Men of War: Red Tide

Men of War: Red Tide

Developer: Best Way/ Digitalmindsoft

Publisher: 1C Company

Genre: Real Time Strategy

Release: November 1, 2009

Available: Steam, GamersGate, Desura, and GOG

Price: $5

Platforms: Windows

Mode: Single-Player

Disclaimer

• I suck at RTS games
• I played on Easy which is still hard.
• I barely have any experience with the RTS genre.
• I'm harsh and picky.
• I'm not a professional journalist.
• Most of my reviews are usually the PC version. I am the PC master race.
• I try to 100% games unless it's pointless or tediously stupid.
• No bribes were taken.
• No bribes were offered.
• I got this as part of 1C complete collection back in 2011 for $25 on gamersgate.
• This is the third Game of the Men of War series.

Hardware

• Windows 7 Home premium 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600@ 2.40GHz. Kentsfield 65mn technology
• Ram: 4gb Dual channel DDR2@400MHz (6-6-6-18)
• GPU: 1023MB MSI GeForce GTS 450
• Monitor: 1440x900@60Hz
• Audio: Creative X-fi Audio Processor

This quick review will focus on the changes from the original.

Missions:

• Mostly offensive missions with only 3 defensive missions and a few stealth missions.
  • Take advantage of of the micromanaging and direct assualts your own way.
  • Play the missions at your own pace.
  • Tactics much more important.
  • Stealth missions are made better and tend to be optional.
  • Much harder then the original.
• Maps are bigger.
  • More ways to approach situations
  • Bigger battles
  • Combat happening all over the map
  • less area's blocked off at first.
  • Take longer to complete.
  • More maps sprawling with buildings and structure.

• Flaws:
  • little to no re-spawns for units, on most missions.
  • Big battles and maps will lower your frame rate compared to the original.
  • 3- 4 battles will cripple your frame rate to the single digits even if you meet the recommended settings.
  • Lack of re spawns make AI flaws more of an issue then the original.
  • Lack of re-spawns make missions much harder when combined with AI problems.
  • Coordinating units tends to be needed, but there is no effective way of doing it. Needs to be able to pause combat and issue way points and tasks.
  • First three campaigns were good while the last three feel sparse
    • tend to end too quick
    • Don't get a strong connection to them unlike the first three campaigns.
    • First three campaigns build off of each other while the other half don't.

Story:

• Focuses on the Black Sea fleet in the Crimea region during 1941-1944
  • play as the Black Sea Marines, Russian paratroopers, and the sabotage squads.
  • Nice to play as groups not commonly seen or heard of in media.

• Campaigns flow well and don't feel like random conflicts unlike the original's German and American campaigns.
  • This is helped by the narrator explaining the significance of the missions you are playing and how they affected the overall operations.
  • Get a good understanding of how the Black sea was reclaimed.
  • Feel like your accomplishing something.
• Missions tend to involve famous people that participated in the operations.
• Comes with an encyclopedia that provides further info about the operations, the people who participated, and the results.

Flaws:

• Last three campaigns feel rather separate compared to the first three.
  • Get the feeling off, “that's it?”
• No mission briefings and what what to expect. Just get thrown in.

Audio:

• No music. Nt sure if this is a bug or on purpose.
• Voice acting is average, but way better then the original.
  • Not enough feeling in the voices.
• Narrator's voice is great and wonderful to listen to. Feels like your being told a story from grandpa.

Thoughts:

• Good expansion pack. Better missions, story, campaigns, etc.
• Best to have a play-list of some music, that fits the game, be playing.
• Lack of re-spawns back make AI flaws more noticeable.