Soldiers: Heroes of World War II
- June 28, 2004
- Best Way
"Soldiers: Heroes of World War II" is a real-time strategy game that allows for single-player, multi-player, and co-op play. Players can control American, British, Russian, or German forces in battles set during World War II. The game offers a strategic experience, but also allows for direct control of forces using keyboard and mouse inputs. The plot is engaging and adds depth to the gameplay.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience, with many players recalling fond memories from their childhood and enjoying the gameplay just as much today.
- It features a unique blend of RTS and tactical gameplay, allowing players to control individual units and manage their inventory, which adds depth and strategy to missions.
- The game has a rich historical context with well-designed campaigns, destructible environments, and a variety of missions that keep players engaged.
- The game often struggles to run on modern PCs, with many players experiencing crashes and compatibility issues, particularly on Windows 10 and 11.
- Key binding and control customization can be frustrating, as modifying settings may lead to crashes or reset to defaults.
- The AI can be unreliable, leading to frustrating gameplay moments where units do not respond as expected, making missions feel overly difficult.
- story56 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game features four distinct campaigns (Soviet, German, UK, and US) along with a variety of bonus missions, all of which are available from the start. Players appreciate the nostalgic and engaging storytelling, with missions based on real WWII events, though some find the difficulty level frustrating and the AI lacking. Overall, the campaigns provide a rich historical context and a rewarding challenge, making it a memorable experience for fans of tactical gameplay.
“The game also offers a wide variety of campaigns and missions, depicting various conflicts of World War II.”
“There is a solid story behind each of the campaigns and the narration is very nice to listen to.”
“It stands out because of great engine, great attention to WWII details (4 nations with representative vehicles, weapons, and gear) and its missions: all of them based upon real events, presenting interesting and engaging WWII operations in microscale.”
“Over-powered enemies, lots of historical inaccuracies, AI is some of the most stupid you will find in video games, and you are given nowhere near the amount of units in each mission to have a scrap of a chance at winning the level, even on easy difficulty.”
“Missions are often quite hard and unforgiving; there is no save possibility within the missions.”
“If you can overlook being limited to a few multi-mission campaigns (30 missions total - over 4 campaigns), extreme difficulty, and cheesy music/voice-overs, then you will find this to be a keeper.”
- graphics23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are generally considered outdated but still impressive for its release in 2004, featuring detailed 3D environments and destructible elements that enhance realism. While some users note that the graphics may require tweaks to display properly on modern systems, others appreciate the immersive aesthetic and sound design that complement the gameplay. Overall, the visuals are seen as a testament to the game's technological advancements for its time, despite not meeting contemporary standards.
“The game features very detailed 3D graphics for the time.”
“Since the environment is destructible, this gives the game a very realistic aesthetic and feel.”
“Captivating music, well-looking graphics (for a game over a decade old), easy yet intriguing at its control, acceptable AI that make it look hard sometimes, nice scenery, a bit of historical accuracy; this game will make you press ESC and think your next move.”
“The graphics are outdated, but the gameplay and the thrill is still the same.”
“It's very old and you need to do some magic (google it) to have graphics properly displayed.”
“And beware: there's no widescreen support, you can't put textures options to high, only to normal and low, which is the issue with newer graphics cards, I suppose.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its unique blend of 3D shooter and RTS elements, offering addictive mechanics and a high level of detail, though it suffers from some clunky controls and technical issues. Players appreciate the balance of gameplay elements, the variety of actions and weapons, and the engaging missions, making it a solid recommendation for RTS fans despite its outdated graphics. Overall, while it provides a rich and experimental experience, it may not have long-lasting appeal for all players.
“The gameplay is unique and addictive when mastered; it's like a mix between a 3D shooter and an RTS, however you're in charge of small and unique squads.”
“With the direct control system, insane level of detail and physics modeling, exciting and interesting missions, modding support, and incredibly fun gameplay, the game is hardly stale and makes it very easy to recommend it even today after so many years.”
“The point is, all the gameplay elements are balanced very well - the sum of the whole is greater than its parts individually.”
“There are often technical issues to work through, and the game mechanics are clunky.”
“Gameplay resembles the Commandos game series more than a traditional RTS.”
“All in all, worth picking up just to experiment with the mechanics and gameplay, but not a long-lasting game you'll want to come back to, unless you're a masochist.”
- music13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its captivating and well-composed soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere, while others criticize it for being repetitive and annoying. Overall, the soundtrack is noted as a highlight for many players, despite some finding it overly simplistic or loud.
“The music and sound effects are very well done as well.”
“Best soundtrack ever.”
“Has an amazing soundtrack and if you get the resolution right, it looks awesome too.”
“Music, on the other hand?”
“Each mission soundtrack involved a ditty composed of 3 notes.”
“By the end, the music was fingernails dragging across a chalkboard.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its engaging music, graphics, and gameplay, alongside a strong sense of historical accuracy in locations and missions. Players appreciate the semi-authentic accents and the physics/ballistics model, although some find certain missions, like the last German mission during the Normandy invasion, to be somewhat implausible.
“The historical location accuracy and the missions seemed plausible; I enjoyed the atmosphere with the semi-authentic accents and the physics/ballistics model—it's not too shabby.”
“Music, atmosphere, graphics, and gameplay are good.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
While some players note awkward controls and screen resolution issues, the game's depth contributes to its replayability. However, the lack of dynamic content limits its overall replay value.
“The controls are a bit awkward and had some problems with screen resolution, but they are quickly overlooked due to the game's replayability and depth.”
“There is no dynamic content, which results in little replay value.”
“The controls are a bit awkward and I had some problems with screen resolution, but these issues are quickly overshadowed by the lack of replayability and depth in this game.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartwarming and ironically upbeat portrayal of characters, particularly the beloved grandpa figure, which effectively utilizes the game's limitations to enhance its storytelling.
“The absolutely heartwarming, ironically peppy grandpa that you know and love from the Men of War series, which used its limitations to its strengths.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and outdated, leading to a frustrating experience.
“Didn't age well; very tedious handling.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive.”
“It's a chore to level up, making the game feel more like work than fun.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized for modern PCs, ensuring smooth performance, especially for fans of WWII RTS. Players recommend trying the 2pz mod for an enhanced and immersive gameplay experience.
“If you are into WWII RTS, don't hesitate to play it. It's really good and will run smoothly on today's PCs. Try the 2pz mod and you'll be blown away by the long and rich gameplay, even with all the 'Men of War' games available today.”
