Theatre of War

Theatre of War
66
Metacritic
61
Steam
63.272
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$0.79
Release date
9 July 2010
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
61 (256 votes)

Command a special task force composed of different kinds of units, including tanks, APCs, field guns, mortars, various infantry regiments and will also have an opportunity to call for artillery and air support.

Show detailed description

Theatre of War system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows XP SP3
  • Processor: 2 Ghz+ Pentium 4 or Athlon XP
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: A dedicated video card with full OpenGL 2.1 support (starting from GeForce 5700/Radeon 9600)
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Storage: 4 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: The game is not guaranteed to run on integrated graphics and laptops
Updated
App type
Steam APP ID
46290
Platforms
Windows PC
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jcmiller101
jcmiller101

Theatre of War isn't an easy game to jump into if you are used to 'normal' RTS. Give it some time & explore its' attempts at realism, & you have a good looking & tactically rich game that never plays quite the same twice..
I have played a lot of RTS since Dune 2000, but this series keeps me coming back for more.

Sodo
Sodo

The game itself is good, with a fairly deep amount of strategy and foreplanning, but it's so utterly plagued by crashes that it turns up not worth it.

TheFin
TheFin

Great game runs fine for me don't know why everyone was complaining about it not working. A bit difficult first time you play but after that it gets alot easier and feels rewarding every time you win a battle

chrislax15
chrislax15

Excellent game to play, especially at the price now. Challenging strategy, not for those stupids though

FluffyBunnyEars
FluffyBunnyEars

Me like...lots of thinking involved. Strategy does play a part in the mechanics of the game. the AI does seem to deduct to the best course of action once it gets going. That said, the opening moves of each map are obiviously scripted. But this game does have all the cool tanks and all the cool things to do, and to get this game and all the other ToW games for under 15 bucks, hey, what a deal!

FallenHeroes
FallenHeroes

I currently don't recommend this game im running into to many errors with the game trying to open. it will work for a hour or 2 at first then it will go into Runtime error 3#(trap) and from what i've read its not a easy fix to get it running agian. I have tried many things to get it to work but nothing works.

TactiKat
TactiKat

If you own anything with Windows 8* I can't recommend getting it, it is bugged and won't run unless you want to go through the entire process of coding in anti-bug codes in the files, besides paying $10.00 for a 4 year old game of this caliber is less than ideal, so save yourself the $ and pass.

Anonymous
Anonymous

This is what I expected the Codename Panzer series to be (which was an huge disappointment beyond the graphics) and it is everything I have been looking for in a RTS/RTT type game. The level of realism is well beyond any other game of this type out there. Improper planning and use of tactics are punished over and over again by a good AI. Hundreds of units are modeled and at your fingertips and variants within each vehicle type are meticulously researched and detailed. Elements such as range, armor penetration and the intangibles such as shock and moral are accurately represented. I love the fact that you can actually use infantry for more than cannon fodder and can build an actual combined arms plan of attack for a given objective. For those who are saying this game it too difficult or the scenarios take too long, fret not there is always the arcade build and unit-spam RTSs out there like Command and Conquer and Age of Empires……this one is for the big boys.

Pajeú
Pajeú

Steam must upgrade ToW because sell it without warning that the game doesnt work in Windows 7 or 8
I bought ToW - the first - wich I consider a masterpiece of its kind, better than ToW2 Africa & Kursk, but I'm not able to play... The game seems doesnt work with Windows 7 & 8.
Moreover I've wasted so many time to find a solution or even a explanation for it without success.
I dont understand the Steam support team omission in this case!

hagakuremoi
hagakuremoi

This game wants to be realistic and it is, but is boring and tedious too.
The main problem is that the units feel very unresponsive to orders.

Theatre of War Korea feels more intuitive and responsive. I still have to try Theatre of War 2.

Illustrously
Illustrously

dont know what happened to you guys but my problem is that, everytime i try to play this game, it always crashes all the time, if anyone has an advice please write it.....

