their games and I REALLY like the fact that they have taken the term "modability" to new levels.

HOI2 has all the advantages of the original HOI, very few of the disadvantages and numerous new features.
The new diplomatic options are great: No more, easy & instant tech-exchange with every friendly country. You can exchange blueprints with your allies but you have to research the tech.
You need to influence a nation? With HOI2 it has become much more realistic because you (may) influence its policies towards your own views. You won't take a country "closer to Axis" per-se, but will do it in a subtle way influencing its politics: You will make them more Authoritarian, their ideology more Right-wing and then MAYBE they will come closer to the Axis.
The new production/consumption/trading system is incredible. No matter what country you play you will find yourself trying to achieve that "delicate balance" for countless hours.
Research? Well, I had my doubts on the new simplified research system but they have disappeared ever since the first game of HOI2. The new system gives you much better control over the technological status of your country and your army, without emposing hundreds of "the 40mm or 50mm gun?" useless questions.

And if this is not enough, the new war system is SO good that I found myself wondering "why hasn't someone else had this movement-is-attack idea before?". The new mission system for naval/air units is also extremely helpful and effective.


Things I don't like?
The AI cannot be compared to a human. But since I don't expect my computer to smile at me every time I have the blues, I REALLY don't expect the AI of a €30 game to be any better than it already is.
And it IS better than the original HOI, even with all the updates.
Is it better because it's more scripted?
Do I *really* care???

My major concern is that they still haven't added the timestamp on the saved files, so I really don't know if I should reload SavedGame12 or SavedGame13 after the fall of Stalingrad.

And this must be the biggest shortcoming of this game... "Saved games timestamps". Please don't smile... I am serious!!!


All in all, HOI2 is an EXCELLENT game. I would never give 5 stars to ANY game (except perhaps Simcity4 and the original Civilization), not even to the original HOI. But HOI2 deserves all the stars in our galaxy... and then some.

That's all... I'm off because it's June 1941 and I have a hunch that something's about to happen off the coast of Honolulu.
One final note: If you do buy the game, make sure you: 1.Fight with your spouse/parents 2.Take all your remaining sick-leave from work/school 3.Disconnect the phone (you don't want to fight with your spouse AND your friends)
;-)

------------
[edit]
I am ashamed...
and I apologise to all for this edit.

But I just found out that HOI2 DOES have the timestamp of the saved games!!!
The positioning and font size are a bit awkward though.

So this is my final negative comment on this game:
"The positioning AND font size of the timestamp of the saved games are all WRONG"

There, I said it!

I used to write books about wargames, and I've been playing them for 40 years, but I've never had as much fun in a historical wargmae as this. Hearts of Iron allows you to play any country that existed in the period 1936-48, from Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union to Switzerland and Bhutan, and explore its potential and see how you could have changed history.
Since the original Hearts of Iron game, a lot of work has gone into easier play and providing a smooth interface, as well as ensuring that the game runs stably in multi-player mode, and I've played with a dozen others at once with no problems. Division-level land forces, plus individual capital ships and air squadrons, each with numerous different types to choose from, fight it out over the world map in real-time combat, while you produce reinforcements, research more advanced forces, keep your population happy with consumer goods, and trade for rare resources, negotiate with other powers, and more.
The system is a development of the popular Europa Universalis system, but has been greatly streamlined since that game.

(...)

Armchair generals rejoice! Paradox's Hearts of Iron II offers a playing experience sure to satisfy those strategic gamers who revel in the joys of total command!

Nothing like the Medal of Honor shoot'em up style tactical games, Hearts of Iron II is nothing short of a grand strategist's wildest dream! No two games you ever play will be alike! A player acts as the poltical, military and economic leader of their nation, becoming as detailed as a player chooses.

The game is premised on the player choosing to lead any pre World War II nation in existence in 1936 guiding them to victory over the competing world powers of the era through 1948. Advancing hour by hour, day by day, it is wargaming that is unsurpassed by any other game out there!

