Men of War

 PC
  • Publisher: Aspyr
  • Release Date: Mar 16, 2009
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 172 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 131 out of 172
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 172
  3. Negative: 15 out of 172
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  1. AnonymousMC
    May 8, 2009
    10
    Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, the Company of Heroes series was a fantastic WW2-themed strategy game. However, despite my love for it (and years of work modding it into a persistent MMO-RTS), there were some things that I never enjoyed about the game, including the base building, the incredibly arcade-y feel and the lack of any type of support for modding.Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, the Company of Heroes series was a fantastic WW2-themed strategy game. However, despite my love for it (and years of work modding it into a persistent MMO-RTS), there were some things that I never enjoyed about the game, including the base building, the incredibly arcade-y feel and the lack of any type of support for modding.

    If we look back, two years prior to COH, Best Way and 1C Company released an RTS that was overlooked by so many, the title? Soldiers: Heroes of World War II. The features? Realistic and detailed physics models, destructible environments, the ability to directly control any unit on the battlefield, and most importantly simulation style gameplay without the base building tedium. Best Way didn't stop there, 1 day after the release of COH, they released the sequel to Soldiers: HOWW2, Faces of War. Unfortunately, competing with COH was never in the cards for FOW, and S:HOWW2 was long forgotten (and often overlooked itself).

    Now two and a half years later, Best Way and 1C Company are back again, this time with Men of War. Improving of all the aspects of Soldiers: HOWW2 and FOW, they are once again trying to prove their series belongs in the collection of strategy gamers and World War 2 enthusiasts.

    Men of War contains many of the great features, of it's predecessors, such as individual unit inventories and weapon skill levels and the ability to toggle direct control of any unit. However, simply stating them without some explanation of how they influence the gameplay probably isn't enough for those of you unfamiliar with the series.

    Each and every unit (including AT guns, tanks and individual soldiers) have their own inventory. This includes everything from medical kits and grenades to bullets and tank shells to vehicle fuel. While this may seem like a micromanagement nightmare, it really turns into an extremely satisfying experience of managing your troops and vehicles (including their crews) - yes, vehicles must have drivers to move, and it's possible to commandeer them if you are able to kill the crew without seriously damaging the vehicle.

    Along with an individual inventory, each soldier has a skill set. The tank crew that just escaped from that burning Sherman, might not be as effective with their scavenged BARs as their original owners. This means you must take care when using troops for certain tasks. For example, when assaulting an enemy in a building, you make sure you have you men with automatic weapons and high skill using them peaking around the doors inside. You'll only make the mistake of sending riflemen to take a building once.

    Increasing the sense of attachment to your units is direct control mode which allows you to take control of any unit in the game, seemingly turning the game into a third-person shooter or tank simulation. Moving the unit with the arrow keys, your mouse pointer becomes the weapon targeting location allowing you to fire well placed shots on enemy tank weak spots or executing head shots on unsuspecting enemy troops.

    However, whatever you do, be careful, gone are the days of retreating your men to your HQ for reinforcement (a la COH). Once their gone, their gone; although certain missions and all multiplayer modes allow you to call in reinforcements based on either a set income or game timer (allowing you only to call in the heaviest of units later in the game).

    Touching more-so on the physics and destruction models, the physics engine calculates impact angle of all projectiles, making it important to aim where tanks are vulnerable and to aim at high angles, avoiding flat angles. Fortunately, the game helps you with this information when aiming (unless its disabled and frequently is in multiplayer matches). In addition, the game calculates structural damage loss from repeated hits on the same piece of armor. Vehicles have more damage states than I can explain. Tanks can lose treads, vehicles can lose wheels. Engines can be destroyed, turrets and firing mechanisms (AT guns) get damaged, they can catch on fire and explode, as well as a plethora of other damage situations. Some are repairable (assuming you have a repair kit and a free unit) others leave you stranded for good or the unit destroyed.

    Moving away from the game play and on to what there is to play, we see that MOW features 3 campaigns (USSR, Germany, and Allied) and a few bonus missions. This equates to about two dozen hair raising, heart pounding missions. But they aren't for the feint of heart. These missions are tough and those without strong will to succeed may be quickly frustrated, luckily, the single player features the ability to modify the gamespeed on 5 different levels. This allows you to slow down the game when things get hectic in order to issue more orders and control the situation better. If you are still having trouble, all the campaign missions can be played in cooperative mode in multiplayer!

