[b] A criminally underrated and scarily addicting game. [/b]
I've bought it just few days ago, and already got over 30hrs in it. It strikes a great balance between arcade-like simplicity and realism, where you die from just 1-2 shots but you can heal as often as you need by munching on a truckload of tuna cans or popping aspirin pills like there is no tomorrow. There is also a bleeding mechanic (ofc), yet it won't kill you. Instead you lose the privileges to sprint or hold your breath while scoping, until you bandage yourself.
Fortunately, that's not a big deal, since you can loot the wrappy cotton gold and all the stuff you need from fallen comrades or enemies. And yes, there is a whole inventory system, similar to Arma series, except you can even use attachments (bayonets, scopes, bipods, etc) and load/unload magazines with appropriate ammo (knowing calibers is important).
On top of that, the game includes an impressive amount of different kinds of weaponry, featuring a bunch of niche or underrepresented equipment from lesser known fronts (the base game plays mostly in Italy and Tunisia but also Pacific front), and a great deal of historical references and attention to detail. (Le history buffs will enjoy this one.)
The map that has, say, Britain vs Reich as main sides will also have squads of additional allied countries like Italians fighting alongside Germans or French and Americans providing support to British forces (if that makes sense historically for that specific battle). With certain units having captured weapons or those supplied by their allies. (In Stalingrad dlc, some German squads have captured PPSh-s for example).
All the factions are voiced, with RAAAH MEHRICANS, Brits and Kiwis having different accents and constantly communicating during battle. You can even overhear the radioman calling in an artillery strike on a specific sector and hear that radio reply to him appropriately. Which ofc adds to the immersion and makes you feel like you are in a middle of a multiplayer match... Which you sort of are actually, but also not exactly...
Basically ER2 plays somewhat similar to Hell let Loose, and does feature optional co-op and pvp, but it can also be fully played offline, thanks to a crazy good, almost player-like AI. - The NPCs will throw smokes, 'nades, call an artillery support on a sector (even smoke shells or armor piercing if there is a tank), get into abandoned AT-guns and mortars, repair a wounded tank mid-battle (one of the crewmen will get out, while the main gun and MGs provides support), revive wounded broskis, occupy buildings, use covers and so on and so forth. Sometimes they will even revive wounded enemies and take them prisoner, which was pretty surprising to see at first, ngl.
There is also a fully functioning aviation AI, that will dive on your ass when you least expect and sometimes bomb the crap out of the house you are hiding in (especially if you are playing as a pesky sniper), and are fun to dogfight with in the air. And yes, the game features a mostly destructible environment. - Now you know.
Besides all these nice details, ER2 is also pretty customizable. The interface by default is clattered with all kinds of widgets and info, but can be customized to your needs or "minimized" with F1 key, keeping only the basic interaction prompts. And helping the game look so cinematic, you would think you are playing a AAA WW2 game, like CoD World at War or smth. Or well, Hell let Loose actually. Except it runs buttery smooth on a potato like mine, with good enough graphics to provide some really unforgettable cinematic moments.
The only problem I have with this game is that your squad rarely lives long enough to see much action, so you usually just run around solo. But the cool part is that you can freely switch between squad members and different roles with a radial wheel thingie, and play it all strategically and stuff. (I guess.)
All in all, it's an amazing game, I highly recommend it to children above 7, elderly and [u]pregnant women[/u]. And I'd really like to see the tuna mercury poisoning mechanic and towable AT guns in future updates (this one for the devs). Thank you.
