Men of War: Assault Squad

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 119 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 85 out of 119
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 119
  3. Negative: 14 out of 119
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  1. TK317
    Jul 15, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Assault Squad is a big improvement over Men of War in many ways. New textures give troops, vehicles, and weapons a more detailed, realistic look, and AS finally fixes the ranges of weapons, making the game more realistic. AS also added some new units that make the game a lot more interesting than its predecessor. Once again, the GEM editor is an excellent feature, giving the game an almost unlimited re-playability (this of course requiring you to take the time to make your own maps). The only downside of Assault Squad? Once again, it is the single player. Although 1C finally added skirmish mode and got some better voice actors, skirmish in itself is a massive let let down. All the missions (UK, US, USSR, Germany, and Japan), with the sole exception of the maps and the enemies, are carbon copies of each other. It's especially noticeable with missions for the same faction, as you get the same units for the same objectives. There's no story to the missions at all, and only a fraction of the total units in the game are available to use in the missions. Even the new defense and infiltration missions are the same, save the scenery, which really takes this 10/10 game down to an 8. If not for the amazingness of the GEM Editor, this would be a 7/10 game.… Expand
  2. anakingodx
    Jan 25, 2014
    7
    While there are many improvements over the original men of war, the singleplayer missions are very repetitive and some maps feel recycled. Many of the new additions that came with the game were already available from mods for the original men of war. The multiplayer however is much better. So if you are someone who wants to play multiplayer only then get this game.
  3. AtomiK
    Apr 19, 2011
    10
    Greatest RTS of all time! Fun combat, great direct control ability, numerous chances to pull of ingenious strategies... or fail miserably, yet still have fun doing so! The best series noone has ever heard of, which is quite sad really. A must have for strategy fans everywhere!
  4. Haba
    Jun 3, 2012
    9
    Men of War: Assault Squad builds upon several excellent games, bringing you one of the finest real time strategic combat experiences there exists. Several balanced factions to play with and a multitude of units available combined with the depth in the ballistic system and the destructible environment provides the players with a playground that enables some truly unique combat experiences.Men of War: Assault Squad builds upon several excellent games, bringing you one of the finest real time strategic combat experiences there exists. Several balanced factions to play with and a multitude of units available combined with the depth in the ballistic system and the destructible environment provides the players with a playground that enables some truly unique combat experiences. The skirmish single-player is very lacklustre, previous titles in the series provide much better campaigns on that front, but on the multi-player side the game is truly unmatched. Even years after the release, the community is still as active as the developers are - new content and balancing patches are still being released to expand upon the MoW:AS experience.… Expand
  5. jwinlesta
    Jun 4, 2011
    10
    probably my favourite game ever. but only once you have gotten used to all the different units because not only is this punishing as hell its also incredibly detailed in every way. the only downside i can really find is its not very obvious online if a game is ranked or not and the campaign (skirmish mode basically) is very linear, its mostly however to train you for the online mode whichprobably my favourite game ever. but only once you have gotten used to all the different units because not only is this punishing as hell its also incredibly detailed in every way. the only downside i can really find is its not very obvious online if a game is ranked or not and the campaign (skirmish mode basically) is very linear, its mostly however to train you for the online mode which is excellent and far superior to the prevois in the series where heavy tanks just ruled the map and now a skilled commander can beat a tiger tank with a single guy if he is smart but if the tiger is used well it can defeat armies. truly the most in depth tactical game ever!… Expand
  6. Mihao
    Jun 14, 2011
    10
    For me the game is just nice. Although there is not many improvements comparing with previous parts of Men Of War indeed, the game has nicer graphics, runs much more smoothly than even the first part of MoW, and gives us some more options to use in fight. However, some new options could be added (eg. digging trenches, different camouflages, some better interface (if we have over 30 unitsFor me the game is just nice. Although there is not many improvements comparing with previous parts of Men Of War indeed, the game has nicer graphics, runs much more smoothly than even the first part of MoW, and gives us some more options to use in fight. However, some new options could be added (eg. digging trenches, different camouflages, some better interface (if we have over 30 units in the battle, including artillery and tanks, we need really some seconds to discover where our unit is and to control it using it's picture in the interface. Pros:
    Nice feeling of II WW
    Nice graphics
    Nice sounds
    The best tactical RTS now

    Contras:
    Nothing new
    Some more options could be added
    Not the best interface
    Only few maps in Frontline mode    … Expand
  7. los_majklos
    Feb 6, 2012
    10
    First of all, let's clarify one major issue. This is NOT an expansion for MOW, this is entirely new game! New detailed models, new maps, new AI, new controls, new almost everything...