    Speaking of multiplayer, there are a variety of game modes and you are given the ability to play as one of five factions, US, UK, USSR, Germany, and Japan (Japan will be added in a free content patch). Out of the box, you are given access to over 50 units to use in multiplayer, but there are modifications released that allow you to play with any unit in the game (more on modifications later). The multiplayer modes include Combat (deathmatch), Frontlines (Attack/Defend), Victory Flag (one flag to capture/hold), and Battle Zones (sort of like BF2 capture the area mode). For hosting custom games, there are a ton of options, including the ability to have Infantry-only or Tank-only matches. However, the series now features a multiplayer ranking mode with automatch (still pending a patch).

    Men of War is also extremely moddable. New units can be added (support for animating them as well), and there are a few promising modifications such as the single player (Dynamic Campaign Generator) and the multiplayer Germans Soldiers Mod (GSM). There is also a modification called Realism Rebalanced that's great to use with the DCG mod.

    All this said, Men of War isn't without it's faults. The campaign missions can, at times, be really infuriating due to their difficulty and the voice acting in the campaign is atrocious (but it does grow on you). And while the AI is improved, it still can be frustrating to see them get themselves killed doing something incredibly stupid.

    Support-wise, the game has a variety of publishers which has led to a disaster of a first patch. 5 different patch versions were released, and some publishers (such as Direct2Drive) still haven't released the patch to their customers. I have hope that this will get better with additional patches. The requirements also state the game is unsupported on XP/Vista x64 however there are many people using those operating systems without issue.

    Overall, Men of War is a must have for any strategy gaming enthusiast and World War II fan, especially those who enjoy a simulation. And while not as 'easy' to pickup as Company of Heroes, those that do will find the experience much more rewarding.

    Unfortunately, this title, like the ones before it, may be the best title that no one buys. Hopefully the increasing availability of it over previous games in the series, such as it being available on Direct2Drive and Steam increases it's popularity.    … Expand
  2. Flash_Over
    Sep 21, 2011
    5
    A very good game in every way that takes WW2 RTS to a really realism level that some people crave. But, what really lets this game down is the ammunition and supply system. I can understand tanks and other vehicles, but trying to pass out bullets to each individual soldier while there is a battle to fight really takes away from this game by this micro managing system. I simply found toA very good game in every way that takes WW2 RTS to a really realism level that some people crave. But, what really lets this game down is the ammunition and supply system. I can understand tanks and other vehicles, but trying to pass out bullets to each individual soldier while there is a battle to fight really takes away from this game by this micro managing system. I simply found to easier to kill my troops and call in more then resupply them with ammunition that by default carry so few when they first appear on the field.… Expand
  3. QuarkNuggets
    Aug 19, 2011
    7
    In games like Modern Warfare 2, the other players spoil the game for you while the CPU plays perfectly fairly. In this game, however, I found that it was the other way around. If anyone's played the campaign, even on easy mode, you'll know what I mean. It's not that the AI is unfairly skilled, just that they're unrealistically good at killing you. (When they're not confusedly taking coverIn games like Modern Warfare 2, the other players spoil the game for you while the CPU plays perfectly fairly. In this game, however, I found that it was the other way around. If anyone's played the campaign, even on easy mode, you'll know what I mean. It's not that the AI is unfairly skilled, just that they're unrealistically good at killing you. (When they're not confusedly taking cover behind your tank while at the same time trying to blow it up) In several missions the game hands you a well-equipped tank and crew, expecting you to go through the enemies like a hot knife through butter. I found myself hesitant, however, to do anything other than stay back and shoot, because the moment you try to charge through their defenses, they'll lob AT grenades at you like you've activated the "Catch" skull on Halo 3. Even if you're three feet away, and doing so will kill the thrower. Furthermore I found that the decision making skills are lacking, with my allies not returning fire with the enemy tank about to pound us into scrap metal, but instead continuing to shoot another German tank, one that was completely disabled and posed no threat to us whatsoever. Of course, with the "realism" factor, their shells just bounced off and made it that much more embarrassing. Which brings me to my next point. Realism is fine, but Best Way went overboard with it. It might be "realistic" that one in five of my anti tank emplacements' shells just bounce off of the advancing German armor, but it sure as hell isn't fair. Especially when that armor can cripple any of the emplacements with one hit. Well, I think that's enough negativity. Men of War does have some saving graces, and those would be the fully destructible environments, great cover system and the editor, which allows you to make your own mission and map. (I won't go into detail about a terribly pathetic campaign runthrough involving a nuke, editor explosions, hundreds of Spetsnaz troops and an infinite German spawner that was there by default for some reason.) So, there you go. In my opinion, Assault Squad is considerably better, but still needs improvement. If you're thinking of buying this game, don't expect anything great. In the words of Rob Talbert of Machinima.com, this game is a rent. PROS
    Editor mode
    Fully destructible environment
    Great cover system
    Historically accurate units
    Realistic

