Anomaly 2

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 118 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 74 out of 118
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 118
  3. Negative: 15 out of 118

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  1. Honeybadgers
    May 15, 2013
    7
    Short answer, is it worth your money? If you like tower defense, yes. If you don't, I'd try the dirt cheap (and very good) mobile version first.

    Long answer, it's the first game, with a pithy little story, hilarious voice acting, gorgeous graphics, and nicely polished gameplay over the first. Each unit actually feels useful, the transformations are genuinely good, the maps are    Short answer, is it worth your money? If you like tower defense, yes. If you don't, I'd try the dirt cheap (and very good) mobile version first.

    Long answer, it's the first game, with a pithy little story, hilarious voice acting, gorgeous graphics, and nicely polished gameplay over the first. Each unit actually feels useful, the transformations are genuinely good, the maps are challenging and reward twitch gameplay. The not so good would be that the game can move faster than you can move your character around. More than once I dropped a repair node or decoy to dart back for a powerup, only to have my squad plow into death. the ability to stop your units seems like it would help tremendously. I also just don't feel like it has much replay value. Something needs to be done with regard to multiple game modes and assault types. If you want a tower defense game with huge replay value, defense grid is probably a better choice.

    That said, it was $15 and it entertained me for about as long as an average AAA shooter does these days, so I'd still give it a passing grade.    … Expand
  2. getrad
    May 24, 2013
    7
    I have edited my review based on an additional 20 hours of gameplay.

    My original score was a 5.4. I don't play and am not interested in multiplayer. The game retains a difficulty and learning curve that is steeper than the original. You might not become proficient until you beat it once. After doing so, you will have learned that the skill of anticipating what is coming and thinking    I have edited my review based on an additional 20 hours of gameplay.

    My original score was a 5.4. I don't play and am not interested in multiplayer.

    The game retains a difficulty and learning curve that is steeper than the original. You might not become proficient until you beat it once. After doing so, you will have learned that the skill of anticipating what is coming and thinking through what skills to use is more important in Anomaly 2 as compared to the original.

    In the first game, my playthrough was on hardcore. It went relatively smoothly. Playing through this game on your first try on hardcore will prove exceedingly difficult. But once you understand how to properly use your arsenal, often changing your arrangement mid-level, it becomes much easier and more fun. I played through on casual, then on professional; which should tell you something about how important it is to know the maps, and optimize your navigation.

    Each unit at your disposal is useful. There is no "one" setup to win. Of course, much of professional difficulty involves "abusing" the range of your cannons and cycling in a circle to snipe pesky towers, it is not as one-sided as the first game where one setup, and one setup is the best for 98% of situations. So, what is challenging at first becomes rewarding over time. This is an improvement.

    A recent patch has addressed the Behemoth issue of firing while turning towards a decoy, which significantly de-cheap-a-fies the gameplay. I have become used to the new front-end layout, although it is not as good as the original.

    Some of the original criticisms still stand about lack of detail, launch bonuses and style, but I am prepared
    to amend my 5.4 to a 7.4. If you have 10 dollars, and go into this game without to many presumptions about how it should play relative to the last game, with some patience you will enjoy yourself in the long run.    … Expand
  3. Dunge
    Jun 6, 2013
    5
    I loved the first game for bringing a new type of gameplay, but this sequel is exactly the same with a 2 slapped at the end. Does not merit a new title, should have been a DLC.
  4. xephnid
    Oct 14, 2013
    5
    Pros: The graphics are even nicer than in the original. Morphing adds some interesting tactical variation. Cutscenes and tutorials are less annoying because they're skippable now.

    Cons: Enemies spawn ridiculously close to you. And when they're dead, they respawn even closer. As a consequence the pace is frantic pretty much all the time. When you hear one of your units asking for help    Pros: The graphics are even nicer than in the original. Morphing adds some interesting tactical variation. Cutscenes and tutorials are less annoying because they're skippable now.

