Cossacks 2: Napoleonic Wars
by CDV Software
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Video Game Reviews of Cossacks 2: Napoleonic Wars
Customer Review: The TRUTH
Summary: 4 Stars
The only bad thing about this game and it's expansion (Battle for Europe) is this game rather poorly advertised and not very well supported.
Although single player is just bad, the multilayer is really outstanding, unlike any other strategy game. Once you master basic skills in this game, you will enjoy it and never get bored of it.
The only problem is that not so many people play it, so you might have trouble finding desired opponents from time to time, but otherwise, it worth the money.
Customer Review: A botch
Summary: 1 Stars
Cossacks II, as other reviewers have stated, has so much potential, but it is wasted.
That said, starting with the good points: The feel of the Napoleonic Wars is preserved fairly well, as you maneuver 120-man companies in three formations, using roads to aid movement, firing in three lines, and worrying about fateigue and morale. You can also limber your artillery to move it about faster, and cavalry can play a significant role. When a unit (or artillery) fires, there is a cloud of white smoke, which adds to the battlefield feel.
The neutral points: the more major fortifications don't do much, compared to how difficult they are to get the resources for. The mighty fortress, for example, an example of the star-shaped designes of Vaubain, just shoots a cannon shot every two or three seconds. I've had my fortress destroyed by a 15-man squad of combat engineers who, literally, planted powder barrels when i wasn't looking. Furthermore, it's hard to keep your units in sufficient supply of ammunition, at the game's start. Also, there doesn't seem to be a way to attack in column, as the column used seems to be for movement purposes only. Last, artillery doesn't play as large a role as it did in the actual Napoleonic Wars.
However, despite these good things, Cossacks II is, ultimatly, a frusterating game. From the start, i've had problems with it, which is all the more frusterating because of the lack of a decent Napoleonic Wars game. It comes with the StarForce protection program, which has a reputation for causing problems. Furthermore, i have had extreme slow-down problems, even though my computer far exceeds the minimum requirements, is closing in on the reccommended, and is playing on the lowest detail setting (which, by the way, one can only choose on install). Sometimes, these slow-down problems were so crippling i literally could not play the game. While these problems are extremly frusterating, the AI is by far the most irritating part of the system. The AI literally has no sense of tactics, instead relying on its ability to micromanage far faster than a human can ever hope to and its seemingly endless resources to overwhelm the player with troops. In one game, i killed nearly seven thousand enemy units (6,879), while losing under a thousand (958). While i would like to believe it is because i am a genius, in reality it is because the computer keeps throwing its units in endless waves against your troops. It doesn't seem to matter how many times you destroy their units, or how many villages they have; they always have enough resources left to send another massive wave at you. In addition, since the maps in Cossacks are large (a good thing), you end up fighting on multiple fronts. The computer takes advantage of this, and will attack you in one front when your attention is directed elsewhere. While this may seem good, the problem is that the computer's units will literally march up to your entrenched/standing ground units, and fire a massive volley and cause significant damage for the simple reason that if you put that unit on autofire, they will fire as soon as the enemy comes into range. Since they have muskets, this is absolutly ineffective. You, as the general, have to tell your troops when to fire their volleys, even when the enemy is in the yellow or red zone. This sort of micromanaging would be alright in some games, but it makes it ultimatly frusterating in Cossacks II. Another problem is how the AI will, literally, build buildings right next to your units, or behind them; since only a handfull of units can destroy buildings, you cannot capture them (unless they're being built, in which case the computer would destroy them anyways), and your units will not go after the peasants building these buildings. I have had the computer build a blockhouse in front of my army, and had my soldiers do nothing to impede it. Also, there are a lot of irritating bugs; the british rocket, for example, seems to only be good for a few rockets fired, and sometimes the enemy will "defect", and fight on your side.
All in all, Cossacks 2 has a lot of potential, but it was spoiled by the terrible AI, and systems problems. This game, in my opinion, is worth about ten dollars; don't buy it for more than that.
Customer Review: So much potential - So much disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
Having anxiously awaited the US release of this game, I was so excited to finally be able to play it. American Conquest and America Fights Back were so enjoyable. The Napoleonic period is my fav and I was expecting great things from Cossacks II, the next edition in a series from CDV. Basic to my expectations was that the game would be bug free. As it turns out, the game has some serious bugs in it. For one, enemy units on occassion, will actually fight against themselves. Secondly, although I run the game on a Dell XPS 600, which more than satisfies every system requirement, the game has a tendency to crash.
CDV has issued one patch, but clearly additional work needs to be done to make this game playable. Someday, I hope game designers will debug their programs prior to their release to the unsuspecting public.
Customer Review: It just does not work
Summary: 1 Stars
Too bad, the demos were good, it seemed like a fun game. Excessive game protection measures make it impossible to run. Save your money.Customer Review: Hoped for more and got less.
Summary: 1 Stars
My expectations were high and the game was just hard to look at. 2D graphis are boring and I will leave it at that. Games that only allow one angle of view on the field of battle are to me not 3D.