    CONS
    Terrible AI
    Bad mission design
    Realistic    … Expand
  4. LitM
    Mar 16, 2009
    9
    This is a really good hardcore tactical wargame. There's lots of detail. There's a nice variety of infantry, vehicles and equipment to utilize on the battlefield. The multiplayer modes play well and are not all about capturing flags like 'combat' which is an open battlefield. MoW gets a lot right like the destructible scenery and houses/structures that can infantry This is a really good hardcore tactical wargame. There's lots of detail. There's a nice variety of infantry, vehicles and equipment to utilize on the battlefield. The multiplayer modes play well and are not all about capturing flags like 'combat' which is an open battlefield. MoW gets a lot right like the destructible scenery and houses/structures that can infantry where you can set what windows they look out of. The entire single player game can be played online coop! Tactics really matter here. Armour thickness, angle of impact, area of impact and # of times hit, shell size and type: it all is taken into account and a lot more. Company of heroes may be fun, but it is like child's play compared to this game. Every unit has inventory and each bullet is counted when shot. Reloading matters. You can see the weapon(s) they are carrying. You can manually control and fire any unit, including tanks/vehicles. World in Conflict is always centered around capturing little circles but Men of War (MoW) is much more flexible in game types. Yes there is a flag capture mode but there is also open an battlefield and other modes. MoW is Company of Heroes for grown ups but it also has a steeper learning curve. The voice acting is sub-par for the English version but it grows on you after a while. The free demo gives a taste of the game but the full game has much bigger and more epic battles and the really cool equipment so don't think the demo shows much. I played the demo about eight times through and when I installed the full game, I had to go through the first mission again, and you know what? I was actually looking forward to it! That's when I know I've found a great game. What the game gets wrong is that it uses a peering multiplayer model with no client-server system. So if one player's computer is slow, everyone slows down. World in Conflict has a better multiplayer UI/system. The voice acting is pretty bad but I find it a refreshing change from the Hollywood acting for pubescent boys many war games get today. Also sometimes the infantry do dumb things sometimes but that might be because of training level of the lower troops and not necessarily a game flaw. The cover system works really well and you see ahead of time the positions each infantry will take with a white ghost outline. Even new pieces on the battlefield can be properly utilized as cover. Also, nothing disappears on the battlefield so it all counts. The game is fully moddable so expect some great community-made improvements to the game. This is the kind of hardcore game that will attract modders. Hopefully future patches will improve the in-game UI, dedicated servers and overall multiplayer performance.… Expand
  5. TK317
    Jul 15, 2012
    8
    Men of War is a great game, and as a WWII history buff and a RTS gamer I can honestly say it is one of the best games I've ever played. Tons of historically accurate weapons, vehicles and uniforms, coupled with the decent graphics and realistic effects (ballistics, explosions,cover, etc.) make me feel almost as if I was in the battle myself. The best thing about Men of War definitely isMen of War is a great game, and as a WWII history buff and a RTS gamer I can honestly say it is one of the best games I've ever played. Tons of historically accurate weapons, vehicles and uniforms, coupled with the decent graphics and realistic effects (ballistics, explosions,cover, etc.) make me feel almost as if I was in the battle myself. The best thing about Men of War definitely is the GEM editor that allows you to create your own maps and missions. The endless possibilities of the GEM Editor really make up for the single player, that has some interesting missions but overall way too few. Assault Squad is a HUGE improvement, but as it is only $15 on Steam I would still highly recommend this game.… Expand
  6. purple_laser
    Jan 1, 2018
    0
    i am giving this stupid game a "0" as it is virtually unplayable.

