Not Far From It Now

Created by Paradox Interactive, developers of Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron II is the second installment in one of the best World War Two strategy game series ever. Hearts of Iron II puts you in control of any country that existed between 1936 and 1947. This means that while you can take control of the world playing as the United States or Germany, you can also participate in smaller conflicts as Hungary, Argentina, or Siam. Allowing you to manage every aspect of your countries war machine, Hearts of Iron II is simply one of the best strategy games out there.

The game centers on one main campaign on a global map, which allows you to control any country, and let's you jump into the world in 1936, 1939, 1941, and 1944, so you can start in the time period of your choice. However in Hearts of Iron II, also included are sixteen limited scenarios depicting major campaigns, ranging from the invasion of Poland and D-Day, to alternate history scenarios like the invasion of Japan and a war between Brazil and Argentina.

Hearts of Iron II allows total control over your country of choice. You must balance resources by importing and trading on the global market. You must use your industrial base not only on weapons of war, but also supplies and common goods to keep your populace happy. You can choose which side you will ally with, or create your own alliance of nations to take over the world. Realism is also prevalent, with events occurring almost constantly, informing you of new political and economic advances, as well as declarations of war and annexations. While most are historical events, your actions influence what will happen and when, and games never play the same way twice.

Combat itself is simplified, but you must be prepared in order to win over your enemies. Researching technology will give you newer units, but you must use some of your industrial power to upgrade them, and keep a constant supply of reinforcements. Adding brigades to your divisions, the primary unit size, will give them better firepower, but you must have the correct doctrine in order to use them correctly. Units dig in and use terrain, aircraft bombard enemy positions and dogfight in the air, and ships must struggle to keep supply lanes open. Using combined arms is the most effective strategy in this very complex and in-depth game.

Overall, Hearts of Iron II is one of my personal favorites and the best game of its type out there. Nearly anything you want to do can be done, and replay is almost unlimited. I am sure that I have not done the game justice in this short review, but hopefully I have given you the idea of just how excellent this game is. While it can take a while to learn everything and get used to the gameplay, Hearts of Iron II is certainly worth it.

Scott is a student and avid strategy gamer. Please support him by visiting his blog http://greatstrategygames.blogspot.com/ for more info, reviews, and screenshots.

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Stephen George is expert author of Games Products industry. Who writes on Game Consoles and Nintendo Wii.

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