Aleczaender
Aleczaender

Overall, this is fun to roleplay but its just... Boring, its like watching TV from in space... Its hard to explain its like you hate tank battles and your watching a tan battle and you dont even care! Its also takes a long time to reach destinnation because your so far! Its just, tooo big. Overall 3 was better its just the mouse can be misplaced 5 inches below the screen. But if your lucky Theatre of war 3 was good for me. The reason is, it was my 2nd Modernized strategy game of all time. Its kinda like Theatre of war, European Escaltion because it only has Heilos and the troops and stuff but with campain. But sorry to stay off topic, I would prob recommend this for, other Strategy fans.

Oriflame
Oriflame

Very poor controls, extremely unresponsive. Unit AI is reminds me of the old Close Combat in that it does stupid things like run in front of a tank instead of using AT weapon when you tell it to attack the tank. Don't waste your money on this. It's not that it's complicated; though I'm sure a bunch of "I'm special because this game requires superior intellect" crowd will try to present it that way, it's just that this game sucks and is a poor successor to something like Combat Mission.

PointBlank
PointBlank

Warning: Theatre of war is a WWII RTS that places heavy empthsis on realitistic combat operations. Because of this, the game can get really hard really fast. So if you're not into games that are punishing for every mistake, don't buy this game.

Theatre of War allows players to command various armies of the second World War from Poland to Russia. Every Nation campaign conists several historically based missions. Every unit you use is highly detailed and useful in some way. You command infantry, tanks, artillery, planes, etc.

You're only allowed a certain amount of troops per mission. Because of this, you will have to choose wisely and make every effort to perserve them in combat as best you can. Your surviving units gain combat expierence that enhances their skills. Making them more useful in the events that follow.

The only downside of the game is that it does feel a bit too hard at times. Even on the lowest difficulty.

Kat
Kat

Difficult to control. Shoddy tutorial. Even on a 26 inch screen its hard to see whats going on. The game is not at all what the picture purport it to be. Im glad I bought it on sale.

wargod2009
wargod2009

Back when I used to pre-order games, Theatre of War was among my most anticipated games of 2007. However upon playing the game, I was terribly dissapointed in its abysmal performance and terrible ai, and generally extremely slow gameplay. After less than one week of playing the game, I gave up on it. Fast forward to late 2014 when I saw that this title was on sale for $0.99. 99 cents. Wow, I had to give it another go, and sure enough the game has not only been patched to fix all of its early key problems from when it was first released, but also comes with the most important and critically acclaimed mod ready to install right away.

Right away I could tell that this game was reborn and risen like a phoenix. Theatre of War has come from an abysmal early life to being without doubt THE BEST representation of company size combined arms warfare of the Second World War ever put in video game form. I can not emphasize enough how fantastic and near perfect this game is. In fact I could not believe that I was playing the same game that I first played seven years earlier. Bottom line, Theatre of War is a masterpiece in the genre of tactical wargames. A solid 9.5/10 maybe even 10/10. Yeah, 10/10!

If you are someone who hates the lame arcadey company of heroes nonsense, then you owe it to yourself to get this incredible and extremely satisfying and PROPER wargame, right NOW!

WillyChong_YUM_YUM
WillyChong_YUM_YUM

Do you have an interest in weapons and armor encyclopedia?
Do you want the sexy Panther/Tiger/T-34/Serman tanks that rotate around to showcase all their assets?
Do you love to see the gun barrel of a Pak-40 75mm anti tank gun from the front?
Do you love to see each of the halftracks wheels, sterring system, tracks, screws and metal?
Do you love to read the rich history of each individual tanks, assault guns, artillery, tractors and vehicles?
Do you love to read every detail in the weapon biodata? From gun calibre, ammunition type, vehicle crew etc etc?
Do you wish you could hear them firing the actual sound of the gun rather than the generic "pew pew pew"?
Do you love realism?
Do you love spending hours on end not playing the game but scrolling through the encyclopedia?
Do you love spending the first few minutes playing you first mission? Then quit realized how difficult the game is and go online to search for solution?
Do you love after playing, finally spending hours upon hours micromanage each individual unit to maximise success?
Do you hate yourself?

If you fullfilled the above criteria. congrats, you are more awesome than the CEOs of Ubisoft, EA, Warner Brothers! And have higher IQ than all the CEOs I mentioned!

