Customer Reviews

Panzer General

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This game doesn't rank tops for graphics, and the music can be pretty annoying after a couple hours but it's easy to turn it off. The gameplay is completly unique, it's very complex and dynamic with some of the subtlty of a good chess game with the advantage of it being faster paced and more variable with terrain effects and pieces being able to offer support on attack and defense. All in all a good game and well worth the money.

This is an incredible strategy game. It combines all the good qualities of a role playing game with a wargame. You start out in Poland and can eventually conquer all of Europe,and even Washington. Your core units gain experience the more battles you fight, and this makes them more effective in battle. Panzer General is also realistic historically. I do warn you that you could become highly addicted to this game. I highly recommend Panzer General to anyone who enjoys role playing or strategy games.

AG and it's brother PG are 2 games that from reading the reviews you either love (mostly it seems) or hate(if your graphics minded, probably). As an original "Pong" owner, and liking the game play of a lot of 8 and 16 bit games over the newer games, I'm not hung up on graphics which are simple here. The secret to this game is the control you have in what seems to me to be as historically acurate WWII video game as I've ever played. Yes I also dabbled in Avalon Hill games which were way to much trouble to play, this game does all the boreing work for you and leaves you the spoils, watching Rommel or Montgomery, or Patton win the War! Yes I've actually played both these games for at least 5 years (God thats a lot of hours wasted!) but hey at least I was entertained! I have won the game as Rommel in Panzer General several times (Washington was a super challenge), and to me that was a lotta fun, I never finished Allied General after the Battle of the Bulge ( or if I did it was once) cause hey to me thats not changing anything. As another reviewer wrote the Eastern Front in AG is flawed, I stopped bangin my head against the wall after the 20th time, was glad to hear the way to win that battle but it'll take a whole lotta skill and luck, even I draw a line at that abuse, the Eastern Front in PG as the Germans was awesome!
The key's to winning this game are to delete units with no expierence before you win a battle or the computer will carry
them over and delete your battle hardened veterans.
Load up on cheap units like the Germans anti tank gun PZKW1 for 24 units and attack in waves of suicide attacks to wear down the enemies ammo and entrenchment (make sure the supply option is on or you won't be able to do this). Upgrade your Infantry to Pioneers and Rangers and you'll treasure them as they become 5 star battle veterans. Artillery is allways going to get hammered by the CPU so don't sweat losing units it's going to happen. You can also upgrade your Allies planes to another nationality (ie Italian fighter with 3 stars into a FW 190, or British Hurricane into a Mustang) by flying to the German or American airfield and hitting upgrade. You might think Tanks will do it all until you hit a city, you need Infantry! Also you can do a lot with Strategic bombers where you bomb a city a couple times and attack once and the defenders will flee or surrender, this game has different units with different strengths for a reason. Get both AG and PG and I'm sure you'll get your $10-$20 dollars worth! I played PG III and its way superior in graphics but seemed too much like a tactical recreation than strategic.

This game not only entertains, it also educates. I learned a lot of stuff about tactics (such as the effects of both offensive and defensive artillery upon infantry, tanks, etc), the uses of different types of units, and the elements of blitzkrieg.
After playing a hundred or so hours it will have you feeling as if you are a compitent general, capable of changing the course of history.
Of the many things I learned from this game was how effective an army could be held at bay at a natural barier (such as a swamp) by a dug-in force with artillery. After learning this I heard of many true battles which used this exact same tactic (such as the marines holding on for their lives during the early stages of the Korean war).
The game even inspired me to write a book.

As a person who grew up n the video game age i have watched as games have gone from pac-man to pitfall, to mario bros. and now panzer general. I have played hundreds of games before pg and hundreds after and not one can compare. You are challenged to the point were you keep coming back for more, but not too challenged to drop the game forever. If you get bored, which after 3 years of continuos play has yet to happen, then try a higher diffuculty rating. And I have to admit, driving my panther tanks up Pennsylvania ave gave me quite a rush. I have since been let down by every other game I have played. I dreamed about this game and thought about strategy's to beat it constantly. Since pg no other game has caught my attention.

All I can say about this game is WOW! I've had it for about a year and I still haven't gotten tired of it. The fun part of this game is that each battle has a different outcome according on how well (or not so well) you do. Two weeks ago I finally beat the U.S. and unified Europe and North America under German leadership! If your a fan of WWII and alternate history, this game is for you.

