Men of War: Assault Squad
- February 24, 2011
- Digitalmindsoft
- 20h median play time
The old soldier shows his gregarious side. This is gruelling but great WWII action, spanning every theatre.
Get on Steam"Men of War: Assault Squad" is a tactical RTS game featuring cooperative play with five different nations to choose from, including Japan for the first time in the series. The game offers increased realism and accessibility, with direct control of units using WASD and the ability to command tanks and soldiers in various historical settings. Unique hero units with special abilities add an additional layer of strategy to gameplay.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game offers a high level of realism with detailed unit management and destructible environments.
- The GEM editor allows for endless creativity in creating custom battles and scenarios.
- The gameplay is challenging and rewarding, requiring strategic thinking and micromanagement.
- The AI can be frustratingly poor, often leading to units not following commands effectively.
- The single-player missions can feel repetitive, lacking variety in objectives.
- Multiplayer functionality is severely limited due to the shutdown of GameSpy, making it difficult to find online matches.
- story237 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and variety, with many missions feeling repetitive and uninspired, often revolving around similar objectives like capturing points or defending positions. While some players appreciate the engaging gameplay and strategic elements, they note that the single-player experience lacks a cohesive narrative, relying instead on disconnected skirmishes that do not contribute to an overarching story. Overall, the game is seen as more focused on multiplayer and skirmish modes rather than delivering a rich, story-driven campaign.
“The game features many fun missions; you can play any country or nation you'd like, and they all have different troops, cars, planes, etc.”
“The immersion during the missions was definitely on a high level in Assault Squad due to the combination of visual feedback from the battles as well as audio feedback from the gunfights happening mostly in multiple places at the same time.”
“The gameplay is complex; in each mission, you have to accomplish some tasks, such as killing certain enemies, cleaning fields of enemies, destroying some units, reaching a point, capturing a point, and holding off certain positions. The story focuses on the Soviet, German, Allied, and Japanese forces during World War II.”
“The single player does not have a story and most missions are the same 5 missions but reskinned for each of the factions.”
“The campaigns are very lazily made, with no story or thought put into them.”
“There isn't much of a story, more of just an excuse to have a map.”
- gameplay117 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this WWII strategy game is characterized by its deep mechanics, requiring significant micromanagement and strategic positioning of units, which can be both rewarding and challenging. While some players appreciate the realistic damage models and tactical depth, others find the gameplay repetitive and clunky compared to more modern titles like Company of Heroes. Overall, it offers a mix of fun and frustration, with a steep learning curve that may deter casual players but appeals to hardcore RTS enthusiasts.
“I was very addicted to the game at first and it was a really fun gameplay loop due to getting troops and tanks and positioning them in strategic places and slowly making your way across the map.”
“The gameplay allows for the greatest flexibility of any army, allowing for the maximum replayability and some of the most intense multiplayer skirmishes I've played.”
“This game is so much fun, no doubt about it, great gameplay, very good historical accuracy, and overall, a great game with extremely fun missions.”
“The gameplay can get quite repetitive; I feel like I have seen a significant portion of the game already, and only played significantly as two different factions.”
“One simple reason for the low gameplay score: the most lazy, half-arsed scenario design I have ever seen!”
“The only problem that makes me not recommend it is that micromanagement is a must to play with any success, but the UI and game mechanics make it very difficult to do.”
- graphics83 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive a mixed but generally positive reception. Many users praise the visuals for their realism and improvements over previous titles, highlighting the detailed environments and effects, while some note that the graphics may not meet modern AAA standards. Despite some criticisms regarding performance and occasional outdated elements, the graphical quality is often described as a strong point that enhances the gameplay experience.
“The graphics capture the tone of WWII through the environment, such as the smoke that arises after a vehicle has been destroyed.”
“The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is fabulous, and the battles are intense.”
“Easily the best WWII tactical game out there, a class rival to Company of Heroes, which while COH is a great game, Men of War: Assault Squad brings realism, scope, and graphical beauty to the WWII genre.”
“I bought this game because I thought the campaign missions would be different from Men of War: Assault Squad 2, but it's just the same with worse graphics and engine.”
“Clunky controls and hideous graphics.”
“Graphic is average and it doesn’t matter if you choose low or high details, the game still runs laggy as hell.”
- replayability19 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, with players praising the enjoyable combat, diverse missions, and the ability to experiment with different strategies in the campaign. While some users noted a lack of single-player maps, the extensive mod support and multiplayer options contribute to a nearly infinite replay value. Overall, it is regarded as one of the best WWII strategy games, providing a solid foundation for varied gameplay experiences.
“A great classic, the excellent mods and gem editor allow for practically endless replay value, a definite recommendation.”
“Yes, yes, yes a million times yes, this game provides nigh infinite replayability and is built very solidly if at first confusingly.”
