Soldiers: Heroes of World War II Preview

While there are a lot of WWII titles out there, and a lot of RTS titles out there, being able to take the two styles and blend them together while still providing a unique gaming experience can be a challenge. Well, Codemasters has now decided to take it on with a new game for the PC which seems to be going in the right direction to be able to provide gamers with a fun and entertaining title that contains a little bit of RTS, action, and even some stealth play blended in for a good, well rounded experience.

Soldiers: Heroes of World War II seems like a pretty standard WWII RPG on initial glance, since there are missions to complete and clicking and dragging will select troops or vehicles and then clicking again will tell them to go where you want them to move. Also, each soldier individually comes equipped with a variety of weapons like Thompsons and grenades that can be selected and used on the fly to make it a smooth experience. In addition, each soldier has his own individual job to do out on the field of battle … so what makes this game unique and something to look into getting upon its final release? Glad you asked.

For starters, one really cool thing that I personally liked about Soldiers is the fact that each vehicle out of the field can be used, including enemy vehicles that you run across in your missions. If you come across an unmanned enemy tank along the way, bingo … you get a new tank. Each soldier can be individually controlled and selected to hop into and control them as you see fit. Also, vehicles will take realistic damage (versus the “hit X times and it just blows up” thing) so you may come across a vehicle that can still shoot but not move, which can sometimes make for a good ambush strategy. Also, enemies who die can be looted and stripped of their belongings that you may need along the way, like more ammo or grenades for the road.

Another unique little twist that the developers added into Soldiers: Heroes of World War II is the ability to actually employ some Metal Gear Solid kinds of sneaking and ambush tactics into the game, and I quickly found out that a full frontal assault is not a good idea. Certain places (sheds, walls, ditches, tents, etc) make for great hiding places, and these kinds of cover were utilized quite well to hide someone and attack an unsuspecting enemy approaching without getting an alert called out or whatnot. It’s also easy to find these places since Codemasters was nice enough to ensure that they are marked with a little icon to show you where they are, so it takes a lot of the guesswork out of figuring out what may be safe and what may not be.

Gameplay overall was really solid, and everything from smooth animation to some really nice collision work (realistic bending and movement of trees, tank tread marks in the dirt, etc) is coming along nicely. The game is supposed to have some really advanced AI in the final cut of the game, and I hope that is true because that was really the only gripe that I had about it while playing. There were times where enemies really didn’t seem to notice I was there, even while standing out in the open just 15 feet or so from them, and things like setting one on fire while the other just stood by idly smoking a cigarette (maybe he needed a light and was grateful to me) were common little quirks that I ran up against.

Graphically, Soldiers is also shaping up nicely. Aside from the trees and tracks that I already talked about, players can also look forward to some of the best character animations that I have seen in an RTS title, along with some really nifty war stuff tossed in like really cool looking explosions and muzzle flashes or soldiers flying through the air when hit by an RPG or grenade blast. Also, the models that were used to represent rusted or broke down vehicles looked pretty good overall in my opinion, so I’m looking forward to seeing the completed version to see what other little things they added in.

Overall, Soldiers: Heroes of World War II is looking great in its preview version … so hopefully the enemy AI will be tweaked for the final release when it hits store shelves. Also, gamers will be happy to know that there are some great RTS additions and extras added into the title without sacrificing easy to pick up controls that all of us RTS buffs are used to which will help make for a good gaming experience. If you like RTS WWII games then pick up your Thompson and get ready for war … Soldiers is heading your way.