    Second â
  8. A_Tree
    Jul 31, 2011
    6
    I enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as the previous two games. Assault Squad offers little new to the series, other than new keyboard shortcuts, that will require you to re-learn what you knew before. It feels more polished, and, as a result, it has lost that beautiful charm that the original had. The single player is just for show, as each map is identical to the last, and it's becomeI enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as the previous two games. Assault Squad offers little new to the series, other than new keyboard shortcuts, that will require you to re-learn what you knew before. It feels more polished, and, as a result, it has lost that beautiful charm that the original had. The single player is just for show, as each map is identical to the last, and it's become simply a series of random skirmishes. It feels more balanced, and hence units just feel too similar (if that makes sense?). It's fun, but it just fades in comparison to the vanilla Men of War.… Expand
  9. Solipsism
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    This is really starting to develop in the spirit of Close Combat 5, although the scale is altered and we see some less realistic operational inclusions like on-map artillery, battlefield repair. From a gameplay perspective, however, these work very well. Like CC5, it is all about real-life tactics. No tank rushes, no infantry spamming. Instead it is an immensely complex competition of theThis is really starting to develop in the spirit of Close Combat 5, although the scale is altered and we see some less realistic operational inclusions like on-map artillery, battlefield repair. From a gameplay perspective, however, these work very well. Like CC5, it is all about real-life tactics. No tank rushes, no infantry spamming. Instead it is an immensely complex competition of the minds. Predict your opponents, surprise him, trick him. Learn to use terrain, suppression, flanking, armour differences, numerical superiority, quality. Advance or dig in. Push or reinforce. Infiltrate, mine the roads, ambush. Bleed of his infantry to expose his tanks or assault under smoke cover. Coordinate your attacks with your allies. Tactics is everything. And it is a lot of fun!… Expand
  10. ry_ry1990
    Mar 27, 2011
    10
    Men of war was already the best WWII RTS game in my mind, and now 1C made Assault Squad even better, with better graphic, the unique hero units and some new maps let me really enjoy the game play.
  11. Robkilerrabit
    Feb 10, 2012
    10
    Men of War: Assault Squad is one of the best RTSs out there. It allows the player to control up to 100 troops at a time or use one man to wreck havoc behind enemy lines. Assault Squad fixed most of the AI flaws from MOW and with constant updates it seems to get better and better. This game is easily the most realistic RTS I've ever played. The only problem is because not many people playMen of War: Assault Squad is one of the best RTSs out there. It allows the player to control up to 100 troops at a time or use one man to wreck havoc behind enemy lines. Assault Squad fixed most of the AI flaws from MOW and with constant updates it seems to get better and better. This game is easily the most realistic RTS I've ever played. The only problem is because not many people play this game, the servers can be a little less populated than what you want.… Expand
  12. Parvarteshwar
    Jun 14, 2012
    6
    There are two main games in the WW2 RTS genre; Company of Heroes and Men at War. The former is by far the easiest. I rate Men of War's difficulty at about 8/10 on Hard difficulty, it's not impossible to beat but if you're playing on the highest difficulty setting and don't have any friends for co-op you WILL find it impossible unless you are a professional gamer. So you might be thinkingThere are two main games in the WW2 RTS genre; Company of Heroes and Men at War. The former is by far the easiest. I rate Men of War's difficulty at about 8/10 on Hard difficulty, it's not impossible to beat but if you're playing on the highest difficulty setting and don't have any friends for co-op you WILL find it impossible unless you are a professional gamer. So you might be thinking this game would make a great challenge, and yes it is, but not in gameplay. The challenge lies in mastering the faulty interface and micromanaging your units. Some battles might have hundreds of units and trying to do this gets extremely frustrating, especially because your units are highly expendable and will die like flies if you leave them alone during an attack. There are no controls for coordinating your attacks or directing your units other than to point and click, and you will be doing a lot of pointing and clicking because if you leave it up to the AI you will lose immediately. This is made more awkward by the lack of an interactive mini-map, you will have to click, scrolls, click, click, scroll and it gets tedious really fast. The game does have its positives; the micromanagitis means your have a huge influence on the battle and placing the right unit in the right place will often make a big difference. There is a large range of army, motorised and artillery units at your disposal and there are often several ways around a problem with different units and difference tactics. It's fun to out-manoeuvre, out gun and out flank a defending army but the bad interface slows down gameplay and breaks the flow, tearing your out of that immersive General's chair. It really does feel like your struggling more against the game's mechanics than the actual game. Despite all this, the game deserves a relatively good score because it is a good game. It is unique, fresh and for once it doesn't feel like someone is holding your hand guiding your through they game experience. It's just lacking a lot of polish and a bit of story. If you are veteran of Company of Heroes or strategy games then go for Men of War, if not be prepared for a learning curve resembling brick wall but lot of fun to be had if you do manage to climb over it.… Expand
  13. JewishKamikaze
    Jun 1, 2012
    10
    Very good game. Maps are polished, units are detailed, core gameplay is very nice, especially on assault zones. It's a game that has a lot of unwritten concepts and a steep initial learning curve, but once the micromanagement of sandbags and grenades is mastered, cerebrally rewarding gameplay unfolds.
  14. fondu321
    May 24, 2013
    10
    One of my favorite games of all time. The replayability of single player is second to none. The AI is not too shabby on heroic mode and it provides quite the challenge. I highly recommend this game if you enjoy slow paced realistic strategy games. The way your units can take cover is probably the coolest part of the game.
  15. Darkstalker
    Sep 25, 2011
    10
    Mein apsoluter lieblings Teil der Men of War Reihe und auch mein apsolutes lieblings Spiel im 2ten Weltkrieg Bereich.

