Soldiers: Heroes of WWII - First Look Preview

If the press release announcement is anything to go by, the publishing rights for ‘Soldiers: Heroes of WWII’ was a forcefully fought over affair, with numerous publishers interested in picking up the latest title from Ukranian developer Best Way.<br><br>Fresh after the games unveiling TVG was invited to check out a 40% complete build, suffice to say it’s easy to see why the Codies wanted to secure this title.<br><br>Billed as “Commandos meets Cannon Fodder” – a description that should please all the ageing videogame fanatics out there – ‘Soldiers: Heroes of WWII’ takes the depth of tactics from strategy titles such as the aforementioned ‘Commandos’ series, whilst mixing them with the blood, guns and explosions more commonly associated with arcade action titles; the result is a brilliant blend that will appeal to a wide range of gamers.<br><br>In an effort to tread the careful line between fun and authenticity, ‘Soldiers: Heroes of WWII’ takes the classic Hollywood action movies as a source of inspiration; as such you’ll find yourself undertaking a variety of death-defying missions and find your small team up against the odds at all times. The game allows you to embark on Campaign missions from three different perspectives, namely that of the Russians, Germans and the Allies. <br><br>Whilst we didn’t see too much of the tactical aspect at work, this section does appear to be very similar to the Commandos series, with the player selecting waypoint and issuing different commands to your team-mates. <br><br>However recognising the need for some much-needed relief, simply pressing the CTRL button allows you to take direct control of one of your troops. In this mode the game truly impresses, with an entirely destructible landscape that is entirely based upon the laws of physics; as such missiles leave craters in the ground, buildings collapse realistically and trees fall in the paths of tanks.<br><br>Having a physics based environment has allowed the team to create a truly open-ended game whereby it’s entirely possible to complete the missions whatever way you see fit; an example of which could see you overthrowing an area with brute force, taking the sneaky way and drawing guards from their positions or simply blowing up the water pipe and making a surprise entrance through that.<br><br>Whilst a certain degree of the 25+ missions will be based on one particular style, the team has been working hard to ensure that it’s entirely possible to progress through the game so you don’t have to resort to stealth and tactics if you just want to shoot everything, or conversely you won’t have to manually pick up a gun if you count yourself as a bit of a Churchill or Stalin.<br><br>Whilst Best Way have been keen to incorporate the same tongue-in-cheek feeling of the big-budget Hollywood flicks, the actual weapons and vehicles within the game have all been authentically recreated within the game. <br><br>The game includes 105 different vehicles all of which feature realistic capabilities, including track speed, acceleration, turret speed, reload rates and armour just to mention a few! Whilst we’re currently unsure as to whether all of these are controllable, the demonstration did show the player taking control over a number of tanks – just to show that the environment can be completely carved up. <br><br>Whilst the game makes use of the traditional overhead view, it’s entirely possible to zoom the camera in to capture the impressive level of detail to be found in each environment.<br><br>Whilst it’s easy to get excited by seeing a pack of tanks completely obliterate an environment, it must be noted that the actual tactical elements are equally as impressive. Everything within the game has been thoroughly thought out and attention paid to every little; an example of which was described during the demonstration of one particular mission that took place at night during a lightning storm. In order to remain hidden the player can make use of his/her actual world knowledge and count the difference between the lightning and the thunder to work out how far it is away – it’s not a point they make within the game, but just one of a number of little details that will amaze those who find it.<br><br>The only stumbling block that we can envisage thus far is the issue of over-complicating the experience, the ‘Commandos’ series has rightfully built up a legion of hardcore followers however it’s fair to say that the experience is a little too daunting for newcomers despite their intention to make the latest title a simpler affair. Whilst we were impressed at the ease of switching between Tactics and Direct Control mode, we remain a little concerned that ‘Soldiers: Heroes of WWII’ could become bogged down in everything that is going on – rest assured we’ll have a Hands On look at the title soon.