    enemy AI is suicidal and stupid. if you are in control of a particular unit, other units will just stand an wont even defend themselves..
  7. StyloProx
    Dec 11, 2020
    10
    This is where it really started out for me. This felt like the most realistic WW2 strategy game i have ever played, which really allowed me to immerse myself into the battles, which greatly ranged from "special unit" missions to full blown out war. While the game allows you to manage a large army from time to time, it also allows you to carefully manage each single unit. What i mean, isThis is where it really started out for me. This felt like the most realistic WW2 strategy game i have ever played, which really allowed me to immerse myself into the battles, which greatly ranged from "special unit" missions to full blown out war. While the game allows you to manage a large army from time to time, it also allows you to carefully manage each single unit. What i mean, is that every single person has a unique name and even their inventory as well. They have limited Ammo and resources, which makes the game much more true to real life, as you might want to scavenge the enemies for ammo and such after a battle. There is so much more to it than i write here, experience it for yourself!

    The campaign is great entertainment, and can be very challenging at times, and you often find yourself building up new tactics from time to time. 11 years later it is still amazing, however it might feel a little old, certainly the voice-acting, but nothing that really matters for the game.

    Even has a really great map editor which is fun to play with, and added to that, tons of mods.

    Having clocked over 1000 hours in this game, it might be one af the best games i ever played!    … Expand
  8. LesterW
    Aug 6, 2009
    10
    Excellent follow-on to Soldiers: Heroes of WWII. Captures the same spirit of that game and improves on it. This time it's Epic!! Nothing beats that sinking feeling as you struggle to hold off multiple Panzer III's with nothing but a few infantry squads and AT rifles. Excellent playability and a huge amount of fun :)
  9. Jack
    Aug 14, 2009
    10
    Amazing game. It's not for traditional RTS fans, and it's not for traditional shooter fans. It's a completely unique style of gameplay. Once the action starts it's really frantic, just like real war. You're always on your toes and there's always something to surprise you.
  10. JustinT
    Jun 14, 2009
    10
    Simply the best WW2 game I have ever played. To me it feels like the sudden strike series with more realism, better physics, greater detail and more control. Definately better then COH, including graphics wise.
  11. PhilippeR
    Mar 27, 2009
    5
    This is basically the same game as soldiers: heroes of WW2. The AI is still as dumb. It might be funny for 12years old who like to kill tons of stupid enemies but don't waste your money if you want something more challenging. The engine is pretty good (cover, damage and stuff) but the AI makes it worthless as a SP game.
  12. RumpleFugly
    Mar 5, 2012
    4
    Somehow, 1C Company has managed to make a strategy wargame more painful than the act of war itself.
    Seriously, as interesting as this game looks with it's multitude of different units, vehicles and weapons, it is an exersize in frustration and mediocrity.
    Single player sways between pitched battles where you're expected to position an entire army in the 15 seconds it takes for the enemy    Somehow, 1C Company has managed to make a strategy wargame more painful than the act of war itself.
    Seriously, as interesting as this game looks with it's multitude of different units, vehicles and weapons, it is an exersize in frustration and mediocrity.
    Single player sways between pitched battles where you're expected to position an entire army in the 15 seconds it takes for the enemy forces to reach you, to laughable stealth missions in which stealth is literally not an option (don't forget insta-failing missions for conditions that you're never actually made aware of).
    I honestly don't know what the developers were thinking when they made this game, other than "let's try to take a tried and tested formula and make it as unfun as we can". Maybe it was a team building exersize or something.
    Worst part is that I'm being generous, there's like 20% of a reasonable game hidden in here. It's just a shame that you have to wade through the 80% of effluent that is the rest of this embarrassment to get to it.    … Expand
  13. Grim13
    Apr 7, 2011
    5