Learn combined arms tactics, and no one can stand in your way. Still, like chess, each game is very different. I've gotten more replay out of this one game than most of my others put together. Besides, it feels good to have the French kneel before your Panzer Might.

The proper ratio of 5-star units, followed by a pre-planned campaign path, seems a science. If one is not going for total victory, by Moscow '43 a mix of 8 FW109A's, 8 JU 87d's, 8 Tiger I's, 7 pioneer infantry, 4 High Level Bombers, 3 8.8 AT guns (for later transferal to Jagdpanther form), and 6 SIG II's (or is it SIG 38T's by then?) is a ratio that seems formidable. Creating the most powerful mix of core units is a form of entertainment unto itself. The key is purchasing fighters during Warsaw and Norway onward, along with tactical bombers, until one eventually winds up with 8 Fw109D's(or jets), 8 FW10916's (converted Stukas), 4 Hell177A High Level Bombers, 5 Tiger I's, 3 Tiger II's, 2 Panther D's, 2 Jagdpanthers, 1 Jagdtiger, 5 SIG 38(t), and 8 Pioneer Infantry. Such a 5-star force can do historically impossible things, but a 16-plane enforced air superiority is vital. As for claims of historical innaccuracy, the Sea Lion strategy accurately reflects OKW's captured war-plan, and the general strategies are still used today. 1) establish air superiority 2)bypass heavily populated areas, encircling an enemy with tank divisions followed by infantry 3) tacticaly bomb an enemy after establish air superiority to support ground troops 4)keep all forces mobile, at least in transport from site to site, to maintain a secure line of logistics. -credentials: B.A. History, Towson, & U.S. Navy vet

This game and War Craft II (both for PS1) are the only games that have stood the test of time. Others do not compare. That includes PS2 games such as GTA III-V. Nothing beats a simplified strategy game. The key to enjoying PG is to play the campaign and get your core troops up in levels and equipment. If you haven't done this, the game will not show it's true appeal. Let me give you my unit preference by Moscow '43: 8 FW109A's, 8 JU 87d's, 7 Tiger I's (convert all to Panthers as soon as they are available - 6 movement), 6 Bridge Engineers (can do everything Pionere infantry can do plus they get you across water [useful everywhere] and they are cooler looking), 2 High Level Bombers HE177s, don't waste your time on antitank weapons until the Jadgepanthers, 6 SIG II's (never get the SIG 38T's because they only have 4 movement - substitute in a nebelwerfer, but only one), 2 88s (hopefully you got them early on and they are at 2-3 stars by now), and throw in one of those mobile anti-air units (the jeep) for good measure.

This can be considered `the' WW2 strategy game for the PC, which single-handedly revived PC wargaming and forever changed the genre with its continuing influence. Even by today's standards, the game is fun, challenging and accessible, and still provides hours of gameplay even after all these years.

For those unfamiliar with it, Panzer general is a turn-based WW2 strategy game that allows you to fight out the major (and hypothetical) campaigns of the second world war at the roughly operational level, with players moving around units of tanks, infantry, aircraft, artillery, etc. While historical accuracy is not paramount as in other more grognard-oriented titles, it does boast a wealth of historical vehicles, aircraft and troop types for the player to command. While the graphics and sound may be dated, the gameplay at the heart of PG is still rock solid and engrossing.

Players can try their hand at a number of individual scenarios, but the heart of the game is in the campaign. In the grand campaign, players start out with a handful of core units at the beginning of the Polish campaign, and from here the player fights out the entire war to either its triumphant conclusion or bitter end. With each completed mission, the player has the opportunity to upgrade existing units for their core force, and also purchase new ones. Units also acquire experience throughout the game, an excellent concept that forces players to think strategically and play smart to avoid loosing these precious units. Win or loose though, the campaign is a blast. Win marginally and loose some throughout the campaign, and you could end up defending Berlin from the Soviets. Win big every time, and you could be invading America!

This game is still on my hard drive today after all these years, and for anyone that has not yet played PG it is well worth the time and effort to get a copy and experience it. Later games in the `generals' series added refinements visually and tweaked gameplay, but none had the instant immersion appeal and charm that this game still possesses. This is simply one of the greatest strategy games of all time.