Hearts of Iron 2

List Price: $19.99 Discount Price: $13.98

Features:

• Play any World War II front of your choice--over 175 playable countries
• Four major campaigns letting you play the full course of the war as well as 15 battle scenarios including D-Day, Operation Barbarossa and The Ardennes Offensive
• Real Time gameplay with the capability to pause at any time
• Intuitive tutorial and manual for easy access to the gameplay features
• Co-operative multiplayer gameplay allowing up to 32 simultaneous players to share countries; play against each other through a LAN or over the Internet through the Valkyrienet matchmaking service

Accessories:
PC Gamer (1-year)	Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Customer Reviews:

All those hours gone forever.....:-) [Posted on 2006-03-31]
What can I truly say about HOI II other than the fact that this game has eaten up more of my time than most others combined.

The sheer strategic depth is impressive, and on the most difficult setting, starting out as any country you choose in 1936, you can truly re-write history as you go.

Easily modded, the developers did an outstanding job in all the patch releases, it is highly detailed without being overwhelming, and the hard-wired AI events bring some consistency no matter what direction you decide to take Czechoslovakia, Sinkiang, Honduras, or any other country your heart desires.

One of the best strategy games ever released IMHO, have been playing it well over a year, and am still not burned out from it, as every campaign is different. Very much looking forward to the Doomsday expansion/stand alone, which will enhance the tech tree, and push the timeline from HOI II's 1947 up to 1956, so if you really want a challenge, you can now take all the combatants through twenty years of war and diplomacy.

Fantastic, Addictive Gameplay! [Posted on 2006-10-13]
Hearts of Iron 2 is a strategy game which lets the player delve deep into World War 2 action through scenarios and directing a number of countries. Players who have checked out games from Paradox Entertainment before will realize the following characteristics in the game:
1. Historically accurate data and scenarios. Although in the end the player determines the outcome, historical developments occur together with their effects on countries. For example, if you play the Soviet Union or Germany, you will see the German quality vs. Soviet numbers. The German resources are not sufficient to produce as many infantry divisions as the Soviets, and the Soviet infantry and motorized divisions do never match the German level regardlessof their level of upgrade. In the beginning of the scenario which starts in 1936 and ends in 1947, US has the highest IC (Industrial Capacity) in the world whereas it has a relatively small army. Then, this IC is channelled for a massive buildup.
2. Addictive gameplay. You have research teams to direct your research effort, armies to control, provinces to improve (infrastructure, industrial capacity), and resources to trade. You should be prepared to spend hours going to and from the different interfaces that let you control your country and gear up for war.

One final word for those who played or remember "Storm Across Europe" from Amiga. Take all the best from that unforgettable game and add everything you might ever have hoped for in a WW2 game, there you have it: "Hearts of Iron 2".

Hearts of Iron 2 review [Posted on 2007-01-04]
Wonderfully complex and addictive game with good replay value (other countries do not behave the same under different levels of difficulty).

Not for me [Posted on 2007-05-25]
There is much to like about this game but there are two things I don't like about this game and for me they are killers. The visuals are dull, boring, bland, and cartoonish in my opinion; I just don't like looking at the game. The second is unrealistic outcomes. Take for instance the Ardennes offensive. It is very easy for the Germans to take and hold Antwerp, and to win this scenario. IRL this would have been near impossible. Given the weather, the state of their forces, and their supply situation it would have been hard just to drive to Antwerp. So if I don't like looking at a game and all my research and planning may or may not lead to a realistic outcome... I don't want to play it.

Great Game: Neither Hard or Easy [Posted on 2007-12-27]
This game is by far one of the best war games out there. There are several nations a player can choose, and a wide range of technologies to help improve the capabilities of the nation one picks. Also, creating more troops and the managing of government adds a challenging aspect to the game. Strategy is crucial, and a wrong move can be devastating.

Still, the game is by no means hard. Sure, it is complicated at first, but the game becomes completely easy after taking all of the tutorial scenarios and playing a couple of easy short campaigns within the game (Such as the German invasion of Czechoslovakia and the Spanish Civil War).

Nonetheless, there are some "bad" aspects to the game, such as:

-Aside from the "main areas" of World War II, the rest of the world holds large chunks of land for their provinces (By which I mean, a small nation like Italy has various sections within its national borders, while a larger nation like Peru or Colombia hold over-sized provinces).

-The production time can at times become very long and boring, especially if there is no easy way to make things rush. Sure, don't get me wrong, there is an option to increase the game speed; but even at the maximum speed, which is the speed I always play in, the game is still very slow. There's not even a cheat to make the game go faster.

-Technologies are more favorable for the "main nations" of the time, whereas the other nations are practically forced to have a slower technological output without a chance to increase the amount of teams that can work at a technology--not even if you expand the nation you pick by conquering its neighbors, the technological team simply stays the same.


Lastly, even though this game is great, my recomendation is that you buy "Hearts of Iron II: Doomsday," which is a stand-alone X-pack and holds all the aspects of this game while also expanding the timeline and governmental actions (such as espionage) in the game.

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