Men of War: Red Tide
- November 1, 2009
- Fulqrum Publishing
- 20h median play time
Get on Steam"Men of War: Red Tide" is a sequel to the critically acclaimed RTS, allowing players to command the Soviet Marines, known as the "Black Coats," in over 20 missions during World War II. The game features new units, weapons, and air and naval support options, providing direct control over tanks, artillery, and more in a stunning mixture of RTS and third-person action. Fighting takes place across various environments, requiring strategic planning and tactical execution.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Challenging and engaging missions that require strategic planning and careful execution.
- Rich historical context and a unique focus on the Soviet naval infantry during World War II.
- Offers a satisfying sense of accomplishment upon completing difficult objectives.
- Poor AI behavior often leads to frustrating gameplay, with units failing to follow commands effectively.
- The game can be excessively difficult, even on lower settings, making it inaccessible for some players.
- Lack of music during gameplay and occasional bugs detract from the overall experience.
- story146 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 86 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story in "Men of War: Red Tide" is set during World War II, focusing on the Russian perspective as players navigate a series of challenging missions against German forces. While the campaign features a multitude of missions that require strategic planning and resource management, many players find the difficulty level to be excessively high, often leading to frustration due to bugs and mission design that can feel arbitrary or punishing. Despite these challenges, the game offers a compelling narrative experience, with a strong atmosphere and a sense of accomplishment when missions are successfully completed.
“The story is based on World War II events where, after picking a faction you want to fight for, you try to fulfill different objectives to gain some advantage for your fighting side.”
“The gameplay is complex; in each mission, you have to complete a lot of tasks, such as killing specific enemies, destroying specific units, and reaching certain points. The story focuses on the Russian side, which will have various battles with the Germans, Italians, and Romanians.”
“The campaign is separated by single missions that do not have any connection to each other, besides some story description.”
“Since the missions are not connected, it does not feel like you are progressing through the whole game; instead, you get focused on single missions, losing the big picture of the war.”
“The immersion during the missions was definitely on a high level, but sadly goes lost once a mission is finished and the campaign window is displayed until the next mission is started.”
- gameplay27 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its challenging and strategic nature, requiring players to manage squads and navigate complex missions with a focus on stealth and line of sight mechanics. While it shares similarities with previous titles like "Men of War," it introduces unique elements such as naval gameplay and destructible environments, though some players noted issues with weapon mechanics and a lack of music. Overall, the gameplay is engaging and rewarding, albeit difficult, often leading to lengthy mission attempts and a need for careful planning.
“Combines fun and challenge all in one no matter the difficulty, plus all the water shenanigans this focuses on really spice up gameplay.”
“The gameplay is complex; in each mission, you have to complete a lot of tasks, such as killing specific enemies, destroying specific units, and reaching certain points. The story focuses on the Russian side, which will have various battles with the Germans, Italians, and Romanians.”
“The mechanics are sophisticated, being pretty nice and everything moves well-optimized.”
“No music during gameplay sadly, and on average missions are hard and require a deeper analysis of the field in order to figure out how to advance. Sometimes there just isn't any easy way forward, which in turn makes for a good atmosphere as we are playing as Russian infantry here, so one can expect things to get icky and sticky.”
“Jokes aside, the campaign is incredibly difficult. I managed to complete it after 27 hours of gameplay, and many of those missions left me with less than half of my starting troops at the end.”
“Disappointing game, needs some work; messy gameplay and UI.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 24 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally considered outdated, yet they provide sufficient immersion and fit well with the gameplay, which remains the primary focus. While some players note that the visuals and audio are not exceptional, others appreciate the graphical details in combat scenes and find them to be a step up from previous titles in the series. Overall, the consensus is that while the graphics may not be cutting-edge, they are adequate for the game's experience.
“The graphics and the textures are pretty nice.”
“The battles are fierce and the graphics are pretty good in my opinion.”
“The graphics are more beautiful than in Company of Heroes 1 and 2.”
“The graphics are a bit outdated, which is fine since the gameplay is the main factor of the game.”
“Yes, the obvious critique is that the graphics are a little outdated and the voice acting is poor; however, I think that the variety and intricacy of the game itself totally outweighs that.”
“The graphics look quite aged, but the graphical details that most fighting scenes have are fitting the game really well.”
- music9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting the absence of music during gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the background music as a nice touch, particularly in the menu, others express disappointment over the lack of a consistent musical presence throughout the game. Overall, the music is described as underutilized, leaving players wanting more.
“The music provided a nice background sound without being too intrusive.”
“The music is nice, especially the menu one; it really makes you feel nationalist.”
“Nice audio and nice music.”
“My biggest complaint about the game is that the music doesn't seem to want to play at all.”
“They almost did nothing with the music.”
“And for some reason, there isn't any music.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its challenging missions that require strategic thinking, reflecting the gritty experience of Russian infantry. Players particularly appreciate the immersive environments, such as water-surrounded areas and diverse battle settings, which contribute to the overall ambiance. Engaging with in-game lore, like veteran memoirs, further enriches the atmospheric experience.
“The atmosphere mostly happens in areas with water surrounding them, such as islands, coasts, etc. The battles also take place in villages, towns, forests, fields, military bases (pretty rare), and even other environments.”
“The atmosphere mostly happens in areas with water surrounding them, such as islands, coasts, etc. The battles also happen in villages, towns, forests, fields, military bases (pretty rare), and even other environments.”
“I did not want to bombard this game with negative comments because I enjoy the overall gameplay mechanics and atmosphere of the game, hence the positive comments that this game expands upon following the first game.”
“Oh, and don't forget to read the encyclopedia and memoirs of veterans; otherwise, you lose out on the atmosphere.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, primarily appealing to fans of older RTS titles and WWII themes, as it is relatively short and lacks substantial incentives for replaying missions. While it showcases strategic depth and tactical control, players may find enjoyment in completing missions once rather than revisiting them.
“It's difficult, showcases what you know from other early Men of War titles (replay value, high-level strategy, in-the-trenches tactics and control, etc.), and it runs on pretty much anything.”
“It is quite fun to finish each mission once, but since the game is fairly short and offers only minimal replayability, it is only advised if you enjoy older RTS and especially Blitzkrieg and WWII games.”
“This game offers none to minimal replayability.”
“It's difficult, showcases what you know from other early Men of War titles, but ultimately lacks replay value.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, with the extreme difficulty detracting from the enjoyment of its otherwise appealing features, such as a variety of vehicles and the ability to capture enemy equipment.
“It's a pity because the game has many good things like dozens of different vehicles or the possibility of capturing enemy equipment, but the extreme difficulty makes it a tedious experience.”
“Started playing this game and within 5 minutes was thinking to myself, 'this is tedious and boring.'”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a well-optimized user interface that is free of bugs and presents information clearly, while the mechanics are sophisticated and function smoothly, contributing to an overall polished experience.
“The user interface is well-optimized, with no bugs and well-synthesized information.”
“The mechanics are sophisticated, and everything moves smoothly and is well-optimized.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game experiences occasional stability issues, particularly during missions, leading to bugs that may require players to restart when they find themselves in unwinnable situations.
“It is a bit buggy sometimes on missions, and it is not uncommon to restart a mission when things go completely wrong and you find yourself in a position where you just can't win anymore.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it frustrating to progress.”
“I've experienced several glitches that disrupt gameplay, leading to a less enjoyable experience.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from the poor voice acting, which some players find amusing and effective as comic relief, despite it being a point of criticism.
“I suppose my one 'complaint' would be the terrible voice acting, but personally I think it's hilarious and serves as effective comic relief.”