    First off: I was looking for an experience more realistic than CoH and I have definitely found it with MoW. Problem is: I want to like MoW a lot more than I actually like it. It's so close to being a good game that it physically pains me that it almost gets there and yet just falls short. It's the small details that have let me down... 1) Micromanagement: Why are my soldiers soFirst off: I was looking for an experience more realistic than CoH and I have definitely found it with MoW. Problem is: I want to like MoW a lot more than I actually like it. It's so close to being a good game that it physically pains me that it almost gets there and yet just falls short. It's the small details that have let me down... 1) Micromanagement: Why are my soldiers so incompetent? With the scales of the battles in this game you would figure they'd allow for your units to handle certain functions, like moving to new cover after their current cover had been destroyed , by themselves, when your attention was elsewhere! Units refuse to pick up ammo on their own! Constantly forcing you to lose ground while trying to discover who's run out... and then micromanaging each unit into searching for it! I'm not against micromanaging units... but when is enough, ENOUGH!? Scrolling back across the map from reloading your soldier's ammo supply on the far side, only to discover all of your units dead because they refused to find new cover after an enemy tank had destroyed the wall they were standing behind, is beyond micromanagement... it's TEDIUM! This level of minutiae belongs in a Turn Based Strategy game, NOT an RTS. There just is not enough time to handle all of the details AND keep the battles immersive. Most of the loss of life in this game comes from this and it dampens the games flow. (Plus, if you're going to make me loot enemy bodies for equipment, why can't I don their uniforms during stealth missions?) 2) AI issues: The AI in this game is totally schizophrenic! Not only are your own soldiers helpless babies, but the enemy soldiers threat detection occillates between deaf/dumb/blind and omniscient overlord! In one particular stealth mission I had an enemy soldier run ACROSS the entire map, straight to the back of a cluster of thick bushes, to discover the body I'd just hidden, and sound the alarm... while not 20 minutes earlier, same mission, one of my soldiers accidentally let a grenade fly, killed 2 enemies, UNNOTICED by the 3 guards not 20 feet away!!! WHA!?! It makes no sense... Not to mention units that have ammo, no damage to them, glitching into uselessness! It's frustrating trying to hold off enemy tanks with artillery only to have the unit in question stop targeting... Damage? No... Proper number of soldiers manning equipment? Yep... Ammo? Check... Line of sight? Yes... Hmmm... WTF! It was JUST %$#*#$ WORKING! I can practically hear the hardcore strategy enthusiasts: "You just don't understand strategy games", "You're obviously not skilled enough", "Leave it to the big dawgs"... and all of that BS. Truth is: I AM a Strategy Enthusiast! The positives here just DO NOT make up for all of the faults. I can see what 1C was aiming for here... but, IMO they missed (I genuinely hope they'll be able to polish the experience off in future iterations... I look forward to it...). And, although, I have ample patience for strategy titles, I just do not have enough patience for poor execution... .… Expand
  14. Mihao
    Sep 11, 2011
    10
    The 3rd game in MoW series, after Soldiers of Honor and Faces Of War. It's an improved version of Faces Of War, with some more options to use, a bit better graphic engine and better multiplayer. For me just perfect tactical RTS, which I play from time to time even now. Recommended!
  15. RamonI.
    Jun 8, 2009
    7
    The gameplay is good when you start out. And then it gets repetitive afterwards. I've tried multiplayer on it. And it's really not as good as playing single player (which is really supposed to be the other way around). The voice acting of the game is really bad and the cut scenes are choppy. One sound effect that I really don't like is the dropping anvil sound that I The gameplay is good when you start out. And then it gets repetitive afterwards. I've tried multiplayer on it. And it's really not as good as playing single player (which is really supposed to be the other way around). The voice acting of the game is really bad and the cut scenes are choppy. One sound effect that I really don't like is the dropping anvil sound that I remember from Wile E. Coyote cartoons. It makes me laugh whenever I hear it. Now the graphics, they're actually pretty good, considering I'm running it on a 6600GT (probably ancient by now).… Expand
  16. GlenA
    Oct 15, 2009
    8
    MoW is computer Wargaming at its best with a level of realism so unforgiving that it makes me cringe. Often is the case where you
  17. MuresanH
    Nov 7, 2009
    10
    Not really a ten because of the terribly bad voice of the characters in the cinematics and because of lack of skirmish mode, but will add the 0.5 to the correct 9.5 rating cause in my option it's like the best RTS since Cossaks European War (also made by russians if I'm not wrong). Gameplay is almost like watching a war movie, except that you're actively participating as a Not really a ten because of the terribly bad voice of the characters in the cinematics and because of lack of skirmish mode, but will add the 0.5 to the correct 9.5 rating cause in my option it's like the best RTS since Cossaks European War (also made by russians if I'm not wrong). Gameplay is almost like watching a war movie, except that you're actively participating as a 'supreme general'. Love the idea of direct control, which gives it some RPG -Commandos- feeling. Nice Nice Nice!… Expand