    Spiele wie Company of Heroes oder RUSE kommen an die Men of War Reihe nicht mal ansatzsweise ran.
  16. NevNav
    May 30, 2013
    9
    Far better game than company of casuals mostly realistic great with friends .
    Direct control is brilliant maps are good gameplay is fun tho AI sucks sometimes and your infantry starts to airhump
  17. gyrate
    Jun 24, 2012
    10
    This game will punch you right in the mouth starting with the introduction. Get used to it because it's just warming up. If you are an RTS fan and love old skewl C&C this is for you. It is playing army and the AI is relentless.
  18. HEIMDAL13
    Dec 9, 2012
    10
    The game is amazing, the best strategy game set in world war 2. The game highlights by its realism, bullet penetration mechanics, damageable vehicle components, letal weapons, and much more. Also graphics and sound are excelent. The hours of fun the game provides are absolutly large.
  19. PrettyOkGuy
    Sep 28, 2015
    10
    It's a great game a lot of gameplay 40+hours put into it
    the mods are amazing
    Star wars and stuff
    There is so much to do and you can almost not run dry of mods and there is a new Star Wars Galaxies At War Mod under progress for it.
  20. Menofwarfan
    Apr 20, 2011
    3
    Having been a big Men of War fan and enthusiastic modder ever since 'Soldiers Heroes of WW2' and subsequent games all unusually having different titles yet sharing a great deal in common in game engine and style of game play, I was rather surprised by the final result of Men of War: Assault Squad. It left me disappointed. Following are the reasons why.
    Firstly the game is virtually a copy    Having been a big Men of War fan and enthusiastic modder ever since 'Soldiers Heroes of WW2' and subsequent games all unusually having different titles yet sharing a great deal in common in game engine and style of game play, I was rather surprised by the final result of Men of War: Assault Squad. It left me disappointed. Following are the reasons why.
    Firstly the game is virtually a copy paste from the 'Vanilla' Men of War game. Now people may consider that a harsh thing to say, as veterans of the series will know that that's nothing new in the series and in fact most of the games current features, vehicles & units have all had previous lives all the way back to the aforementioned 'Soldiers'. In itself it's a good thing, a process of evolution from one title to the next. However this edition of the Men of War product is in my opinion failing to evolve and in many areas devolving instead. Many features such as skirmish mode have big design flaws as well as disastrous bugs that linger from older titles yet should have been the attention of developers. Skirmish mode is liner and repetitive with little in the way of grand tactical challenge, options being grab and hold ground like an enormous Pac Man made up of dozens of little screaming soldiers and chomp your way through a horde of enemy units that flood down a narrow battlefield limiting any concept of manoeuvre (a key aspect to any battle). Each skirmish map is a copy paste of the last, sticking the player into a new environment that despite being graphically impressive is mostly old scenery rearranged from the Vanilla game. Path finding is pathetic (no improvement from original) and should be better after all the years and needs to be corrected or even slightly improved. Examples being units wondering around aimlessly or not at all when called into battle, AI driving over its own defences and getting stuck.
    Compared to Vanilla Men of War single player/co-op fails to be as fun or actually challenging in ways other than to time and sense. One of the key areas of the original being its carefully designed battles that gave the player a freedom despite its scripted nature. In fact I've looked at Assault Squad's scripts and found them to be lazy and limited by comparison to the earlier efforts and even more so the results.
    Multiplayer claims to be better balanced and claims to be less about heavy units and in theory I understand the aim of the developers. The original tended to have a mechanic that led players to gravitate to heavy vehicles, yet light vehicles and infantry could easily out manoeuvre heavier tanks and the balance was arguably very good. The playing style as a lot to do with the results and the appearance of imbalance. Assault squad changes engagement ranges and weapon ballistics for all units to give a greater sense of realism which overall is a great idea that fails to adjust other game mechanics such as map sizes ad overall scale of the battlefield (showing the limits of the engine) and to take into account the view distance of the player and the ability to zoom out far enough to see what is being fired at and vice versa. It would have been a wise and simple change that has been sadly omitted (my guess is for frame rate issues??).
    Plus points are to be found but are limited to fractionally better graphics and a few new maps (others being modified or removed from the core game altogether). Also the limited movement of the tank mounted Anti-Aircraft guns is a good change to make them less effective against infantry from the sides and rear (a simple change yet a wise one).
    Overall the game fails to cover any new ground despite what major reviews suggest. People new to the series will no doubt admire the core game play and ideas but that isnt new to this game. Older players from previous games such as 'Soldiers HoWW2' and 'Faces of War' will possibly be disappointed. I know that quite a few enthusiastic players feel neglected and unhappy with the way the series is going. Digital Mindsoft seems intent to shed its old core of players and create a more mainstream game to compete with rival titles and seem more preoccupied with promoting the same material over and over using clever marketing and shiny graphics. Bye bye Men of War it's nothing personal just business.    … Expand
  21. defcola
    Feb 13, 2012
    10
    Men of War: Assault Squad is one of the best RTSs out there. It allows the player to control up to 100 troops at a time or use one man to wreck havoc behind enemy lines. Assault Squad fixed most of the AI flaws from MOW and with constant updates it seems to get better and better. This game is easily the most realistic RTS I've ever played.
  22. JohnYoga
    Apr 16, 2012
    9
    MOW-AS GOTY version

