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(More customer reviews)As much as people complain about the influx of World War II computer games, let's face it-there aren't many such games outside of the Turn-Based Strategy genre. For every *Medal of Honor* one can find ten *Doom* knock offs, and for every *Sudden Strike* one can buy ten *Starcraft* retreads.
And for as long as Real Time Combat games have been around, Microsoft and developer CDV were the only WWII game-makers that I knew of until about 2003. CDV still makes some of the more realistic and yet fast-paced RTCs to ever model the Second World War, and their latest title *Blitzkrieg 2* is no exception.
I'm not sure then if it's ironic or just fitting that *B2* in many ways takes a step back towards the primitive *Sudden Strike*. Those used to the first *Blitzkrieg* will quickly discover they can no longer transfer veteran units from battle to battle. Nor can they cherry-pick specific units before each battle. Players cannot even fight random battles in order to rack up rank and win special units. Instead, like *SS*, the game follows a series of varied, compulsory missions where the player depends upon a small number of pre-stationed units as well as reinforcements. Most units are weak and the player can quickly lose a squad to a single well-placed gun or mortar. The player often cannot call upon air or artillery support to complete a mission.
As bad as that sounds, *B2* fortunately isn't nearly as aggravating as *SS*. The latter game suffered serious balance issues, with the player usually in range of accurate enemy artillery fire with no friendly aircraft or counter battery units available. *SS* also had a tendency to give the player the wrong units for the job, such as providing towed anti-tank guns in a mission that required tanks. Then there were the infamous problems with weapon ranges, sight ranges, and fog-of-war. I never did finish Sudden Strike.
Blitzkrieg 2 corrects much of these problems with more logical and consistently executed weapon ranges-though the computer can still use spotters to shoot you before you can even see it, players don't have to worry about their sniper being outranged by submachine gunners. It also seems, even more than the first Blitzkrieg, to balance the unit types for each mission so the player rarely has to worry about being stuck with towed AT guns when they really needed self-propelled howitzers. Though the player consistently remains outnumbered, he or she can actually use tactics to out-maneuver the enemy and hit them in the rear or flanks; not even *B1* let this happen, no thanks to extensive and well-prepared enemy fortifications in every map.
The real winner in this area lies in *B2's* superior map and mission design. Gone are the repetitive handful of mission types from the first title. Mostly gone are the blatant choke points and the field works hidden every five meters. Though none of the maps feel particularly large, the player rarely comes under attack the instant he or she leaves their starting position (or even in their starting positions like some *SS* levels I could mention). Lots of hidden paths and bunkers dot the beautifully rendered 3D maps. Though no day-night cycle exists, and the climate effects are limited to snowfall, maps detail all four seasons and both day and night missions. Here the player and the enemy alike have hills and valleys to contend with, and even the cheating enemy can blunder through a grove of trees and into one of my own well-placed guns. Instead of being punished for exploring by running into another damn defense line, the player can find bonus units being held prisoner or they can find secret objectives.
CDV took as it gave. To streamline play they eliminated logistics features like bridge-building and medical support for the infantry. The missions, meanwhile, no longer seem to score the player on various feats, such as tactics and casualties. Fewer missions exist as well: aside from the lack of random missions, CDV reduced campaigns from 6 chapters to 4. This results in tremendous gaps in the otherwise historical campaigns; for example, Germany spends the first three chapters between 1940 and 1942, then skips clear to December 1944 for the climatic chapter. And as already mentioned, players cannot maintain an elite core of units, or win new units through rank upgrade.
Instead, CDV vastly improved the old reinforcement idea, wrapping it up with the streamlined rank system and campaign design. Each campaign--Allied, German, or Soviet-divides into chapters; each chapter allots reinforcement credits, with a limited number of credits allowed per mission. The game separates reinforcements by military branches, such as Assault Infantry and Elite Infantry, or Light Tanks and Heavy Tanks. Such branches can be upgraded, say from Panzer II to Panzer III light tanks. Players can call these reinforcements into battle as long as they have control of at least one supply point on a map. But they must earn both branches and branch upgrades by completing missions; players start at the very bottom of the toy pile with conscripts and light tanks.
Players also can't expect to have every discovered branch available in every mission. Much of the difficulty and balance adjustments in this game comes from carefully limiting the type as well as the number of reinforcements. This also figures into the story telling, such as it is. Each mission within a campaign chapter follows a loosely connected story leading towards a historical battle; those missions usually earn the branches and unit upgrades needed to fight in the chapter climax.
Missions also earn experience for the player and his commanders. That's right, Blitzkrieg 2. includes type commanders for each branch of military unit. While rank will no longer let players win that fancy Pershing tank, it will allow him or her to assign a commander to a branch of his or her choice. As the commander gains rank, the units gain extra abilities, such as increased firepower or the ability to target the treads of a tank. Rank is achieved simply by blowing the hell out of as many enemies as one can find, since this sequel does not penalize the player for poor tactics or high friendly casualties.
So overall the sequel plays more like a conventional story-driven RTC, than the more flexible and open-ended original. The rank system amounts to a level treadmill since rank can be gotten naturally through the course of the story missions; I'd like to see a return to the graded system of the first game to make rank more challenging and thus rewarding.
I'd also like to see many more chapters added in order to provide a more comprehensive game experience. Transfering core units should return as well, but to supplement rather than replace the reinforcements. Finally, I feel the environment should render more realistically: if tanks can knock down trees then they should be able to ram houses. And vehicles should have a much harder time trying to get through thick trees and sand and mud, if for no other reason than it reminds me I'm playing a game when I watch a tank single-handedly bulldoze an entire forest.
Otherwise, I enjoy *Blitzkrieg 2* more than previous CDV efforts and I look forward to expansion packs. It just kind of annoys me that it steps back as much as forward.
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The real enemy is out there!Product InformationBlitzkrieg II offers a tremendous focus on new strategic opportunitiesglobal war and the gritty realism of historically accurate battles of WWII. Onthe side of Soviet Armed Forces US Army or German Wehrmacht you plan entireoperations and lead your men into fierce action choosing reinforcements andutilizing a wide range of new weapons in three full-blown campaigns spanning theglobe. A new graphics engine puts you in control of the bloodiest conflict ofthe past century.Decide what missions to play accumulate and call in multiple types ofreinforcements capture train stations or airfields to receive more troops byrailroad an achieve air supremacy. Accomplish tactical objectives and missionsto support your war efforts at a strategic level and dominate decisive battlesthroughout the games campaigns.Promote and assign commanders to combat units as you expand your tacticaladvantage with over 50 unique skills and real-life abilities. Order engineers toplant TNT charges and blast passing enemy units use linked grenades for extradamage suppress infantry with flak fire and master combat techniques newlyintroduced in Blitzkrieg II.The Philippines Iwo Jima Tobruk Moscow Stalingrad Ardennes - fight onevery major front of WWII. From the heart of Europe to the deadly jungle islesof the Pacific campaigns span the globe with each mission offering a uniquechallenge. Mission goals vary from counter attacks and air warfare to covert opsand amphibious landings.Access hundreds of authentic weapons from the "Satan" flamethrowertank to the Tiger II and T-35 monsters. New weaponry includes "Zero"fighters V-2 ballistic missiles and 305-mm railroad guns. Make use of specialforces sappers assault engineers and even guard dogs!Product FeaturesStunning full 3D interactive environment with true Line Of Sight and Lineof FireFight day and night under any climatic conditions on
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