You spend the majority of your time sitting in a disgusting ditch filled with the shattered corpses of your fallen comrades, as well as those still unfortunate to be "alive", if you can even use that term to describe what is left of those wretches. As you crawl through soggy trenches, you can hear the shouts of orders being given and soldiers being slain, either blown to torn meat by mortar explosions or cut in half from machine gun fire. You are not a man, you are a frightened rabbit that dashes from cover to cover, whispering wishes of survival for but a few more seconds while pieces of concrete are chipped away around you by enemy sharp shooters. In the worst of times, you are a worm that crawls in the mud, lest a rifleman spots your shape in the distance. There is no salvation from a tank. Death can come from nowhere at all.

Stay away fom windows.

Also, you can't drop more than five feet without breaking a leg. It's fine though, since your small pack of two bandages offers you a second chance at life. Try not too die to quickly, and remember to check your magazine. You can also modify your sights and give out commands. There are a variety of classes to choose from. Choose wisely, and don't be afraid to loot corpses; they don't need anything anymore anyway.

Stay away from windows.

There is also a morale system, where you slowly lose your mind if you are under a barrage of enemy rounds, or if you see an ally get half of their face blown off and fall to the ground screaming in agony for a good minute or so before bleeding out. The result is blurred and discolored sight. I think I got this when I saw a guy get his legs shot off and watched him crawl about an inch away from cover before getting taken out by a sniper.

Stay away from windows.

In all seriousness, this game has a great deal of work put into detail and animations, but there remain some optimization issues. They're not bad, and a someone with an excellent PC might never even notice them.

Rising Storm and Red Orchestra 2 have different dynamics, although the mechanics are exactly the same, if that makes any sense.

If there is one thing I have to ABSOLUTELY give this game credit for, is that it has a personality. A very grim personality, but it's better than the typical "♥♥♥♥ yeah" jingoism many games go for.

There is nothing more satisfying than watching an enemy tank blow to bits.

The singleplayer is good practice, but the AI is really ditzy. The soldiers do not show a lot of initiative and tanks commanders seem to forget that tanks can't climb walls.

Also, about the window thing: I was waiting for my squad to move up and about seven of them decided march right in front of a window in a factory. A machine gunner across the chasm opened up on them and killed them all. It was really unpleasant to watch them panic and stumble and run into each other while being shot to pieces.

Love the game and have since the original RO. On the newest update there was an updated terms of service. This service says that in order to now even use the game, you have to accept the terms. This new term I have a problem with though, is that they now reserve the right to install essentially adware onto your computer to be able to in-game target you for ads. This changes the game from something I paid for, which now in the modern digital market means it was a "premium(therefore no ads)" game, and turned it into a "non-premium" game that now can feature ads and take my info. So if possible, I want my money back because RO2 is no longer the game I paid for, as I can't play it without accepting the new terms. and giving away my info.

A good WW2 FPS notable for it's high skill ceiling and one-hit deaths.

Stuff I like about this game:

-1-hit deaths. Seriously, (almost) every gun kills you in one-hit (besides the SMGs which might just wing you at longer ranges. This is a very realistic FPS.

-It doesn't hold back with how challenging it is. Working off of the 1-hit deaths, it made me legitimately SCARED when I first started out in the game. I would hide in artillery shell craters, prone to the ground, it was very immersive as a game that depicts the Eastern Front of WW2.

-Good class-based combat. You have: Riflemen who are guys who capture the objective. Squad Leaders who serve as a spawn point for everyone, throw smoke to conceal your team while they advance, and mark artillery bombardment locations. Machine gunners who lock down an area with 1-hit killing rapid-fire machine guns. Snipers who pick off priority targets from long range (machine gunners, squad leaders, other snipers, the Commander). Assaults who have close ranged weapons to clear buildings. And the Commander who play this game like an RTS, he orders recon planes, artillery, amoung other stuff.

-In conjunction with those classes and their roles, this game encourages team-play. No matter who you are, actually killing the enemy doesn't just get you a higher score. Killing the enemy IN the objective while STANDING in the objective though, DOES.

-Bullet trajectory. Bullets sink over longer distances and take time to reach the people you shoot at, there is no hitscan. Thank goodness, because this makes the game a bit more complex.

Downsides:

-Punishing for newer players. The other people playing probably know where to hide and you need to learn how to cope with the 1-hit kills. You get used to this over time, but just take my advice and play your first few hours as a simple Rifleman to just get the hang of everything.

-It's a bit janky. Sometimes I have to hit a key twice to do something, it lacks just a 'little' bit of polish. It doesn't break this game, it's just sometimes the controls fight with you a little bit.

tldr, This is a great realistic FPS that places a greater emphasis on playing the objective, being a sneaky sh*t who knows how to hide while shooting the enemy, and playing the specific role of your class. I reconmend it.

