Review by: Dave VanDyk

As satisfying as it is to play a solid, high-budget strategy game that takes itself seriously and offers gratuitous amounts of carefully-balanced combat (such as Company of Heroes or World in Conflict), sometimes you want to forsake some of that in the name of just having stupid amounts of fun. Men of War is one such game that wholeheartedly embraces this mentality through the use of hilarious, over-the-top voice acting, a unique control system that lets you play it as either a strategy or action game, the implementation of "asshole physics" that permit you to pull off all sorts of crazy hijinks using any vehicle at your disposal, and brilliant co-operative gameplay.

Let me outline what exactly makes this game so special. Unlike standard-fare WW2 strategy games, each and every unit in Men of War is unique - be it a vehicle or infantryman. By this, I mean they'll have their own personalized inventory, and also specialize in certain weapon types. The same goes for enemy units, too. This means that instead of just dragging a box around a bunch of units and telling them to charge, you actually have to think about how to manage your available resources.

If you launch a frontal assault, you might find yourself quickly running out of ammunition and getting overrun. But if you sneak around a bit first and scavenge for supplies, you might be able to pick off a few key soldiers, steal some heavier weapons, and perhaps even hijack an enemy tank or other piece of armor to create havoc behind enemy lines. This also gives you the chance to personalize any of your soldiers, loading out their weapons and gear exactly as you see fit and turning them into your own chosen wrecking machines.

Adding to the sense of attachment is a 'direct control' mode. Switching to this retains the same 3D free-camera strategy view, but lets you personally control a given unit (infantry or vehicle) by using the keyboard to move, and the mouse to aim. This kind of functionality is utterly fantastic, because it takes the game beyond being just a strategy title, and lets you run (or drive) around picking off enemies, managing your inventory, and smashing through obstacles just for the sake of seeing how the nifty physics engine reacts (which typically leads to much of the hilarity in the game).

However, all of this information won't be anything new for those who have played the game's predecessors; Soldiers: Heroes of WW2 and Faces of War, so what new novelties does this third game add to the series? The most notable additions include an overhauled graphics engine that looks better than ever (and doesn't constantly slow to a crawl like the one in Faces of War), three campaigns (Russian, German, and American) with all-new missions, weapons, and vehicles, and some AI enhancements that provide the pleasing benefit of making your squads less prone to stupidity when under automatic control.