Man of War II Sails Into North American Stores

Strategy First’s Age of Sail sequel Man of War II has shipped to North American retail, distributed by GT Interactive. It follows up 1997’s well-received Man of War.

Set between 1756 and 1815, the game puts you first-person on the deck of your own ship, running on Strategy First’s own engine, with up to 150 vessels trading broadsides around you while orders get barked over the din and wounded sailors cry out. You command the crew directly: firing the guns, steering the ship, and sending flag signals to the rest of your fleet. Battles run at night as well as by day, and the weather turns on you, with storms that bring rain and lightning. There are more than 20 historically accurate scenarios playable at the Captain, Division Commander, or Admiral level, plus a scenario editor that lets you set up everything for both opposing navies, down to crew complements, gun counts, weather, and objectives for each side.

The hook for me is the career system. You create a character with his own biography, and everything he does in battle gets noted by his superiors and his crew. Perform well and he can climb all the way to Admiral of the Fleet. Foul it up and he stays parked on a lowly frigate, which is exactly the kind of consequence naval games usually skip.