Fazzan
Fazzan

Limited UI, campaign control, etc. A very basic barebone game with an interesting engine left to rot due to lack of imagination on the developers part.

DrSmile
DrSmile

One of the best and realistic ww2 rts games ever made. Still looks good, still sounds good, still demanding and timeconsuming, still hurts when your best tank gets destroyed after he survived the first 2 missions, still gives your cpu tons of shitload to do :) No fast pew-pew-in-your-face company of heros gameplay.

Old Man Sleazebaggano
Old Man Sleaze…

A poor man's "Graviteam Tactics Operation Star," this game will give you a nice introduction to realistic WW2 tactical wargaming for a modest price. The game comes with several campaigns and includes events/nations rarely covered in the war (you can play the Invasion of Poland and France from both sides). The graphics really aren't terribly bad by today's standards, and the combat is slow and realistic. All of your units carry on from mission to mission in the campaigns, and they gain experience accordingly (they are all named and have semi-independent portraits so you can follow individual soldiers or squads if you are so inclined). The game also comes with a nice editor and plenty of user made missions on sites like Moddb.

Overall, for $5 its a steal. It is the only game in the series that actually works on my PC without huge frame rate issues, and it is the most diverse in terms of units, dates, scenarios, environments, etc. You more than likely won't regret the dropping the modest price on it.

Winchester
Winchester

I have only played a little bit of this game but I don't really care for the game. Its to slow paced for me.(Come from someone that plays men of war) I haven't played the muiltiplayer yet. I would recomend it if you like games were every move counts,

Schwendau (Rook71)
Schwendau (Rook71)

So, I had this on my old system and updated Windows... due to support ending for the old version. I love the game, easy mission editor and campagins as well. Unfortunately it dosent work any more, makes me sad monkey. I hope they update it to the TOW2 engine or do an update. Overall, this is not a grinding, fix you tank, etc game.. you have chess with explsions. It is a dynamic battlefield. I still recommend this game!!

tomasz.magierowski
tomasz.magierowski

Very Good and realistic Game!
PROS
very realistic
lots of options
fun
lots of vehicels

CONS
glitchy (but playable)

mikaelyan
mikaelyan

Would highly recommend. Seems to me that performance issues and bugs have largly been sorted now. Runs very well and is a fantastic game. Quick thrill junkies need not apply, this is a serious sim! Play it as such and the enjoyment is huge, play it like C&C and you will hate this game. Really though, well worth the buy.

Vinny Scarletto
Vinny Scarletto

Contrary to what the top of this review might say, I actually spent many hours with this game on my brother's steam account before getting it for myself. The game itself is fantastic, with solid stratagey elements. However, I would reccomend looking at some videos of it prior to get a feeling if it'll be right for you.

Sarkoth
Sarkoth

Definitely not an example for ease of access and intuitive controls, as it feels unwieldy and clunky, but it is a real beast of complexity and a heaven for diehard tactical RTS fans of realistic gameplay. Realistic in this instance means physically correct and therefore - speaking in layman's terms - mindbogglingly unfair and frustrating mechanics.

Not for everyone, but almost could have been used by real WWII generals for actual warfare planning and simulation in regards to the love for realistic detail.

feamatar
feamatar

I would really like to recommend this game: it is quite cheap now, it still looks good and it covers most of the European theatre of WWII. There are a lot of different units and it tries to be realistic.

However there are so many issues that it turns into a definitely no:

Aiming is unrealistic. If your tank crew is not exceptionally trained, they can't hit the enemy even from 20 meters. Fortunately it goes to the enemy as well. Same for penetration rules. Even when there is a hit from 20 meters and from the back, it just bounces off. I know that the gun of the R35 is not the ultimate tank killer, but it should be able to kill a Panzer IV with less then 8 shots from point blank range...

The AI is terrible, but the enemy has the numerical advantage. In campaign most missions boil down to this: the useless infantry charges ahead, but they can be ignored, because in most cases they can't hurt the tanks. The player should have wait with its tanks and its highly trained crew until the enemy tanks get in shooting range, then the player should concentrate fire and destroy the enemy tanks one by one. Once it is done, the enemy infantry can be executed. It is important to protect the tank, bushes, terrain and especially buildings can help with that.

