1) Expansions: Semper Fi, For the Motherland and Their Finest Hour The official expansions are mandatory to keep up with game development and bug fixes. To mention a few improvements fron the last one, "Their Finest Hour": Generals gaining traits as they fight, Aggression level for divisions, New Battle planning map, Covert espionage mission in enemy provinces, and building unique units: (Rangers, SS, Guards, etc.) 2) Sprites Eye candy, so not really game braking if you don't have them. But still, it's quite enjoyable to see on the map different 3D models for the different type of units you have built. 3) Soundtrack: Sounds of Conflict & Soviet Music Pack DLC The music is superb. It's one of the things that keeps you hooked in the game. It changes dynamically depending on the events in the game. On top of that, the music is stored on your drive so you can listen to it even when you work (I am right now listening to it, makes reviewing much more simple :) ). All in all, enjoy! P.S. Although I am owning it on Steam, I am seriously thinking about getting the entire pack here as well in order to show my support for the awesome DRM free GOG and to relay a huge "Thank You!" for the inventors/creator of this great game.
I picked up HOI3 a few years ago on Steam and frankly I couldn't keep my hands of it. It's the only game on record that has forced me to take unplanned leave from work because I was gaming through the night. The game is very addictive and very fun to play once you learn how. At first, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I was just researching and building up massive armies using the template divisions provided by the game. Then I had a talk with a friend who was a veteran HOI3er. He explained the importance of army divisions (what brigades belong to each division and how to combine them to get the best combined arms bonus). Creating specialized divisions for the type of enemy and terrain you were encountering became crucial. The army structure: Divisions into Army Corps into Armies into Army Groups into Theatres becomes essential and is best planned ahead. Every time I start a new play, I spend hours only doing the organization of the army. Assigning the right leaders to the right divisions (yes, leaders have traits, and since "Their finest hour" DLC, they are also gaining new traits as their division is fighting) is both fun and tedious. Yes, the learning curve for this game is pretty steep. It was my first experience with the HOI series and I had to watch hours of tutorials on-line to get some real grip on the basics. Micromanagement is at it's finest here, but the game still allows some of the actions to be controlled by AI, and it's doing a good job. The only major power I played with was Germany(Brits, US and Soviets will follow...). As a minor power, I really enjoyed playing as Romania. Once I've stayed completely neutral and invested everything in technology and by 1946 I was the only country to have the atomic bomb. Another time I allied myself with the Germans and conquered half of Europe. Possibilities are endless. Simply put, I love this game. P.S. If you do invest in this game the DLCs are totally worth it.
From my point of view, a gamer that has played both the original and this one, EE is the better game today. I own the retail versions of BG, BGII and IWD and loved playing them back in 2000ish. I've spent tons of hours on those games exploring everything in an age where walkthroughs and the freedom of forums wasn't that wide spread. A few years ago I wanted to get back to the series for old time sake, and after installing the game, I couldn't get past the interface issues. An old game, on my huge 24" screen looks plain ugly, doesn't matter how you look at it. And I hate playing windowed mode. So I skipped playing the game. When the EE version was announced I was very excited and I even pre-ordered it on beamdog (I own both BG titles there). My expectations were exceeded. I just loved the new look & feel of the game. As much as possible, beamdog managed to bring an epic titles back to the 21st century. So positives: - great look and feel, doesn't lose any of the original flavour. I was excited to battle Dragons and the Illithids :) - there are class kits just as NWN has, yay! - the new added characters manage to bring extra fun to the game. The dialogues are great and lots of fun. (wild mage rocks :)) - UI, did I mention the UI? Big resolution....
From my point of view, a gamer that has played both the original and this one, EE is the better game today. I own the retail versions of BG, BGII and IWD and loved playing them back in 2000ish. I've spent tons of hours on those games exploring everything in an age where walkthroughs and the freedom of forums wasn't that wide spread. A few years ago I wanted to get back to the series for old time sake, and after installing the game, I couldn't get past the interface issues. An old game, on my huge 24" screen looks plain ugly, doesn't matter how you look at it. And I hate playing windowed mode. So I skipped playing the game. When the EE version was announced I was very excited and I even pre-ordered it on beamdog (I own both BG titles there). My expectations were exceeded. I just loved the new look & feel of the game. As much as possible, beamdog managed to bring an epic titles back to the 21st century. So positives: - great look and feel, doesn't lose any of the original flavour. I was excited to battle Dragons and the Illithids :) - there are class kits just as NWN has, yay! - the new added characters manage to bring extra fun to the game. The dialogues are great and lots of fun. (wild mage rocks :)) - UI, did I mention the UI? Big resolution....
Great overall game. I found myself reliving the feeling I had while playing Freelancer. The mechanics and the level-up system are great, but the combat is what makes this game awesome. The combat really makes you hold tight to the mouse and controls. It's intense. It looses one star because I really thought that after a while the game gets repetitive. Same thing in different system. I am looking forward for SPAZ 2.
