A game that you can completely suck at, yet still have a blast.
User Rating: 8 | Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad PC
Perhaps it is because I am an avid World War II fanatic. Perhaps it is because realism appeals greatly to me. Perhaps it is because I love slow paced, strategic shooters. I can go on, but overall the game is quite the unique one. While very buggy at launch, and it still has some problems to this day despite patches, it is very enjoyable. To me this game is a hit or a miss. You either love it or you swear at yourself because you just wasted money on this game. It is a game for the hardcore first person shooter fans, while I'm sure many who play Call of Duty will find the game dull and rage quit because they try to be an one man team. Now, that doesn't mean people who play Call of Duty won't enjoy it. Just chances are most won't. The styles of each are the opposite of each other. Call of Duty is your run and gun, fast paced shooter with insanely accurate guns, while Red Orchestra 2 is a slow paced shooter which requires teamwork and tactics and lots of patience. However, a single player mode will help new players grow accustomed to the mechanics of Red Orchestra 2. There are two campaigns, one German and one Russian, each featuring 12 missions (tutorials not included). While the same maps are used in both campaigns, it is just meant to get you through the growing pains. Once you feel confidently you can duke it out in multi-player, you can find a game using dedicated servers or just auto-match. The first game I joined was, oblivious to me until I joined, a realism game. No cross-hairs, friendly fire was on (my first two kills were allies), and a few other features that made the game, well more realistic. However, there are other modes if you don't want to end killing your team mates. Action mode is a more fast paced mode and will suit fast paced shooter fans more. There is also Classic mode, which is like the original Red Orchestra, for those complaining that the sequel was a bit too mainstream. What you will find in the multi-player regardless of the mode is probably the most war like experience. You will see soldiers huddled in craters, squad leaders directing your commander as to where to put down artillery fire, machine gunners using suppressing fire so assault troops could advance, and many other things. It is hard to find the same adrenaline rush you get in any other game charging an enemy position with your squad mates with bullets flying around you. I suck at the game (I have an astonishing 0.32 kill ratio), but those moments make up for it. I'm not playing for the kills or the stats, but for the experience. This game isn't for everybody, and I was a bit skeptical when I first bought it myself, so if you don't think you will like it, then don't buy it. However, I will continue to have a blast in this game.
