Hearts of Iron III: Semper Fi

 PC
Hearts of Iron III: Semper Fi Image
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 24 Ratings

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  • Summary: It's time to dust off the field marshal's baton and take command of any nation in World War II; the largest conflict in history. The first expansion to the critically acclaimed Hearts of Iron III lets you take charge - or delegate - at any level, from divison to nation, through a variety ofIt's time to dust off the field marshal's baton and take command of any nation in World War II; the largest conflict in history. The first expansion to the critically acclaimed Hearts of Iron III lets you take charge - or delegate - at any level, from divison to nation, through a variety of scenarios. Guide your country to glory from 1936 to 1948: wage war on the battlefields, in the factories, and at the negotiating table, in the grandest of all World War II strategy games ever made. … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Absolute Games
    80
    Truth be told, Semper Fi is just a ginormous patch that should have been given out for free to all Hearts of Iron 3 owners. Its improvements and new features are unarguably great, but it is not a good sign when you have to shell out $20 more in order to enjoy the game.
  2. GameZone
    70
    The tweaks and changes are definitely appreciated, but there's really nothing here that couldn't have been done in a patch to improve the base game.
  3. Gamer.no
    70
    Semper Fi is an expansion pack to the well received Hearts of Iron 3. It offers many improvements to the game's systems, such as the AI, the maps and the command structure. It brings great new options, but the expansion is very small and adds no new content.
  4. GameShark
    67
    It's more a fine super-patch than an extension or elaboration on the game as it stood.
  5. Gamers.at
    Dec 23, 2010
    65
    Semper Fi brings HoI III on the right track, but due to lack of playful increments, it is more of a big patch than a true Add-On.
  6. GamingXP
    Jan 3, 2011
    56
    Hearts of Iron III: Semper Fi is a nice add-on for a very complicated game.
  7. Gaming Nexus
    50
    How do you expand a game that already has everything? In this case, by trying to fix its problems. Unfortunately, it looks like HOI3's issues go deeper than a patch can address. Like a true marine, Semper Fi got a thankless job.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 4 out of 7
  1. Knarfenstein
    Jul 3, 2011
    10
    Getting a ton of enjoyment out of this game. I was disappointed with the lack of depth offered in Civ V and had someone recommend I check outGetting a ton of enjoyment out of this game. I was disappointed with the lack of depth offered in Civ V and had someone recommend I check out Hearts of Iron. The learning curve is very steep (Took me about 4-5 Hours before I was able to feel like I had any control) however once you figure out the basics you're in for a treat. This game is a micro-managers dream come true.… Expand
  2. Revolution
    May 11, 2011
    10
    Provided me with many hours of entertainment, no strategy game out there even compares to the complexity and detail of HOI 3 SF. More thanProvided me with many hours of entertainment, no strategy game out there even compares to the complexity and detail of HOI 3 SF. More than happy to pay for this 'patch' as long as it lets the developers continue providing great games.… Expand
  4. AaronOlstead
    Apr 11, 2013
    8
    Fantastic game here. I enjoy this to the max!

    Still active multiplayer community with this game. I recommend the HOI3 series to anyone    Fantastic game here. I enjoy this to the max!

    Still active multiplayer community with this game. I recommend the HOI3 series to anyone interested in strategy game.    … Expand
  5. Snuggery
    May 15, 2011
    4
    Unnecessarily complex, which wouldn't have been its undoing if said complexities actually worked together to create a playable game. RequiresUnnecessarily complex, which wouldn't have been its undoing if said complexities actually worked together to create a playable game. Requires absurd amounts of repetitive micromanagement. The supply and HQ system is designed for the sole purpose of making things difficult and unwieldy. Appealing to people who wish every night that nazis won world war two. Seriously its the only reason people play this game. As for multiplayer, the only scenario where you would find enough players with enough time to play a 'round' of this would be in a mental institutions' common room. This expansion is basically a patch that people pay for, which means, yes, vanilla HOI 3 is actually worse. I mean the AI literally didn't work. here at least it move units around sometimes.

    In short, game tries to do too much, can't do it.    … Expand
  6. hcookie
    May 16, 2011
    3
    Essentially a Patch for Hearts of Iron III. Paradox Interactive just plain gave up trying to fix the original game and decided to nickel andEssentially a Patch for Hearts of Iron III. Paradox Interactive just plain gave up trying to fix the original game and decided to nickel and dime their fan base. Poor show. However, with the Semper Fi Patch, the game is finally playable, though excruciatingly difficult to play due to a non-existent game manual that covers nothing about the game mechanics. Worst still is a broken Supply System which is still the biggest problem that Paradox Interactive has finally admitted to try to fix in the next Expansion called "For the Motherland". Therefore to finally enjoy the game in all it's complexity, one simply has to wait till the next expansion. By then, Hearts of Iron II and the semper fi expansion will costt a buck on steam. If you can't wait for your WW2 Grand Strategy Fix, buy it now, grin and bear with the atrocious and poorly designed Supply system and have a lol at the 'historical gameplay'.… Expand
  7. Damascus
    Mar 1, 2015
    2
    Five reasons this game is absolute s h i t e !

    1. I needed community support to even start the game. 2. Game-mechanics are somewhat    Five reasons this game is absolute s h i t e !

    1. I needed community support to even start the game.

    2. Game-mechanics are somewhat booring. Rather limited options for doing anything, and unless you know the tricks you'll be doing absolutely nothing the first half of the game.

    3. This game is drudgery galore. It's main game-mechanic consist of organizing your troops into a proper chain of command. Doing this is about as time-consuming as in real life. A cluncky and unintuitive interface makes this chore into your own personal hell.

    4. HoI3 is spent waiting for something interesting to happen, but it never does.

    5. You have to go online to learn how to play the game.    … Expand
  8. Anonymous_1
    Sep 12, 2014
    0
    Pros: The World War II scenarios are fun at first; the graphics look much better than Hearts of Iron II: Armageddon when the game isn'tPros: The World War II scenarios are fun at first; the graphics look much better than Hearts of Iron II: Armageddon when the game isn't stuttering into a low frame-rate oblivion.

    Cons: Worse music than Hearts of Iron II: Armageddon; the AI for the game is quite dumb, very much worse than it was in Hearts of Iron II; game has a much reduced scope from Hearts of Iron II: Armageddon; idiotic "neutrality system"; super-long loading screens; a huge amount of problems with realism and history in the game; the huge amount of tiny provinces destroys the performance and fun of the game; the good graphics destroy the framerate and make the game seem to go by ten times slower than Hearts of Iron II; feels like a huge unnecessary waste of resources to have a 3D graphics engine for what is essentially a 2D board game; game is so so bloated that it cannot run on older computers which could run Hearts of Iron II very well; this so-called expansion is a glorified, paid patch for a broken game.

    Score Breakdown: Graphics 7/10, Sound Effects and Music 3/10, Realism 2/10, Game Stability 1/10, Gameplay 1/10, Loading Screens and Frame Rate 1/10, Replay Value 0/10, Game Publisher's Ethics -100/10, Total Score 0/10

    Conclusion: Overall a huge step backwards from its prequel Hearts of Iron II: Armageddon. Instead of playing Hearts of Iron III or any of the Hearts of Iron III expansions, buy Hearts of Iron II: Doomsday with the Armageddon expansion and perhaps try the game Darkest Hour.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

100
#100 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

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