    Outstanding game. More of a thinking RTS vs. COH. The only issues I see: a) Poor overview map; b) Micromanaging OK until you have 50+ INF, Support, Vehicles on the field; c) Interface a bit clunky; d) Co-Op experience is no where near as refined as COH; d) Voices are a bit silly at times. I sometimes hear a Gestapo-sounding voice bark out encouragements to US troops!    MOW-AS GOTY version

    Outstanding game. More of a thinking RTS vs. COH. The only issues I see: a) Poor overview map; b) Micromanaging OK until you have 50+ INF, Support, Vehicles on the field; c) Interface a bit clunky; d) Co-Op experience is no where near as refined as COH; d) Voices are a bit silly at times. I sometimes hear a Gestapo-sounding voice bark out encouragements to US troops!

    The great: a) Much more realistic than COH. b) There is no such thing as "fire-up" ability, or getting suppressed by an MG - your guys die. c) There is no retreat button! d) It doesn't take eight+ squads of engineers to take out one INF squad.; e) Sound effects, f) scenery and visuals are wonderful; g) GOTY version has 25 Skirmish & 50 MP maps! h) So much more unit, support and vehicle variety than COH; i) No base-building; j) No population cap; k) Can form and split of INF into squads at will; l) Each "Mission" map is huge, and will take many hours to play, per; especially if you are new to the game. And, so on...

