Armored Brigade II

Armored Brigade II is a prime example of how to do a sequel right! This game takes pretty much everything that was right about the first game and makes it even better. The first game was fun, but the top down 2D sprite style game they went for had charm, but it did make things on the battlefield harder than they needed to do. It sounds like a silly thing to get excited about in 2025, but the jump to 3D here is massive and it makes a huge amount of difference to the game. It takes what was already a good game and makes it even better! So much so that I have a hard time thinking of a reason to ever go back to that first game!

This War Is A Bit On The Chilly Side

One of the things that attracted me to the original Armored Brigade was the setting and I am happy to say that Armored Brigade II has that same setting. This game is based around the Cold War going from the 60s up to the early 90s. I love this time frame, hey, I have certainly enjoyed more than my fair share of games set during World War II, but the Cold War is a setting we do not get as much so I think it is awesome that they have kept that going here. Although, if they do make a third one, I think moving into the Gulf War would be the right way to go.

The Horrors Of War

While Armored Brigade II is not yet fully complete as I write this, I still wanted to talk about the way that the game is going about its story campaigns. That is right I said campaigns with an s! You see this game has your standard linear campaigns that will put you in various Cold War scenarios that have an actual story for you to play through from start to end. However, it is also offering you dynamic campaigns that will switch things up on the fly and throw some curveballs at you as you play. Even though they have not yet put the finishing touches on the game as I write this, I can say that this is one game where you will be struggling to find something to do!

On The Battlefield

The jump to 3D is honestly a game changer over the original game and it makes Armored Brigade II better in every way. You still have your turn based tactics style combat here, but the move to 3D just makes things so much better. It is much easier to gauge your line of sight now which makes the massive real-world maps even more fun to wage war on. They have added a whole bunch of new offensive and defensive units, weapons, upgrades, and so on and the ground combat is now far more intense thanks to the way they have reworked the way your infantry units handle and engage in battle. If you want a war game that is really going to make you think and give you a ton of toys to play with as you wage war, you are not going to be disappointed here. Sure it may take a while to get your head around it all, but trust me when I tell you, it is well worth it.

Getting Into The Heat of Battle

Hey, the original game sure did have a lot of charm with the retro style that it had, Armored Brigade II is a completely different ball game. The visuals here are fantastic and while you can just keep your view from the top and enjoy things that way. The game also offers you a dynamic camera which allows you to get right into the battle and see things in a more cinematic kind of way. I am not sure I would do this all the time as it is not the most efficient way to wage war, however, it is fun to zoom in and see the troops fighting at a close distance.

Pros:

• The Cold War setting is awesome
• You have different styles of campaigns to use
• The jump to 3D is a huge gamechanger over the last game
• The combat here is complex, deep, and a ton of fun

Cons:

• The learning curve may be a tad steep for some
• As I write this, there is no concrete release date for it