Faces of War

 PC
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: Sep 12, 2006
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 79 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 79
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 79
  3. Negative: 6 out of 79
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  1. RobertReeks
    Jul 22, 2006
    1
    That havent even bothered to check the use of english for the in game instructions, mission descriptions etc.
    The beautiful scenery blocks your view of almost all the action.
    was never really sure if an action I had clicked on was goung to occur or where it was going to affect. The mision I played, which the first part was to blow up the radar dish, seemed to get completed despite the    That havent even bothered to check the use of english for the in game instructions, mission descriptions etc.
    The beautiful scenery blocks your view of almost all the action.
    was never really sure if an action I had clicked on was goung to occur or where it was going to affect.
    The mision I played, which the first part was to blow up the radar dish, seemed to get completed despite the fact I had no idea what was going on.
    I've seen reviews on this game elsewhere on the web say how wondewrful this game is. They did not play the same game I did.    … Expand
  2. KenXi
    Sep 18, 2006
    8
    Imagine World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI and Call of Duty 2, now go get this game right now.
  3. EmilD.
    Apr 29, 2007
    9
    Exceptionally realistic physics, spectacular explosions, total control over units and the feature to manually take control of them: this game is the perfect meet between tactical/strategical deep and movie like action.
  4. DaveO.
    Sep 20, 2006
    9
    What a Hoot! This is the RTS I've been waiting for. The micro-management you have to do is done on the Battlefield...IN the battle itself. No more of the tired, stale, build another base>churn out troops>throw them at the enemy...yawn. I am already replaying missions, just looking for better tactics and sweeter outcomes, and I haven't even finished the first campaign. Awesome What a Hoot! This is the RTS I've been waiting for. The micro-management you have to do is done on the Battlefield...IN the battle itself. No more of the tired, stale, build another base>churn out troops>throw them at the enemy...yawn. I am already replaying missions, just looking for better tactics and sweeter outcomes, and I haven't even finished the first campaign. Awesome graphics, physics, and destructible maps. Sure, its not perfect, and I understand a patch is already on the way to address some control & AI issues. I haven't even tried the Mutiplayer yet, but I'm doing the hard-sell on my friends in anticipation...grin. Great work.… Expand
  5. MavK.
    Feb 8, 2007
    9
    This is the game I have been waiting for, for a looooong time! A bit buggy, and a few glitches here and there, but the extreme graphics, possibility's, and ... and.. Omg, just try it! Just remember to ask yourself one question before you buy it, am i a quake/counter strike player, with hang to extremely fast paced action fps's and so on? If yes, then this game is not for you. This is the game I have been waiting for, for a looooong time! A bit buggy, and a few glitches here and there, but the extreme graphics, possibility's, and ... and.. Omg, just try it! Just remember to ask yourself one question before you buy it, am i a quake/counter strike player, with hang to extremely fast paced action fps's and so on? If yes, then this game is not for you. Complete campaign on tactics mode ftw (now THAT is difficult and entertaining).… Expand
  6. TeppoK.
    May 2, 2007
    10
    Very nice game indeed. It takes a while to learn the gameplay, but after you learn it you cant stop.
  7. JacobBartle
    Jun 1, 2008
    9
    This is a great game. Hadn't heard of it until I saw it at Circuit City for $3.29. Best three bucks I ever spent on a video game. I don't think it's really comparable to Company of Heroes, which I've played since '06. CoH is a pure RTS game with a larger scale, while Faces of War picks and chooses: you have third-person shooter, squad-based tactics, tank sim,This is a great game. Hadn't heard of it until I saw it at Circuit City for $3.29. Best three bucks I ever spent on a video game. I don't think it's really comparable to Company of Heroes, which I've played since '06. CoH is a pure RTS game with a larger scale, while Faces of War picks and chooses: you have third-person shooter, squad-based tactics, tank sim, resource management (ammo & fuel), etc.