From building grand alliances, to negotiating trade deals, to setting research and production priorities, to promoting and assigning historically accurate commanders and leaders, to planning and executing a world war on the grandest of scales across the land, sea and air of every continent and ocean in the world, Hearts of Iron II is leaps and bounds more advanced than its predecessor.

Hearts of Iron II sports a newly redesigned and much improved strategic combat interface, a more detailed map, many more diplomatic options, a newly enhanced multiplayer game style that allows teamplay over the same nation, more detailed historical events, and easier management of military unit's ranging from their development, creation, deployment to their strategic maneuvering to their tactical combat orders; the game is certain to become a giant among war games.

Combined with Paradox's long standing reputation of continuing to improve their games after release, as well as a detailed manual and online support unlike any other game out there, Hearts of Iron II will blow away every strategic war game yet made.

It is World War II under your command. It is nothing less than strategic gaming at its pinnacle of achievement.

Ok, first off the caveats: i LOVED hoi1 (the previous version of this game). Though not without its flaws, it was a masterful war game and an intruiging industrial/technology simulation system. That game kept me going for around a whole year or more once the CORE modifications came online.

Naturally I was eager to see what lay in store in HOI2. Having some days off work I played for around a week solid (the wife was away, I swear), and I thought (and think) Paradox did a great job with much of it. Air and sea missions are much more realistic, though still IMO not quite right. Production, trade, and diplomacy are generally excellent. And the new move-is-attack system is in some ways great. Convoys and supply are vastly improved.

And (amazingly for Paradox) the game was pretty bug free and their usual fantastic support had a patch out a couple of days after release as well.

But... after 2-3 weeks of occasional play I am bored.

Maybe it's the passing of a youthful crush and the old passion just isn't there any more. Maybe HOI2 wasn't as experimental as I hoped once we got intimate... but the love is gone, dude.

Gripes and complaints:
1. The tech system; it sucks. Very little variety and the only interesting strategic technology choices (doctrines) are made already if you are a major power. All units are the same, and concentrating on a particular tech sector (i.e. specialization) is severely discouraged due to every tech having an assigned 'year'. I confess I like the fact you can assign tech teams to specific technologies even if it's a bit hokey. But there's no way to use anything to 'speed' important research.
2. Units. Due to the tech system, all units basically feel the same. The old feeling of "I might have crummy infantry, but my tiger IIs will save the day" never happens.
3. Resources. The battle for resources (partly, I admit due to a much better trade system) never really happens as a major power. No incentive to invade the Caucasus for that oil. Oil refinement and resource management technolgies are mostly irrelevant.
4. AI. Ok, ok I know AI is very difficult, and HOI2 does a fair job, but still... it's fairly basic. No different from HOI1 in general.
5. Leaders. Some unrealistic decisions about leaders have been made. All leaders die on their historical date of death. So rommel's death in 1944 happen no matter what. Since the inherent logic of the game is to change the historical events somehow, it breaks the game logic that characters should die the same day they did in real life - because in general the game history will have been entirely different that the real history.

I'd love to give this game 3.5 stars, but I can't. It's better than average, in fact it's pretty unique apart from its predecessor, and especially if you never played HOI1 you'll probably love it. Also the user mod community is extremely strong so expect a very different, and much improved game to emerge soon enough. But i just can't shake the feeling they've taken a lot of the flavor out... but then again I'm just set in my ways and given to moaning about how great things used to be and how everything's gone to the dogs anyway.

My advice: get the game if you know other Paradox games, but wait for the major mods to be out before you do so.

I own hundreds of pc games, and this is the best strategy game for pc that I've seen. If you are a Civilization freak, like Empire Earth, Total War, Harpoon or anything similar - you'll like this. It's based on the old Victory! play by mail game and it gets in-depth in all the right areas. A full game will easily take a week or more. Unfortunately the manual leaves a lot to be desired. No table of contents, a backwards index that isn't helpful, no color coding on the pages for sections, entire areas left out of the manual (radars, for example), and poor explanations will leave you scratching your head.

