The strength of Hidden & Dangerous 2's gameplay is directly related to its superb and creative mission design. The historical weapons and settings are commonplace to every other World War II shooter out now, but the complexity, depth, and variety of the game's missions really sets Hidden & Dangerous 2 apart.

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Speaking of guns, there are lots of them, from Japanese Arisaka rifles to U.S. BAR�s to German MP44�s (on a fanboy side note, an FG 42 would've been really nice). Each weapon has its own strengths and weaknesses, forcing you to plan well before the mission starts. Should you carry a heavy but powerful sub-machine gun or a sniper rifle? Will the standard assault rifle be a better choice? Grenades over a Bazooka? Fortunately, you have the option of letting the game auto select for you, which is great if you just want to get to the action. Due to the open-ended nature of the game, even if you didn�t bring the right equipment, you can usually get the job done by taking weapons from armories or dead enemies.

Speaking to level designer Martin Babarik earlier today, following his re-affirmation that a mission pack is in the works, he went on to say that that co-operative play will be included in this forthcoming add-on for the title - however, he revealed that the anticipated mode will be restricted to the expansion. "There will be a co-op mode in the mission pack, but just for the missions that are to be included in the mission pack," said Babarik. "There'll be no co-op play for the original game. It would be very difficult to re-make the current missions from Hidden & Dangerous 2 to use the co-op mode because it would mean making extensive changes to the code," he added.

A strength in H&D; 2: there's a healthy number of levels where the player can choose what to do. Real tactical fighting is on offer here as you can split your team up, maybe one half to scout or lay down suppressing fire while the other half blows up a gun or takes a prisoner. The objectives and goals for the missions are kept fresh throughout the game and players will have the opportunity to blow up battleships and hunt through dense jungle for hidden enemies. There are plenty of environments and locations to take your team through, all of which means that things rarely become repetitive.

Worth Playing also has a review up, with a score of 8.2 and their biggest complaint being the AI.

If the AI were better this game�s final grade would have gone up exponentially. I�d be willing to give HD2 another review if I were informed of a patch that promised big AI changes because HD2 could be as good as Ghost Recon with the right tweaks. And that�s some high praise, people.

Hidden & Dangerous 2 is a dizzying amount of fun. There is an amazing variety to the missions, the action is intense, and the replay value is huge. The array of things to shoot, drive, and interact with is staggering and keeps everything fresh. Just when you think you�ve seen it all, they throw something else at you. In the end, you want to hate the game for what it puts you through, but it�s so much fun that you just find ways to work around the issues because you just can�t put it down.

Illusion Softworks have used the same graphical engine they used to create Mafia to bring Hidden & Dangerous up to date. It�s thanks to this that the soldier and vehicle modelling are quite convincing. Rendering of textures is also up to par; H&D2; is certainly no ugly duckling. The sound effects are all quite atmospheric with the sounds of the weapons fire being convincing and the chatter both from the commandos and the German soldiers also being quite convincing.

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Tactical combat at it's finest; Amazing attention to detail; Plethora of control styles - play how you like; Large environments to fight in; Variety of mission goals to achieve; Long playtime with good repeat play value.

Overall there is very little to find fault with Hidden & Dangerous 2. It is an excellent game that has a decent amount of content giving you good value for money. Anyone who wants either a tactical shooter or just likes World War II themed shooters should be moving as fast as possible down to the store to grab this.

At a time when the WW2 gaming market is dominated by on rail FPS H&D2;�s slower and tactical approach should at least be given credit for what it is. Few games have as much gameplay crammed into them and by todays standard the single player mode is epic in proportion, try finishing it in a day. The attention to detail is as ever with Illusion�s games second to none, the superbly realised models, animations and environments combined with the more realistic slant will appeal more to gamers looking for something other than just an adrenaline rush.

You can actually play through the whole game in Lone Wolf mode but, as you can imagine, the difficulty is multiplied. It does add to the incredible variety on offer though. The environments are startlingly different, from the stark African dunes to dense Burmese jungles (so, so much better than Vietcong's), from beautiful icebergs to awe-inspiring Austrian hills. These are so beautiful in fact, that the Austrian tourist board might want to use them for promotional purposes. Though they might want to edit out the bloodthirsty Nazis.

The gameplay is just as varied: stealth missions, full-on assaults, scuba-diving and even a great defend-the-oasis-fortress-in-the-desert level. And each requires a very different tactical approach.

