Steel Division 2

A great successor to a great game that pulls off everything its predecessor did, and something more besides. But there are also the same mistakes and some brand new ones.

Compared to its predecessor, Steel Division 2 is even more complex – mainly because of the new campaign mode. Although everything in the game is great for fans of real time strategy, it lacks of a real tutorial. That’s a shame, because without any help the game is much too complicated for beginners.

Steel Division 2 is a deep and complex wargame, a lot more massive than the first game. Sadly it doesn't propose workshop at launch and it's a big problem because the first game survived mostly thanks to the mods.

Steel Division 2 improves every aspect of the previous Normandy '44, but there isn't a tutorial and this could scare many new players.

Steel Division 2 is a rich and complex strategy with plenty to offer those who can put the time into learning its intricacies. The fact that it’s so detailed makes the lack of a tutorial even more frustrating. Yet, I must admit, once I ‘got it’ I was having quite a lot of fun. I’m still yet to win a multiplayer match, and with the fanbase that developer Eugen has built up, it seems unlikely I ever will. If you’re already a fan of their work, you’ve probably already bought this. If you aren’t, but you are the sort of person who likes to wade into the thick of things, you’ll find that climbing the difficulty curve is far from a tankless task.

If you really want to go deep into strategic battles and conquer every inch of the sometimes sprawling big cards, then Steel Division 2 is the place to go and gets tens of hours of entertainment with sophisticated battle strategies. However, those who do not like vigorous micromanagement should bypass the new digital Eastern Front.

Steel Division 2 is a game with some excellent ideas, such as the Army General campaigns, the attention to detail and the sheer size of battles in multiplayer and, to a lesser extent, skirmish. Also, it looks great and, despite the sheer size, can be really engrossing to play. At least for the most part, with the game being let down by an incredibly high barrier for entry, offering no help because the tutorial is a sheer Berlin-wall of text and an AI that seemingly decides it's only fair for it to cheat, all of which can take you out of the game.

Steel Division is still the best at its best. The addition of the Eastern Front is a very appetizing content for it's community. However, the rest of the novelties are either expendable or do not work. That makes it difficult to justify this second installment as such. It would have been more appropriate to launch it as a great DLC, thus avoiding further fracturing of the player community.

Steel Division 2 didn't blow me away, even though I did enjoy myself watching my army blow away the enemy. It's a very well put together game, a beautifully detailed game, but it feels a bit basic. There's a lot of potential in there that I'd like to see elaborated on more. I'd like to see more done with the General's Map table, I'd love to see an encouragement of deeper tactics in the actual battles. I think Steel Division 2 is a great way to kill some time in the annual summer gaming drought, but beyond that I'm not sure I'll be picking it up again any time soon.

Steel division 2 steps on a solid ground above its predecessor. General Mode is a brilliant idea, but it is barely playable due to some serious bugs.

Historical accuracy, and the sheer number of units and scale of the map notwithstanding, Steel Division 2's offensive gets bogged down due to its cluttered UI, confusing layout, and repetitive battles. It does have solid foundations perfect for more improvements in the future.

Steel Division 2 does almost everything Normandy 44 did as well or better, but just about everything new it tries gets bogged down in the mud.

Strategically this is a powerhouse, but in terms of presentation, accessabiltiy and structure this is a step back compared to its predecessor.

Weighed down by a terrible campaign, this is still a superb multiplayer WW2 tactical RTS.

Eugen Systems’s Steel Division 2 is an incredibly detailed and immersive RTS game, but its lacking content and virtually non-existent accessibility makes this a hard sell for anyone outside of Eugen’s fanbase.