    I love the inventory system, incredible attention to detail, extremely challenging missions (quadruple your fun with co-op!), and destructible environments. It hasn't crashed or glitched on me yet, and it runs surprisingly well on my system with maxed settings (which look great).

    My expectations were definitely lowered by the game's price tag, and I hadn't heard any press about it. I was very impressed by the game and somewhat surprised at the cool reception it's received from critics. I suppose it's simply not a game you can play lightly, without thinking about every move you make. The single-player missions are like puzzles, and the tools you're given to work with sometimes feel woefully inadequate, and cunning tactics and innovative thinking will win sooner than brute force will. Due to the level of detail in control, I think this game would be very difficult to play with a large army.    … Expand
  8. DerekE.
    Sep 14, 2006
    9
    This is a worthy successor to Soldiers: Heroes of World War II. Brought to you by the same team that made that fine game, this one is more polished and you have more commands at your disposal. It plays pretty much the same (if you haven't tried the other, go get it immediately!) but is deeper and richer due to enw commands and maps that are better designed. There are lots of new This is a worthy successor to Soldiers: Heroes of World War II. Brought to you by the same team that made that fine game, this one is more polished and you have more commands at your disposal. It plays pretty much the same (if you haven't tried the other, go get it immediately!) but is deeper and richer due to enw commands and maps that are better designed. There are lots of new things to enjoy in this latest game actually, so if you like the first you'll love this one.… Expand
  9. NikS.
    Sep 14, 2006
    10
    Awesome, lives up to the original and adds so much more. Buy it now you won't be dissapointed.
  10. JowU.
    Sep 17, 2006
    5
    Faces of Wars graphic reminds me of Counterstrike 1.x Graphics are very rough (MX440 style). I give it a 5 overall.
  11. LenH.
    Sep 17, 2006
    9
    If you want a serious challenge that takes far more strategy and consideration before deploying your troops, play this one on the higher difficulty levels. For a serious veteran of war games like this, the gameplay at these levels is incredible. Deep and immersive without being overbearing, but with PLENTY of strategizing to do. For those who want a lighter yet still cerebral experience, If you want a serious challenge that takes far more strategy and consideration before deploying your troops, play this one on the higher difficulty levels. For a serious veteran of war games like this, the gameplay at these levels is incredible. Deep and immersive without being overbearing, but with PLENTY of strategizing to do. For those who want a lighter yet still cerebral experience, the lower difficulty levels are perfect and still very rich in game play. This is a hit with me. Well made!… Expand
  12. Ben
    Sep 18, 2006
    9
    Finally! A unique war shooter! I've never seen such realistic AI, this game rooools!
  13. RuneG.
    Sep 20, 2006
    7
    This game is a RTS game similar to Company of Heroes. What really seperates these two games is that FOW is far more complicated and difficult. You can take direct control of the soldiers and mount nearly all vehicles on the map,You can change from different types of ammo such as AP and HE, conbtrol different turrets on tanks and stationary weapons. Pick up objects from fallen soldiers and This game is a RTS game similar to Company of Heroes. What really seperates these two games is that FOW is far more complicated and difficult. You can take direct control of the soldiers and mount nearly all vehicles on the map,You can change from different types of ammo such as AP and HE, conbtrol different turrets on tanks and stationary weapons. Pick up objects from fallen soldiers and destroyed veichles. You cand (and must) even refuel and resupply ammo on the veichles you use. This all together sounds pretty impressive and cool doesn't it? Well, it may seem nice at first, but thios all together gets pretty too much when the battle begin. It's just too much and too chaotic and it gest terrible frustrating at times. The game is also a bit buggy witch unpolished control options and characters getting stuck outside the vehicles. Visually the game looks great witch nice physics and sharp textures, the draw distance could have been better, but the game is really system demanding som it's probably best to have it thisd way. Sound is great, but the tutorial guy gets a bit "too much". + Fancy gameplay. + Good AI. + Great graphics. - Byggy control system. - Irritating tutorial. - System demanding. - Chaotic at times. A great game for hardcore RTS fans, too complex for some folks. Could have been more polished an round on the edges.… Expand
  14. Amit
    Oct 14, 2006
    8
    Is it just me but I find this more fun than the point and click RTS Company of Heroes. CoH beats this game ONLY in the fact that it has a solid single player campaign. If you have a PC to play CoH at high Res then this game should be no problem. On my "aging" Ti 4200 I was impressed be the levels of detail in the environment and units.
