Squad Leader

by Atari

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004UB6B
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: October 29, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,109 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Squad Leader from Hasbro and Random Games builds on the tactical turn-based gaming found in earlier titles such as Soldiers at War, Jagged Alliance, and X-Com, but is unfortunately also saddled with bad graphics, interface, and sound. It's unfortunate because there is a wealth of gameplay here. There are three campaigns, a handful of single-player missions, and a powerful and customizable random mission generator. The campaigns cover the invasion of Normandy (Americans), the Axis in retreat (Germans), and the paratroopers in Operation Market Garden (British). The game has you choosing and equipping two to three small squads of men, each featuring their own personalities, and moving them one by one to attack the enemy. Characters move by using a limited number of action points. They can run, walk, crawl, lie prone, kneel, shoot, and use any special abilities or weapons they possess (grenades, demolitions, medics) depending on the number of points they have. You can also control tanks, half-tracks, and other special weapons.

This deep gameplay, however, is saddled with graphics that look three years old. Sight range is limited and the interface can best be described as slow and stodgy. Movement animations are laughable and the voice acting is poor. Squad Leader also completely lacks the multiplayer features that gamers have come to expect.

It's important to note that this is not a computerized version of the popular board game Advanced Squad Leader, despite the fact that Hasbro owns the rights to that game. The name is a bit deceptive in this regard. --Bob Andrews

Pros:

• Three full campaigns
• Deep, strategic gameplay
• A powerful random mission generator

Cons:

• Stodgy graphics
• No multiplayer
• Poor voice acting and writing

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The absolute worst!!!, December 23, 2004

By 

Michael W. Mcfall "michaelwmcfall" (Fort Benning, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Squad Leader (CD-ROM)

This review is long overdue on my part. If you bought this horrible game before you read this, to you I apologize.

As for the makers of this horrible game, you should go to jail for making this game as terrible as you did. Once again, the computer gaming world steals the title of a great board game in the name of profit. Thanks, you just ruined my favorite board game from being my favorite computer game!

"Squad Leader" was and still is the absolute best BOARD game of Infantry Combat of all time. I am in the US Army Infantry so I THINK I know a thing or two about being an Infantryman.

I will not go into all the details of why the "computer game" sucks. I know this game is targeted toward fans of the "board game", to YOU I say this; this game has nothing to do with the "board game" except in title only. Not only that, "it's stupid"! It was so stupid; I was too embarrassed to give this game away. I threw it away after breaking the disk in two. I would NOT want anyone to play this thinking this is Squad Leader.

One small example of what prompted me to throw this away: When I shot my first German Soldier in the game he cried out saying "mommy"! My God what a tremendous insult to all Soldiers of any nation!!!

To anyone interested in this title I urge you, find the board game which is out of print. You can find it if you look hard enough for it. Don't waste your time even considering this computer game.

To the Computer Game "Makers": What are you doing on your job???? Drinking???? Doing drugs maybe???? Why can't you just make the game like the board game???? If you're not going to do that then DON'T name it after the board game!!!! I wasted my money on this one.

You guys selling this are in for it! I plan to review any game that sucks and post it wherever I can. Maybe if you lose some profits you'll shape up and produce a realistic game for once.

Bottom line: This is a terrible computer simulation of Squad Leader "the board game" a game about Infantry Combat in World War II. Don't waste your money here.

Michael W. McFall

[e-mail]

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Squad Leader, November 23, 2000

By 

Donald Lindke "Don L." (New Cumberland, Pa. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Squad Leader (CD-ROM)

This game had the potential to be a very interesting and exciting product that war gamers could really enjoy. The idea of a strategy game at the squad level is a good one, if done properly. However, the developers have made this game much too cumbersome to maintain the players interest. Instead of considering strategy, the player is relegated to trying to figure out how to interact with it. Not a game I will keep coming back to.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Squad Leader..NICE BOX, BUT THIS GAME JUST ISN'T HAPPENING!!, November 17, 2000

By 

Randolph Rogge (St.Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Squad Leader (CD-ROM)

I bought this game a couple of days ago. I thought it was going to be really fun, but to my mistake it's really complicated and the computer AI takes forever to make it's moves. I'm glad I bought this game from a store where they give you 10 day to play the game and figure out if you wanna keep it. I definatley am goin to return this. I really enjoy playing WW II strategic games, but this game really blows. The graphics are good and the sound is really cool... but don't let that fool you.