Soldiers: Heroes of World War II

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 68 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 68
  3. Negative: 8 out of 68
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  1. DerfLK
    Jul 5, 2011
    10
    This game and the Men of War series is in my opinion the best RTS WWII games. The thing that lets this game stand out is it's difficulty. I couldn't even make through the first levels in the easy difficulty at first. Afterwards I started to understand the tactics and finished the game. I must say, It was worth it.
  2. HarmL.
    Jul 7, 2004
    7
    New approach to strategy games. You need a lot of trial and error to master a level. A fan of the commandos series will love it.
  3. BrianY.
    Jul 7, 2004
    8
    It is unfair to compare this title to commandos, as it has more depth. It is more like Xcom, except with less RPG elements, and grand strategy control. The graphics are nice, and the missions are tough. The main thing the game touts is that there is no single best way to complete a mission. Boy does the demo really punch home this idea.
  4. AdeyBaby
    Feb 21, 2005
    9
    The game rox! Great graphics, sound and, most importantly, gameplay. There are a few minor niggles, but to be fair, I think most of these are judgement calls by the developers to do with balancing gameplay and making it as enjoyable as possible. I got my copy 2nd hand for £7.99 - must be the best £7.99 I've ever spent on a computer game!
  5. KelR.
    Jul 11, 2004
    10
    Holy (beep) this game kicks (beep). This is the greatest game ever created!!! FINALLY the industry got it right. Play 4 players in the coop mode and you'll know what I'm talking about. Blow the (beep) out of everyone and everything, experiece the most authentic vision of WWII since "Call of Duty, but in RTS!!! I will hunt you down if you bad talk this game, if you do you need to Holy (beep) this game kicks (beep). This is the greatest game ever created!!! FINALLY the industry got it right. Play 4 players in the coop mode and you'll know what I'm talking about. Blow the (beep) out of everyone and everything, experiece the most authentic vision of WWII since "Call of Duty, but in RTS!!! I will hunt you down if you bad talk this game, if you do you need to pull your head out of your (beep).… Expand
  6. korthaj
    Sep 16, 2011
    10
    This is an excellent game that is very... very difficult and should be played with others in cooperative mode for higher rate of success. You will need to bring the best out in you and do thorough planning, learn how to use which guns, where and when. DON'T try to rush head on or you will be dominated and crushed, the AI in this game can and will counter attack you as well...
    Odds are you    This is an excellent game that is very... very difficult and should be played with others in cooperative mode for higher rate of success. You will need to bring the best out in you and do thorough planning, learn how to use which guns, where and when. DON'T try to rush head on or you will be dominated and crushed, the AI in this game can and will counter attack you as well...
    Odds are you will never finish a single map in this game but good luck and don't give up, its one of the best games ever..... one last thing.... it isn't over until its over, you'll remember these words when you have played a few maps. GL    … Expand
  7. BillM.
    Jul 5, 2004
    0
    Sucks.
  8. Nik
    Jul 30, 2004
    10
    Very good.
  9. Bigfoot
    Apr 1, 2005
    10
    THE rts game. (not some lazy-ass factory-builder tactical game...) nuff said.
  10. MikeR.
    Jul 16, 2004
    10
    Bloody Marvelous. :D Ignore Bill M btw :p
  11. A.A.
    Jul 3, 2004
    10
    Awesome!!!
  12. JohnS.
    Jul 5, 2004
    10
    Wonderful!!
  13. EdL.
    Jul 8, 2004
    10
    BillM is a joker, this game is excellent.
  14. EricH.
    Jun 16, 2004
    10
    This game is amazing!
  15. RTSExpert
    Aug 23, 2004
    10
    The most realistic rts game! totally ignore Bill M!
  16. Carlos
    Sep 22, 2004
    10
    It's beyond words, you have to play to understand how amaizing this game is.
  17. llamayarmybar
    Mar 23, 2014
    8
    My T-34, upon first time playing, on the first mission, lasted a grand total of 4 minutes before being blown to hell by German anti-tank grenades and possibly rocket launchers. So of course it goes without saying it gets my patented "Men of War" series seal of approval. This game was made long before Assault Squad began to really stretch the games engine, so of course it actually runsMy T-34, upon first time playing, on the first mission, lasted a grand total of 4 minutes before being blown to hell by German anti-tank grenades and possibly rocket launchers. So of course it goes without saying it gets my patented "Men of War" series seal of approval. This game was made long before Assault Squad began to really stretch the games engine, so of course it actually runs very well in comparison to the later games in the series. 1C has always had issues adapting, but this engine in their first few games is absolutely fantastic and very fitting. Skirmishes are immensely detailed, and with direct control mode you can change the course of tactics completely in any fight. Of course vehicle combat is still incredibly terrifying, but here its obvious where you made the mistake, i.e. drove into an ambush, were within range of another tank or AT weapon. Scouting out a position, executing your strategy, and adjusting to the flow of combat is what these games are all about, but here its much more focused.… Expand
  18. iddqd4
    Feb 12, 2018
    8
    Отличная смесь экшена, стратегии и тактики с бережным вниманием к деталям.
  19. Kerveros
    Apr 3, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I recall firstly playing this game in 2004. It was summer and I had a lot of time and I can say I spent it well playing all missions of this diamond. Yeah it is hard and you have to think a lot in every mission or you WILL get owned by the AI. Most people cannot even get past the 1st Russian mission. AT guns kill them too fast. Simply theu cannot think and go from the left side just below the hill and kill these AT's 1 by 1. That is what we call thinking and not rushing (like in many other games).