  15. TuukkaP.
    Oct 16, 2006
    9
    Atmospheric World War 2 RTS with stunning graphics.
  16. RobS.
    Oct 9, 2006
    5
    Well, this game is just same as soldiers, heroes of WW II...unfortunately, I can't find the trainer for this game...this game needs a lot of concentration and full strategic...graphic of this game is outstanding, sound is great...just need a trainer...
  17. RhinoR.
    Sep 18, 2006
    10
    I'm blown away by the co-op in this game, it's more engaging than co-op in CS and HALO2, and the graphics are amazing as well. I'm very, very satisfied with this game's provisions overall. I'd give it 9.2/10.
  18. Jeffi
    Sep 18, 2006
    9
    i came up on this via a friend who works for ubisoft (he gave it to me for free) but i almost feel guilty. this game is off the hook, definitely at least try renting it - it's ... very original to say the least. a sort of shooter, rpg, strategy... a bit of everything. and world war 2 storyline, very cool.
  19. AndrewR.
    Sep 18, 2006
    10
    I usually dont come on these sites to review games since everyone should make their own judgement about them, but this one is a little different. ive been playing shooters for years, and FoW seems to have raised the bar on shooters. aside from graphics, gameplay etc, it's THE MOST realistic war game ive ever played, and dont take my word for it, just rent it or buy it and youll seeI usually dont come on these sites to review games since everyone should make their own judgement about them, but this one is a little different. ive been playing shooters for years, and FoW seems to have raised the bar on shooters. aside from graphics, gameplay etc, it's THE MOST realistic war game ive ever played, and dont take my word for it, just rent it or buy it and youll see what i mean.… Expand
  20. RickyU.
    Sep 18, 2006
    8
    WW2 never seemed so... fun? but seriously, Faces of War has to be one fo the most in depth world war ii games i've ever played. say goodbye to brother in arms, ubi just crapped on its own game and did a new one that you pretty much need to play or else. this game 0wns.
  21. BenJ.
    Sep 19, 2006
    9
    Being a huge rpg fan,I can say this game is the closest to an rpg as i think a "shooter" or strategy type game could be. Commanding armies and weapons like tanks and cannons is a lot funner than I thought it would be and the graphics are astoudning.
  22. KennethM.
    Jan 30, 2007
    10
    Excellent game, incredible complexity In a way, reminds me of a squad based version of Operation Flashpoint.
  23. AnguelD.
    Feb 16, 2007
    9
    I haven't played any other strategy game better recreating WWII combat.
  24. HarmL.
    Mar 11, 2007
    4
    What a waste of diskspace. A RTS without possibility to build up an army. And a strategy game without time to think. Controls are lousy cause you cannot see which commands you are giving the soldiers. Most of the time they just crawl in front of a machinegun nest instead of throwing a grenade. On top of this, every action is totally prescribed. Avoid this, even when in a bargain bin.
  25. Iand
    Sep 12, 2006
    10
    Best. Game. Ever The multiplayer side of the game is the most fun I have had in a long time, a really unique approach to the RTS genre which is sorely needed.