The attention to realism draws you in completely (until one of those bugs comes along), with weight restrictions, scope drift, and the ability to shoot through canvas or wooden walls. You also get out of breath if you run too much.

Overall score - 8/10.

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Next, Gaming Nexus reviewed H&D2; scoring it 7.6 and making some rather odd comments, suggesting they might not have even played the game. They start off by saying H&D2; "relies a bit too heavily on tactics and not enough on action." That should be your first clue that this reviewer doesn't have a clue. The reviewer then goes on to say that Medal of Honor is the definitive Nazi-killing simulation (LOL, simulation?).

He follows that up with this complaint about H&D2;: "To give you an idea of just how difficult this game is to grasp there are so many different commands that the designers had to use the Alt and Shift keys in order to implement more commands." (LOL, again). I guess the Alt and Shift keys were more than he could handle. He goes on to say that interiors in H&D2; look like they were constructed out of Legos (huh?), and then makes his biggest bumbling mistake of the whole review when he says that "It has one of the best co-operative modes that you can find on the market, allowing for multiple people to play through the single-player missions (albeit with different objectives)."

OK, obviously this reviewer didn't play much of the game. This review is the absolute epitome of many common misperceptions about H&D2.; Granted, the reviewer has some good points, such as the interface being somewhat difficult to grasp at first. But please, go back and play the game, then review it.

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Stealth leads to another area of interactivity. The type of ground you�re on, a soldier�s position, his weapon type (you can get silenced weapons or knives), and his camouflage will all alter the way an enemy sees or hears you (underneath your character portrait is a number telling you how close the enemy has to be before they can hear you). Also, if you can successfully sneak up on an enemy and shoot his weapons out of his hands, fire a few shots on the wall next to him, or do anything that will scare him enough, he�ll surrender (this can also happen in normal fire fights if the enemy feels outnumbered enough). This gives the player the option to capture that enemy � handcuffing them and making his inventory, including his uniform, available. That last point is important, as normally enemy uniforms cannot be worn due to the blood stains and holes created by killing an enemy.

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GameZone rates it 8.3/10.
Gamezillarates it "fans only".
Gamespyrates it 3/5.

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Petr Vochozka, CEO of Illusion Softworks sent us note today, that they plan to release first patch for H&D2; later this week, which should fix all known bugs in singleplayer & multiplayer found in English retail version. In the near future, they plan to release more patches specially intended for supporting multiplayer. Czech version of H&D2; should have this patch already included. Unfortunately he doesn't have more details / readme yet...

GNL: For the fans it was a huge disapointment to hear the cooperative multiplayer feature was left out of the game, this was one of the best multiplayer features in the original H&D.; Why did you choose not to implement this feature in H&D2;?

In multi-play we spent a great deal of time making sure the maps were great and playtesting / balancing. We have three distinct modes in multi-play with �Occupation� which forces the players to be offensive. Also there is the �Objectives� mode, which means each team has to achieve all their set tasks to win the game. Lastly we have �Deathmatch� which everyone would expect. As for some of the things we did not have time to build into the game, we are already working on the expansion pack, so maybe you will find them coming not to far down the line.

The mission goals and settings constantly keep changing. You'll even get to plant underwater magnetic mines on ship hauls in the icy cold waters of Norway. One of the great advantages of this game using the LS3D code is that players get to drive plenty of vehicles. Anything from trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns, to jeeps and German Panzer tanks. The maps are rather large and never entirely linear, and the same can be said about the gameplay. In most cases you'll be able to take several routes to your objectives, and there is always the option to take a more sneakier approach instead of going in all guns blazing.

The true masterstroke is the tactical mode, which pauses the game while you assign a number of waypoints to the soldiers under your command. The beauty of it is that a different order can be assigned to each waypoint so that, for instance, you can assign one man to move to an area and attack at will and then move to the next point and hold fire or offer covering fire. While this is happening, you can move freely across the map to see what the potential hazards are and then plan your strategy.

Time after time there's this almost palpable sense of panic. You know the enemy's out there, but you're never quite sure where (until you've played through the same mission a few times of course). Often they're just going about their business, patrolling a perimeter fence or just standing guard, manning a sentry post. And when there are so many variables to deal with it's not a game you can just mechanically pick your way through, seeing the enemies spawn in precisely the same place every time you play. In H&D; 2 there's a sense that you've got to have your wits about you 100 per cent of the time. You can't just assume you've cleared a section and can safely charge about making loads of noise.

