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. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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 :)
  6. 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.
  7. 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!
  8. 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!
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. Jamman
    Dec 29, 2013
    10
    Men of War is a great game. The campaign is challenging and offers a wide array of units, strategies and tactics. MoW also features multiplayer and LAN so you can play in games with up to 16 people. The game also comes with a free mission editor so you can create your own maps and missions. Okay the AI is quite bad and the voice overs aren't perfect but over all this is a spectacular gameMen of War is a great game. The campaign is challenging and offers a wide array of units, strategies and tactics. MoW also features multiplayer and LAN so you can play in games with up to 16 people. The game also comes with a free mission editor so you can create your own maps and missions. Okay the AI is quite bad and the voice overs aren't perfect but over all this is a spectacular game with rich and diverse gameplay.… Expand
  12. 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
  13. resmod
    Jun 8, 2021
    10
    The most stable of all parts of the VTB. Its main advantage, of course, was and will be destructibility and normal AI. with what is happening with the AI ​​and destructibility in the Arena, destructibility in it resembles COH, unless the AI ​​was finished off to the end.As for graphics lovers, you can always download shaders and hd textures and play. I also want to note that if you useThe most stable of all parts of the VTB. Its main advantage, of course, was and will be destructibility and normal AI. with what is happening with the AI ​​and destructibility in the Arena, destructibility in it resembles COH, unless the AI ​​was finished off to the end.As for graphics lovers, you can always download shaders and hd textures and play. I also want to note that if you use this particular part for training in modeling, mapping and globalizing, then this is the most stable platform for this. Of course, after that you can switch to newer assaults, but I sincerely advise you to stay on the fox. However, the game can boast of a relatively good plot, which is just what is missing in the assaults. A huge minus is that the multiplayer is dead, but you can always play with friends through hamachi.… Expand
  14. 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
  15. MattB
    May 30, 2009
    9
    A solid 8.7. This game will never get [appropriate] recognition in the western press, it so deserves. Probably not for casual gamers, but provides for intense war gaming. For the price you can get it at, there's no reason not to buy it. Hopefully a few more features and game modes will be added with patches in the days to come. Voice acting comes up a little short, but it's A solid 8.7. This game will never get [appropriate] recognition in the western press, it so deserves. Probably not for casual gamers, but provides for intense war gaming. For the price you can get it at, there's no reason not to buy it. Hopefully a few more features and game modes will be added with patches in the days to come. Voice acting comes up a little short, but it's mostly only noticeable during cut scenes... unit dialogue etc. is passable. The only serious knock I can give the game is on its over reliance upon script driven missions. Lacking skirmish mode [but I have my fingers crossed for skirmish mode patch eventually]. Why are you still reading? Go buy it.… Expand
  16. 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
  17. 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.
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. K1ller
    Aug 8, 2017
    9
    One of the best and most raalistic WW2 strategies I have played and a worthy continuation of Soldiers and Faces of War games. After such a nonesence as the Company of Heroes (anyone finds it strange, that you break a rear armor by a frontal shot??). Finaly a game, where tanks do not have hitpoints, but hit zones. When you hit a tank, you either kill it, disable it, or nothing happens. NoOne of the best and most raalistic WW2 strategies I have played and a worthy continuation of Soldiers and Faces of War games. After such a nonesence as the Company of Heroes (anyone finds it strange, that you break a rear armor by a frontal shot??). Finaly a game, where tanks do not have hitpoints, but hit zones. When you hit a tank, you either kill it, disable it, or nothing happens. No more stupid hitpoints. Regarding infantry, you can equip them as you wish, you can use captured equipment and very often you have to pick up ammo from fallen friends and enemies. In a summary, this game is a must for all WW2 fans.… Expand
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. FrankKillah
    Sep 5, 2021
    9
    The best WW2 RTS experience in multiplayer, also enjoyable and long campaign, hard game but rewarding, first RTS with successful implementation of direct control for all units, inventory for all units, repairable vehicles, fantastic destructible environment, 99% destroyable, wide range of units, great visuals, great number of maps, huge mod community... and so on. For me it wasThe best WW2 RTS experience in multiplayer, also enjoyable and long campaign, hard game but rewarding, first RTS with successful implementation of direct control for all units, inventory for all units, repairable vehicles, fantastic destructible environment, 99% destroyable, wide range of units, great visuals, great number of maps, huge mod community... and so on. For me it was unforgettable experience and a lot of fun, for years. Sure some BUG's too, but nothing serious. Cheers… Expand
  25. BenMK
    Mar 31, 2014
    9
    An undiscovered gem (for me anyway) of an RTS. Somehow this slipped under the radar back in 2008 and I didn't try it till this year. However it really changes how you think of strategy games in the amount of detail and control it allows you. Think of it as a less polished, but more detailed World In Conflict. Definitely not an easy game to learn, but if you put in the effort andAn undiscovered gem (for me anyway) of an RTS. Somehow this slipped under the radar back in 2008 and I didn't try it till this year. However it really changes how you think of strategy games in the amount of detail and control it allows you. Think of it as a less polished, but more detailed World In Conflict. Definitely not an easy game to learn, but if you put in the effort and familiarise yourself with the controls, it genuinely feels like you're directing a WWII battle. For mature gamers only.… Expand
  26. Kerveros
    Apr 17, 2014
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Having played Soldiers: Heroes of World War 2, its unknown sequel Silent Heroes, Faces of War, and completed every single mission of this game in medium, I can say safely that these games are diamonds if you look for a real challenge. And I mean a REAL TOUGH challenge.

