Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943

 PC
Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
  1. Absolute Games
    75
    Despite horrendous optimization, Africa 1943 is still a cut above the others in its genre.
  2. PC Format
    73
    It's all far too much for me. Even the simplest of skirmishes will take upwards of an hour to complete. [May 2010, p.100]
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  3. GameStar
    71
    Immortal soldiers, attacking tanks with a pistol? Not in this game. Theatre of War 2 simulates battles between Germany, England and the USA with realistic weapons, true to their WW2 originals. If you are looking for a realistic simulation, here it is.
  5. IGN
    68
    The mission environments are fantastic, but there simply aren't enough of them. The combat modeling is engaging, but super-accurate weapons and basic interface problems make it hard to appreciate. The visuals are first rate, but the cost in terms of performance is simply too high.
  6. PC Gamer UK
    68
    Engine improvements offset by mission meanness. [Aug 2009, p.88]
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  7. AceGamez
    67
    When it all comes together and just works the challenges Theatre of War 2 provides can be exhilarating to overcome, the battles can often awe you with their scale and sense of achievement as you guide your motley crew of familiar soldiers through each mission is a reward in itself.
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  8. PC Gamer
    66
    The Theatre of War series might well be one to watch, but for now there are better options available. [Jun 2010, p.81]
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  9. PC Zone UK
    47
    Despite it being more intuitive than the Combat Mission games, Africa 1943 is no picnic. [May 2010, p.88]
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  10. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    40
    Russian-made real-time strategies are at the top in visual presentation. Unfortunately, it means they are nice to watch but a pain to play - confusing and chaotic with lame controls. [Sept 2009]
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 18
  3. Negative: 5 out of 18
  1. Luftvvaffles
    May 8, 2014
    8
    You'll find very little information about these games that cast a positive light. You can refer to my review of "Theatre of War: Kursk." TheYou'll find very little information about these games that cast a positive light. You can refer to my review of "Theatre of War: Kursk." The target audience will love these games despite their poor optimization. Others who are not interested in these historical events should probably pass on the game.… Full Review »
  2. dc42
    Dec 22, 2013
    7
    As a World War 2 enthusiast, I find Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943 as a interesting and engaging strategy game. It's similar to the Total WarAs a World War 2 enthusiast, I find Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943 as a interesting and engaging strategy game. It's similar to the Total War series since you control a small army (or platoon) and fight your way across the map. That's about as far as the similarities go however.

    Cons:
    Poor AI commands given to your army are not followed through completely and they do the complete opposite of what your attempting to do. For example, you want a tank to keep it's turret focused on a hilltop to await a tank you know is there. Instead of keeping the turret focused there your tank will attack other less important targets around it.

    Inconsistent difficulty The difficulty differs during each mission. At one point, my tanks can completely wipe out the enemy. Two seconds later my tanks cannot even penetrate an enemy tank less then 100 yards away. Doesn't make much sense and seems that this penetration feature the game has needs work.

    No Real Campaign There isn't really a campaign to speak of in the game. There is a single player aspect that you can kinda play through scenarios and level up (which is kinda a useless feature) your army. I was hoping for a more indepth campaign that makes me care about playing more not just a bunch of scenarios.

    Pros:
    Realism- I haven't played a WW2 strategy game with such realism and focus on actually strategy. Other games like Company of Heros have little strategy comparatively to this game.

    Graphics- Although not the greatest graphics I've seen it's a good start and always fun to see a tank being blown up or seeing your infantry storm an area for a full out brawl.

    Replay Value- Definite replay value for your money. You can even just play out other scenarios outside of the "campaign" so that's nice.

    Overall:
    Overall, I enjoy Theatre of War 2 but find it's just a shell of what it could have been. It's a great start into WW2 strategy games but needs more "meat" on it's bones to really make it a classic. However, for someone looking for a strategy game that will definitely have you thinking and have a interest in WW2 then I would definitely recommend the game. For the regular gamer it might not be fast paced enough to keep your attention for long, so you might want to pass on the game.    … Full Review »
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