  18. RyanC
    Mar 22, 2009
    9
    Lit M does a good job of summing up this game: It's clearly for hardcore strategy lovers. You control EVERYTHING. Tank tracks break often if you're careless, not like in CoH where track breaking is a rare critical roll. There are a couple bugs with vehicles on steep sloping terrain, and while auto fire with the MGs on tanks is pretty accurate, the auto tank main gun targeting is Lit M does a good job of summing up this game: It's clearly for hardcore strategy lovers. You control EVERYTHING. Tank tracks break often if you're careless, not like in CoH where track breaking is a rare critical roll. There are a couple bugs with vehicles on steep sloping terrain, and while auto fire with the MGs on tanks is pretty accurate, the auto tank main gun targeting is horrible. Really it's more fun to manually drive and control the tank anyway, but that still stands out. Oddly, shelling accuracy with mobile AT guns is fairly good. Maybe this'll get hit with a patch.… Expand
  19. NormanG
    May 8, 2009
    10
    A successor to the well under-appreciated Soliders: Heroes of world war 2, this little gem of a game provides some of the best multiplayer to be found in an RTS. simply gorgeous graphics, a vastly improved interface, and superb attention to realism and detail make it an easy choice for any armchair general. And considering that it runs for quite cheap, it should be an easy purchase. This A successor to the well under-appreciated Soliders: Heroes of world war 2, this little gem of a game provides some of the best multiplayer to be found in an RTS. simply gorgeous graphics, a vastly improved interface, and superb attention to realism and detail make it an easy choice for any armchair general. And considering that it runs for quite cheap, it should be an easy purchase. This is truly the thinking mans company of heroes. Though the game does curiously lack any sort of Skirmish mode, and while the dynamic campaign generator can well make up for it, it means that there is an obvious focus on the multiplayer aspects, players will get the best experience from LAN games with pals. But by far the best draw of the game is the realism and detail, tanks have accurate physics based penetration, infantry will go down with a few rounds, limited ammo, and a heavy reliance of cover make the game play like nothing else, the best comparison (barring its predecessor soliders) would be CoH if it were 10x more realistic and with no base building nonsense. Gamers tired of the typical gamey features of health bars and bulletproof infantry will be right at home. The only down side to the game is the horrid english voice casting, it's really bad, really really bad. If you're looking for a great tactical simulation of world war 2, for less than 30 USD this is a standout title.… Expand
  20. Seth
    Jun 11, 2009
    9
    All i can say is this game makes COH look like a bike with training wheels. It lacks the polish of COH but what it lacks in polish it makes up in fine detail. The game has more units you can poke a stick at. If you can get a decent amount of friends playing multiplayer it is AWESOME. The multiplayer lobby is extremely lacking but to be honest the game play makes up for it. I agree with All i can say is this game makes COH look like a bike with training wheels. It lacks the polish of COH but what it lacks in polish it makes up in fine detail. The game has more units you can poke a stick at. If you can get a decent amount of friends playing multiplayer it is AWESOME. The multiplayer lobby is extremely lacking but to be honest the game play makes up for it. I agree with some of the negative comments above with the dodgy voice acting, but to be honest who really cares, as for AI ....meh play humans its more enoyable. Overall if you like COH and prefer multiplayer over single get this game you wont regret it.… Expand
  21. louf
    Apr 26, 2009
    9
    A great game i really enjoyed the demo and bought the game. after each battle you feel you've really fought for it, the time where both of the tank tracks came off and you had to fight off the germans for 5 mins while you got your engineers on the job while it may lack polish this game is explosive and extremely fun.
  22. BadInfo
    Apr 24, 2009
    9
    I missed out on Soldiers, though I am tempted to pick it up since playing Men of War and GOG has it for $10. That said, Men of War is a lot of fun. I am an old grognard type historical gamer. I play a lot of miniatures and board wargames, as well has having played a LOT of computer games. Up till now, the best WWII experience I've had on the computer was Combat Mission, but Men of I missed out on Soldiers, though I am tempted to pick it up since playing Men of War and GOG has it for $10. That said, Men of War is a lot of fun. I am an old grognard type historical gamer. I play a lot of miniatures and board wargames, as well has having played a LOT of computer games. Up till now, the best WWII experience I've had on the computer was Combat Mission, but Men of War may well take its place on my list. The base building in CoH put me off, it was a big immersion breaker to have to put up tents so I could produce tanks and troops right there on the battlefield. What's that got to do with WWII? (Oddly, it didn't bother me in the least in Dawn of War lol) I have often said I would have loved CoH if it had left out the base building and just let us get on with the business of fighting... well, Men of War is that game, and then some.… Expand
