Making History: The Calm and the Storm

 PC
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
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  1. PC Gamer
    74
    Making History may not be the deepest historical epic out there, but it is one of the most playable and a good way to whet your appetite for something more filling. [Aug 2007, p.66]
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  2. GameWatcher
    70
    The gameplay and graphics plus the historical accuracy of the game make this game a good choice for the right kind of gamer.
  3. Gamers' Temple
    70
    It won’t make history in the annals of strategy gaming, but Making History is a decent enough diversion for those with an interest in World War II strategy on a global scale.
  5. Gamer's Hell
    70
    A complex strategy game, challenging both for its detailed economy and its various spheres of military operations.
  6. IGN
    70
    On the one hand, the Hearts of Iron crowd will find that Making History isn't complex enough. On the other hand, the World at War fans will find that Making History gets bogged down in too many unnecessary details.
  7. GameSpot
    68
    Making History is an interesting, though dry, turn-based World War II strategy game.
  8. Armchair Empire
    65
    Despite the steady stream of real historical events, Making History seems strangely outside of history, inhabiting some alternate universe where nations go through the motions, behave erratically or simply do nothing at all. It’s hard to feel immersed in such a situation. And it’s hard to really care.
  9. PC Zone UK
    61
    A decent bit of strategy, but it's hardly treading new ground. [July 2007, p.84]
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  10. 1UP
    60
    Trouble is, your computer opponents verge on comatose.
  11. Pelit (Finland)
    60
    Stumbles on its primitive user interface. To play a game with 800 sectors the player would need easier access to information straight from the map. The game renders a detailed picture of the economic model of a state, yet the player is left with few meaningful decisions to make. [June 2007]
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  12. Boomtown
    60
    For those looking for a strategy game that matched the Second World War in intensity then you may wish to look elsewhere as Making History fails to storm the beaches of excitement and in the end is driven back into the sea.
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  13. GameDaily
    50
    The game's complex interface (composed primarily of a series of menus) makes it unapproachable to many people. Its slow pace gets exacerbated by the fact that cities can either produce or research, not both.

Awards & Rankings

85
#85 Best PC Game of 2007
60
#60 Most Discussed PC Game of 2007
57
#57 Most Shared PC Game of 2007

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 76 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 76
  3. Negative: 9 out of 76
  1. Inar
    Mar 25, 2007
    3
    This game manages to appear like a good, well-thought out game at first. In the very early stages you really feel like you're making This game manages to appear like a good, well-thought out game at first. In the very early stages you really feel like you're making your country. It feels unique. However, once a large war breaks out (which WILL happen, they scripted the AI so Germany and Britain will always fight), the game quickly degenerates. When the scale of combat goes up, it becomes a mind-numbingly boring game of "build the bigger army." It doesn't seem to matter what units you use, what tactics you have, what tech level each unit is, every battle boils down to one point: Which side has more pointsin strength. However, it appears that the game sometimes randomly decides to change that up, as once I had a 200 point army against an 80 point army, and the 80 point army won without A SINGLE CASUALTY. The game doesn't give you any reason to work your way up in tech. It also doesn't seem to care if you run out of resources, you just get a minor production penalty. Although I'm sure people would be likely to do more than slow work down if they were STARVING TO DEATH. As for diplomacy, it's basically nonexistant. You start with certain countries liking or disliking you or being indifferent. However, you don't seem to have any way to change that. I tried giving aide, no luck. I tried giving them military access. No luck. Finally, I gave them a province under my control This actually brought the diplomacy level DOWN, as if they disliked me because I gave them land. Units sometimes seem to magically appear, as there is no significant alert towards unguarded areas being captured. This puts larger countries such as the USSR at a large disadvantage. If you are focused on fighting in one area, you may turn around only to realize that half your country has been seized by enemy forces. I would reccomend this game to people who either enjoy clicking the "turn" button repeatedly with no significant reward, or people that enjoy staring at maps for lengthy periods of time.… Full Review »
  2. JamesF.
    Jun 19, 2007
    3
    Game is supposedly a WWII game and has absolutely nothing dedicated to WWII.
  3. PhilM.
    Mar 25, 2007
    0
    This game should be, more correctly, called "Making UP History" ... it is really WW2 Risk. The economic system ... doesn't work. The This game should be, more correctly, called "Making UP History" ... it is really WW2 Risk. The economic system ... doesn't work. The diplomatic system ... doesn't work. The military system ... is broken. It might as well be set in Slobbovia, for the level of reality it displays.… Full Review »
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