Some of the cardboard warriors may remember Avalon Hills Third Reich. So when I bumped into HOI3 I had to get it and got all the expansions. I did enjoy the series and hope that HOI4 is a success. May even buy it, although there is only so much time in a day!
The other classic game from the era was Squad Leader and I think Battlefront's WEGO CMx2+ is the best example of a contemporary game taking all the positive aspects from that classic, cutting the bush lawyer arguments and adding interesting new features to the concept. It is a real winner in my opinion.
Whereas HOI seems to be trying too hard, if you get my drift. It cannot decide if it wants to be a sandbox where anything goes, or a depiction of what the challenges were for the various high commands. As a dinosaur gamer I do like to have a more historic flavour. Of course, that comes with the "it is on rails" type argument.
IMHO HOI is looking for gimmicks, like those silly animations! The game looks far better with the military icons and they do not take much to learn. Appreciate every game has to draw the biggest audience possible.
So IMHO if you have a cardboard background and appreciate historical aspects, CMx2+ is the best way to spend you gaming dollars and time.