Most campaign missions are setup in a way that it is disadvantageous to the player. The first step in almost every campaign mission is to concentrate the troops at one place or at a different place where the game suggests. If there is a small town on the map, it is the best just to collect the troops there, and wait till the enemy tanks come and can be shot down one by one.

And let's not forget about loading times which are simply too long.

saltdawg
saltdawg

Probably one of the most realistic WWII Strategy games to be produced as of yet. Not only do you get to cary over soldiers from previous battles fought, you get to cary over their skills and medals won. You can choose to fight as Poland against the might of 'Ze German' Blitzkreig, or completely destroy the Allies as those very same Germans.

Epik Berm
Epik Berm

It may have been top notch of its day, but not anymore... The game is way too old and confusing. I recommend not buying it, and turning to games like MOW:AS or MOW:AS2

Helix_Hyperion
Helix_Hyperion

Not my cup of tea, odd controls and camera. Thankfully I got it on sale or I'd feel bad.
Just not what I thought it would be.

{sBc} Bane5
{sBc} Bane5

Some tips:
-Those who don't understand reverse slopes for placing artillery units will have a hard time in this game. Place AT guns on the reverse side peering just over the edge. Doing so will provide much needed cover.
-Units zero in on enemies with each missed shot, move a tank or retreat a gun down a slope thats under fire to throw off enemy aim and force them to zero in again.
-Caveat: Moving your own units, messes up their aim as well, trade-off accordingly. More experienced crews can fire while moving and maintain zero-in aim. (this is the era before gyrostabilizers)
-Use tanks in hull down positions on slopes
-Inexperienced gunners/drivers cannot fire while moving, they must come to a complete stop
-Units with direct attack commands will zealously carry out their orders and chase enemies if they don't have clear line of sight. Be sure to cancel any attack orders with the stop command if you want them to acquire different targets.
-Anti tank rifle infantry is great at finishing off wounded/disabled tanks. Remember that tanks poor vision near them and infantry can crawl around undetected.
-Keep experienced soldiers alive during your campaign. An AT-rifleman/marksman or a tank gunner with good aim can make mincemeat of inexperiencd tanks--especially at a distance.
-Units may panic if they have low leadership or no one nearby is around with a high leadership value.
-Penetration values are ideal circumstances. That H35 with 35mm penetration probably won't kill a Panzer 4 with 30mm frontal armor unless some plating has already been blown off.

Dread of Night
Dread of Night

I thought this was going to be a fun an enjoyable game, but nope. The AI is the worst I have seen yet. The men can't even hit an armed car with their bazooka within 10 meters. That is if they decide to use the bazooka in the first place, most of the time they will just use their machine gun to attack an amored car. The other probelm is the men just won't attack they will just stand there doing nothing at all. Did I mention how bad the AI is?

mp2
mp2

like the great models and fast land

dont like one enemy soldier can kill whole platoon even though greatly outnumbered suspect russian invincabale code :P

Cursed6r4y
Cursed6r4y

I bought this game because remember playing it on my nan's old office laptop when I was younger (14 now) and I wanted to play it on my computer for old times sake, the problem is that you can't. it only runs on the older computers...

splatteryou_2
splatteryou_2

i really like the game and would love to give it a good review but i just cant, to sum it up accordingto this game early model t34s can out class tigers tanks all the way across the map, a.i. can shoot from anywhere ever from cover, behind hills etc, a.i. ary/air strikers are ridcously accurate as for the players they will go everywhere but the spot you pointed out. this is just some of the things. As i said i do really like the game but its pretty broken so you take it with a whole pot salt.

DESCA(arg)
DESCA(arg)

GREAT GAME FOR ITS TIME AND NOW THAT IT COMES WITH A MOD TO ADD MORE UNITS IT'S A 10/10 FOR ME.

