Soldiers: Heroes of World War II

It seems that nowadays you can’t take a step without running into a World War II simulation. With so many games flooding the genre, its getting harder and harder to separate each WWII RTS from the rest. Soldiers: Heroes of World War II is one such game. While the game does a lot of things right, like great graphics and some pretty cool interactive environments, it still doesn’t offer much in the way of innovation over other titles in the RTS genre. While Soldiers is a pretty good game, it’s still one that you’ve played before.

Soldiers has you controlling British, American, Russian and German forces through 30 missions and unique storylines inspired by actual events in the war. These missions range from stealth missions to all-out fighting.

The gameplay in Soldiers changes at the players will due to the Direct Control Mode. The Direct Control mode allows players to take control of one distinct unit from their troops and guide them through the stage. This gives the game a somewhat different dynamic, as the action element plays a little more heavily in this mode. However, it still doesn’t feel quite as revolutionary as it sets out to be and still feels very much like standard RTS gameplay.

The other new element in Soldiers is the level of interactivity in the environments. Pretty much every single object in the game can be destroyed. Trees can be knocked down, buildings decimated and other environmental objects can be completely leveled. The game also boasts a pretty impressive physics model. The weapons and vehicles are very accurate, from capabilities to handling. The AI is pretty good, reacting to the player’s actions and adapting as necessary.

The graphics look great. The unit models are very detailed and boast realistic textures. The environments have a ton of detail to them as well, and the destructible environments boast add a lot to the level of immersion in the missions.

The sound effects are pretty good. The music sounds appropriate for the nature of a war game. The weapon effects sound realistic and clear, and the voice acting is well done (and delivered in cheesy Hollywoodesque accents).

With great graphics and some cool features, Soldiers: Heroes of World War II is a solid effort in the WWII sim genre. However, the game doesn’t quite offer a unique experience, and many gamers will feel like they’re treading old ground.

Gameplay: 7.9
The physics in the game are very impressive; each vehicle and weapon feels different and reacts realistically. The AI is good and the Direct Control mode will definitely appeal to action fans. However, much of this game feels like you’ve played it before.

Graphics: 8.5
The unit models look fantastic, with great textures and high polygon counts. The environments also look very detailed and are extremely interactive; nearly every object in the game can be destroyed.

Sound: 8.5
The music is what you would typically find in a World War II game. The sound effects are crisp and clean, and the voice acting is well done and adds to the cinematic element of the game.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 6.0
Another World War II sim that doesn’t really push the genre further along than it currently is.

Multiplayer: 7.9
The multiplayer aspect is pretty standard, offering support for four players in co-operative and versus modes.

Overall: 7.9
Soldiers: Heroes of World War II is a solid RTS game, one that fans of the genre will probably enjoy. However, anyone who’s growing bored of playing the same WWII sim game in different forms wouldn’t find too much to write home about.