Game Reviews, Previews and Walkthroughs

Reviews

TTGamer review gives Theatre of War a 8.5 out of 10 score!

World War II and RTS gaming - they go together like, well, the most popular war era in the world and (amongst developers at least) the most popular war game genre in the world. PC gaming could be by all intents and purposes dead, and there would still be developers scattered around the globe producing WWII RTS's. One of those developers would probably be 1C Company, and together with Battlefront.com, they have created what could be the finest WWII RTS ever made in Theatre of War, although it is definitely not an RTS for everyone.

Read the full TTGamer Review Here

Gaming Target review awards Theatre of War a 8.5 out of 10 score!

Anyone who's familiar with 1C and Battlefront's previous games will have high expectations coming into Theatre of War. 1C was of course responsible for the classic flight sim IL-2 Sturmovik, while Battlefront is the team behind the amazing Combat Mission series. Even with a few problems still to be ironed out, this game keeps up the tradition of excellence with its commitment to realism and extremely detailed control of individual units. Thinking gamers will appreciate the fact that Theatre of War presents them with a series of tactical problems rather than simply a chance to rack up the body counts. And anyone who's been jaded by the ease of other mainstream RTS franchises will enjoy the fact that this is a game that doesn't coddle its players: anyone who can say they've completed any of these campaigns on “difficult” has certainly earned their bragging rights.

Read the full Gaming Target Review Here

Out of Eight website gives Theatre of War 7 out of 8 score

Theatre of War is a sound real time strategy game and its smaller focus and solid AI make it stand out against the wealth of competition. The graphics engine derived from IL-2 Sturmovik look very good in the game, especially when it comes to unit animations and the spectacular backgrounds. I really like the more intimate battles present in Theatre of War: this makes the game more accessible to new users while allowing micromanagers to individually control each unit if they choose. Of course, you can also let the AI target their own enemy units since the AI is smart enough to be generally left alone. Theatre of War is a difficult game, and those people who are accustomed to just throwing units at the enemy and hoping for the best will get quickly beaten. Theatre of War emphasizes good positioning and appropriate countering of enemy units: no longer are you able to use infantry units to take out a tank that are not equipped with anti-tank weaponry. The variety of scenarios and character development options, along with the mission and map editors, make Theatre of War a total package. If they fixed the vehicle pathfinding, then Theatre of War would be one of the most complete World War II strategy games available. There are many good things about the title, and as long as you’re willing to think while you play, Theatre of War provides a rewarding strategy experience.

Read the full Out of Eight Review Here

Associated Content website scores Theatre of War a 80%

Gameplay is very good in Theatre of War with a very realistic AI and battles do play out very differently even restarting the same one. I have seen the AI take different tactics depending on what I was doing and reacting quite well to my actions. Using very realistic damage models and seeing just how long it takes moving troops or armor from one area to another you get a really good idea how battles were so difficult to plan and carry out

Read the full Associated Content Review Here

GamePro gives Theatre of War 80%

It's been far too long since another game of such scope, breadth, and originality hit computer screens. Theatre of War--while having some significant problems--is a game well worth looking at.

Read the full GamePro Review Here

Gamespot grants Theatre of War a 7.8 out of 10 rating

Scope and scale are the biggest differences between Theatre of War and the usual WWII RTS. Five campaigns, plus a handful of standalone battles, let you guide troops from the US and UK, USSR, France, Poland, and Germany through more than 40 lengthy engagements. Multiplayer support for up to eight players also lets you take your fight to the Net or a LAN. There's a full suite of tutorials and a mission editor if you want to roll your own battles. However, it's the scale of each mission that is most notable. While the standard gaming re-creation of something like the aftermath of D-Day or the siege of Stalingrad shrinks the battlefield and adds artificial elements like fog of war, the average map here is at least a few kilometers across. You can see all the way across this expanse unless you're blocked by trees, hills, or buildings. Such tremendous size gives the game a feel that's considerably grittier than the standard, scrunched-together RTS and an authenticity that makes every engagement seem like a chapter out of a history book... If you're looking to graduate from some of the more simplistic WWII RTS games out there, give Theatre of War a shot. It's definitely weightier than the usual RTS game set during the last good war yet still easy to learn and accessible for casual grognards.

Read the full Gamespot Review here

Entertainmentopia Review

It’s pretty rare when a game comes along and completely redefines its genre. Theatre of War is one of those Real Time Strategy (RTS) games that contain none of usual gameplay elements of the genre. There are no resources to collect, no bases to build, no ability to generate additional units out of some sort of barracks, and no weapons or armor to upgrade. The normal strategies used by players to win games cannot be used here. No Zerg rushes, no hyperfarming resources to build the best units, you are given what you get and that’s it. You accomplish your missions with what you start out with and you have to make it work... All in all, this game certainly won’t be for everyone. It takes a lot of effort and thinking to be successful in your battles, something that some players won’t want to put forth and something that some RTS games seem to be lacking these days. However, with stunning visuals and a very well put together engine and game system, this game certainly will be the War RTS of 2007 to look out for.

Read the full Entertainmentopia Review Here

IGN scores Theatre of War a 7 out of 10

One of the most appealing aspects of Theatre of War is the realistic handling of line of sight and weapon ranges. Provided they're not impeded by any obstacles, units can see clear across the map. This makes the use of trees and hills to screen your movements absolutely essential. It's even more important when you consider that tanks and AT guns can fling shells at virtually any target they can see. Too many World War 2 games purport to be realistic and yet ignore this very basic reality.

