Customer Reviews

Korsun Pocket: Decisive Battles of WWII

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been an on again/off again wargamer for several years, and with all the emphasis on RTS , it seemed that turn based strategy games were a thing of the past.The developers at SSG have taken their game engine for "The Ardennes Offensive" - a very good game that revisited the Battle of the Bulge, and made it MUCH more user friendly. Sure, there are alot of details to manage (supply, differentiating unit types,taking into account different terrain , weather , etc.) but the developers have managed to take alot of this information and present it in very understandable ways. Their "Combat advisor" is a real timesaver when it comes to helping you decide exactly where to attack by displaying the odds for a succesful attack, but the more strategic decisions are still left up to you.
I've been up till 2 am the past 5 nights trying to rethink strategies/tactics to beat the scenarios, and every time its different. There are several different levels of AI intelligence, and it WILL give you a very good challenge. It knows when/where to attack, how to conduct retreats and manage its supply very well. But of course, nothing beats a real live human opponent, and you can play with a play by email (PBEM) option thats very well integrated into the game.
I was almost ready to write off turn based strategy/war games, but the folks at Matrix/ SSG have a product I think will bring alot of people who wouldn't have previously considered this type of game clamoring for more.

I reviewed this game awhile back after I had played it for a short time and had not finished working my way through the tutorials. Now that I have had a chance to play the game several times I want to change my review and the star rating.

This is, superfically, the old Avalon Hill board game concept. I liked that concept a lot. With a board game, if something is going on that is just plain nuts the players just ignore it and go on with the game. A computer prevents that. So when crazy things start happening you just can't stop it.

The game is very complex. So complex that it is ponderous to play. Common sense just isn't part of the process. At some very fundamental level I don't understand this game. And I have played everything from Tactics II through France 1940 plus a lot of electronic computer games. I have read the manual (80+ pages) and I have played through the tutorials. But when playing the game incomprehensible things go wrong. My units run out of supply, even when they are in the supply net. The Soviet side has little or no air support while the Germans are just busting with it. How is this possible in 1944?

My units lose combat value rather quickly and fast manuver is just out of the question. I have noticed that even surrounded German units fight better than my unit (when I play the Soviet side).

So... something is wrong with my game play. At this point I am about to give up. I have spent so many hours now just trying to master the basics of the game. I don't think it is worth it to keep going. After all, this shouldn't be like taking a college course in a subject you hate.

So the game is hard? So what? That alone would not lower my scoring to two stars. It is the game itself. It moves so slow. And as the commander you must constantly review the supply situation etc for each and every unit on each and every turn. If there were 20 units that wouldn't be so bad, but when you have to review hundreds of units the burden is amazing. That, along with a lot of other similar problems, sucks all the fun right out of the game.

I think the programmers need to put in a level of subordinate command that would handle at least some of these details. It could toggle off and on just in case someone really wanted to do all of the supply detail and whatnot themselves for every unit. Another level of subordinate command might have some units move on their own or at least alert you that they had possible movements available. Reinforcements fall into that catagory. It is easy to forget to scan the supply centers and see if reinforcements are sitting there read to be moved. And that can be critical.

Another really crummy idea was to make the artillery unmoveable without some kind of special circumstance. All artillery units in the real world have, built in, movement equipment or horses and most artillery can move and shoot very quickly. That is one reasons it was (and is) so effective. The set up time was minimal. In this game you can only move by clicking on extended move. Strange.

I think they need to build in to every game a "starter" kind of game. Something with very simple rules to introduce the game player to the basics without a lot of fluff.

The manual itself explain the rules but it doesn't take enough time telling us WHY the rules were written in such a way. Trying to remember the rule in isolation is almost impossible. I remember a rule because it make sense in context. These rules have to be remembered out of context. Very hard.

So, I still think this is an Ok game but I will probably not be playing it very often if at all. The slow moving, complex and non-intutive nature of the game play simply means the game isn't any fun.

Not so long ago, hex-based wargamers faced daunting challenges including set-up time, playing space and quality opponents. These challenges forced most of us as adults to shelve our passion, content with the memories of high school and college "gamer clubs." Fortunately, thanks to the dedication of tireless developers, we can now trade our cardboard counters for the lure of a glowing screen. Korsun Pocket takes full advantage of today's robust software and architecture to create a hobbyist's dream: a robust, on demand, historically accurate gaming experience. If you have a wargaming background, Korsun Pocket's intuitive gameplay allows you to learn as you go. As you improve, the game offers a full range of options to help adjust for historical odds, player ability and "what if" scenarios. Korsun Pocket includes a campaign game; a handful of shorter, related scenarios and a bonus campaign centering on Hitler's desperate campaign in the Ardennes. Whether you choose to play as the Axis, Russians or Americans, this delightful PC wargame presents an elegant gift to the faithful among us.

It's good to see a major release of a hex-based operational level wargame. This is the first one I've seen on store shelves since Operational Art of War, which, to be frank, wasn't that great a game.

This one's a lot of fun. The AI is decent, the graphics are very good for a game of this kind, and the combat advisor makes planning an offensive much easier. If you like this sort of game, I'd buy it without hesitation. If you've never played an operation wargame before, this one's very accesible, and a good place to start.

WARNING: The first patch for the game is 80 megs, making it quite a challenge to get if you've got dialup.

Excellent turn-based, hex-based war game. Very easy to learn and understand, but hard to master. Because the mechanics are so simple (for example, artillery simply 'shifts' the odds) you can really focus on your strategy. It seems like I've played every game of this type going back to Apple II days, and this is the best.

Highs: Massively detailed yet quite degestible; it sets a new standard for turn-based games.
Lows: Aside from the game's inherent complexity, it really doesn't have any lows
Bottom Line: What an accomplishment! Korson Pocket reaches a new pinnacle in wargame design

A solid old fashioned war game with a couple of innovative features. One of its best features is that it seems more approachable than many of the other games in the genre. Very much like the old board games in style of play and overall appearance. Comes with a free updated version of one of the earlier titles in the series. If you are a war gamer or think you are a potential war gamer, you might want to have a look at this game. It's a good introduction to the level of war gaming that begins beyond beer and pretzels but stops short of "you're going to need a year or two at the army or navy war college in order to master this baby" that some of the offerings in the genre tend to demand. Also, you might want to shop around some more for it. The asking price (s) here is (are) much too high. Remember, Google is your friend.

Real time strategy games are fun no doubt. But there are times when I just want to practice strategy in a turn based environment, and "Korsun Pocket" fits the bill perfectly. As an old board gamer, I appreciate the job Matrix Games has done with its WW2 titles. I hope to own more in the future.

I would have to say that this game is an excellent WWII battle re-creation. This game hold true to the original battle as far as historical focus goes while allowing the player the chance to possibly change the outcome. The game is strategic in focus while maintaining enough tactical closeness to the battle to feel the heat of the fight. In addition to directing your units into combat, you must also manage supply, unit replacements and reinforcements. In my opinion it takes a game like Steel Panthers and zooms it out to include what happens before and after the fighting. A must for any serious wargamer!

The graphics and sound are not that great but the makers put a lot of effort into gameplay and the strategic aspect of the game. This is not an action game - it is a serious strategy / simulation game.