This game doesnt show your death count...be thankful for that feature.

This is by far the greatest WWII FPS I have ever played. The best WWII game I've played. Maybe the best FPS I've ever played. It's like vodka. You haven't lived until you've tried it. And it doesn't burn as much after the first time. No, I am not advocating the consumption of liquor. I am merely advocating the purchase of this game... 'Tis truly magnificent.

I played this for three hours, went to work, someone dropped a plate and I ♥♥♥♥ myself.

Now for the actual review.
Regardless of any technical issues, this game is a truly underrated multiplayer experience. It is a beautiful perspective that can put you first person inside of a tank when an explosion hits, and you look around to find your commander missing. You later discover that your commanding officer's leg is now sitting in your lap, and realize the task that you must now complete while down a man. You may be traveling through the trenches only to have your buddy get his head ripped apart by a sniper round, while the lower body of your team's sniper flies right past you. Sure there are some glitches and bugs, but this game is truly different from any other fps in that you feel as if you're actually in the action, losing your friends to snipers and grenades.


"When your squad falls around you, it's up to you to hold that position until reinforcements arrive. It doesn't matter how many times you've been hit, what percentage of your friend's body is intact, or how many men are trying to kill you. It's when you see dwindling numbers on your team's resupply that you realize how many men have died for you, and so you better do them proud. But when the count reaches zero, it's time to make your final stand."
-Lt. Woofel, Squad Leader One, Red Army

Stability 6/10
Graphics 8/10
Gameplay 9/10
Immersion 10/10
Realism 10/10
Reinforcements remaining 0/800

For anyone who wants to read a story about a valient battle and sacrifice, keep going. I'm just going to rant on about how much fun I've had with this game.

Our Russian army had decided to take the Bridges of Druzhnia (I think thats spelled right) against an overwhelmeng German force. The initial assault on A and B lasted nearly fourteen minutes and cost us nearly 150 reinforcements. Further attacks up past D and E cost us an additional hundred. Fueled by our losses, my Squad headed the assault on G, when the roar of The Buzzsaw was heard from the upstairs window. Rushing forward, we made it to the wall but at the cost of six good men. I sent my men on a dual flank before tossing a grenade through the upstairs window, watching as the LMG fell from the window followed by a grey-sleeved arm. Our Commander linked up with our group and commended us for our actions, before pushing us onward. The success of our assault with minimal casualties earned us a feared reputation and a simple, yet accurate nickname: Alpha Squad.

At this time, we quickly rushed our assault forward and knocked out the next positions with ease, until we came to the final bridge, section N. Fifteen minutes remained on the clock, and only a hundred of our reinforcements were still alive. We recieved an order from our commanding officer to halt, and recieved the most motivational speech of all time, as we prepared to fight against all odds. Once all of our teams were strategically placed, we recieved the final order to charge the position from three sides.

The following events took place over approximately ninety seconds:

Our original plan failed catastrophically. Our initial force was obliterated within seconds by the enemy artillery and machine guns. Two unnamed members of Alpha Squad plus myself and our MG moved underneath the bridge to hit with a surprise attack so that our engineer could take out the tank traps. The enemy fire was too intense however, so our engineer only had time to deploy the charges before a Buzzsaw across the river cut him down. During this time, our sniper and commander were to be located on our side of the bridge, laying down cover fire, but they were no match for the German beast and were forced to get into cover. The other four members of my squad were not so lucky, as they had just seen the flash before it ripped them to pieces.

While the suppressing group was pinned and taking heavy fire, the Germans brought their Antitank rifles out to take down our T34. However, my smoke grenade had impaired their ability to properly aim, and so fortunatley most of the shots missed the tank. However, the sniper was hit by one of these stray rounds - his body was only partially recovered. I felt tremendous guilt over the loss of a friend, but continued to push onward.

Our CO got right up in the action, using the tank as moving cover while he laid down fire with his PPSH. When that was empty, he simply tossed it to the side and pulled out his revolver. After being hit and bandaged three times; a shot to the right arm, one in the leg and another in the stomach; he was on the verge of dying. In his love for the mother country, he pulled out a grenade and rushed forward, taking two more Germans with him.