Read the full IGN Review Here

Previews

The guys at TweakTown seemed to have a blast with a recent preview build they were sent and said some very nice things about Theatre of War, including this juicy tidbit, "Perhaps the best details of all though can be found in the smaller, less obvious parts of the game, such as the location damage, which can prevent vehicles like tanks and other armed war machines to stop moving because their tracks are broken, or stop firing altogether because of turret damage. Depending on the damage to tanks, crew members can also be killed or wounded independently of the tank. A few more examples of small but cool details to ToW is environmental damage such as tanks rolling over gun stands and trees to get to their location, the extremely challenging and complex computer AI which showcases few if any unexpected weaknesses even at this stage in the game's development, and the ability to call in artillery and air strikes where available to really pummel an area, but not to the point where they become excessively effective. ToW really is a case of a solid generic RTS game built around many small and very well balanced tweaks and features that seamlessly work together."

Read the full TweakTown Hands On Preview here

SimHQ game reviewer Thomas "WKLINK" Cofield had this to say, "Graphically, this is among the best of the real time strategy games out there. It certainly is head and shoulders above any other "true" wargame currently in production. This game will be compared to Company of Heroes for its graphic fidelity, and although I honestly think CoH is a better "looking" game, Theatre of War is by far easier to play and has a better "feel" than CoH. This is a true wargame, with true hit values and no building or mining for resources."

Read the complete SimHQ Preview here

Jim Cobb over at The Wargamer has just finished his first Theatre of War preview, "Theatre of War has an extensive and well-illustrated encyclopedia of armaments used by each major nation throughout the war. If the final product lives up to this documentation, this game may well be a significant improvement in the genre. Even if it has undiscovered faults, internet play should make it enjoyable to most gamers. As always, the proof of the pudding lies in the retail version but this early taste will make the taste buds of the most discerning gamer quiver.”

Read the full The Wargamer Preview here

Reviewer Brian King from The Armchair General, had this to say, "The graphics in ToW are, in general, very good; the vehicle modeling though, is stellar.  This will make a lot of gamers very happy. The thrill of watching a wedge of Tigers seek out and destroy their quarry is shown in every grimy detail, with exhaust smoke billowing, trees getting pushed down, and gobs of mud being thrown from tracks.  Of lesser importance to a tanker like me are the infantry, which I’m happy to report are also very well done graphically.  Finally, the terrain and buildings are highly detailed and in some cases photorealistic (the rustling dandelion fields are particularly attractive)."

Read the full Armchair General Preview right here

The web portal IGN has also recently posted a game preview where Steve Butts was happy to discover that, "...Battlefront and 1C have decided to stick with historically appropriate engagement ranges, meaning that your forces will start firing on each other far sooner than you'd find in a more conventional World War 2 RTS like Blitzkrieg or Desert Rats. Here the tanks and artillery pieces can literally send shells across the entire battlefield."

Read the IGN Hands On Preview here

Jeff Gedgaud is the content producer over at the Associated Content website. He got to see a special preview build of the game recently and has posted his thoughts, "Theatre of War will come with several full campaigns from different countries perspectives as well as multiplayer games over the Internet from Battlefront.com's web site. There is also several quick battles you can try your hand at that are not a part of the campaign. Overall Theatre of War looks to be an excellent real time combat simulation. The wait for this much anticipated real time simulation is almost over and I really look forward to playing the finished game."

Read the complete Associated Content Preview here

Self proclaimed casual gamer Kevin "Biff" Giacobbi took a test drive with Theatre of War recently and has this to say in his game preview, “Theater of war provides a unique blend of RTS and RPG elements that give this game a very dynamic quality not seen in many games of this genre.”

Read the GameZone Preview here

The gaming site, WorthPlaying, has also posted their initial game preview in which the following stood out, "The scenarios offered in both Battle and Campaign modes are well balanced and are not overly focused on tanks. There are exceptions to this, with at least one scenario made exclusively for tank enthusiasts. But in general, the mix between armor and infantry seems about right, and mission success will often depend on the proper tactical use of these forces.... In summary, Theatre of War is a welcomed addition to the real-time tactical genre and shows great promise. If the developers have aimed for historical accuracy, attention to detail and general ease of play, they've not only hit the target but pretty well got a bull's-eye."

Read the WorthPlaying ToW Preview here

Game Walkthrough

In addition to Previews, we are happy to announce a multi-part Game Walkthrough has begun. This Walkthrough goes through the Theatre of War tutorial and training scenarios and is currently hosted on TweakTown.

This first article covers some basic game mechanics such as how to select and move units, while the following three articles will dig deeper into tactical problems and how to solve them using realistic WW2 tactics (and how to execute them in the game).

The second covers some of the more detailed tactics required to win a battle, explains how to execute them in the game, and why a simple groupselect-point-and-click approach which works in many other RTS games will most likely fail in Theatre of War.

The third installment covers how to properly conduct a defense and withstand the types of attacks that we learned to launch in Part 2.

The fourth and final installment goes over the experiences and lessons of the first three training sessions to see how they all come together.

Read Part 1 of the 4 part Walkthrough series here

Read Part 2 of the 4 part Walkthrough series here

Read Part 3 of the 4 part Walkthrough series here

Read Part 4 of the 4 part Walkthrough series here