Hearts of Iron
Hearts of Iron | |
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Developer(s) | Paradox Development Studio |
Publisher(s) | Strategy First Atari, SA (Platinum) |
Producer(s) | Johan Andersson |
Designer(s) | Henrik Fåhraeus Joakim Bergqwist Johan Andersson |
Programmer(s) | Johan Andersson Henrik Fåhraeus Patric Backlund |
Artist(s) | Dick Sjöström Stefan Thulin Marcus Edström |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Mac OS X |
Release | Windows Mac OS
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Genre(s) | grand strategy |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Hearts of Iron is a grand strategy video game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Strategy First. It was released for Microsoft Windows in 2002. A Mac OS version was released by Virtual Programming, followed by the Platinum edition in 2004.
Set in the years 1936-1948, players control any one nation as World War II unfolds, and form alliances with other nations.
There are three sequels to Hearts of Iron: Hearts of Iron II, Hearts of Iron III, and Hearts of Iron IV.
Gameplay
There are three main alliances in the game, the Allies, the Axis, and the Communist International, that the player can either participate in or stay out of. The game ends when there is only one alliance left standing or on midnight, December 30, 1947, and the winning alliance is determined through a victory point system, giving points to alliances controlling key regions or cities.
Expansion pack
An expansion pack entitled Hearts of Iron: Platinum was published by Atari, SA and released on September 21, 2004.[citation needed]
Sequels
A sequel, Hearts of Iron II, was created and released in 2005 with several changes in the tech tree and gameplay. Hearts of Iron III was released on August 7, 2009. Hearts of Iron - The Card Game was released as a free-to-play, browser-based collectible card game on 3 October 2011.[1] East vs. West – A Hearts of Iron Game was planned for a release in 2014, but it was cancelled. The next sequel, Hearts of Iron IV, was released on June 6, 2016.
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 72/100[2] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Computer Gaming World | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Eurogamer | 6/10[4] |
GameSpot | 7/10[5] |
GameZone | 7.5/10[6] |
IGN | 8.5/10[7] |
PC Format | 76%[8] |
PC Gamer (US) | 90%[9] |
PC Zone | 85%[10] |
The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2] Tom Chick of Computer Games Magazine summarized Hearts of Iron as "an ambitious mess, a noble mess, certainly a well-intentioned mess, but ultimately a mess nonetheless."[11]
Hearts of Iron: Platinum
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 78/100[12] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
GameSpy | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
GameZone | 8.6/10[14] |
The Platinum edition received a bit more favorable reviews than the original Hearts of Iron according to Metacritic.[12]
Ban in China
The game was banned in the People's Republic of China because the game depicts Tibet, Sinkiang, and Manchuria as independent nations, and Taiwan under Japanese control (historically, Manchuria was a Japanese puppet state and Taiwan was under Japanese rule at the time).[15] Paradox Interactive mentioned that the game is historically accurate, and that it represents the "rough times" that China endured, as well as the difficulties that the Communist Party of China overcame in order to win the Chinese Civil War.[16]
See also
- Chronology of grand strategy video games
- List of Paradox Interactive games
- List of World War II video games
References
- ^ "Hearts of Iron - The Card Game". Paradox Interactive. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Hearts of Iron for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ Luo, Di (February 2003). "Hearts of Iron". Computer Gaming World. No. 223. p. 94. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 18, 2004. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
{{cite magazine}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Ellis, Keith "DNM" (February 20, 2003). "Hearts of Iron". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on April 13, 2003. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Osborne, Scott (November 26, 2002). "Hearts of Iron Review". GameSpot. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ Schutz, Jake (December 15, 2002). "Hearts of Iron - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Bates, Jason (December 10, 2002). "Hearts of Iron Review". IGN. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ Ricketts, Ed (March 2003). "Hearts of Iron". PC Format. No. 146. Archived from the original on August 16, 2003.
{{cite magazine}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Peckham, Matthew (February 2003). "Hearts of Iron". PC Gamer. p. 74. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006.
{{cite magazine}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Emery, Daniel (February 11, 2003). "PC Review: Hearts of Iron". PC Zone. Archived from the original on April 29, 2007.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Chick, Tom (March 2003). "Hearts of Iron". Computer Games Magazine. No. 148. p. 78.
- ^ a b "Hearts of Iron: Platinum for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ Tsotsos, Alex (November 26, 2004). "GameSpy: Hearts of Iron - Platinum". GameSpy. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ Knutson, Michael (September 13, 2004). "Hearts of Iron Platinum - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Swedish video game banned for harming China's sovereignty". China Daily. May 29, 2004.
- ^ Cap, Thomas (2004). "Hearts of Iron 2 Interview". Gamers Hell.
Further reading
- Renaud, Jeff (September 22, 2016). "Impedimenta: Feeding the Iron Behemoth - Logistics & Supply in Hearts of Iron". Wargamer.