Rock, Paper, Shotgun

My favourite RTS so far this year will receive an expansion in the Autumn. It’s a 20-mission campaign in a standalone release. Russian publisher overlords 1c say: “Men of War: Red Tide has players take command of the feared “Black Coats,” the nickname given to Soviet Marines, an elite combat group specializing in engagements near the shoreline. The player has direct control of new game units including the Black Coats, new tanks, self-propelled guns, armored trains, landing craft, artillery and new enemy emplaced weapons to capture and use. New air support options include new fighters, bombers, hydroplanes; cruisers, destroyers and gun boats which provide naval fire support.” No word on multiplayer options, however. I hope it supports co-op, which is one of the best features of the original game. (Via Blues, and mysteriously absent from the 1c site.)

By way of a quick follow-up to our Men of War chat last week, it’s worth noting a new beta of the multiplayer mode has just kicked off. That’s right – free tanks for all. Temporarily.
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A couple of weeks ago, we posted about the announcement of Men of War, the second sequel to the lovely but little-known Soldiers: Heroes of World War II. Chris Kramer, MD of Digitalmindsoft, the co-developers (assisting Russian Ukrainian studio Best Way, the creators of Soldiers) and self-described ‘Western soul’ of the game, spotted my brief ruminations upon what the direction the series may be going in. So, he got in touch and suggested a quick interview. Below, you’ll find him chatting about the differences between Western and Russian development, the enduring appeal of World War II and the importance of co-op.

If you’ve played Soldiers before, you’ll understand exactly why I’m interested in Men of War – and if you haven’t, I advise trying out the Soldiers demo right now and exploring its still-fresh fusion cuisine of RTS, third-person action, roleplaying and ultra-destructibility.
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