I was hoping for a decent single-player campaign when it came to Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad, but since this WWII game is ultimately more focused on it's multi-player aspect, I should have known what it would turn out to be. The possibility was in the back of my mind, but the campaign is, essentially, practice mode for the online portion. Upon first glance, it was indeed disappointing, because I wanted a story to follow, but the more I played, the more I understood the realistic qualities that the game offers, and it's a unique beast that is at the same time accessible, as well as very in-depth and detail oriented.
The single-player campaign is fairly bare bones. You start off playing as the Germans which are accompanied with 12 missions and 5 training missions. When you're done with that campaign, it's off to stave off the German attack as the Russians, with another 12 missions at your disposal. Before and after each mission, there's a narrator, each with an appropriate country's accent, that are actually well done using a grainy, film-reel, cinematic that transports you back to WWII. Sounds promising at first right? But when you enter the battlefield, you're thrust as a single soldier among many, and are tasked with either attacking points on each map to capture, or defending points to prevent capture. That's it. The maps themselves are sprawling and really well done however, and when the slight disappointment wears off, there's an ambitious, realistic approach that really come together. There's a very smart game under the hood.
Here are just some of the things that makes Red Orchestra 2 a blast to play with it's nuances:
* Running while crouching to avoid gunfire.
* No reticule requiring you to usually aim down the sights to shoot your target.
* No ammo count so you'll either need to count your bullets (easier with rifles and pistols of course) or hold "R" to approximate how much ammo you have left.
* Turning the dial on your gun to judge the distance of your target.
* Rolling a grenade into a room as an option.
* Ability to switch to ironsights from a scope using a sniper rifle for closer targets.
* Option to use single-shots with machine guns by using the middle mouse button.
* First person cover that allows you peek up, left and right, as well as blind fire.
* Yes I know it's on the synopsis, but realistic weapon ballistics with bullet drop. You can also shoot through most walls to take out targets in cover.
* A suppression system that blurs your vision as you take fire.
* Control units within the entire squad to tactically maneuver around the battlefield.
* Control a tank as a team with a driver, tank commander, machine and turret gunner.
* Become a commander and gain a tactical map of the battlefield. Call in recon planes to assess the fight, then use artillery strikes, mortar strikes and more, to support your squad on the ground.
Now wrap that all up and it's one hell of a first person package that really makes you think differently as you play. You need to: move a lot slower, crouch often, go prone when you need to, take cover, shoot accurately, and judge when to move up. For instance, in most games you can usually run away from gunfire as you cross an area, but here, it can get intense. I practically felt the bullets whiz by my feet and richochet off the ground as my vision blurred. When I made it to the next building, I breathed a sigh of relief. It's seemingly easy situations like that, that are heightened in RO2. The only thing that was missing were bullet holes in my pants.
In terms of graphics, I'd consider them above average with great lighting and nice textures, especially on the soldiers and gun models, but the performance still doesn't seem as optimized as it could be being a PC exclusive title running on a GTX 570. There are definitely times where the game randomly slows down for a few seconds during less intense fighting sequences. In hindsight, it's manageable and completely playable, but RO2 seems to need a few more frames to smooth everything out.
Aurally, RO2 makes great use of my surround sound system. Gun fire is spot on and sounds like it packs one hell of a punch, especially the single-shot nature of the rifles. The explosions feel powerful and you can even hear conversations going on inside buildings of the opposing forces in a hollow, echoed tone. Plus you can hear footsteps as they approach as well. It's easily one of the best aspects of the game.
After playing the single-player campaign, I feel that it's prepared me to step into the multi-player battlefield. It's also good to know that Tripwire Interactive have been on the ball since launch, providing patches to help alleviate Red Orchestra 2's rough start. But overall, despite not playing online yet, there's a really good game here. If given the patience to work with all it's nuances, it can shine and elevate itself with constant moments of pure brilliance.
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