Blitzkrieg 2: Fall of the Reich Preview

Blitzkrieg 2: Fall of the Reich covers three major offensives from the final days of fighting on the Eastern front. With Germany holding strategic cities in a bid to protect the Fatherland, and the Red Army relentlessly driving towards Berlin, the spring of '45 saw some of the most vicious battles of the entire war.

Fall of the Reich features two campaigns encompassing 16 massive missions fighting for either the German Front or the last major offensives of the Soviet Union. Battles include the long Siege of Budapest, the incredible tenacity of Axis forces in holding "Fortress" Kurland and the Soviet Operation Bagration that freed Byelorussia and opened up the Eastern Europe to the Red Army. There are eight new historically based missions, several new units and 10 new maps (six single-player and four multiplayer). Multiplayer games can be played either on a LAN or online. Some new rewards will be earned for those victorious in battle like the Kurland Cuff band and the Medal for the Capture of Budapest.

Though the focus is on historical battles I found that though the objectives might have a historical significance, it seems that you can carry out most mission objectives in any order you see fit. Having said that I liked the idea that the game seemed open for different styles of gameplay despite trying to stay confined to historical outcomes.

Fall of the Reich has the same gameplay of Blitz 2. Unit management and sound strategy take precedence over quick building and tank rushing. You will start off each mission with a given number of units then you can call in various forms of reinforcements as the missions allow. No need to worry about building factories to build your tanks or managing resources for better units. This basically gets down to the nitty gritty of all out fighting.

Though this is a real time game you can toggle the time setting and slow it down so you can effectively issue orders. This is ideal for those big battles where you have many units or squads to carry out various objectives like flanking, or calling in artillery strikes or maneuvering for a better firing position. This way even those of us who don’t possess lighting fast mouse skills can even have a shot at doing well. On the flip side if it seems like it is just a bit to slow for you, you can speed it up!

At first glance the game looks pretty much like Blitz 2, which was pretty good for this genre. The explosions and rag-doll effects looked just as good and will be sure to please. You can swing the camera around at different angles and zoom in and out as well. The in-game sounds and music was nothing to write home about, but was good enough to make the game enjoyable.

Rather than being a typical expansion where the original Blitz 2 is required, it is being billed as a stand-alone game. No, the original game is not included but this should attract a new audience for those interested in the success that CDV has had with this line of games. With any luck those trying this title out may want to give the original games a try.

In my opinion there is enough content here that would make those fans of the genre pleased and should be a good bet.