Men of War: Assault Squad Review - WWII Has Never Been So Visceral!

Blood, bullets and countless numbers of dead bodies… This is war! This is Men of War: Assault Squad! A new game in the Men of War series, it combines the realism of a battlefield with immersive graphics as well as improved sound effects. You will find that strategy and tactics aren't always enough to keep your squads alive. This is much to do with the dynamic and destructible nature of the battlefield(some would say it depends on luck sometimes). The frustrations and horrors of war will be permanently etched into your mind, but you'll just keep coming back for more every time. It's almost Super Meat Boy'ish that way, insanely difficult but really good.



A World at War

Men of War: Assault squad takes you back to the battlefields of the 2nd World War, sporting an upgraded graphics engine, which preserving the similar (and sometimes hilarious) physics and destructibility that has made the series a bit of a cult classic in a way(Ed- It was mostly thanks to that Steam sale that dropped the price of the game and convinced many people to get it). Featuring the original factions from the first game (Soviets, Germans and Americans), Assault Squad introduces two new factions, The Commonwealth (also known as British) and the Japanese Empire.

Using the environment is key to survival for your infantry

Guns, Glory and Honour

As expected for a WW2 themed RTS, each faction is unique. Men of War: Assault squad doesn’t shy away from that fact, and takes it to a whole new level. Germans; have the best toys, Americans; have speed and mobility, the Russians; numbers and the biggest toys in the war, while the Commonwealth have their ‘Elite’ squads (SAS and Commandos) and the Japanese Empire with their Banzai Charges and extremely light/fast tanks, adds an interesting balance to the game. It's not a straight forward rock paper scissors balance as you could still(with skill) take tanks out with infantry. It's definitely not StarCraft II.


Dogs of War

The basic gameplay in Men of War: Assault Squad sticks with the same formula as was found in Men of War; control an entire squad or single unit in battle either using the traditional ‘right click’ commands or use its trademark ‘Direct Control’ mode which places you in total manual control over a single unit(Ed - often the key to victory in many battles). The game also features new infantry units and squads for different situations, an improvement over its previous form of having to ‘call in’ an entire squad just to achieve a single objective.

An example of these squads would be snipers, Anti Tank troops, machine gunners, flame throwers and even elite troops (like the now famous SAS or Rangers) . Tanks, vehicles, as well as emplacements has also received some new features. For example, tanks now get a new ammo type called the APCR (Armor Piercing Concussion Round) which could knock out the enemy tank crew, leaving the vehicle unharmed and its crew exposed(Ed - great for hijacking enemy vehicles).

The fearsome Tiger Ace. If you see this on the battlefield, send your tanks retreating.

Art of War

Being true to the WW2 history books, the maps in Assault Squad will put you in the dense jungles of Singapore to the snow covered region of the Ardennes. Each of the maps of course limits you to the factions that historically fought there. The Japanese take on the Commonwealth in Singapore and the Germans take on the Americans in the Ardennes. The game doesn't allow you to try out any other factions on these maps(in single player skirmish and coop).


The graphics engine this time around has been improved tremendously, with more detailing on vehicles, scarring textures on tanks, as well as debris that fly off from houses blown apart by explosives(thanks physics). This brings a sense of chaos and carnage on the battlefield, with bodies of dead infantry littered across the battlefield. Hell on earth is probably the closes description to what you will witness. Vehicle wreckages also seem to have improved texturing. Destroyed tanks now appear burned by high explosive shots or show scars from the deflection of armour piercing rounds that failed to penetrate their hull.


The maps have also received nice touches of improvements as well; houses are now drawn with newer texture skins and even contains minute details to the extent of having furnitures spread across all rooms (ever seen a full dining room in an RTS ?). Driving a ‘heavy’ tank through a small apartment building provides a weird sense of satisfaction (maybe because I hate apartments). You could even see the ocean or rivers reflecting the undamaged German Panzer, just before its entry into the fields of glory. Oh look at the pretty reflection of that Tiger tank, OH CRAP! RETREAT!

I wasn't kidding about the dynamic battlefield. The map turns into a tank graveyard after a while and Greenpeace would probably do a 'back flip' if they ever saw what happens to the enviroment.

