

But, as in real war, the actual fighting is secondary to all the other administrative tasks that you have to handle when you're running a country. The+Germans+have+the+location+and+the+arms+to+tear+through+Europe.

With armies stationed on the borders of Poland and France, and lots of poorly defended enemies, the Germans have tremendous opportunities for expansion right off the bat. Normally I like to fight against the Germans in these types of games, but they seem to have the most tanks and the most neighbors, so that makes them a great choice for our first game. We wanted to get right into the thick of the action, so we started out playing as Germany in September 1939, just before the invasion of Poland. You can play as any country in the world and start the game any time between 19. To find out how this latest version has improved over previous games in the series, we've been playing through the beta and have come away with a sense that the game will seem easier to fans but may still intimidate new players. But of course, the sheer size and complexity of the series has also been its greatest liability. By combining a prodigious level of accuracy, simulation and consequence, it really creates the opportunity for players to engage in many of their favorite "what if" moments from the war.

Paradox Interactive's Hearts of Iron is one of the most detailed and absorbing World War 2 strategy series around.