Six H&D2; screenshots.

Screenshots will be updated daily.

Gengamers has three rather uninteresting shots.

Bigger and better than its predecessor in every way, with more missions, added equipment, a substantially improved interface and, of course, a new 3D engine, H&D2; is looking extremely tasty. Our only concerns lie with the stability of the final game and the AI of the enemy. There wasn't much evidence of any of those dynamic co-ordinated attacks we've been promised, but then it's still early code. Nevertheless, even if it was released tomorrow, H&D2; would easily do away with young pretenders to the tactical shooter throne, such as Ghost Recon and Raven Shield.

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H&D2; is shaping up to be one fine-looking game. Real-world uniforms and period weapons were painstakingly researched and photographed (the team admits to having some issue with the authorities in England for taking some of these items out in the open). The results appear to have been worth it; the settings, vehicles, and equipment are among the best ever seen in a WWII game.

Essentially it looks and plays like H&D; only with greater control over your team & more thought required, stealth is favoured over run & gun which is what will matter most to H&D; fans, but overall it�s the tactical side of the game that has been taken to another level.

There are so many things I could rave about after spending a relatively short time playing & it�s hard not to mention some of the things I�ve seen, but I don�t want to spoil the surprises. Has it been worth the wait? Absolutely, after three years of waiting and some initial concerns I�m happy to say H&D2; is stunning to look at, tense, atmospheric and just so much more than I expected it to be.

It�s a remarkable mix of tactical shooter and RTS which makes this every bit as groundbreaking as the original, some of the missions just have to be seen to be believed & I cant wait to see what the rest of the game has in store. If you�ve ever wondered why it has taken so long you�ll soon find out.

Hidden & Dangerous 2 opens with a lengthy tutorial sequence during which your characters are briefed on the basics of movement. This includes jumping, climbing walls, crouching, lying prone, and crawling on your belly. Completing this and other physically-taxing missions, while carrying lots of equipment, can increase your character's endurance and strength statistics, much like in a role-playing game.

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As an example of just how dynamic the game experience is, on a press tour about a month ago, the executive producer, Rups, demonstrated the same Arctic campaign level over 30 times and said that it was different each time. On top of this, he even approached the level in the opposite order as suggested by the mission objectives, and that, too, led to a different sequence of events.

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Source:BluesNews

In more interesting news, Unofficial HD2 posted a link to six new screenshots available from this Italian web site. You can download the screens in a zip file here. Nice screens too :)

Press Release -- "Gathering has released the FULL VERSION of Hidden & Dangerous Deluxe as a FREE download to precede the release of Hidden & Dangerous 2. We're so sure that you'll love H&D2; that we're giving EVERYONE ON THE PLANET a chance to check out the original game."

"And don't forget H&D2; will be available at the end of October!"

It can get fairly complex to call out orders in the middle of a gunfight or coordinate attacks from several angles at once. For this, there is the tactical mode. When you enter tactical mode, the camera will change to look down on your squad and the game will pause. From this interface, you can give each of the units' waypoints, commands, stances, speed of movement, and aggression levels.

Thanks Freedom

Despite your ruse, the Nazi guards are still alert to any suspicious activity, and you'll be rumbled if you spend too long in their company. Encountering one of them results in your 'disguise' bar decreasing slowly, so keeping on the move is the best strategy - or killing them discreetly with a knife to avoid the inevitable noise.

We�ve paid much more attention to the use of stealth during action as well as to the role of various physical features in influencing the gameplay. The friendly and enemy artificial intelligence has also been completely rewritten to add the best possible feeling of realism from the game�s numerous characters. Otherwise the game is as faithful to its roots as possible while still managing to raise the bar from where it last left off.

Every aspect of the game has been extensively researched for historical accuracy. Significant resources have been spent investigating key locations, uniform detail, personal accounts of the war and gathering expert opinions. The reference books we have collected throughout the project are bloody impressive, standing taller than our biggest art chap when piled one on top of the other.

To enable easy on the fly planning of your next move there is a new tactical screen that allows you to move your troops in a manner akin to real time strategy titles. Because of the game engine, as seen in 'Mafia', you can be playing in a first person perspective, then zoom right out into a top down view that allows you command your troops with a clearer view of the battlefield. If you desired you could play the entire game from this tactical view, or none of it, we feel that a healthy balance between the two extremes should serve you best.

Source: H&D2; Unofficial

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Source: Blues