  26. NicolaiL.
    Sep 14, 2006
    8
    This is quite a Face. Part strategy, part tactical, this game handles these elements well and the controls have ease of use. This is important, as a lot of strategy/tactical games have overly complicated controls and more of your game is spent trying to get the controls to do what you want them to. Not so here. I find myself playing the game more than wrestling with the controls. Oh yeah, This is quite a Face. Part strategy, part tactical, this game handles these elements well and the controls have ease of use. This is important, as a lot of strategy/tactical games have overly complicated controls and more of your game is spent trying to get the controls to do what you want them to. Not so here. I find myself playing the game more than wrestling with the controls. Oh yeah, and it's a fun game too!… Expand
  27. GrantM.
    Sep 14, 2006
    9
    Wow. Just...wow. I've recently rented the Band of Brothers DVDs and so my interest in D-Day and the like is very high right now. After watching that excellent series, I didn't know if this game would be able to match the experience. Well not only do I get to watch D-Day portrayed again, I get ot PLAY it. And play it well! This game shreds. Very tense and hectic. Playing it has Wow. Just...wow. I've recently rented the Band of Brothers DVDs and so my interest in D-Day and the like is very high right now. After watching that excellent series, I didn't know if this game would be able to match the experience. Well not only do I get to watch D-Day portrayed again, I get ot PLAY it. And play it well! This game shreds. Very tense and hectic. Playing it has the same scary/bananas feel as Band fo Brothers, only I feel more connected to it playing the game.… Expand
  28. HanS.
    Sep 17, 2006
    9
    Good God. Me and a bunch of friends just spent the entir e weekend playing this online together. After an amazing Saturday playing we even skipped watching football today for another day of play. This one is going to take over our lives! Work is gonna suck tomorrow. All I want to do is to play more of this wih my friends.
  29. ArtA
    Sep 18, 2006
    8
    These graphics are some of the best I've seen in a while. Thank you Ubisoft for continuously making such ground breaking games.
  30. Kerveros
    Apr 3, 2014
    9
    A true successor os S: HOWW2. Missions may be less in number (only 9 actual missions), but they take much more time to complete. The last Allied mission (where you start in a flooded city and in the end you have to take out some artillery fortifications, took me like 6 hours...of INTENSE gameplay. And I add that I played it in tactics mode. Have to say anything else? One bullet fromA true successor os S: HOWW2. Missions may be less in number (only 9 actual missions), but they take much more time to complete. The last Allied mission (where you start in a flooded city and in the end you have to take out some artillery fortifications, took me like 6 hours...of INTENSE gameplay. And I add that I played it in tactics mode. Have to say anything else? One bullet from nowhere may just 1-shot your soldier. It is not funny at all. But this way the game is intense and makes you act fast and think fast at the same time. After 1 mission you will really need some rest. Unfortunately you cannot pause and issue orders in the same way as in S: HOWW2 which is something vital and the reason I rate it 9/10 and not 10/10.

    Graphics. Pretty cool. Camera fully rotating, fully zooming, nice animations and physics. The game was released in 2006 and for that period its graphics must have been stunning. The environment is realistic and detailed, fully destructible and takes you to the area where the actual battle took place. The figures move smoothly, spill blood, fall down or get launched by explosions very nicely. Physics is a strong aspect of this game. Even heavy tanks demolish buildings when they pass through them. I was in ISU-2 and was literally smashing everything on my pass. Fun times…

    As I mentioned before, there are not many missions to play. Just 9 (3 for Soviet, 3 for Allies, 3 for Teutons). But you will need hours to complete just 1 mission, and after that you will need some rest…it is intense, especially with tactics mode. And here I have to explain something about it. You will just die as easily as the enemy, so your mistakes will be punished even harsher. You rush towards machine gunners who are behind road blocks? In seconds all your squad will be empty red bars. You will have to throw grenades, take an indirect approach and then throw grenades again to make them get out of cover. This is what we mean “tactics”. So yeah you will have to use tactics even more than before. It will be too intense though and I sometimes got pissed that 1 random bullet could just kill my guy 1-shot. Many people say that AI is not smarter on tactics etc etc. I inform you that it might not be smarter (AI in 2006 was still something under development, so stop qq’ing…nowadays titles have even worse AI), but it will hit MUCH harder. And this is enough to make the game more challenging. The difficulty gap is obvious if you play both tactics and arcade.

