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Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars

EMAIL PRINT pc

6.7 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 33 critic reviews
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Based on 9 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: CDV Software Entertainment

Developer: GSC Game World

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy

Players: 6

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: April 26, 2005

Summary

Napoleonic period brought "civilized" warfare, fighting in combat formations into being. The very principle is put into practice in Cossacks II gameplay. Generally speaking, formations play a decisive role on the battlefields whereas individual units are mostly ineffective. Players are given a chance to lead their armies to victory through the pandemonium of epic battles with up to 64,000 units on the map, which is virtually the scale of real combats. What is more, ability to zoom in and soar upwards to get a bird's-eye view of the battle makes Cossacks II the most spectacular game on the Napoleonic era. [CDV Software]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Cossacks: Back to War Cossacks: European Wars Cossacks: The Art of War

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: GameSpot Hands-On IGN Hands-On Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Gamer's Hell

Because this game forces you to think the same way a commander of the same time period would have, Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars is the greatest strategy game on the market.

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PC Gamer

Even with its shortcomings, Cossacks II stands out in a cookie-cutter RTS world. [Aug 2005, p.61]

Pelit (Finland)

A great combination of real time strategy and turn based larger campaign. Its greatest achievement is the complete lack of micromanagement. [July. 05]

3DAvenue

There is no doubting Cossacks II is a great RTS, however its overwhelming difficulty and, at times, overwhelming complexity, make it one for the "hardcore fans" only - whether that be the hardcore fans of this war era, or hardcore fans of RTS games who are looking for a serious challenge.

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IC-Games

Using diplomacy as the first line for your empire expansion adds a nice twist to the usual RTS.

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VGPub

While not the most visually or aurally stunning, Napoleonic Wars has fun gameplay and a lot of lasting appeal and replay value.

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1UP

Fans of the Napoleonic period will get a rise out of Cossacks II, as will strategy buffs seeking out something a little different from the usual tank rush tactics. It's a terrific simulation of the age of "gentlemanly" combat, during which Napoleon almost took over the world.

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Gaming Nexus

Fighting in the 19th century looks boring on the outside, but deep down in the game fighting in the 19th century was about honor, and it is a lot more strategic than one would have thought.

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Warcry

I would go so far as to say that this game has the best micromanagement system in any RTS. The options were sufficient to attract gamers from a fairly wide spectrum, and the graphics, considering the scale of the game, were incredible.

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VideoGamesLife

Cossacks II is a very enjoyable game, yet very frustrating and overly reliant on reloads and retries as you try and perfect the exact battle tactics needed for your current mission.

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AceGamez

Napoleonic Wars, while not really pushing the genre to new heights, succeeds because it manages to provide an experience that feels different from the majority of current strategy games on the market.

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GameZone

First and foremost it was really nice playing a game that is not set in the normal historical RTS timelines.

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DailyGame

While not the most exciting title, it’s still enjoyable and a refreshing change from all the WWII RTS’ out there.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

Nevertheless, we can’t help but feel that it’s all a little on the dated side. An RTS that hasn’t been designed for the C&C crowd isn’t a bad thing, but Rome: Total War has already demonstrated that more tactical offerings are capable of crossing the boundaries and appealing to all sub-sets of RTS gamers.

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GameSpot

Newcomers, on the other hand, will discover a somewhat quirky but enjoyable real-time strategy game that focuses on formations and tactics rather than base-building and tank rushes.

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Armchair Empire

The hardest of the hardcore strategy buffs won’t be able to forgive some of the game’s shortcomings.

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IGN

Cossacks 2 is a bit better than the original Cossacks and a substantial improvement over "Alexander." At the very least, the time period is much more exciting and much easier for the general gaming general to relate to.

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2404.org

Cossacks II was built to be played over and over. The only question is would you want to?

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GamingTrend

A pretty good game, but it certainly can’t stand up to other RTS games out there. Regardless of that, Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars is an excellent 19th century based strategy game, a time period that has been dry for a long time.

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GamerFeed

While more than a couple aspects of this game turn out on the bland side, and the single player campaign is much more difficult than it should be, the game is fun to behold.

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eToychest

Certainly a playable game, and it has an obvious appeal to a certain variety of gamers. However, if you aren’t part of that group, odds are one or more of those flaws in the game’s design are going to make it just about impossible to really enjoy.

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Worth Playing

A veritable treasure trove for history buffs, aficionados of that particular time period, or people otherwise interested in how wars were actually fought through human history.

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Boomtown

Twitch players in favour of the 'rush and crush' tactic will be deeply frustrated here, but those who like to take their time and mull over the tactical options available should find much to keep them occupied.

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Next Level Gaming

This is a nice game for fans of the genre; however, if you are looking for a game to jump in and out of quickly this may not be the one for you. The problem is that you must spend much of your time micro-managing your units, telling them when to fire, when to charge and where to move.

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Yahoo! Games

With more polish, a better campaign, and a little more attention to detail, it could have been a real winner. In the end, it's creative and novel, but its flaws prevent an unreserved recommendation.

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Loaded Inc

Cossacks II wasn’t a giant leap forward from the original game. However, the real-time elements are a blast due to the good variety of unit and formation possibilities.

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AltGaming

The reliance of slow, methodical tactical play rather than letting things become a case of who can click their mouse button the fastest is implemented at an incredibly solid level, with very little to complain about.

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PC Format

It's designed to be more cerebral than current RTS war titles, and can't match the visceral thrill of "Rome" or even "Medieval Total War." [May 2005, p.102]

Eurogamer

A curious mix. Some undeniably strong and distinctive pieces of game design, tarnished by some elementary errors, such as the lack of a decent training program or real in-game help.

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GameSpy

It just comes a bit short as turn-based game, with underwhelming historical battles and lacks the rich RTS experience of the original.

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GameShark

An average game that is held back by brutal difficulty and a design that would seem to fit better with a turn based model.

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Computer Games Magazine

Seems like more work than play. [Sept 2005, p.53]

Computer Gaming World

Trying to please hardcore and casual strategy gamers, Cossacks II satisfies neither. [Aug 2005, p.87]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 6.7 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Rob P. gave it an8:
Just finished this game, I bought it two weeks ago. I have to say the way battles are fought is most excellent however it's buggy needs a new patch. Loved it though and had a great time playing it.

J. L. gave it a7:
I have to agree with gamespy on their review;that the RTS isn't as ingrossing as the in the first game was a major disapointment for me. The turn based game, though rather simplistic, is still fun. I like the fact that your units really do get a lot better if they live through the battles, this part of the game would be a blast if it were mulitplayer capable. Overall, the tactics involved using the army is a huge improvement over cossacks 1, and makes the game a huge challenge when shooting out with another player, but the rest of the game just doesn't seem finished.

D. S. gave it a0:
Once again, its terrible!

Sf E. gave it a0:
This is 2005, not 1995!!!!! horrible graphics!

GraY R. gave it a10:
Da best, but desperetly crying for patch.

AD H gave it a6:
Bought at EB but took it back 2 days later. Compared to the original, they have stripped a lot of the units, upgrades, resource- and micro-management from the game. The result is that the game concentrates strongly on battles between large armies of soldiers produced with little effort or forethought. It continues a trend in today's RTS games, the worst example of which is Battle for Middle Earth, in which the games are being "dumbed down" for a broader market but result in the loss of true RTS fans.

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Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars

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