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143 of 145 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Strategy Game, January 15, 2005
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
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.
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71 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a RTS but a RSG (Real Strategy Game), February 21, 2005
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
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.
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why am I wasting time..., January 12, 2005
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
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)
;-)
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[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!
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