Hearts of Iron III Critic Reviews

HOI3 has a steep learning curve and it will be a struggle at first, but once you've got it all under control you can have some serious fun.

Hearts of Iron 3 follows the previous installments becoming the current most complete war game.

Reduced micromanagement and streamlined automation make Hearts of Iron III an absorbing game of grand strategy.

The depth of information and modeling in this game is as comprehensive as we've ever seen and it holds rich rewards for players who are willing to make the considerable investment into learning how to play.

Hearts of Iron 3 treats die-hard “armchair generals” with depth and attention to detail while easing things up for newcomers. Its shortcomings, namely bugs and poor optimization, pale in comparison with its many virtues.

One thing’s for certain though, this game is huge.

Deep, logical and ambitious, Hearts of Iron 3 is a daunting prospect. Be prepared to lose entire weekends to it.

More complex and yet also more accessible than ever, with an incredibly in-depth simulation of WWII.

Once again Paradox offers a strategy game on a global scale, perfect for retirement, taking a year off or spending your life in solitude. It's dry presentation is full of statistics and details. If you've got enough patience, this game could keep you occupied for years.

Unbelievable complexity in this strategy game with many ways to automate processes that lets players manage wars on a global scale – enjoy it fully!

Hearts of Iron III does not even attempt to be beginner-friendly, it rather remains what it always was: One of the most complex and challenging strategy games that are currently available.

The war waging is brilliant, but diplomacy, speed, user interface etc robs the game of a better score.

Life consuming strategy - after you beat that learning curve.

Despite dwelling on the well-worn topic such as the World War Two warfare, this third installment of the acclaimed Hearts of Iron 'grand strategy' saga truly delivers. Based on the revamped engine displayed on Europa Universalis, Paradox' title offers unique depth, flexibility, historical accuracy and wonderful playability that will perhaps overwhelm newcomers but will surely make strategy enthusiasts rejoice once again. It may lack state-of-the-art graphics and sound effects but it is anyway one of the greatest war simulators currently on the shelves.

If you're looking for true control and almost an unlimited war-game scope, than Hearts of Iron III is your game, however it would have been nice if some of the bugs were fixed before the release.

Ambitious, deep, intense… Hearts of Iron III brings again complexity and hardcore feeling to the strategic genre.

Hearts of Iron 3 is by far the most complicated and in-depth strategy game I’ve ever played. My big issue with it is that I didn’t have much fun with the game after delving through hours of menus: it wasn’t until I actually experienced some combat that the game stopped feeling stale.

All but the hardest kernel of strategy fans may be overwhelmed by the micromanagement required and jaded by the long hours of meticulous planning that precede any action, but Hearts of Iron III isn’t designed with casual players in mind. Fans of the series and the genre will find much to be excited about.

Hearts of Iron III has lot of potential but is crippled by bugs and flawed AI. The addon surely will fix many problems but are fans willing to sacrifice 20 buck for a patch?

Everything is in place for an absolutely great game that's unfortunately bogged down in a mess of bad design decisions, bugs, and some odd gameplay changes.