    So...graphics. For a game published in 2004 they are great. But still are good in 2014 and enjoyable. Explosions, fire, guns and buildings are reaslistic. Bullets disperse so it is not 100% sure you will hit an enemy with your guns, especially if you have a SMG and the target is more than 20m away. So, depending on the distance you have to use different weapons. Katyusha is the best (lol you have it only in the last russian mission). Vehicles can be captured, repaired, partially destroyed and looted, COMPLETELLY destroyed and not lootable, and directly controlled by pressing END. After discovering this, I replayed all missions again. It is awesome to see your Tiger moving and firing when you want it. Environment is fully destructible, and you can put fire on a wheat field and burn the enemies in it (1st mission of USA). You can literally demolish all buildings in a mission zone if you want to.

    Gameplay. a lot og depth in there and this game does not forgive mistakes. Sometimes you may hate it for this, but it is all your fault in the end. You can pause and issue orders, which will be your saviour many times or even decrease/increase game speed. You have to be really careful when fighting vehicles, as the distance, the angle and the spot you hit them, may either destroy them (so you cannot use them), disable them (the desired thing, as you can loot them for ammo/fuel), or just waste your ammo and give it more time to destroy you. And it will do it asap. Enemy soldiers mostly come to you like ducks, but there ae occasions they will hide behind cover and throw grenades, especially afetr most of their comreades are dead by your ambushes. Hidind and ambushing in this game works pretty well and this is what you must do to kill enemies 5 times more than your men rushing towards your location. There are also silent weapons (you will need to use them effectively in British mission 1...at least), mines (never really used them tbh), bazookas (love the way the rocket moves after some distance), AA guns, AT guns, howitzers, torpedoes (again British mission 1), and much more fun stuff to alter the game play in each mission.

    There are so many different ways to complete a mission than makes them replayable. The only limit is you resourcefoulness. I still play the last german mission where you have 2 tigers and you face wave after wave of allied attacks...just epic. I last playe dthat game on 2011 as I had some problems with compatibility on win 7. But after resolving it, I left this game for 3 years. Now I returned, replayed it all, trying completelly different tactics, having a total blast and then buying its unknown expansion Silent Heroes...and keep having a total blast with it, as it is even harder and brutal (sad there is only 1 review of 52/100...Gamespot reviewer is a total noob in these series from what I saw in his writtings). And after Silent Heroes I bought Faces of War (but not its unknown sequeal Brothers in Arms), and Men of War series. And I am sooo stuck on them. I ve not touched any other game in the last month.

