Unfortunately, due to a buggy launch and some bad press online, this jewel of a game was overlooked by most.
What exactly qualifies RO2 as a tactical shooter? Well, unlike run a gun games that dominate the market these days (not that I don't like some of those, too), more emphasis is placed upon team victory rather than individual stats. Teamwork is essential if you want to gain the win, and often the team with the best communication will wash teh floor with the team with better players. There is also a class restriction; only a certain number of players can occupy various roles at a time, so that half your team can't run around with MG34s. Instead, most of the team uses bolt action rifles: either the rugged Russian workhorse, the Mosin Nagant, or the masterpiece of German precision, the K98. Fear not! in this game, rifles rule the battlefield. Rarely do shootouts get within bayonet distance, so most of the time rifles will beat any submachine or machine gun. That's not to say that the latter weapons are useless, but they fulfill the role they were designed for and nothing more. Thus it is impossible to go out as a lone wolf, because you need the versatility that teammates give you.
There are multiple game modes in RO2: classic, action, and realism, but I really only play realism. Classic was meant to appeal to old ostfront players (even though it's not much differet than RO2 in the first place), and I don't know why the hell they put in action but it was probably meant to appeal to the run and gun types mentioned earlier. The main game type is conquest, for the most part similar to ostfront; there is an attacker and defender, and the attacker must push the defender back to their last position before running out of reinforcments.
Al in all, RO2 lives up to the high standard set by its predecessor, and if you played ostfront, you should check out this sequel, despite what you may have heard about it. Anyone who even has a mild interest in the eastern front should definitely get it as well. As a side note, a dedicated mod team is currently making a mod called Rising Storm, which will take RO2 to the pacific war. The two more overlooked theatres from WW2 in one package? that's worth any amount of money, in my opinion.
Bottom Line
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 6/10 (music isn't great, voice actors are annoying, and unlike Ost and darkest hour, there's no amazing bullet ricochet sound effects)
Singleplayer: 4/10 (Havn't played it much, but it seems to me like just multiplayer with bots)
Multiplayer: 10/10
Replayability: 9/10