Automatic "8" for attention to detail and WW2 Equipment
A few initial thoughts regarding this game. First of all, well done! I love the attention to detail with the authentic WW2 equipment...the tanks and guns all look great, and everything on a battlefield is modeled, down to every bullet. The graphics look great and the game runs well so that's an accomplishment in itself.
Secondly, either it's my imagination or this game is pretty difficult. I started with the Polish campaign, and historically speaking, it's to be expected that it would be very difficult to fight the Germans as the Polish. So a person can't really complain but after several attempts I finally made it past the first mission and almost felt like a true grognard.
The pace of the game is kind of slow...you issue orders, and watch things unfold. It's kind of like watching a good WW2 movie. Of course, things happen and you have to react and modify your tactics. But it's definitively more of a thinking person's game than, say, a more fast paced RTS like Starcraftt, Command and Conquer or Company of Heroes. The developer's were going for realism, and that shows in the slow pace.
Overall, I think it's a good game and I don't regret buying it. I'm a WW2 buff, so that really helps. The good and the bad of the game is the realism--as mentioned, it can be brutally difficult and I didn't even mention the realistic ranges at which tanks can blow away your forces. However, it's nice that someone had the guts to make a game without modifying gameplay too much and thereby sacrificing some weapon ranges or damage modeling.
Note: I spent most of my time playing with the massive patch, which I understand fixed many issues and is mandatory to enjoy the game.