Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire

Nach 20 Jahren H&D2 auf Steam wiedergefunden, und direkt nochmal angezockt: über die Grafik muß man nicht reden - entweder man mag es retro, oder nicht Gewöhnungsbedürftig ist auf jeden Fall die Steuerung, die sich leider nur sehr schwer an heutige Standards anpassen lässt. Aufgrund der Vielzahl an Tastenbelegungen für Einzel-, Team-, Fahr-, Kommandobefehle usw., die keine Kombinationen zulassen, kann man auch schon mal eine Weile in der Konfiguration verbringen, weil man immer erst beim Verlassen darauf hingewiesen wird, welcher Funktion nun wieder keine Taste zugewiesen ist - leider nicht schon beim Vergeben. Manche Missionen sind tricky, aber nie übertrieben, Man kann es taktisch spielen, oder auch als Shooter, mehrere Möglichkeiten sind gegeben. Und: Co-Op heute noch möglich!

I do not recommend this game. It is closer to working than the first game. It has the default controls set to the strange arrow keys only for movement, disallowing WASD, as well as jump being set to J? Of all buttons? Why would I want to press a key in the middle of my keyboard to jump? And it's even worse if you leave it set to the arrow keys! Who approved these controls?! But thankfully, unlike the first game, you can pretty easily change the controls here. Instead, my breaking point was that after I fixed that, the tutorial asked me to climb over some fences without telling me HOW to do that. I tried everything I could think of, but nothing climbed. I checked the controls, but couldn't find anything referencing this action. Sorry, but I draw a line at the game being so janky that I can't even complete the tutorial. Old game or no, you can find something better than this, I guarantee you. Don't waste your time.

Una de las joyitas clásicas, Lo recomiendo mucho.

Un juego muy avanzado para su epoca.

Jogo nostálgico e muito bom, em geral é muito superior ao primeiro em mecânicas, vale a pena relembrar.

H&D 2 to już klasyk, ale starzeje się tak dobrze, że niektóre współczesne produkcje mogłyby się wiele nauczyć na podstawie tej gry. System taktyki, proste wydawanie rozkazów, dobieranie wyposażenia i samych członków oddziału jest po prostu świetne! Mapy są niebanalne, mimo że wtedy gier z otwartym światem było jak na lekarstwo (nie to co teraz) to tutaj deweloperzy dają nam i tak swobodę wykonania misji, że samo przejście poziomu nie jest do końca liniowe. Gdyby kiedyś ktoś zdecydował się kontynuować tę serie to byłby to strzał w dziesiątkę przy dzisiejszych możliwościach. Chociaż wiele produkcji wskrzesanych bądź remasterowanych pokazało już, że czasem lepiej nie ruszać starego dobrego klasyka. Może w sumie tak będzie lepiej? Tak czy siak - stary dobry Hidden & Dangerous 2 zasługuję na 10/10 mimo upływu lat.

Few games over 20 years old still feel this good to play, but Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire is an exception. I would describe it as "aged like fine wine". The story is set in World War II, where you lead soldiers from the British SAS (Special Air Service) on dangerous missions around the world. You have an entire SAS squad at your disposal, from which you choose four soldiers for each mission. You customize their equipment yourself, and if your men survive the missions, their skills will improve. They can also earn promotions and medals. Although these awards are mainly cosmetic, they create a surprisingly strong attachment to your soldiers. Every seasoned veteran feels valuable. The missions in the game are truly memorable. One mission has you sneaking around snowy Norway, the next you're fighting in the North African desert, and later in the dense rainforests of Burma. The variety of environments keeps the campaign fresh from start to finish. I've played through the campaign once and challenged myself on the hardest difficulty twice. My current attempt is still in progress. On the hardest difficulty you get to know the maps and enemies inside out, as missions don't often go through on the first try. Every success feels earned. The game's greatest strength is its freedom. You can move quietly by sneaking, start a full-scale firefight, or use your team tactically by controlling soldiers either directly or via a tactical map. Varying on the missions there's a large variety of weapons, vehicles, and equipment at your disposal, allowing for a variety of approaches The game also includes details not often seen in games of its time. For example, you can take enemies prisoner and steal their uniforms for infiltration. I haven't used this feature much myself, but it speaks volumes about how ambitious the game was when it was released. I'd even go as far as to say that Hidden & Dangerous 2 was ahead of its time. It's not a perfect game, though. On the hardest difficulty setting, certain missions become downright infuriating. For example, a mission set in the Alps, where you can't get caught at the end, is mercilessly difficult without the ability to save. The stealth missions based on infiltration are also, in my opinion, the slowest part of the campaign and have caused my attempts at the hardest difficulty to stall several times. In addition, the enemy AI is sometimes like an automatic turret. If the enemy sees even a small glimpse of your character, it will hit with incredible accuracy. This makes the hardest difficulty setting frustrating at times, although it also forces the player to plan their every move carefully. Despite everything, Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire is one of the best tactical World War II shooters ever made. It offers freedom, exciting missions and depth in a way that few modern games can. Pros Excellent tactical gameplay Memorable and diverse missions Lots of weapons, vehicles and various possibilities Challenging but rewarding difficulty levels Game mechanics that were ahead of their time Timeless classic There is also multiplayer, but its mostly dead. There is a way to play campaign co-op, but without the cutscenes and you need LAN. There are tutorials (google). Cons Some of the stealth missions drag on unnecessarily slowly Some missions are very merciless on the hardest difficulty setting The enemy AI sometimes feels unrealistically accurate Where are the steam achievements!? :D Rating: 9.5/10 Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire is still one of the best tactical World War II games. Although the graphics show their age, the game mechanics, mission design and tactical freedom stand the test of time exceptionally well. If old games don't scare you and you want a truly challenging tactical experience, this classic is still worth trying today.