    Cons: Enemies spawn ridiculously close to you. And when they're dead, they respawn even closer. As a consequence the pace is frantic pretty much all the time. When you hear one of your units asking for help and you're not standing next to it, you may savely assume it's dead before you get there. And so you will find yourself restarting at the checkpoint again and again. And that's on normal difficulty. Higher difficulties are not manageable without meta-gaming: You will have to memorize when and where the enemies spawn.    … Expand
  5. JimCorbett
    May 29, 2013
    7
    Anomaly 2 is a solid game. It has fantastic graphics, sounds, and the story, for a tower defense (offense) game, is actually relatively interesting. The voice acting is still a bit comical as it was in the original game. Anomaly 2 sought to reinvent their own game with new additions such as morphing units. This effectively makes it easier to manage your units since you have a smallerAnomaly 2 is a solid game. It has fantastic graphics, sounds, and the story, for a tower defense (offense) game, is actually relatively interesting. The voice acting is still a bit comical as it was in the original game. Anomaly 2 sought to reinvent their own game with new additions such as morphing units. This effectively makes it easier to manage your units since you have a smaller number to think about, but each unit morphs into a completely different version. This was definitely a big improvement and I enjoyed it. There is also a host of new enemies, each of which i thought was a great addition, and also two of the commander powers from the previous game have been replaced. I also thought that this was a good change. Unfortunately, where Anomaly 2 falls short is that if offers a smaller and overall less engaging singleplayer experience because it tacked on a multiplayer mode. Most Anomaly fans have no interest in playing this game MP and I am one of them. I did try it and I was underwhelmed. There are only 4 maps, 1 gamemode, and a very limited playerbase. I don't expect the MP in this game to last very long at all so if you want to play it, i suggest finding a friend with the game. Overall Anomaly 2 isn't as great as the original game, hopefully 11bit will stick to SP experiences in the future.… Expand
  6. Frast2013X
    Aug 2, 2013
    7
    Dość ciekawy pomysł na strategię. Co prawda twórcy wykorzystali już większość potencjału przy części pierwszej, jednak podeszli do części drugiej jak do naprawienia błędów które popełnili przy jedynce i zachęceniu graczy do zagłębienia się do świata Anomaly raz jeszcze. Polepszona została grafika, pewne elementy strategiczne zostały pozmieniane. Główny motyw Anomaly został ten sam, i w tymDość ciekawy pomysł na strategię. Co prawda twórcy wykorzystali już większość potencjału przy części pierwszej, jednak podeszli do części drugiej jak do naprawienia błędów które popełnili przy jedynce i zachęceniu graczy do zagłębienia się do świata Anomaly raz jeszcze. Polepszona została grafika, pewne elementy strategiczne zostały pozmieniane. Główny motyw Anomaly został ten sam, i w tym jest problem. Osoba oczekująca przy drugiej części większych zmian, zawiedzie się. Gra ciągle jest trudna(teraz nawet trudniejsza), o wiele ciekawiej jest zagrać w grę tower-defense niż odwrotnie. Myślę że 11 bit studios miało duże chęci, jednak wreszcie powinni zostawić tą markę i wziąć się za coś innego. Moja ocena 7/10… Expand
  7. dragosbuzz
    Jun 19, 2015
    6
    A lot of people compare the Anomaly 2 with Tower Defence but...Anomaly 2 it is not an anomaly because it is not a Tower defence.There are differences between these two games namely that anomaly 2 is a offensive game and not a defensive game like Tower defence,the graphics are much better and is more fun.

Awards & Rankings

87
#87 Best PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Aug 1, 2013
    70
    An interesting change of pace for fans - or, on the flipside, it could be just the thing to get you interested. [Aug 2013, p.91]
  2. DarkStation
    Jul 17, 2013
    80
    While there are a few frustrations that keep Anomaly 2 from being truly fantastic, the game’s additions to it’s unique tower offense gameplay makes this a worthwhile sequel.
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  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 9, 2013
    80
    Anomaly 2 is a lot like the original instalment. Still, it's a great game with polished gameplay. There's no reason to think twice before buying it. [Issue#231]
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