PC Review - Hearts of Iron 3

Note: Hitler's ghost cursed the review. Some text has been blacked out, please hold your mouse button and highlight the blacked out text.
Overview: Paradox Interactive specializes in the grand strategy genre. With several popular titles under its belt, it has truly mastered the grand strategy game. I'm hard pressed to think of any developer that has put as much painstaking detail and historical accuracy into their titles. The research alone is a remarkable feat, and you can tell that PI's staff is passionate about what they do. Perhaps the most well known of Paradox's product line is the Hearts of Iron series.

Hearts of Iron 3 is the newest edition to the critically acclaimed series of grand strategy WW II games. It is also the most radical departure from the formula that was used in the previous installments. Admittedly, I am a relative newcomer to the series. But from what I've seen, a Hearts of Iron game has never been this deep, exciting or rewarding. Hardened fans of HoI 3's predecessors may disagree, but for a newcomer, this is the perfect place to start.


Story: It's tempting to simply say that it's the story of World War II. But fortunately, it's much more interesting than that. From reading the HoI 3 forums at Paradox Interactive, it's quite an unpredictable adventure. There are some pretty radical departures from the WW II we learned about in the history books. Evey game plays like a parallel world's v ersion of the most tragic armed conflict in human history. Whether this is by design or is the result of unfixed bugs, it still makes for a great "story" for alternative history fans, and those who don't need to renact the second world war, battle for battle. For instance, in one game, Mexico invades Germany! O_o

HoI 3 places you in the leader's seat of virtually every nation that existed between 1936 to 1948. There are over a hundred, which extends the replayability considerably. It will be up to you to make all the important decisions, concerning the military, economy and diplomacy.


Gameplay: I warn you here and now, this is not for the casual gamer. You have to come into it ready to tackle a monstrous learning curve. See the screenshot above? You will be staring at screens like this long and hard, for hours. This is not a game for instant gratification, it's for egomanical wargamers, masochists, fans of history, and most likely people who have an unhealthy amount of time on their hands (me included). A full HoI 3 campaign can last tens of hours, think about the longest RPG you ever played. It's probably around that long.

Time goes by on an hourly basis, and even on the fastest setting, the game can still feel slow. You will be dragged through a virtual simulation of the entire 2nd world war and then some. Bring a magazine, pour some coffee, cause once you start a game of HoI, you're in it for the long haul.

I could go deeply into the game mechanics and various facets of the game. But an internet user's attention span being what it is. I'll try to keep it brief. Basically, this is like Civilization times a thousand. You'll use various interfaces to manufacture military units, wage war, balance your budget, engage in diplomacy with other nations, develop your infrastructure and research technology.

All this is yours for taking, but you'll have to master the basics first.

Fortunately, you'll have a fairly good amount of help in learning the ins and outs of the game. Register your copy of HoI 3, and you'll get a nice free strategy guide. The manual does a decent enough job of easing you into the seat of a nation's leader, and you may get some valuable insight on the game's forums. In addition, you can automate whole functions (such as military production and research) to the AI, a godsend for new, and probably overwhelmed players. A big part of learning the game and being a better player, is in simply playing the game, experimenting with the options, and starting out with a small, isolated nation to learn the bare basics. Australia may be a nice start, or possibly Spain, Romania or Greece.

There is a lot to learn, and I'll leave it up to you start digging beneath the surface should you choose to rise to HoI 3's challenge. You may just want to skip the tutorial, probably the weakest source of help. It tries to present the basic functions in an entertaining way but just ends up being awkward. Want to be introduced to HoI by Hitler? Yeah, he makes a cameo. Personally, I'll stick to his rants on YouTube.

The visuals are greatly improved

Graphics: HoI 3 looks stunning, at least compared to the previous titles. The lines are well defined and sharply drawn, the world map was realistic and complete as could be, the colors vibrant and distinct, and everything is displayed in a well organized, logical way. Zoom in close enough, and your counters will turn into 3d sprites. They're not perfect, but it's a nice touch. There aren't a lot of special effects or visuals to write about, there isn't even any full motion video. It's very practical and straightforward, but it works and that's what matters.

Music & Sound: The musical score is limited, but well done. Some were taken from the previous games, but sound great here. Some are upbeat, sounding like marching music. While others are slower and more haunting, and others that are dramatic. The music is easy to listen to, which is a big plus considering you'll likely be playing for long stretches at a time. Though you may be just as prone to turn the music off and listen to a podcast or your mp3s. A good way to pass the time while you're waiting for your latest tech research to finish.

Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war!

Conclusion: I've put a considerable amount of time into this game, and I feel like I've still only scratched the surface. This may be the deepest, most epic scoped strategy game I've ever played. It takes a lot of effort and patience, but if you're passionate about strategy and warfare, you can't get much closer than this. Games like HoI 3 are an acquired taste, but if you find it to your liking, this game is a no brainer to pick up and dive into as soon as you can.

Status: Approved, for hardcore strategy fans and wargaming enthusiasts only. Anyone else, approach at your own risk. This blogger shall not be held responsible for any induced insanity this game may cause.

Pros: Most accurate depiction of the second world war in a strategy game to date. Largest, most complex RTS for this time period, extreme replayability.

Cons: Very high learning curve, many bugs and technical issues have yet to be addressed, game's pacing may be a little too slow for some.

Notes: HoI 3 is not completely stable, but PI has a good reputation for supporting and patching their games. You may want to wait for a couple more patches before putting down the money for the title. If your heart is set on playing a WW II grand strategy game, but feel intimidated by HoI 3's scope, I highly recommend the more casual friendly Making History: the Calm and the Storm. A sequel is due out this fall.