    These games were truly made to test your patience, reflexes and nerves. They are not made for the casual RTS gamer. He will hate them for their difficulty. Reloading a specific point 15 times to get through it is very exhausting. Facing overwhelming enemy forces, an AI which destroys your tanks so much easier that you can destroy its (you have the same tank as the AI, you flank it, you fire at its engine, but nothing happens--> then it fires at your front armor and BOOM, your tank explodes), no time to organize your defenses as you would like, having to take care of ammunition, cover and survival of 50 INDIVIDUAL soldiers, will make every newcomer cry or curse.

    Consider these factors before your try these games. Many people come here and whine about them, but the plain true is that they were not made for this challenge. Even the veterans confess that the game sometimes becomes infuriating due to its almost impossible difficulty. And they are right. If someone claims that he found this game relaxing and easy he is a liar. The odds and the numbers will always speak of your defeat. Your crushing defeat. The quickness required to make it is almost unachievable. and when you think you have annihilated the enemy, and you start moving your forces relaxed, the next second something will happen to make you lose your color and maybe quit the game for some hours. Example? Some random flamethrower appears from nowhere and burns something you hold dear...

    The problem is that you cannot be everywhere all the time. And the enemy attacks in many points SIMULTANEOUSLY, and most of the time your units will not do that what you want. So...there comes the pause micromanagement paradise (for few of us) or nightmare (for all the others). But when you make it and destroy all the enemy forces with your own hand...this is something to boast for. You will like it when your shot destroys only the turret of the enemy tank. And this is mainly achieved with direct control. Direct control is your saviour in difficult situations. You can chose where to move, how to rotate, where and when to shoot.

    Last but not least about the game's difficulty. The stealth missions. AI's patrols choose random ways to walk. You cannot predict them like in other games. They may discover a corpse in a place you thought they would never go. You have to kill everyone with knives and away from everyone else. You will see how impossible it is when reinforcements arrive and see all the corpses you have left behind, when the dead will scream and his comrades will hear it, when some random light will catch you and so on. Stealth missions for me are the hardest. In fact, stealth missions are the hardest in reality.

    I have never been in war personally, but I have 1 thing to say to all these crying about the game being unrealistically hard. Klawzevits said that war is rarely battles. Most of the time is marching and logistics: food, ammunition, fixing bridges etc. So do not cry. Imagine the next game to have food and other survival factors in it.

    Graphics: 7/10. Good they do their job, they could have been better.
    Physics: 9.5/10. Awesome. Watching an operating tank being upside-down from a strong explosion is a lol thing. Walls falling wand hitting the infantry under them is a nice detail. Need to say more?
    Sound: Rofl...2/10 but who really cares. Mute the game like everyone and put some music. 6 Hours EVE online music made it for me.
    Storyline: Who cares...some real persons there and their actions during the war. Trust me, I do not care and none really does. Nowadays the games are too many to get intrigued in one's story.

    Some annoying bugs which do not allow you to complete missions though is the reason I put 9/10. It happened only twice on last allied mission (who cares, it was the last one after all) and the 4th bonus mission. Pissed, I wanted to play the 5th as well.

    The game will take you in many places that are not memorised in other ww2 games. As a Greek loved the 1st German mission in Crete. It was tough as hell with all these SMG's, but there is always a way to make it if you try and think. Then Africa. Rommel, Italian destroyer, sandstorm hiding sounds and much more. The devs understood that simply repeating D-Day would not help. Finding battles like Yugoslavian, Greek, Polish, Iranian (lol they were invaded by USSR), Chinese (vs Japan ofc) that are never ever commemorated is something that makes me love a game.

    The game is rewarding only the hardcore gamers. For me, the most difficult battle was the 7th USSR: Behind Enemy Lines. Not only a tough stealth pre-mission, but a main battle where you had to take some heavily fortified hills. Try it and cry. If you are casual go away.    … Expand
  27. dneogy
    Jan 24, 2015
    9
    This game is extremely awesome.It's the best strategy game I have every played before.Buying this game is a total worth of money.The whole story line of this game is well explained.
  28. 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
  29. Snorrif
    Jul 2, 2009
    8
    A good game! Especially in multiplayer, since you can play both Coop mode trough the campaign missions and various styles of battles against other people. The single player campaign is also quite fun, with some variations of "stealth" missions and "go in blasting" missions. It runs a lot smoother than Faces of war, and the interface has been improved, for easier use. The voice acting is A good game! Especially in multiplayer, since you can play both Coop mode trough the campaign missions and various styles of battles against other people. The single player campaign is also quite fun, with some variations of "stealth" missions and "go in blasting" missions. It runs a lot smoother than Faces of war, and the interface has been improved, for easier use. The voice acting is terrible! Most voices sound like a drunk weather forecaster, who does not know how to speak English. Attention to detail is awesome, just like in Faces of war.. I like being able to grab whatever weapons my dead comrades or enemies leave behind, or pick up some helmet that i find on the battlefield, and put it on. A fun game for those who like strategy and war games.… Expand
  30. Sir_Recon
    Dec 29, 2013
    8
    This game is a lot of fun, despite its clunky interface, but taking this game away from the RTS genre and putting it squarely in the tactical RTS arena is refreshing, vehicles are gorgous and variety is endless, really its about a 7.5 due to its querks but it plays relatively nicely and is pretty fun playing scenarios missed in a lot of games these days like North Afrika and Crete
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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.
    Read full review
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