Recent reviews by Merdis

Game was released in 2006 and developer still maintains it, provides bugfixes and compatibility updates. Exemplary support for players is one of many reasons Petroglyph has such a good reputation as game developer. Game aged well and can be recommended as one of classic space RTS. Very active community deserves its own mention: there are many modifications created by fans, including ones transforming game significantly (for example it is possible to find mods recreating Clone Wars).

"Always online" requirement is sadly a problem for a primarily single-player game. Inability to play single-player content due to issues with servers or connection can be very frustrating. In addition the game design limits its longevity greatly - one day developer may lose access to Warhammer 40k license or simply shut down servers for financial reasons and the game will be reduced to merely a memory.

PuzzleQuest: Challenge of the Warlords is a great game, a gem among many repetitive titles on steam. The story is interesting and the game offers many additional features (from collecting spells/weapons/companions to conquering your new empire, side quests) which make the game feel complete. I wish more match-3 titles on steam had similar depth.

I have played this game mainly before it was released to Steam (so "hours on record" are not accurate).

I believe this is one of the greatest 4X on the market. Factions are diverse and interesting. Each unit has different properties and traits, advantages and disadvantages. Researching new ones merely unlock new options and do not obsolete existing units in your army. AI should be commended, it is better than average for the genre. UI is clean and allows to easily understood important information. In-game compendium describes each individual weapon, unit or trait in detail, which is very helpful for any new player. I am less enthused about "quests" (alternative to military victory, when player have to do certain tasks and follow the story) but these can be fortunately disabled in settings. I think that lack of diplomacy was a good call on part of devs - not only it feels natural in WH40k with its eternal war, but it also allowed developers to focus on and flesh out great combat system. On one hand I could complain about pricing policy (DLCs are very nice, but not exactly cheap), on other hand it allows developers to provide steady stream of new improvements, factions (soon Eldars will grace Gladius' battlefields) and units.

In my opinion HoI2 and its expansions were the pinnacle of Paradox's HoI series. I used to play this game extensively. However, I have some concerns regarding current Steam's version, namely it is not the latest one - Armageddon had 1.3 patch developed, with many bugfixes, which is unfortunately not included here.

Funnily enough Darkest Hour, a game based on HoI2 engine and codebase, contains also "core/DH none" mode with disabled DH-specific content&gameplay mechanisms. That mode is basically optimized (performance-wise) HoI2 Armageddon with additional bugfixes (both from 1.3 patch and the ones developed later, by DH devteam).
Therefore nowadays the best way to experience HoI2 Complete is to buy another game entirely and select "none" as mod in its launcher.

Almost all content is locked at the beginning (which is an extremely weird design decision for a title which is being sold with 14,99€ price tag). The idea that a player have to play (and win) multiplayer battles in order to unlock some maps for single-player mode is ridiculous.


I was looking forward to playing historical Atlantic campaign. Unfortunately in order to unlock such mode I have to win Pacific historical campaign twice (both as US and Japan). It does not make any sense (especially since campaigns are not in chronological order). What about other featured content, such as "clean slate" campaigns? Well, they are also locked by default, you have to play extensively in other modes first...

In my opinion this is the best HoI game from the whole series. In addition it is possible to disable DH content in launcher, which transforms the game into ultimate HoI2 edition (noticeable improved over "HoI2: Complete" sold on Steam while preserving scenarios). Effectively you are getting 2 awesome games for the price of one.

Surprisingly well done turn based strategy game.

Almost solid RTS. However, it is not enough to review this game positively - they are many better alternatives.

Classic masterpiece.

Game was published in 2000 and even now (after 16 years) is very enjoyable.