Hidden & Dangerous 2

"The Tactical War Game We Have Been Waiting For."

I am a big war oriented game fan, and having played the original Hidden and Dangerous I was compelled to play this one as well. And let me say that I am more than satisfied with this wonderful title. Even with the massive wave of WW2 war titles that are coming out lately this game offers much more than just the run of the mill shooter. You are part of an elite SAS unit dropped behind enemy lines and used for special-ops. You command a unit of 4 soldiers and accordingly must use them if you hope to succeed in many of the missions. But onto the actual review.

Controls: The controls are awkward at default, as they are really not made to the preference of many FPS players. I highly recommend tweaking the controls in the options area before venturing into the game if you are more comfortable with a Half-Life or Battlefield 1942 approach to controlling your character. The in game controls are spot-on as it pertains to soldiers, though at times they are a little slow to respond, especially when kneeling and crawling, but otherwise they are very solid. The steering system for vehicles is a little strange, as it works sort of like Halo, in which the camera turns and the car compensates to line up again, but that is easily gotten used to after a few minutes training in boot camp. Probably the biggest learning curve is figuring out how to effectively use your controls, and also being able to dispatch enemies and give commands to your fellow soldiers. But once you get past that (Usually you will get used to it by the second or third level) the controls will be the least of your worries.

Sound: In my opinion probably some of the best war sounds in a game to date, the sound shines through in every way. The main screen/loading music is a nice little processional war march type of tune, which really gets you in the mood for battle. Each mission overview is also narrated by a British Commander and it just sounds flawless. Also a nice touch is in some missions the German soldiers will be conversing with one another (at one point a soldier is telling others he was beaten up by some girls brother when he took her out). Everything from the rev of your jeeps engines, to planes passing overhead, sounds just wonderful, especially if you have a surround sound system. Lets not forget the gunfire, which cracks through and sounds incredible, probably some of the best gunfire sound I have ever heard, each weapon sounds different with their own individual tone and rate of fire corresponding to each rifle. (Weapon accuracy in this game is astounding).

Graphics: Wow! Need I say more, the graphics are mind blowing in virtually every mission, however sometimes the rendering (Especially on some plant life) looks a little poor, but really nothing that looks too lame. The explosion animations, and the muzzle-flash that comes out of the barrel of your gun look just great. Everything from leaving footprints in the snow to the shadows cast in bright environments look great and add such a wonderful realism aspect to the game. Especially in regard to the shadows, they play important roles in indoor stealth missions.

Fun Factor/Replay: Several different modes, such as ''Lone Wolf'' where just one soldier gets to slaughter everything he sees, to the tactical team play, and an all new and improved multiplayer offers much more to do than just the normal campaign. Also being more than one difficulty if makes for an interesting play the second, maybe even third time through if you would like to provide even more of a challenge. The game overall is very fun, but there is a hefty learning curve to get around if you ever hope to have any success against the enemy, especially with where the controls are at the default. The main way to have fun is play the game using your teammates rather than just plowing through it single-handedly.

Even though there is an armada of WW2 games being developed, or already out right now, this game offers much more than your average Medal of Honor. If you are at all interested in a more tactical type of war game then I strongly suggest that Hidden and Dangerous 2 be where you go to find it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/12/03