UN JUEGASO en pocas palabras y en spanish

btw you can creat customs maps and missions so great.

gartheastwood
gartheastwood

This has a lot of bad reviews doesn't it? Quite unusual really..... normally Steam review pages are dominated by false ultra-hyped review by raving bands of fanbois who a55fock mob anyone who disrespects "their game".

So I installed this with great concern indeed - if even a STEAM review page is full of bad reviews, and nary a fanboi whinger in sight, it really must be bad.
(Actually, that's wrong, there are still a lot of whinging fanbois, most whinging about it's only "brainless taards" that can't play this game. When in reality it is impossible to play this game because of it's poor quality, grossly unfair mission design, cheating AI and game killing bugs)

Well I was willing to give it a fair trail.

First off, the game automatically gave me the option to install this "JSH 1.3.5 Mod"! Again unusual, as such mods are normally presented through the Workshop. (Though ToW here does not have a Workshop section).
If Steam / 1C Company deem it necessary to offer this mod from the very start, just how bad can the vanilla game be? They obviously don't wish you to see for yourself!

EXTREMELY would be the simple answer to that!

Maybe the mod transforms the game and turns into a good un?

NO! NO! NO! NO! Is the simple answer to that!

There's not much need to tell you all why, all these reasons are already stated clearly in the other bad reviews. READ THEM! HEED THEM! DON'T buy this shit.

My personal reason to quit and uninstall was witnessing one my carefully nurtured elite tank crews just vanish for no reason at all, one by one. The tank just stopped, no damage was indicated. The crew were not panicking / bailing out and running for it, there was no fire or toxic fumes from engine damage killing the crew. The tank was NOT even under fire anyway! They just disappeared into thin air, for no reason whatsoever.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/46290/discussions/0/1474222595298673238/ The guy starting this thread is just so right about this game - even if his post is a VERY long rant.

The game also mostly "plays itself". You give orders to units, but they do not follow as you'd expect, the absolutely stunningly spaaaastictaaard AI just controls them in it's own stupid way regardless. You are never in true control of your units.
Enemy units don't seem very dumb though.

If you've played the likes of the same developer's games such as "Men of War : Condemned Heroes", you'll be aware how hard 1C games can be. But this is just "HUUUR DUUUR" level.

In some ways the game has tried to be good. The game is very modable, game files and data are easily accessable and editable - this is always a big plus point, and such can be used for customised cheats - you *will* need them!
It has a nice quick to use "mission generator" as well as a more complex, involved "mission and map editor". Again, you'll need them, as the supplied campaigns and scenarios are so stupid!
Vehicle damage seems to be modelled quite well, shell types are all modelled well. Battlefields are full sized for once. Terrain / object LOS and projectile blocking also seems to have had work put into it. But again, there are flaws, and bizarre things seem to happen consistently. Some of these anomalies in game behaviour I believe are down to deliberately programmed "cheating AI" routines. Cheating AI is just a poor programmer's way of compensating for piss poor true AI.
1C Company games are typical in being good, but always disfigured by poor QA, a "screw you customer" attitude, proliferate bugs and poor design ideas. ToW is also one that *should* be good, but there are so many of these 1C Company faults that time it is completely spoiled. Avoid at all costs.

I hope ToW 2 turns out better - I'm about to find out! (Not much actually, but that's another story!)

komakino
komakino

Step One. Set up your forces on the battlefield.
Step Two. Click start battle
Step Three. Order your forces to move forward
Step Four. Watch your forces spot an enemy tank or AT gun on a nearby hill
Step Five. Watch all your tanks suffer track or main gun hits that render them utterly useless in the first two minutes
Step Six. Watch all your soldiers die horribly or panic and run away as they try to take a hill full of tanks and heavy weapons with no support.

Return to step one.

It looks exactly like a Combat Mission game but it plays in real time rather than turns, with all the problems that entails. The fact is micro managing 10+ individual units to act in unison to capture objectives in real time is hard at the best of times, and ultimately is often more dispiriting than fun.

It's worth a go at the price it goes for these days, but for me it's too fiddly to work in real time and thats why I prefer the Combat Mission approach.

