As a long-time fan of the strategy genre, dating back to the launch of Company of Heroes, I still regularly command troops and build bases. It’s my comfort zone, and one title I typically fell back on was the original Men of War. It was such a unique and exciting concept, being able to control the troops directly instead of just from a commander’s position, thoroughly shaking up the genre. Here we are in 2024 with our Men of War 2 review!
Editor’s Note: The Guide Hall received a review copy of the game from the developer/publisher/PR for the purpose of this review. Their generosity does not impact our overall opinion or thoughts on the game!
First and foremost, you should know that Men of War 2 features so many exciting game modes. It’s such a complete experience. You can play multiplayer if you’re a more competitive real-time strategy player. But if you want to face off against AI, as many of us do in the RTS genre, there are campaigns, skirmishes, and historical scenarios to fight through. It’s a lot of content for RTS fans!
I spent most of my time playing through the various campaigns during the Men of War 2 review period. I started with Germany to experience the glory of their tanks firsthand and then swapped over to the United States. They both offer enough of a unique experience in how their units control and operate that it feels fresh. Nothing was cookie-cutter between their armies, which is always lovely to see in an RTS.
Unfortunately, the downside to story-driven campaigns in Men of War 2 is in the story itself. Many of the game’s missions begin with some exposition, and you can’t skip through. Some of these require waiting for minutes in a single position while characters talk in the background about the happenings in the area. It’s long, drawn-out, and frustrating when you want to command your units in battle, not relax with a cup of coffee.
Speaking of frustrations, let’s get those out of the way entirely. The UI is cluttered in the most annoying ways, with so many unique buttons and commands that it’s tough to keep track of anything. I found myself pausing to read each icon in turn, hoping for the right one so I could jump back into the fight. Then, you have the inventory management system, which is just downright unfun. It’s clunky and doesn’t always want to work correctly, sometimes leaving your units desperately underprepared for a combat encounter.
Lastly, I’d like greater control over my unit’s positioning and formations. You can hold-click and drag an infantry unit into a line, but if you want precise positioning, you must place each unit individually. It’s cumbersome.
But that’s the end of my gripes over Men of War 2. Besides the few nitpicks, I found my experience with the World War 2 strategy game immensely fun. I hunkered my troops down in bunkers to stave off an enemy assault, sent a single tank across a bridge to deal with oncoming reinforcements and positively cleaned up, and launched counterassaults to prevent artillery from hammering my position. These were memorable moments that too few strategy games provide these days. Men of War 2 is cinematic and exciting!
There is something for everyone here. You can play as the United States, Germany, or USSR, each with unique faction-specific forces and playstyles, across numerous campaigns and scenarios. There is a lot of content to sift through for the price tag. With that said, if you’re concerned with getting your money’s worth, there are many tens or hundreds of hours worth of RTS here to explore!
If you’re a long-time real-time strategy fan starving for a game with depth and abundant content, I highly recommend you play Men of War 2. It’s an exceptional RTS with enough variety to keep you playing for many months!