Hidden & Dangerous 2 doesn’t follow a linear plotline, choosing to instead use a number of seemingly unrelated missions that eventually end up tying into one another. As commander of a SAS force, you’ll tackle 20 missions behind enemy lines against Japanese, Italian, and German forces during WWII. Missions will take you through a number of theaters in Africa, Asia, Europe, and even the Arctic.
At the start of each mission, you’ll choose your team from a group of soldiers, each with their own skills and attributes. These traits include things like improved stamina, medical skills, and sharp-shooting skills. As your squad moves through missions, and survives, they will be able to earn experience points that can go into improving their skills -- adding a personal touch to the game.
After building your team, you’re given a brief overview of your mission, and then given the chance to equip your team for the mission ahead. A wide variety of weapons are available, each with their own varying degrees of usefulness during missions. Taking a bazooka on an infiltration mission is not a good idea. Since your team members have their own skill traits, some weapons will be better in their hands than in others. Soldiers are limited to carrying only two weapons, one in their hands and one on their shoulder, as well as other equipment like ammo, a knife, and grenades. If you’re itching to get into action, an Automatic Loadout option is also available, which will suggest the best equipment for the mission and your team.
Missions all have a main objective, but they can be tackled in a variety of ways. You can go through missions in typical fashion, or try more stealthy options. After you complete each mission, you can go through the mission again under different conditions. One option, Lone Wolf, lets you go through the mission as a single commando while another, Carnage, has you going through the mission and killing everything you come across.
Multiplayer options are also available, allowing up to 32 players to participate in three modes. As always, Deathmatch leads the multiplayer list and is joined by a variation of Capture the Flag, known as Occupation. An objective based mode, which has you completing tasks with a team, is also available.
