History VideoGame / MenOfWar

The third game in the Outfront Series, ''Men of War'' is a 2009 RealTimeStrategy game set during [[WorldWar2 World War II]]. It uses a unique GameEngine with fully realistic physics, enabling players to use the environment to their advantage. While it is similar to ''VideoGame/CompanyOfHeroes'', more comparisons could be made toward ''Theatre of War''. Instead of base building, you are given an arbitary number of units (with the option to call in reinforcements in some missions).

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: In real life, guns can shoot hundreds of meters and most tanks can fire further then a kilometer, although this would allow units to engage the enemy from different ends of the map; mods that add realistic ranges and accuracy tend to [[GameBreaker break the game]], as a captured anti-aircraft gun or tank lets you engage pretty much any target you can see on the screen as long as there's no terrain in the way, even if you need to blow through a house or two on the way.

* AKA-47: Averted. All weapons and vehicles have accurate names - and often there are multiple models available.

* GlassCannon: Any light vehicle with a big gun. The Sd.Kfz. 234 ''Puma'' with a 5cm KwK is an excellent example, as given the chance, it can wreck even a heavy tank (''including'' a Tiger).

* MacrossMissileMassacre: For vehicles, the Katyusha, the Sherman Calliope and the Nebelerfers are good examples. A large group of mortars can have the same effect...sometimes.

* UniversalAmmunition: For infantry, there are 3 basic ammo types: Rifle, [=SMG=] and machine gun. Vehicles are more picky, though as long as the side and the caliber matches, you can generally use weapons interchangeably. AcceptableBreaksFromReality as searching for specific ammo for your weapon would be very annoying.

* NoCampaignForTheWicked: Averted.

[[quoteright:711:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0545b3a05757b4c9093479a808677dab.png]]
[[caption-width-right:711:Just another day in this man's army.]]
The third game in the OutfrontSeries, ''Men of War'' is a 2009 RealTimeStrategy game set during [[WorldWar2 World War II]]. It uses a unique GameEngine with fully realistic physics, enabling players to use the environment to their advantage. While it is similar to ''CompanyOfHeroes'', more comparisons could be made toward ''Theatre of War''. Instead of base building, you are given an arbitary number of units (with the option to call in reinforcements in some missions).

* MacrossMissileMassacre: For vehicles, the Katyusha, the Sherman Calliope and the Panzerwerfer are good examples. A large group of mortars can have the same effect...sometimes.

* NoSwastikas

* WarIsHell: The game doesn't specifically invoke this trope, it just happens. Crews of damaged vehicles will sometimes emerge on fire and run shrieking before burning down. Artillery remodels the landscape literally and sends bodies flying everywhere. Tanks crush bodies into mush and are unstoppable behemoths when the opponent has no proper anti-tank weapons (often you).

* ArtificialBrilliance: In general, the AI is a competent opponent, particularly with infantry. While the game (realistically) favors tanks, they're extremely fragile when an enemy soldier sneaks up with an anti-tank grenade. Even the mighty Tiger can be disabled with a well used grenade.
* ArtificialStupidity: However, the AI doesn't seem to acknowledge that fact when it's given tanks. It ''will'' drive them right into your trenches and the range of your infantry's grenades, anti-tank guns, and regular tanks. The difficulty comes from the accuracy of the enemy's guns and the sheer volume of manpower and ordnance thrown your way. Friendly forces are even more stupid, as they will drive vehicles on point and try fighting enemy tanks at point-blank range, usually turning the tank's rear towards the enemy because why not. In AI's hands, an IS-2 (one of the most well armored Soviet tanks in the war, with a 122mm cannon to match) will get routinely slaughtered by the humble Panther with a 75mm cannon.

* SupportPower: Some missions allow you to call in airstrikes.

* [[Gorn]]: At the end of a mission or skirmish, the battlefield can (and often will) be a moonscape strewn with corpses and burnt-out wreckage of combat vehicles. Cities and villages will be reduced to piles of rubble. During the mission, catastrophic kills on vehicles make them explode in a glorious conflagration.

* Gorn: At the end of a mission or skirmish, the battlefield can (and often will) be a moonscape strewn with corpses and burnt-out wreckage of combat vehicles. Cities and villages will be reduced to piles of rubble. During the mission, catastrophic kills on vehicles make them explode in a glorious conflagration.