Annoyme2
Annoyme2

I don't even have to play an hour and finish the tutorial to tell you that this game and it's entire series is rough around the edges. It feels like it was just thrown together last minute. The AI is horrible and very needy to your attention. Sometimes you don't even know what to do next because your AI troops are just wandering around exposing themselves to enemy fire.

I'm really glad I got the entire series on sale. Less than $five for like 4 games and yea, I'm glad I didn't pay a dime more.

The game is ok and I'll recommend it on sale, but only on sale. It's not worth the full price at all even as cheap as it is.

Arkibus
Arkibus

A very misunderstood game, very detailed and hardcore. If your units are not doing what you tell them there is usually a reason. Usually their skill level is too low or they are panicked or injured. Also just because a unit is aware of the enemy doesn't mean there is a clear shot to take.

Anonymous
Anonymous

This game is unbelievably terrible it will not let me play it and is essentially unplayable this is the same for the other games of the series.

lnxpnk
lnxpnk

This is an amazing game. If you like realistic RTS, such as Wargame, Blitzkrieg, Company of Heroes, etc, I recommend you to try this. In spite of some flaws (pathfinding) is a joy to play.

Get only if you enjoy "realism", micromanaging your troops, and screaming anxiously to your computer.

Game runs great on Linux via Proton.

Disclaimer: I played this game before the steam version, maybe some 20 hrs.

ArmAVerse
ArmAVerse

Theatre of war is a World War 2 Real Strategy game developed by IC Entertainment and was released in 2007. I believe that it is the predecessor of the now Graviteam Tactics franchise because the game mechanics are quite similar although Graviteam Tactics has brought WW2 RTS to a new level. Now back to Theatre of war. This game features SP and MP although I never tried any MP with it.

The game contains an amazing Encyclopedia with all statistics and historical details of every single vehicle which has been used in WW2 divided by the major factions involved in the war.

It has an amazing amount of single-player content. There are nine campaigns which can be played

- Poland - France - 2 Russian Campaigns- 2 German campaigns- The allied campaign western front-and last but not least a mixed campaign. This will keep you busy for quite some time.

Difficulty settings:

This game is difficult. If you are new to the game I advise you to play on easy difficulty settings. It will be challenging enough in the beginning and it won't be a frustrating experience.
The graphics are dated for nowadays standard but the combat game mechanics are more important to me than fancy graphics.

Conclusion:

IMHO this game is worth a buy. If you can overlook the dated graphics of this game then you should get it.

gehrig38
gehrig38

Huge WWII gamer, board and computer. I love any game that gets the 'art' right much less the game. Pretty game for a WWII sim. Single man, single tank control if you want it. Haven't gotten through an entire campaign but the few battles I have fought require thought and pre-planning when assaulting and a "can't defend everything" approach when defending.

Lidl
Lidl

Retarded AI and mechanics, coupled with repetitive missions ruin the entire game.

Whoever claims this to be a realistic game clearly never played it.

JanReyZHD
JanReyZHD

Runtime Error solution (maybe work for some people):
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2039388866
Tips: This game only works in the PC with only one graphics card. If your PC has two, you need to disable one or use Nvidia Settings Panel and make a special rule that to run this game with only a single graphics card running.

SpeedWolf
SpeedWolf

It is those type of game you either like it or you don't. It is a combination of combat Mission and codename panzers but with realistic range and large operational Maps that are based on the European theater of war.

You can play most of their respective Nations such as Poland France Germany and the allies, The game is no means perfect.

OLD GUARD
OLD GUARD

This game feels like a Men of War game without the graphics or good game play. It's fun for a bit until you realize that the excitement level isn't going to improve. To compare this to Men of War is not fair - because it's not even close. I realize it's a different game and should be appreciated for what it is but after you've played the MOW games, it's almost impossible to play this and not think it's a very bad copy.

Vinnie Mack
Vinnie Mack

I don't know about this one. At first it refused to start. Thanks to a helpful hint from the forums, I manage to coax the game from its black screen. Even when I did get it to start, it proved troublesome. To get the proper screen resolution, I had to go into the game folder and click setup from there. All this effort to get a plain Jane of a game.