The terrain now has an added variety of foliage, trees, palm trees, cactus and other types of greenery now even in different seasons such as snow covered grass to dried grass. However, due to this significant improvement in terms of sheer amount of foliage, the terrain now is prone to spreading fires(so don't place you infantry next to fires, they will eventually spread). Other noticeable details on the battlefield include fields of farm land that have operating tractors (used for crashing into tanks) or even ships on maps with water(which are also operational).




"Do I use that house as cover while I lay in wait to ambush? , or do I try and plough through it with my M10, to make a path for the rest of my army to get through without fear of being shot?"



War Stories


By having an ever changing dynamic battlefield, you are given a lot of options in terms of strategy and tactics; do I use that house as cover while I lay in wait to ambush? , or do I try and plough through it with my M10, to make a path for the rest of my army to get through without fear of being shot? Again the physics make things interesting. Hiding your sniper in a building wont make him in vulnerable as a single artillery or shot from a tank will blow the building apart. You'll constantly have to think about your tactics on the fly as the situation change on the battlefield, new enemy units roll in.

"Mikey, I told you there was a ****** 'Palm Tree' in front of us you drunk bastard!!"

The games physics in action. A hijacked armoured car crashes into a palm tree. Awesome!

Band of Brothers

Men of War: Assault Squad is really a game about the multiplayer modes. For those expecting a story driven campaign mode like in the previous title will be disappointed, but that doesn't bring down its replay value. Replacing the campaign is a new skirmish mode, which will allow you to play the five different factions(depending on the map you are playing on). Each faction has three maps, each different than the previous. There's lots of tactical diversity here, some maps would only allow you access to a control point through a choke point(bridges have been taken out) or some that is across a river require careful and precise use of your infantry squads.

What’s disappointing however is the one and only thing you do in skirmishes is attacking and assaulting enemy lines. This is similar to Battlefield: Bad Company 2’s conquest maps (capturing different objective points to increase the options of units that can be called into battle). Gone are the stealth missions and the defend this position at all costs missions from Men of War. Furthermore, the AI which controls the enemy faction is notoriously difficult to beat, even on the easiest difficulty setting. This makes the game a real challenge and gives it a lot of replay value. The harder difficulty setting will produce more static defenses and even tougher units to out battle your own.

Men of War: Farm Simulator 2011

Multiplayer games are where the meat of the game lies. With assault zone(capture control points on the map), frontlines(with two phases, attack and defend, you'll have to capture points to unlock the next set of points), combat(players call in units and have a straight out battle) filling out the bulk of player vs player matches. There is also a mode which allows players to play co-op against an enemy AI(it's the same skirmish mode from the single player portion of the game). With up to 8 players on a single co-op game, the AI won’t be beaten easily without a fight. It does get a lot more manageable when you have more coop partners as you can delegate responsibilities and micro manage a smaller set of units. The AI is not as predictable or scripted like in Men of War. It receives reinforcements depending on the tide of battle.

The only flaw with the multiplayer portion of the game is with the client used to manage the online multiplayer games. The Gamespy online lobby still preserves the same issues it had with the first Men of War. For example; the inability to jump into a friends game through the friends list or see the for all games in the lobby. This is an annoyance as it takes way too long to find or join friends. Developers, make joining your games multiplayer easier please!

If you can find high ground for your AT guns and artillery, you'll have an impregnable defense. Only problem is that most maps do not have much high ground

Victory & Defeat

Overall, Men of War: Assault Squad was an enjoyable experience. Priced at USD34.99; it deserves to be in the hands of any RTS gamer looking for something different. Something that isn't apologetic about it's difficulty and realism. It's a breathe of fresh air. Although casual or non RTS gamers may find this game a little daunting to pick up, it is extremely satisfying to come away victorious in the extreme difficulty battles. Definite buy!



Pros:

• Realism and immersion.
• Direct Control never gets old.
• Tough and Intelligent AI (maybe too smart).
• 5 different WW2 factions.
• New maps and locales
• Multiplayer is definitely worth a try
• Over the top explosions and map ‘scaring’
• Improved graphics engine

Cons:

• AI difficulty (may turn off new or casual players)
• Single player lacks variety in terms of mission type(only skirmish)
• Fixed maps for specific factions
• Clumsy online multiplayer client

Verdict: A punishing yet addictive RTS game that could easily rival any RTS on the market this year.