* MissionPackSequel: ''Red tide'', which exclusively features missions set around the Black Sea played from the Soviet perspective.

* UniversalAmmunition: The 3 basic ammo types are for rifles, [=SMG=]s and machine guns. AcceptableBreaksFromReality as searching for specific ammo for your weapon would be very annoying.

As well as full physics, the two other main selling points of the game are direct control and the GEM Editor. You can spend literally days in the latter, thanks to the fun of it. Ever wanted to see how [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Unthinkable Operation Unthinkable] would work? You can do that easily. Match a Koenigstiger against an IS-3? That's actually the easiest thing to achieve.

The third game in the OutfrontSeries, ''Men of War'' is a RealTimeStrategy game set during [[WorldWar2 World War II]]. It uses a unique GameEngine with fully realistic physics, enabling players to use the environment to their advantage. While it is similar to ''CompanyOfHeroes'', more comparisons could be made toward ''Theatre of War''. Instead of base building, you are given an arbitary number of units.

The game offers three campaigns, one for the [[ThoseWackyNazis Germans]], one for the [[RedsWithRockets Soviets]] and one combined campaign for both the [[YanksWithTanks Americans]] and [[BritsWithBattleships British]] (who get a grand total debut of 1.5 missions ) during Operation Torch. More nations exist in multiplayer, though.

As well as full physics, the two other main selling points of the game are direct control and the GEM Editor. You can spend literally days in the latter, thanks to the fun of it.

There was a major expansion, Assault Squad, that increased the focus on infantry squad tactics, as opposed to just getting the heaviest tank you can. It also added several skirmish missions for the U.S., Britain, Germany, and Japan.

A sequel, ''Men of War: Vietnam'', takes place in [[TheVietnamWar the Vietnam War]] and features 2 campaigns, one North Vietnamese and one American.

* MoreDakka: Men of War takes this trope to the T. Tanks mount multiple machine guns as it is in real life, AA guns are bad news for anything less armored than a medium tank, and most importantly, ''any infantryman can detach HEAVY MACHINE GUNS like M2 & DSHK from vehicles and fire it full-auto while standing, then running around with it.''

* MoreDakka: Men of War takes this trope to the T. Tanks mount multiple machine guns as it is in real life, AA guns are bad news for anything less armored than a medium tank, and most importantly, "any infantryman can detach HEAVY MACHINE GUNS like M2 & DShK from vehicles and fire it full-auto while standing, then running around with it."

* MoreDakka: Played straight.

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: In real life, guns can shoot hundreds of meters and most tanks can fire further then a kilometer, although this would allow units to engage the enemy from different ends of the map.

* JustAStupidAccent: The voice acting, full stop.

Needs WikiMagic

* BlindIdiotTranslation: Most of the plot dialogue is coherent, but a lot of the American and British lines are rather nonsensical. "FIRE IS IN THE REACH ZONE" is something anyone who plays the US faction a lot is familiar with.

A sequel, ''Men of War: Vietnam'', takes place in [[TheVietnamWar the Vietnam War]] and features 2 campaigns, one North Vietnam and one American.

** Also, at least one realism mod allows for completely realistic weapon ranges and power. This can create some [[GameBreaker amusing scenarios]], such as the Invasion of Crete: part of your squad's mission is to eliminate anti-air guns to faciliate the paratrooper landings, and players can take advantage of their ability to see any part of the battlefield to turn the massive cannons against the British, firing through buildings and across the map to wreck vehicles and smash fighting positions.

* TheyJustDidntCare: Some highly blatant examples, like mixing up British and American units in the final mission of the allied campaign (which, by the way would be the only mission to feature the British on your side in the ''entire'' game), and attempting to pass Wehrmacht (including the texture, model, weaponry and spoken language) as Vichy-French Soldiers in Allied Mission 2. A German officer serves as a stand-in for ''Admiral'' Darlan (who, firstly, is now German, and secondly, an infantry officer).
** Another instance is the fact, that the Italian frigate that supports backup fire in the final mission of campaign 2 is manned by ''German airmen''.