Steel Division: Normandy 44

PC GamerFraser Brown

88/100

The campaign isn't great but Steel Division's tense, tactical combat is great with friends.

IGNRowan Kaiser

8.7/10

Steel Division: Normandy '44 succeeds both at being an entertaining real-time tactics game and a compelling simulation of historical combat, which is a remarkable combination. Not to get ahead of things, but playing this excellent World War II game makes it hard not to get excited about the potential of Steel Division: Stalingrad '42 or Rome '43. Future games or expansions might even smooth out Normandy ‘44’s small drawbacks, specifically its occasionally overwhelming amount of detail and lack of context to its huge number of options, but its successes wildly outweigh its failures.

DestructoidPatrick Hancock

8.5/10

As a history teacher, I love the historical backdrop and attention to detail; as a gamer, I love the blending of strategy and excitement that comes with the intermingling of mechanics old and new to the genre. Somehow, World War II has become en vogue once more and Steel Division has come at a perfect time in the cycle of gaming trends. It’s hard to remember the last time an RTS game gave me both the challenge of careful planning and the thrill of execution at the same time. Those only interested in a single-player affair might come away a little disappointed, but the package itself is very we...

TheSixthAxisStefan L

8/10

While there’s a distinct appeal to Steel Division: Normandy 44, this is a game that caters to a particular niche audience of hardcore strategy fans. Its depiction of the Second World War focuses on realism, with a reliance on ambushes and weight of fire in infantry combat and a surprising fragility to the tanks, but this difficult to master game won’t be for everyone. There’s some clever ideas in the shifting front lines, the fog of war and Battlegroups, but there’s problems with the presentation and some elements that feel unbalanced.

GameWatcherMichael Brown

7.5/10

A solidly enjoyable title that has balance issues that need patching but otherwise a good investment for fans of the genre.

Rock Paper ShotgunTim Stone

Unscored

7. Veteran wargamers have a headstart when it comes to learning SD. Many of the tactics quietly encouraged by Combat Mission, Close Combat and Graviteam Tactics produce pleasing results when transferred to SD. Expect to miss your Nahverteidigungswaffe though. I think I'm right in saying AFVs never pop smoke.