Hearts of Iron Platinum is another of Paradox’s “Risk” type of game. Visually you are just looking at a flat map and menu screens, but the looks are not why fans buy this game. You choose scenarios set from the times of 1936-1946 and engage yourself in the Great War. The game is in real time, so any decisions you make, no matter how small it may seem, can change the balance of the battle. You must be quick witted and precise when planning your moves, but if you cannot handle the heat, you may pause the battles at any time in the game. Typically, the game is designed to see if you could re write history in a good way, for instance, avoid the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In HOI, you can actually play as the Japanese and not only re live the event, but alter the aftermath as well.

HOI relies not just on resource management, like most RTS titles, as your political influence and domination also play a major role. To ensure that you are successful, you have a wide variety of units at your disposal. Choose your ground troops from Infantry, Calvary, or even Marines. The Navy has battleships and submarines to take charge from the coastal areas. Lastly, you have the air units, bombers, transport planes, and gunfighters to take charge from the friendly skies.

Being leader is not all peaches and cream. Be aware that you cannot just go out and bomb every thing in sight. Every action has a reaction. With this in mind, you must keep not only your enemies at bay, but your troops happy and in line as well. Failure to maintain order within your own unit will result in bands of men branching off and forming a rebellion against you.

There is an astounding amount of depth in HOI, which results in a massive learning curve. Newbies to RTS will feel overwhelmed from the start, as there is so much to do in the game. Granted, once you have taken the time to learn the intricacies of the game, you will be pleased by how much you can really do in HOI. There is a nice sized tutorial that helps get by some of the grief, but you may find yourself playing through it twice to breath it all in.

All of this information is great for fans that may not have played this yet, so I am sure that loyal HOI fans who are anxiously awaiting HOI2 are wondering why I should buy this version. It is simple. All the patches are included, there is a ton of new scenarios, thousands of new events, and the A.I. has been given a performance-enhancing boost. These additions are not just minor, as it really seems like an expansion pack that just a platinum edition. If that was not enough, the $19.99 price tag may entice you to give HOI another go as you eagerly await the sequel next year.

It is true that HOI is not for everyone, but fans of RTS, Risk, or just War aficionados, will appreciate the level of authenticity and freedom that this game has to offer.