Our MG gunner used the distraction to set his position and took out seven Germans, including their Commanding Officer before a grenade landed just behind him. The explosion took off both of his legs and killed him outright, along with the other two soldiers that were coming up behind us. The blast also crippled my left arm, and in a fit of rage over my dying comrades, I didn't bother to bandage it. Being the final surviving member of the most elite fighters on the Eastern Front, I rushed forward with my PPSH, fully loaded with 71 rounds. It was my job to make sure that the tank made it to the final position, regardless of the cost. While firing at the exposed Germans, a sniper caught me in the chest with a single shot, which I immediatly knew would be fatal. The screen slowly faded to black, but my final breaths would not go silently. I died with my finger still squeezing the trigger, finishing off two more jackboots that tried to stop our desperate assault. Our sacrifice was minimal compared to the 800 Russians that were lost in the assault, but it had allowed enough time for our final remaining men to capture the position and win the game.

In memory of:
Your Local Soviet - Commander of the Red Army - Grenade Sacrifice
Woofel - Commander of Squad One "Alpha Squad" - Sniper round to the chest
jpstorf - Alpha Squad MG - Enemy Grenade
thewayneman - Alpha Squad Engineer - "The Buzzsaw"
FatheadPanda126 - Alpha Squad Sniper - Stray AT round
Six Unnamed Soldiers of Alpha Squad - Enemy Grenade, "The Buzzsaw"
800 Brave Red Army Soldiers

(Obviously this is a dramatization, but this is basically how I felt during the entire game)

More dramatic quotes about Alpha Squad:

"Although the Red Army was pushed back to the top floor of the grain elevator with only twenty men remaining against the two hundred Germans, we would fight to the death to hold our positions. When the smoke cleared after twenty brutal minutes, we emerged from our posts, beaten and bandaged, looking out among the hundreds of bodies. Only two of us survived this attack and would return to the motherland. We are Alpha Squad. We fight to the death and beyond."
-Cpl. jpstorf, Squad One Machine Gunner, Red Army
-Sgt. thewayneman, Squad One Rifleman, Red Army

"We are absolutely stonewalling them. They're literally unable to take a single inch of ground. Fifty minutes on the assault, and they've only gained -200 feet."
-C.O. Your Local Soviet, Commander, Red Army

"I just killed 450 of their 800 men in half an hour......."
-Cpl. jpstorf, Squad One Machine Gunner, Red Army

"They're simply unstoppable. Alpha Squad is to be feared. No, they are to be the basis of nightmares for our army."
-C.O. Johannes, Commander, Wehremacht Army

Starting the game for the first time, join a random server and pick russians. Me and 2 teammates charge through the battlefield. We get pinned down by a german machine gunner and decide to turn back. The moment we start running back we get killed by a friendly machine gunner. Didn't think this game was THIS realistic.

10/10 for realism

Spent twenty minutes in a ditch with twenty other guys while being suppressed by machine guns and snipers. Commander ordered us to charge and played the Beegees through his mic. Got to shoot nazis while listening to disco. Disco Commander got banned from the server shortly after. NeverForget/10

Bought this game on sale for 9,99 thinking: "9,99 is ok, even if it's not the ultimate game".
Installed the game,first map - spawned, where is the enemy ? - got shoot - respawned - where do i have to go ? - got shoot - respawned - saw an enemy in front of me with an MG - died.
After some 20 to 30 hours dying my way through rounds on maps like grainelevator where i couldn't even figure out where the capzone was i started to get some kills.
Yeah i get 10 kills on a map, I am the king !!
Omg,what's that? This XXX-guy got 145 kills on the same map ? - Cheater !!!!!
Some 50 hours later i improved my KD Ratio from 1:24 to 1:11, i got 45 kills on the map, I started to know some useful spots, but unfortunately i was not the only one to know them and this XXX-guy cheater still keeps on killing me.
I got 45 kills, i am the Greatest, but ♥♥♥♥, he is still on his 145 kills, i will have to improve myself.
200 hours played, maybe the XXX-guy was not cheating as i just got 147 kills on the map and killed him 8 times this round, haha campernoob :-D
I add him to my friendslist and he accepts, now we can do more damage together because teamplay is the key in this game.
This game is not about the kills, is about the ability to play as a team, to move to the capzone, to work together to defeat the enemy and kills are just a way to get to the objective of defeating the enemy.
Sure it's a hardcore game where you have to use cover and not just rush with your 69,99 special edition super gold extra armor and kill everyone with your 59,99 special thermal 10x optics supershotgun rocketlauncher.
If you are looking for such a game, don't buy this one.
But if you like challenges (like dying permanently the first 20 hours without ragequiting the game), if you like realistic firefights (1shoot kill, slow reload times, heavy MG fire, suppression, tactics) this game is for you.
The community is (except a few) great and very helpfully and most of people who have passed the 100 hours limit stay on this game for thousands of hours.
And Triwire is still updating the game with new maps or adding new weapons or vehicles (still tank fight is very limited in ths game, 95% infantry)

- Is that an enemy over there?!
- Yeah, it's probably an enemy. *shoots*
TEAMKILL, -2 TEAM POINTS