Making History II: The War of the World Demo

Grand strategy games concern themselves with much more than your ability to gather resources and build an army, since there is much more than that to war. Depending on the title, you also have to deal with economic issues, diplomacy and various other important domains, all of which have an impact on your relationships with the other nations.

Making History II: The War of the World is one of these grand strategy games and, as the name clearly suggests, it focuses on war and all that it implies on a nation. Hence, you are allowed to choose and control any of the available countries from around the world, including superpowers like China, Russia or Germany. Every nation comes with specific strengths and weaknesses, as well as different international relationships.

The term grand strategy implies much more than the scale of the map or the amount of options you are provided with when it comes to choosing your course of action. In fact, it also means that everything happens in turns and you get to decide upon what to do each time your turn comes along. Thus, there's plenty of time to think and no one is rushing you to act, regardless of how violent the actions of your enemies might be.

Although war is the main language of the game, there are many other aspects that can be used to your advantage and change the tide of the conflict. Thus, by using diplomacy or technology, it is possible to start trading routes with other countries from around the world. Naturally, these are prime targets for the enemy, but they can also be a good way to gain the trust of the other nations and strike them when they least expect it.

Visually, the game uses a tactical map that does not really emphasize on graphic quality, especially since it is far less important than in a real-time strategy title. The focus lies in the actual information that is displayed on the screen, although the map is quite detailed and it accurately depicts every content and country border, depending on what you happen to conquer.

In the end, Making History II: The War of the World is definitely a game that keeps you glued to the screen for a long time, since there are a lot of things to do and try out. The outcome is never the same and you can replay it as many times as you wish, without stumbling into mindless repetition.