  23. SaadS
    Sep 18, 2009
    9
    I have played more RTS games than any one gamer i know ( and i know lots of gamers ). So the moment i tried it, i knew that i've fell upon a gaming masterpiece. It is truly realistic, plus the multiplayer is very organized, and most of all the gaming experience never perishes, wether in singleplayer or multiplayer. I hope an upcoming sequel this might get my rating of 10/10. Sincerly, Gamer
  24. JoshuaP
    Nov 22, 2010
    9
    Men of war is worth the current price on steam.Men of war is a Brilliant idea for strategy,But the only reason this game scored a 9 instead of 10,is because of the incredibly stupid AI,First off,lets say you order your men to move to the other side of the building,while they're standing on the same wall,they will go around the building consumed by fire to get to the other side instead ofMen of war is worth the current price on steam.Men of war is a Brilliant idea for strategy,But the only reason this game scored a 9 instead of 10,is because of the incredibly stupid AI,First off,lets say you order your men to move to the other side of the building,while they're standing on the same wall,they will go around the building consumed by fire to get to the other side instead of just going the way not under fire,another instance of the AI is how really annoying fighting is,This game is either Way to easy,or way to hard,Normal is not a medium,it's just some easy mode where like 4 more of your troops die,and Hard is painstaking when it comes to missions against tanks.But hey,it's a great strategy,has a long play length,replay value,and pretty good online.… Expand
  25. A_Tree
    Jul 31, 2011
    10
    Possibly my favourite RTS. It's got some nice realism, which requires you to use some decent level of strategy. It's pretty difficult though. Only play it if you consider yourself quite good at RTSs, not if you're a casual gamer. However, if you do master it, you'll find it very rewarding. Fully destructible environments, as well as no health bars for vehicles, just damage areas (you canPossibly my favourite RTS. It's got some nice realism, which requires you to use some decent level of strategy. It's pretty difficult though. Only play it if you consider yourself quite good at RTSs, not if you're a casual gamer. However, if you do master it, you'll find it very rewarding. Fully destructible environments, as well as no health bars for vehicles, just damage areas (you can knock out a tank's tracks, but that doesn't mean the hull or the turret will be scratched). Micromanagement is fine once you get used to it. The missions are nice and varied, ranging from stealth infiltration style to full out war.
    Flaws? Well, I suppose the AI isn't brilliant, but it tends to not be a problem. The path-finding isn't the best either (all too often have I had my nice defenses ruined by a tank that decided that that was the quickest route). Stealth isn't that great, since whether or not you get discovered seems more or less random, rather than to do with how you play, and it tends to be more effective to shoot everyone than to infiltrate. The voice acting? Well, I suppose some might see it as a flaw, but it's fun to listen to.    … Expand
  26. jimplunder
    Feb 5, 2012
    4
    I bought the game on sale from Steam and I've tried it out twice. My main experience is this: if you command infantry, you can never get all of the people in your squad to go where you want them to (at least 1 of my guys always stood in place unless I brought them into cover), tank tracks are destroyed like they're made of playdough (and it seems the computer always manages to disable myI bought the game on sale from Steam and I've tried it out twice. My main experience is this: if you command infantry, you can never get all of the people in your squad to go where you want them to (at least 1 of my guys always stood in place unless I brought them into cover), tank tracks are destroyed like they're made of playdough (and it seems the computer always manages to disable my tank tracks from 1000 yards off with a tiny flak gun with one lucky shot while my tank crew shoots wildly and misses half the time), and you're fighting with a squad of 8 against dozens of enemies. This is the first mission of the game on Easy difficulty. I know I'm probably going to get a lot of people telling me I'm terrible at this game, but that's just my experience and because of that, I couldn't get into the game. I also had one of the "heroes" of the game get "killed" but instead of dying he was crouched down and used up all of the medpacks I had salvaged off of dead bodies without healing himself.… Expand