“Battles are ever changing which makes for an incredible replay value.”
“This game offers mediocre replayability if you want to try the same missions at higher difficulty later.”
“Every mission is replayable to test new strategies, and it can be both a test field for these mind bogglers or a time waster.”
“Newbies might find the ability to micromanage the soldiers' actions daunting, but once you get used to it, the game's replayability went up a lot.”
- optimization17 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, particularly for its ability to run smoothly on lower-end machines, with many users reporting consistent performance at high settings. However, some players note issues with specific aspects, such as the single-player missions being small and certain features affecting performance negatively. While the user interface and mechanics are well-optimized, there are mixed opinions on the overall optimization quality, with a few users describing it as "terribly optimized."
“The user interface is well-optimized, with no bugs and well-synthesized information.”
“Assault Squad compensates for an underwhelming skirmish mode by having strong graphics and optimized performance.”
“Unlike most other games, every unit faction is somehow representative of its country in terms of performance and equipment.”
“It makes no difference in terms of performance.”
“I do believe the reason for most singleplayer missions to be small is due to this game not being optimized.”
“Another unplayable and unoptimized game from Russia.”
- stability13 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 85 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with users reporting a range of experiences from smooth performance on lower-end systems to frequent crashes and significant bugs that hinder gameplay. While some players appreciate the engaging content and features, many express frustration over persistent glitches and technical issues, leading to an overall perception of the game as unstable and buggy.
“I'm playing this on a laptop, not a good one at that, but it still runs great.”
“I have to declare that gameplay-wise, this one is the weakest of the series, yet technically it's one of the most sturdy and bug-free.”
“The game is so buggy, SDL files, define not found and stuff like that.”
“Buggy and unplayable half the time with constant crashes caused by moving items between inventories.”
“An interesting idea but the execution is just a buggy piece of sh!”
- music9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, providing a pleasant background that complements the gameplay without being overly intrusive. While some players noted a lack of variety in tracks, others praised the seamless transition from ambient to combat music and highlighted the overall quality of the audio, including sound effects. Additionally, the inclusion of specific tracks, like "Westerwald Lied," has been appreciated by players.
“The music provided a nice background sound without being too intrusive.”
“I like the sound of the guns, tanks, etc. The music is nice, the ambient music turns into combat music well-synchronized, and it’s overall sounding nice.”
“Gfx and music is great and the sfx is fantastic.”
“No more campaign intros, no more story, no more music apart from a boring 1-minute track.”
“Easily fixed though, turn off voice volume and play with your own music.”
“I play to the OST from Fury and other movies.”
- humor7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it amusing and entertaining, particularly during multiplayer sessions and through quirky bonus missions. While some note it may not reach the comedic heights of similar titles, the game's funny moments, especially involving AI antics, contribute to an enjoyable experience. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch that enhances the gameplay.
“Nice game, funny and hard at the same time; if you play it with friends, it can turn into a real PvP competition or just some rocket rains all over the map.”
“Hilariously out of place bonus missions.”
“The bonus missions are weird and funny, and you should get the Game of the Year edition since it has all the packs and the game for only $19.99.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the tactical depth and realistic combat, others criticize the campaign for being tedious and repetitive, likening it to a series of capture-the-point missions rather than a cohesive narrative. The difficulty levels also contribute to the grinding feel, with normal being a slog and easy being overly simplistic. Overall, the game is recommended for those seeking a more in-depth multiplayer experience, despite its campaign shortcomings.
“Played on hard, was destroyed; played on normal, a grinding slug match with repeating steamrolling by enemy forces; and easy was too easy.”
“I don't mind a game with a good multiplayer, but in this case, this should be marketed as a multiplayer-only game since the 'campaign' is boring and tedious to get through and is not a campaign at all but a series of capture the victory point missions.”
“It is a good tactical game that I recommend to everyone who wants a more in-depth experience than Company of Heroes: Men of War Assault Squad. It features realistic combat and tedious difficulty.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by diverse environments such as open fields, villages, and forests, effectively evoking a WWII setting. While the level designs are praised for their cool and atmospheric qualities, they tend to be repetitive in design and objectives, which may detract from the overall experience.
“The atmosphere is immersive, capturing the essence of open fields, villages, cities, forests, and various other environments.”
“As a fan of WWII games, I appreciate how this game creates a similar atmospheric experience.”
“Some of the level designs are cool and atmospheric, referencing obscure battles from WWII, although they share similar designs and objectives.”
“The atmosphere mostly happens in open fields, villages, cities, forests, and even other environments.”
“I am a great soldier: a fan of WWII, and this game has the atmosphere in the same way.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the reviews, but there are indications that the game's graphics and marketing efforts, particularly in Asia, may impact its appeal and potential revenue. Users suggest that the game could benefit from improved advertising and a more visually appealing presentation compared to competitors.
