4 – World War 2: Frontline Command
Developer: Bitmap Brothers | Release Year: 2003 | Genre: Real-Time Tactics
Of all the games on this list, I have no better memories of any other. World War 2: Frontline Command is Company of Heroes, released 3 years before. This real-time tactics title strips away base construction entirely, focusing instead on the psychology and momentum of infantry units pushing through hostile territory. Frontline Command stands out due to its morale and leadership systems. Troops do not act as unfeeling automatons or silicon warriors only; under sustained mortar or machine-gun fire, morale plummets, causing units to pin, break, or refuse orders. I mentioned that Codename Panzers forced me to use artillery a lot more often, but it was due to World War 2: Frontline Command that I became an expert in it. I played the whole thing through and through over the course of the summer of 2004, and I still have my physical copy on my display stand. The game is currently abandonware as well, and it’s really hard to get a physical copy of. In fact, mine is the only one I have ever seen in person.
3 – Blazing Angels
Developer: Ubisoft Bucharest | Release Year: 2006 | Genre: Arcade Flight Combat
Whenever I hear people talk about World War 2 flight sims, it’s with extreme sadness that I witness the constant absence of Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII (and Secret Weapons of WWII), and while hardcore flight simulators have their place, sometimes our more primitive selves crave the high-octane thrill of World War II dogfighting in its purest form. No need to mix fuel, care for trim or aileron elevations, just frantic and aggressively maneuvering the most iconic planes of the Second World War. To me, Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII fills that void perfectly, offering an accessible yet highly cinematic approach to aerial combat that, while it’s silly, over the top, and cannot hold a candle to the detail and authenticity of something like IL-2 Sturmovik, it delivers on the one thing most simulators do not: it’s fun!
2 – The Saboteur
Developer: Pandemic Studios | Release Year: 2009 | Genre: Action-Adventure / Stealth
Pandemic Studios’ swansong, The Saboteur, is one of the most stylistically brilliant open-world games ever created. Set in occupied Paris, you step into the boots of Sean Devlin, a cynical Irish race mechanic working alongside the French Resistance to dismantle the German war machine from within. The standout feature is the game’s “Will to Fight” mechanic, which visualizes the psychological state of the city. Occupied zones are rendered in a stark, high-contrast, black-and-white art style reminiscent of film noir, where the only splashes of color are the deep red of Nazi banners and the warm glow of street lamps. As you assassinate high-ranking targets, blow up fuel depots, and inspire the local populace, color dynamically bleeds back into the world, symbolizing hope returning to the streets. It is an atmospheric masterpiece that masterfully blends stealth, open-world chaos, and historical fiction. Now, where is The Saboteur 2, EA? Where is it, EA?
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