  27. Solipsism
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    Men of War is definitely the best multiplayer RTS ever. Nothing else is comparable. Don't buy it for single player. Single players, although very difficult, is a tutorial. The game plays similar to the old Close Combat V (from 1998), but with some minor compromises in the realism for gameplay reasons, in addition to much better graphics and physics. You buy forces using points from a veryMen of War is definitely the best multiplayer RTS ever. Nothing else is comparable. Don't buy it for single player. Single players, although very difficult, is a tutorial. The game plays similar to the old Close Combat V (from 1998), but with some minor compromises in the realism for gameplay reasons, in addition to much better graphics and physics. You buy forces using points from a very large selection of infantry, artillery and tanks. Tactics and physics play a huge role in your forces' efficieny, making the game unfriendly to some very young and impatient player. You can place your tank hull down or angle their hull to survive a barrage from AT guns. You can set buildings and fields to force out enemy infantry. You can snipe the guards in a remote location of the front and infiltrate the broken enemy lines with saboteurs, placing TNT under their heavy artillery at a critical moment in the battle. These are just examples of tricks you will learn to master. For the mature audience those looking for realistic and complex tactics & great multiplayer fun, this is the best there is! Plus, getting slaughtered while facing superior tactics the first 10 or so battles scares away those annoying kids! Expect to feel like the Soviets in 41' until you get a hang of it :)… Expand
  28. volchonok1
    Jun 30, 2013
    9
    Probably one of the best games about WW2 out there. Huge amount of vehicles and infantry units, large variety of battlefields from frozen outskirts of Moscow to the hot deserts of Africa. Immense gameplay depth, with individual inventory for each soldier, historically accurate performance characteristics of each gun and vehicle (shell types, armor thickness, fuel amount and much more).Probably one of the best games about WW2 out there. Huge amount of vehicles and infantry units, large variety of battlefields from frozen outskirts of Moscow to the hot deserts of Africa. Immense gameplay depth, with individual inventory for each soldier, historically accurate performance characteristics of each gun and vehicle (shell types, armor thickness, fuel amount and much more). Great physic engine allows almost complete destruction.
    There are though some issues animations are not quite good, neither is the voice-over. Thus 9/10, not 10/10 as it could had.    … Expand
  29. StigJ
    Aug 26, 2009
    2
    The singleplayer is ok, lots of units, lots of dept, just a shame its getting ruined by the PATHETHIC AI. Also noticed theres no skirmish option in this game, why? Cause theres no AI. Multiplayer is another joke, basicly you can set up custom matches and thats it, no ranking, no automatch, no nothing, just custom matches where you can play against preset teams of ppl on teamspeak, BORING. The singleplayer is ok, lots of units, lots of dept, just a shame its getting ruined by the PATHETHIC AI. Also noticed theres no skirmish option in this game, why? Cause theres no AI. Multiplayer is another joke, basicly you can set up custom matches and thats it, no ranking, no automatch, no nothing, just custom matches where you can play against preset teams of ppl on teamspeak, BORING. Theres a beta build out witch implements automatching, but its basiacally worthless, half the time the automatch server is down, and when its up it maches you totally randomly, so 90% of your games are gonna be against ppl WAY above your lvl, WAY below, or simply with 500 ping so it becomes one big lagfest. All in all, nice unit variety, nice dept, nice micro options. Just a shame both single and multiplayer is a joke wich leaves this game as total fail. Back to COH I go.… Expand
  30. kakisdf
    Apr 27, 2011
    10
    The best strategy game WWII !!!
    The best on line strategy game WWII !!!
    Excellent follow-on to Soldiers: Heroes of WWII and Face of war.This is one of the few games that get involved as much as you love the most!
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Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Best PC Game of 2009
44
#44 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
65
#65 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Eurogamer
    90
    This might be the most gripping tactics title I've played in getting on for a decade.
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  2. PC Zone UK
    76
    As a strategy game, very few titles reach the epic scale and excitement of Men of War's biggest battles. [Apr 2009, p.68]
  3. PC Format
    84
    It's a hard game, but that challenge and scope will be what keeps you coming back after your arse is handed to you. Again.
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