Imperial Glory meets Shattered Union

For my part I play all kinds of strategy games of "War in the Pacific" or "Forge of Freedom" to "Hearts of Iron" and "Combat Mission" or simply mainstream Echtzeitgemetzel as "Company of Heroes" and the "Total War" series when the spark jumps on me. And he did in this game.

An acclimatization period of 2-3 hours should be sufficient to get familiar with the game mechanics. The manual and tutorial videos leave open some questions that open up only during the game (or if you postet his problems in the official forum).
For example, I started like that I first played a few battles before I started with a campaign. Such was the leap of faith to play as part of the campaign the battles themselves, not as dramatic.

Since I wanted to do relatively calm and manageable, I chose the US side, as these at the beginning of the campaign has only one city. In this way, there is not much to manage and the number of possible opponents remains countable on one finger.

On the campaign map then board game atmosphere is spreading. Man pulls his units around, and had to plan exactly which buildings are employed in that province because the local construction site is limited. And when you fast advances and therefore no longer in a coverage radius of the building or a city, the units are not brought back to full strength.

At first you have to get used to the dynamics on the campaign map, because provinces can quickly change hands and saw himself just one AI Truppenpäkchen over, the computer has its units split suddenly and takes a number of provinces, which was held actually for secured ,
But one gets used to it, can even react, and what I really like, you can also lure the enemy and thus surround itself. Not infrequently I have won against overwhelming odds, where I withdrew without a fight from a country just to get my troops thus in a better position, and pinch off the AI ​​army.

If it comes to the fight is loading a hex combat card on which it is either shake up all enemy units, or taking some flag points. This mode also is turn-based, but the player and the AI ​​pull the units simultaneously. Then Ending the round there is any skirmishes. Which reminds me exactly like this dynamic very well because as for example shoots artillery in hexes from which withdraws the opponents, thus meets almost nothing. The always same procedure, the "Panzer General" you're out of games like "Shattered Union" or used, so only soft shooting with long-range weapons, then bombard them with aircraft and can wipe up the remains of tanks will be changed comfortable in this Arte. Of course you can beharken the enemy with all the long-range weapons that he could, however, change the hex, bringing something forward planning into play.

In battle mode, the time of day and units that have been upgraded with night vision gadgets changes, so get a considerable advantage. A distinction is made between moral and physical damage and so it happens that opponents without special equipment, for example in a sandstorm, shooting at each other, but this only decreases morale and inflict no losses. Make more experienced units with rookies short work, and when the rookies then even pull without night vision devices in the attack, the battle ends very one-sided, what me however brings a smile on your face when I win so because quality prevails over mass.

Which brings me to the point of upsets me to the fights most: the system of reinforcements and when they are allowed to enter the card ...

The number of on the fight card to be placed troops is limited and so you can not play a mass advantage. The extra units may only enter the map when an already placed unit was destroyed. Hm ....

And that means that in clear inferiority can not save from the field his elite troops, but stand idly by as they must be wiped out, only to new units to draw on the map. I would like to see a zone at the end of the map, from which you can arbitrarily evacuate troops and, if available, will bring to the new card.

Overall, I would rate the game as less complex because the main focus is on proper positioning of the units on the campaign map and the subsequent battles. But precisely this point also makes it interesting for in between, because I have to honestly say that I often do me hard a game "Hearts of Iron" take up again that I have for months unable to continue playing. So I'll start there more often a player from when I finish it. But here, in "Storm - Frontline Nation", I simply fighting to 2-4 provinces if I do not have much time and the re-entry next time falls out easily.

When diplomacy system I have doubts about whether it works at all really. You have several options for contract combinations that read well, but somehow they are mostly rejected.
One must also adjust to the fact that it is a "fighting game". If you have defeated an opponent declares a very next war. A proper Aufrüstverschnaufpause I never had. But that goes around the campaign map as follows: Belgium declares war on Germany, is eaten in an unexpected stroke of genius from Holland, Russia, meanwhile incorporated by Austria. So one has to be adjusted, despite turn-based strategy on something artificial hectic.

I have read a lot about the supposedly poor graphics, but because I really need to ask what people expect? Okay, some textures are also me too dark or slightly washed out, but the company, which could set a 100 man team on the production of models and graphics would not develop such a game.

And one must not forget that the battle maps are randomly generated and which I personally like a lot better than a graphically indeed upgraded environment, but you know after 3 battles that will take place there, and every stone.
Who really asks if the graphics is sufficient for him, only needs a look at the screenshots to throw ... "What you see is what you get ..."

The fact that many used weapons systems originate in the game from the 80s, and were always relatively easily upgraded we owe the strictly limited unit selection. It was not just developed so much different military equipment in the last 20-30 years as in WW2. And I personally prefer it rather then a halfway realistic troops on the map to draw when suddenly advance into sci-fi era and to make tanks Mechs.
I guess the game will not replace "Civilization" and then what would those exploring who desire here in this game, more research and technology? Capable of firing a hochlevelbaren on 8 stages grenade launcher attachment for the M-16 rifle then triple as many grenades in a shorter time? Sounds like fun (yawn).

But you have to bring a sense of humor, if you as a US side fighting against Libya and taken there by American weapons systems in reception.
The weapon selection is limited to the typical west to east scenario, coupled with a few European "exotics".

The lack of aufklärendem tutorial or user will partially offset the fact that a very good tooltip help aufploppt when somewhere hovers over it. Thus is explained exactly what time of day or weapon has what effect and why 90% of my income is just that easily away, even though I only have an army of 2 vehicles.

Yes, the game has many Hakeligkeiten. I miss a quickly accessible world map, sometimes a replay function for the final round or the annoying little unit icons that have been pressed into the corner of the screen at the bottom left and where one million information is housed and you just about learns that there is this because one is randomly moving the mouse over it. (Oh, that little blue box is not a pixel error of my monitor but indicates to me that the infantry mortar has here ....)

Some players complain about crashes, of which I was previously spared as far as possible.

And so I can only picking up on what I said in the beginning: that was the spark in me, in my eyes makes this mix of unit shifters showing off on the campaign map and then Hexfeldschlagabtausch fun. I hope that some of the inconsistencies to be improved, but the step to publish such a game with fresh scenario and own dynamics, and what personally still fun for me, I would like to evaluate with 4 stars.