    The AI thingy…yeah it is not perfect, but still can make you feel desperate. It knows damn well how to come out from nowhere to **** you up. Enemy infantry waiting patiently hidden behind some obstacle for your tank to pass by and then throw an AT grenade (or even Panzershreck) at it from 2meters. Boom. And boom you are dead. You made the mistake not to support the tank with infantry! Since it is AI, it HAS to be overwhelming in such a game. It HAS to make you feel that the odds are impossible. This is how it becomes challenging. And I like it. I will always remember missions that made me play them for hours, and in the end I was sore. So, no matter how, the AI manages to make it tough. Do not expect some walk in the park.

    Again, this game, like its predecessors (S: HOWW2 and Silent Heroes) and its successors (Men Of War series) is made for HC gamers of this SPECIFIC style. Yes we like the micromanagement. Yes we like to start with 100 bullets and loot the rest 1000 from dead corpses. Yeah we like to see enemies 10 times our number to attack us and have to kill them all. And we damn adore not having to build bases to replenish our losses. Each soldier for us is something that must not die. Ever. In other games grenade is an ability with CD. Here, you can throw all your grenades one after another. Your only limit is how many you actually have in your inventory. Realistic? Yes. Fun? Even more. Sometimes though, the action is so fast that you do not have time to breathe and replenish ammo from bodies. But in general, if you are careful and not careless, you will not have such a problem. This game has the habit to make you walk at its pace, and not at YOUR pace. More challenges and we like them.

    If you are not ready for some owning from the AI, at least in the beginning when you will be getting acquainted with the changes from S: HOWW2 (if you have not played you should not read this review and not even try this game), do not try it. You WILL cry. It is one of the games I have played from start to end on tactics mode and I feel proud. Last allied mission. I had to take out some artillery defenses above a beach. It was some kind of fort with 2meter walls, narrow corridors WITHOUT ceiling. Instead of bashing my head in these corridors in front of some MG’s, I took a soldier outside and he was throwing grenades above the 2-3m wall on the heads of the enemy soldiers inside. It was thinking that made it possible and not numbers and zerging like in other…”strategy” games.    … Expand
  31. GervantRBR
    Feb 11, 2021
    10
    A great RTS game leading up to today’s Men of War assault squad 2. The unique thing about this game is the direct control mode which makes it so you don’t have to rely on stupid AI leading your characters.
    A campaign with non repetitive missions is the greatest thing on this game, you command the Soviets in the attack on Berlin, or the Germans in the operation Wacht am Rhein, or the    A great RTS game leading up to today’s Men of War assault squad 2. The unique thing about this game is the direct control mode which makes it so you don’t have to rely on stupid AI leading your characters.
    A campaign with non repetitive missions is the greatest thing on this game, you command the Soviets in the attack on Berlin, or the Germans in the operation Wacht am Rhein, or the Americans on Omaha beach, it is the JEWEL between the older RTS games.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Most Discussed PC Game of 2006
27
#27 Most Shared PC Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. Total Video Games
    50
    In most ways the game feels like so many European developed RTS titles that fail to connect with gamers that it's only the Direct Control function (and the well known logo of Ubisoft) that lifts it ever so slightly out of the crowd of other strategy games developed across mainland Europe.
    Read full review
  2. GameSpot
    60
    Faces of War proves that even something as formulaic as a World War II real-time strategy game can still go awry.
    Read full review
  3. GamesRadar+
    60
    Faces of War wins on several fronts with its attractive destructible environments and solid multiplayer options; unfortunately, it falls short of total victory with frustrating AI and extensive micro-management duties, especially in single-player.
    Read full review
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