Customer Reviews

Panzer General

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

 

 

The original Panzer General from SSI is in my mind one of the best computer games ever made. Yes, its graphics and music are dated by modern standards, but too many modern games have gotten away from two core elements- playability and repeatability. Panzer General offers an intuitive interface that doesn't require 6 months of trial and error and use of a manual to figure out, and yet even now, having owned it for ten years, I can't guarantee that I will be able to defeat the game. Ergo, it is still challenging. There are more scenarios than in Panzer General II, and I find it a more challenging game.

That said, I don't like some features of the game; combat usefulness of some types of units (i.e. the Messerschmidt 163 Komet) has no basis in historical reality. The ability to overstrength units is great, but unlike its successors, you have to use a unit's turn in the game to do so, whereas in the follow ups in the series this can be done in between scenarios.

There are some issues with running it under newer Windows systems; certainly XP, probably Vista as well. Personally I have had no problems, I just set the .exe tab under "run as Win 95" and it worked fine; but even if it did not, there are plenty of freeware Win 95/98 emulation programs that would solve the issue.

Nonetheless, despite its weaknesses, it is a truly great game, and you shouldn't overlook it because of its age.

I originally obtained this game in a bargain bin many years after its release. I really enjoyed it then. Just the past month I got it out again and stated playing. It does have good re-playability and there are ways to make it more challenging. The fact that I can keep playing it with enjoyment is why I give it 5 starts.

I have only played against the computer in campaign mode and not against another human.

The game is hexed based, non-realtime, in the syle of old board war games. It is at the large scale - battalions. Certainly the graphics and sound are simple by today's standards. But it is the strategy aspect why I play this game.

In the campaign game you play the Axis side in a sequence of battles taken from world war II history. The sequence is decided by the you level or success or failure in each scenario. If you do well enough you can invade England and even Washington D.C. You can play the Allied side, but only in individual scenario - not in the campaign game. You can also play a human player in individual scenarios, but not in the campaign.

The game has a type of money called prestige, which you earn based on performance. This is spent to reinforce depleted unit strength or to buy new units. There is a large mix of unit types and additional units become available as the campaign progresses. Each unit has it advantages and disadvantages - so it is up to you to find the ideal mix and usage.

I have the CD version and I can play in windows XP using win95 compatibility mode.

I thought I could run this on XP but even when you go to applications and have it simulate 95, it won't run. Bummer. Total waste of money. Ratings don't count because I cannot run the game.