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.