Such irritations can be overlooked if the game is fun to play. For me, it was not. It is a tactical rather than strategic game. I am not a fan of these type of games. It doesn't help that controlling your individual soldiers is tedious and confusing. The camera is hard to control. Actually all the controls are clunky and counter-intuitive. There seem to be a limited number of unit types. Of course I may be wrong on this. Spending 15 minutes on two scenarios is far from extensive access to all available units.

Still if you are a fan of these type of games, mastering the controls may be worth your effort. It has battle scenarios from all the major European campaigns of World War II. Also, it allows modding. For me, I will stick to my open world sandbox rpgs while occasionally sampling a strategy game.

For fans of battle simulators rather than strategy games. It is a hassle to get running, more of a hassle than most casual tactical fans would be willing to tolerate for what is offered.

dark_horse_spirit
dark_horse_spirit

Requires some skill, but for me its about the editors and scenario creators. with a little effort and imagination you can recreate battles the way you like em or just imagine a whole bunch of new ones.

vitaliy.rostovtsev
vitaliy.rostovtsev

This game is a great tactical strategy! Also this gema has RPG elements. And of course the athmosfere of this game is perfect imho. During the campagin you will train and award your solders. It has two main issues: 1. skillfull and motivated solders act better than newers and 2. you will realy sad when familiar solder will be killed in ations or you will be gladwhen your solders survive and win!
P.S. Sorry my english, it is not always good specially during spelling.

Render Baron
Render Baron

I have tried all the shades of wargames, from hyper realistic to full arcade, and would place ToW between Combat Mission and Men Of War. However, it falls into that middle ground where only compromises, and no good qualities come to live.

The realism: you get the impression of full control, but some key features are gone. For example complex pathing with different behaviors is not possible - advance, scout, retreat if engaged, with clear wayponts on screen. You must always be in manual control like any RTS, and its maddening beyond belief on this scale and "realism". I also found extremely crippling the lack of a designated arc of fire for each unit, so they either fire or not. Not possible to create ambushes or engage at a meaningful distance, say 100m for rifles. AT guns are goners for the same reason, they either shoot and get destroyed, or stay silent until Manually revived. Line of sight does exist, but very weak and confusing to read and plot. This means that I cannot reliably use cover and seek hull-down; the tools are missing. Vehicles have very bad controls and no feedback for damage done or received. You do get some FX, but no info on type, chance and result of damage. No option to unbutton vehicles for better awareness. Capturing enemy tech is asinine fantasy. Overall it feels like the idea was to use arcade RTS mechanics: crucial tools were not compatible and the leftover tools are meaningless in the scheme of things.

As far as the enjoyment goes, it is looow. Due to the scale and "realism" one can find satisfaction in complex planning and execution, but, as I mentioned, those are not really on the table. You are left with a game that demands you to have the awareness and speed of a RTS on a giant battlefield with minuscule units, icons and info. You also do not get any of an RTS polish, fun factor, wow moments and graphics. It is all this giant, depressing landscape with dozens of uncontrollable units spread like ants. I am yet to win a single battle; no idea what is going on, I have no control of the events, no feedback, enemies come in overwhelming waves and seemingly in god mode.

I tried ToW several times, over several years and gave up every time. It is neither a Pro game, nor a Fun game. Just a thing, there, existing.

Chunky Moe
Chunky Moe

Sadly, as of 6/2021, this game will not run anymore on a modern PC with NVIDIA card.
This game uses OpenGL for it's graphics, and since the implementation is almost 10 years old, the API used is extremely out of date.
I tried every setting possible, from lowest to highest, to Windows compatibility modes to no avail.
Theatre of War 2 and 3 went to a DirectX API, so hopefully the issues keeping this title from being able to run on modern systems won't exist.

alexspartan2
alexspartan2

it is fun but has some issues like loading into a battle it will sometimes crash and the tank combat is a little messed up in my opinion.

SanDiegoNorman
SanDiegoNorman

The only thing that I got out of it was to have it crash and lock up my computer, I fell for it more than once !!!

Zander
Zander

Very good game, sometimes a little hard, but with will and sacrifices of even the most Elite of your units, you can pass that level that you couldn't before.