Video Game Wholesale: Making History 2: War of the World Review

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(More customer reviews)The date of this writing Making History 2 is still in Beta form and has not been released yet but since I've played many hours into the game I feel I have a overall grasp of what the finished product when its released in June (Hopefully) will be.

This game is a step up in every way from the original Making History. First off, and the most annouced feature is that the user can now play as any country (even a country as small as Kuwait)in this game. Secondly, the economics are more detailed. In the first you mainly built military buildings related to such to expand your control. In this version you can research everything from Carrier Conversions to Mass Production and Assembly Lines. Interesting enough, you now have the choice to turn a conquered nation into a puppet state, annex it or make it a resource colony. And you also have to worry about revolts in conquered nations and your own.

During my initial play through of the initial Beta version (1.0) I played as my favorite nation (Japan) due to my fanatic love of Pacific island hopping and carrier warfare with the U.S. There were three senarios to choose from starting in 1933, 1936 to 1939 where the world wide depression is fading and resources and money are more abundant. You will find that MPU's (man power units) are a key to your success since the more you have the more you can accomplish in terms of building military units such as aircraft, ships and various mehcanized vehicles. But oil, raw metals and coal play just as important role here as well. What Im saying is just like the last game you will need to either pick a country already rich in these items like Germany for example (except with oil) or the U.S. (everything) or be buddy, buddy with your allies and other nations to aquire them easily. But be aware going "Hitler" on the world will not be good if your country needs trade to survive since now your trade partners can and will use trade embargos and eventually cut all ties with you or even declare war if they are powerful enough to do so like the U.K. and her allies.

The Beta is missing some key functions though and there are some bugs here. Some features like the AI diplomacy have not been plugged in for modifiers such as food comsumption or common since caus the AI even when allied will reject a perfectly good deal to either trade, military access or to join your glorious alliance when your ties are strong. With that said, Muzzy Lane is working hard to flesh these modifiers out before the retail release but thought I would give everyone here a heads-up before they jumped in on release.

Now I also own and played the dreaded disaster that Hearts of Iron 3 is and I will say that this game though no where near as detailed as that game is or will ever be (what game is really?) Making History 2 is a more polished product even in Beta form than a patch 1.4 HOI 3 and easier (much easier) Grand Strategy game to get into for fans of the genre and that is easier on the newbe's as well. I say this with total confidence and having played both will justify my opinion on the differences.

Some bugs to date are: Missing plane annimations for carriers, wacky AI (some countries declare war on other countires for no apparent reason though Muzzy lane states there is a good reason its just not in there yet for the player to see) slow globe scrolling, window mode is very slow and crashes sometimes, corrupted save game function at random, many modifiers not implemented or plugged in yet such as the effects of unit morale and being able to spend money to your hearts content when in head over debt and there are some others but the game in Beta form (now at version (1.1) with the new update as of this writing) is still highly enjoyable. Patience is a vertue here especially playing as some of the smaller (mon world powered) nations but more in line with real world history.

With a game on this scale and scope and many new features implimented to make it more complex Making History 2 is sure to be a classic hit and one step ahead in areas such as a user friendly interface and overall playability than the the last game was and Hearts of Iron 3 is now for that matter. Give her a try either in Beta or at the retail release.

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Product Description:
Making History II lets grand strategy players experience the role of a WWII era national leader embroiled in the toxic mix of waning empires, economic crisis, and ethnic "fault lines" that famously resulted in a global war that transformed the world. Now armchair generals and grand strategy masters can attempt to write their own history, and choose to either defend the world from tyranny or embark on a quest for global conquest. There are diplomatic decisions about everything from alliances to colonization, such as whether you grant full independence or create a puppet state. Cities are customizable via a series of constructible add-on buildings, allowing you to build a giant shipyard in New York or a munitions factory in Stuttgart. Military forces can be upgraded, repaired and reinforced and veteran units develop experience over time. Every nation in the world is playable, but the choices and strategy can be vastly different. The choice is up to each player to determine how they wish to develop their nation, thereby creating their own winning strategyInitiate infrastructure projects that modernize your nation and expand your economic potentialConstruct weapons factories, shipyards, research labs and a variety of other buildings that add specific abilities to your cities and regionsIntelligent AI instigates, reacts and adapts to the changing game dynamics generating action on the home front and abroadEach nation has a unique set of characteristics that influences behaviorPopulations are divided by culture, ethnicity, religion and political ideology; factors that destabilize nations, provoking revolts, coups and civil warsManage your colonies, liberate new nations, establish puppet states or annex their territoryEngage in espionage and interfere in the internal affairs of your neighborsNew innovative Multiplayer system