Pros -

All countries are in there, every little one.
Country specific units/leaders for every country that I've seen
Full naval and air force units
Excellent research trees, varied, large and well thought out

Cons -

Game is timed, ends in 1947 or so.
Dorky unit markers, no variety
Bad manual
Getting allies or even non-agression pacts is nearly impossible

What can I truly say about HOI II other than the fact that this game has eaten up more of my time than most others combined.

The sheer strategic depth is impressive, and on the most difficult setting, starting out as any country you choose in 1936, you can truly re-write history as you go.

Easily modded, the developers did an outstanding job in all the patch releases, it is highly detailed without being overwhelming, and the hard-wired AI events bring some consistency no matter what direction you decide to take Czechoslovakia, Sinkiang, Honduras, or any other country your heart desires.

One of the best strategy games ever released IMHO, have been playing it well over a year, and am still not burned out from it, as every campaign is different. Very much looking forward to the Doomsday expansion/stand alone, which will enhance the tech tree, and push the timeline from HOI II's 1947 up to 1956, so if you really want a challenge, you can now take all the combatants through twenty years of war and diplomacy.

OK, its not for everyone. It IS extremely complicated but NOT impossibly so if you take the time to learn it. It was a big time investment for me but it paid off. I LOVE the detail. In real war, strategy is as much about your country's other decisions and capabilities, diplomatic, industrial and scientific. They interplay wonderfully here. I am a realism fanatic and thats why I committed myself to it.

I know those who have only tried to learn this game for an hour are going to be frustrated but I am no genius, and after a (long) afternoon I got the hang of it and after a couple of short try-out games I was doing fine and could sink my teeth into the minutiae. If your reading this and you can keep your attention span high for a day, it IS worth it.

I still wish the AI would be more commen sensical in its decisions. It invades some pretty silly places that historically..well..you just know wouldn't have happened. Same with some declarations of war. But if you can get a game where the AI is being rationale and you have honed your expertise, you will be sucked in.

If you liked board games that involve this topic in any way.. you must purchase this game.

If you are looking for a click-fest and a "tank rush" as found in other RTS games you will not find it in "Hearts of Iron II", nor in any Paradox game for that matter. The makers of Europa Universalis (1 and 2) and Victoria and Crusader Kings, Paradox Interactive makes games for the thinking man.. or woman.. or historian.

Warning: You will be forced to think to play this game. You will LEARN about history while playing this game. You will have the opportunity to take a country, any country, that existed in 1936 and manage it through the time period of World War II. You will move your government towards freedom, or facism or communism.. you will choose what technological advances to pursue, which countries to ally with, which to trade with. You may choose to go to war, and if you do, you will build an army and an air force and a navy... and you will decide when and where to fight (in a huge number of provinces, well over a thousand) all over the world... unless, of course, the decision is taken out of your hands.

There are thousands of historical events in the game that may or may occur on or about hte historical dates on which they occured. It all depends on choices made and conditions that must be met.. plus the randomization factor. Will you support one side or the other in the Spanish Civil War? Will you allow Germany to militarize the Rhineland? Will you, as Germany, attempt to militarize the Rhineland just to see if the Allies will allow you to do so this time around? There are even events for countries you might not think of as being part of a WWII game. Example: Perhaps you play as Argentina and decide to ally with Germany and do a land grab with Brazil.

Perhaps you play as a Chinese faction and decide to side with Japan in order to become the real power in China? The original HOI was banned in China, by the way. Apparently, the history it portrayed is still outlawed there.. despite its accuracy. That alone tell you that Paradox is doing something right.

If you watch the History Channel at all, chances are you will like this game. It will reward your efforts to think through a grand strategy. And, like for all great games, there is already a huge online community who will support this game. Graphics and strategic mods from the user community are being built now.. even before the game is in the hands of any of them outside the beta testers.

Buy the game, do the tutorials, play it.. and join the online community who will be discussing strategies for particular countries and the historical accuracy of events and tanks and planes and technologies and so on. I did so with a previous Paradox title, "Victoria", which was about the era from 1836 to 1920, and I learned a lot.