Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars E3 2004 Preshow Impressions

Making its third straight appearance at E3 will be CDV and GSC Game World's real-time strategy game Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars, the sequel to the original Cossacks. Like the previous iteration, Cossacks II will be a historical-based game, featuring thousands of units on the battlefield at once. In total, the game will support up to 64,000 simultaneous units, offering the potential for epic battles. A bevy of easy-to-use formations will simplify the management of such massive armies.

Cossacks II will offer six different nations to choose from and six different single-player campaigns to play through. There will also be 10 stand-alone historical battles so players can relive famous battles from the Napoleonic Wars. There will be 150 different units and 180 unique buildings to add variety to the game, while a special physics engine calculates flight paths for bullets and other projectile-based weapons.

GSC Game World won't skimp on Cossacks II's multiplayer features either. The game will offer three different modes, including deathmatch, historical battle, and conquest of Europe. A random map generator will add further variety to the gameplay.

Despite a lengthy production cycle, Cossacks II is still slated to ship later this year for the PC. We'll have more information on the game as it becomes available.