    Its difficulty is something that makes casuals qq about bugs, interface, voiceacting (lol who cares) and storyline (lololol who the **** really cares). There are things that you should master before putting on use. S:HOWW2 interface is one of them. Get how it works and you dominate (even then you gotta save **** happens too often), or just buy another casual game like CoH (it is a good one, but nowhere near S:HOWW2 depth). Yeah this game is for HC players, and only they should have the right to rate it. If you are another casual qq'er go review a casual easy base building boring rts.

    I consider myself lucky for having this game for 10 years and still playing it. It offers moments that other games do not. Bombarding Prishib station with Katyusha, Defending Villers-Bocage with 2 Tigers, having 15mins to accomplish some hard task (british 1st and 4th missions) and starting with 2 crappy Shermans and ending up with 1 Koning-Tiger and 1 upgraded Tiger (USA mission named Minefields), that make it fun as hell.

    Ignore any review below 8/10. The person either has low IQ or he did not give this game the time to get its mechanics. Check youtube to see how it is done if you have questions and you do not want to give up. I feel strange when I finished the game on 2004, when youtube did not exist and Pstn connection made web surfing slow as hell. Googling solutions was impossible then :) But I made it.    … Expand
  20. Zhabohvat
    Dec 1, 2020
    10
    What is more important: a game with uncountable number of cutscenes or a game with full discretion for your wildest ideas?
    There is no boring cutscenes where brave soldiers make brave feets. There is no big armies and massive battles with artillery and airstrikes in ithe game either.
    But the game have substential features which allow you to neglect of the pseudo negative sides    What is more important: a game with uncountable number of cutscenes or a game with full discretion for your wildest ideas?
    There is no boring cutscenes where brave soldiers make brave feets. There is no big armies and massive battles with artillery and airstrikes in ithe game either.

    But the game have substential features which allow you to neglect of the pseudo negative sides mentioned above.
    In the first place, it have awesome physics. What game had the tactical advantages consisted of box of matches in pocket of your soldiers? With this small box you can burn the forest with all enemies hidden enemies in it. Another example. You hided your squad behind a wall of solid church with the absolute confidence of safety. And one shrapnel projectile ruins this confidense completely. Here you have absolutely no places where you could feel youself safe.
    In the second place, game consists of abilities represented in none other strategy-game.
    Where else you can borrow a fuel for your empty tank from hostile motorbike? If you depleted all your ammo in tank you could unmount the machine gun from it and begin the 'light' trip to the objective.
    Besides vehicles here have no lifebars. The game calculates zones of damage in utterly authentic way.
    You would never destroy a tiger-class tank if you shoot at the front side of it. You can only break a track. But you can throw molotov's cocktail, shoot with bazooka and rig up mine field as preventive measure at last.

    The soldiers: heroes of world war 2 is the most versatile game in the WW2 theatre    … Expand
  21. Pechatnik
    Jan 25, 2018
    10
    Favorite game of my childhood. Played it recently and it still gives me tons of emotions
  22. Mesterlovesz
    Mar 30, 2018
    10
    One of my favourites game. I think this is the best strategy game i've ever played.
  23. Genek13
    Nov 19, 2019
    8
    My older brother bought this game for my birthday :)
    A very good WWII strategy game, with also good, challenging campaign.
    Visuals at the time was outstanding.
  24. apokalipto
    Aug 25, 2023
    9
    Very good game. I enjoyed playing this game a lot. I strongly recommend this.

Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Best PC Game of 2004
41
#41 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
38
#38 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. Gaming Age
    58
    The AI is very smart. Probably too smart for newbies. Even on easy mode, soldiers will react with gang reflexes in shooting you to a pulp.
    Read full review
  2. ActionTrip
    85
    While some RTS fans may not be happy that it does not follow the same Build & Overwhelm pattern of many other RTS titles, the depth and strategy it offers is a welcome change.
    Read full review
  3. GMR Magazine
    80
    Brilliant graphics, incredibly detailed environments, smart controls, and 30 sinister standalone missions. [Oct 2004, p.120]
See all critic reviews »