    John    … Expand
  23. notyourbuddy
    Mar 28, 2014
    8
    Who Men of War: Assault Squad is best suited for:
    - World War 2 enthusiasts who enjoy a more immersive gameplay experience; players who find Company of Heroes to be way too casual; and PC Strategy gamers who aren't afraid of a challenge.
    Quick Summary: - Tactical, strategic, detailed, complex, challenging, and realistic style of game-play where battles actually feel like war, troops    Who Men of War: Assault Squad is best suited for:
    - World War 2 enthusiasts who enjoy a more immersive gameplay experience; players who find Company of Heroes to be way too casual; and PC Strategy gamers who aren't afraid of a challenge.

    Quick Summary:
    - Tactical, strategic, detailed, complex, challenging, and realistic style of game-play where battles actually feel like war, troops feel like individual soldiers, and you will feel like a great general coordinating it all. Very refreshing since most RTS games on the market tend to boil down to a simple blob-based brute force combat system. Not here!

    - Features extremely impressive cover based (best I've ever seen), destruction, and combat systems superior to its direct competitor (Company of Heroes) with a graphical engine that can be considered its equal if not greater due to a more pleasing zoomed out camera in Men of War.

    - Comes with a decent but far from perfect user-interface.

    - Doesn't feature a true single player narrative campaign, but rather a "skirmish" game-mode when it comes to single-player. In that sense it can be considered a more of a multi-player centric experience (either against other humans; coop with friend(s) against the AI; or you taking on a single AI solo).

    - Probably its only true weakness is the game suffers from some unnecessarily complex resupply mechanics. Really, its too complex and tedious for a real-time strategy game on this scale. It seems to be a left over relic from the earlier Men of War games which were based more on small squad oriented gameplay (like the Commando's series.)

    Final Thoughts:
    What 1C was able to create here is a truly impressive feat and I highly recommend at least giving the demo a try. It features one of the single-player skirmish maps and will give you a great sense of what Men of War Assault Squad is all about.    … Expand
  24. DRiVER_helsinki
    Sep 12, 2014
    4
    damn i accidentally entered my notepad written text to wrong game , and crushed this game earlier, even i intended to give it way higher score. this is good buy
  25. Tkwz
    Jan 8, 2012
    6
    Is this game good? Well it is. So why just 6/10? Because it could have been better, MUCH better. Due to terrible interface, every single battle is chaotic and random. Due to poor AI, you need to micromanage everything, down to controlling individual units. Due to poor optimization, you need to have super-powerful PC to not suffer 10 FPS after just 15 minutes of playing. All theseIs this game good? Well it is. So why just 6/10? Because it could have been better, MUCH better. Due to terrible interface, every single battle is chaotic and random. Due to poor AI, you need to micromanage everything, down to controlling individual units. Due to poor optimization, you need to have super-powerful PC to not suffer 10 FPS after just 15 minutes of playing. All these frustrate, especially in multiplayer with fog of war. I could look the other way around if this was first game in series, but it is not.… Expand
  26. Godwin
    Jan 11, 2014
    10
    Simply the best rts game I've ever played. So much deeper than anything on the market. The community might be small but it's very friendly once you get to know people. Get this game or wait for AS2 I implore you.
  27. Leftyxdd
    Mar 31, 2014
    7
    It's more of the same, not to mention that it doesn't have a campaign. They didn't change what the community asked. I will give it a 7 because Men of War is the best RTS game I've ever played.
  28. Dco326
    Jun 4, 2023
    6
    Extra je ali u istu ruku i sranje, fps je ocaj ocajni da ne moze ocajnije i sa najnovijim stvarima, zato sam realno i prestao ai nije nesto bas najbolji realno sve u svemu nisam mogao da je zavrsim zato sam i prestao da igram.

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Best PC Game of 2011
76
#76 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Gamereactor Denmark
    Aug 19, 2011
    70
    In no way an easy game, and probably an overwhelming experience for most people, but also the closest thing we'll get to the battles of WWII without a time machine.
    Read full review
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    May 22, 2011
    70
    Interesting, although limited development of good RTS towards multiplayer. This game is not a groundbreaker but if you like playing cooperative military action games it has a great potential to entertain you. [Issue#203]
  3. PALGN
    May 19, 2011
    70
    A well rounded multiplayer extension of the classic Men of War formula, hurt most by technical issues and a steep learning curve. Worth a look for fans of the series.
    Read full review
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