Recent reviews by Don Snaek

good game to play if you can get your friends to play with you. dead otherwise

This review is partially adapted from a blog post I made on Men of War 2 exactly one year ago during the playtest

If you want, you can read the full post (with screenshots) that is more in-depth here[www.coh2.org].

1. Faster-paced gameplay compared to other entries in the series, while still maintaining a "realism mode" for returning fans of the series.
   
2. The new "Battalions" system.
   
3. Units are more responsive compared to older entries in the series.
   
4. Stealth and FOW changes that make stealth more consistent and fun
   
5. The new Echelon and Logistics timer system.
   
6. Gates of Hell style 3rd person vehicle camera.

1. Game is online-only (though the devs have said they plan to change this in the future).
   
2. The English voice acting is very, very mediocre (I'm told DE and RU voice acting is bad as well). To the point where I had to completely turn off voicelines to enjoy the game.
   
3. PvP can tend to be an arty-fest.
   
4. No Gates of Hell style 3rd person infantry camera. Only classic style.

I enjoy the game, but it seems like there are many older fans of the series who do not enjoy the new formula.

I suggest watching videos on youtube and making your own decision!

China will grow larger.

Censorship

After more time playing the game, I've found it to be frustratingly mediocre, despite its promising facade.
The game combines aspects of crusader kings (family development, claims from marriage, choosing how to guide your ruler's skill development) and elements of total war (play as the country no matter what happens to the ruler's family, more in-depth trade system, real time tactical battles), but the issue is that both really feel half-baked.

The real-time tactical battles feel very same-y, as every country has basically the same units. There are only 3 variations in units that I saw. For example, instead of a normal "peasant" unit, countries in the steppes got "steppe militia", and there was a similar change for countries in subsaharan africa and the middle east (desert tribal peasants or whatever). But practically, all the units play the same.

Besides these functional reskins, the only really unique units are few and far between. Off the top of my head, there were horse archers for the steppes (and probably the middle east), halberdiers for france, caballeros for some spanish provinces, and around 4 different unique units specific to crusades (2 different templar foot soldiers, 2 different templar cavalry units).

There are probably some that I missed, but frankly it doesn't make up for it when all the other units making up the army sound the same between Ireland, Perm, Russia, and France, etc.

That's another thing: the the phoned-in voice acting. It's good for a while, but then you start playing other countries and realize that everyone is just a generic vaguely british-sounding dude with minor variations (if any) between countries, it stales quickly.

The game's resource system sounds interesting at first: Every province can have access to resources that can be upgraded and used to trade with other countries. However, don't think that there's a way to have "economic" victory. No no, other countries almost NEVER upgrade these resources. I was 7 hours into a game as Ireland, and absolutely NOBODY was making Spices. Despite my intentions to be a peaceful merchant state, my hand was forced by the idiotic AI to invade Mallorca to make spices myself, and then subsequently invade subsaharan Africa in order to get my hands on IRON, which apparently NOBODY thought was important to make use of IN 1200 A.D. I GUESS THAT EVERYONE WAS STILL IN THE BRONZE AGE EXCEPT FOR IRELAND.IN THE 1200s.

Overall, Knights of Honor 2 is a game that you'll likely play for 20 or so hours, realize that there's no real variation between countries that makes replaying worthwhile, remember that there's no real alternative way to play the game besides conquest, then you'll uninstall the game and never play it again. Which sucks, because the game has potential.

Fun game, satisfying gameplay, interesting perk trees, majority of the cosmetics are strictly purchased with in game currency earned from playing the game normally.

Cool setting, cool music, cool weapons, cool skills, lots of player customization.

The only downside is that you'll often play on the same maps. There's a bit of randomization so it's not as obvious, but you'll start to notice about 15+ hours in.

'Member the Alamo? is what Metal Gear Solid could have been if it wasn't written by that pussified, limp-wristed, pencil-♥♥♥♥♥♥ wimp Hideo Kojima and instead by a god-fearin', coincidence noticin', balls of steel ownin' red-blooded American with calluses on their hands.

Which is to say it keeps the long ass unskippable cutscenes but does away with the metaphors and instead beats you over the head with its message unapologetically...

The game definitely has its moments; the intro had me chuckling, and I was impressed at the sheer ambitiousness of the opening cutscene. I could tell that the dev wanted it to look cool, and especially bring some laughs. And it did accomplish both in my opinion.

The game falls apart when it comes to gameplay, for me, though. It performs pretty badly and the gunplay isn't satisfying. It just wasn't fun to me. It reminded me a lot of Blood and Bacon, a game I haven't played since I was in high school. I loved that game for what it was. I wanted to play further into 'Member the Alamo, but the performance just killed my motivation to play.

Luckily, I accidentally skipped the entire game by spamming the "next level" button when I beat chapter 1, and I unlocked all the levels and I could get straight into the most controversial part.

I would hardly call the sermon at the end of the game a "nazi sermon", though. It's certainly unabashedly Christian and anti-authoritarian. I don't know what kind of wacko world you have to live in to consider that a "nazi" message. On an unrelated note, don't you find it a little strange how Florida is having cases of malaria popping up for the first time in 20 years? Surely it can't have anything to do with those mosquito trials. Crazy how stuff like that just happens randomly.

Anyways, it's a not recommended from me, but I'm not refunding the game because I respect the dev's massive testicles.

Abandoned by devs and just generally dead game. Single player is too bland to warrant buying for that reason, and there are alternatives like the HOTMOD for Gates of Hell: Ostfront that provide you a Cold War experience but for free.

I have to be honest, after the complete ♥♥♥♥ show that was CoH 3 on release, the devs did end up getting their act together and fixing the most broken stuff (brit AT rifle blob, OST flak emplacement spam).

Honestly, the stats (https://coh3stats.com/stats/games) show that from 1v1-3v3, the game is already on its way to being balanced. Three of the four factions hover around 1-2% below or above 50% winrate, although brits are consistently about 3% above 50.

In 4v4, my preferred gamemode, the game gets a little silly. The game started off as a spam fest and tbh it still remains that way. Now instead of AT rifle blobs, it's Chaffee and Stuart spam. Unlike CoH 2, the allies have the advantage in 4v4 haha. It's not even close. In 4v4 axis have a disadvantage of about 3% points at best (Wehr) and 4% at worst (DAK).

One unfortunate thing that I find, playing US in 4v4, is that you're really discouraged from building a certain tech structure and the units within, simply because (for example) your riflemen with sticky bombs actually do a way better job than a Bazooka squad could. Pound for pound, riflemen with "Pour it on 'em" will beat any axis infantry pretty squarely, so you don't really end up needing the MG. Snipers are kinda squishy too. All that combines to really discourage you from building the Weapons Support Center and you usually just skip it to bring out another rifleman or tech grenades for sticky bombs.

Honestly, I have fun with it. It's a tentative recommended from me, but do keep in mind that updates are coming very slowly, and if you play 4v4, the game STILL only has 3 maps (just 1 more than it did on release lmao). Do your research and watch some gameplay, and give CoH 3 a little slack visually. It does grow on you.

P.S - There's an upcoming expansion that will really make or break CoH 3. Maybe wait until that drops to really put the money down.

And for the love of god, don't buy the premium edition. It's not worth it lmao.

The game has an awesome and unique style, and damn I love the music. The gameplay ties it all together. Controls are tight and while they take a bit of time to get used to, they flow incredibly well together.