World War 2 Panzer Claws

by Eidos

Product Features

• Battle through over 20 historic missions on the battlefields of World War II
• Choose your command over one of three powerful armies - the German Wehrmacht, Soviet Red Army, or the Allied forces.
• Infiltrate buildings and abandoned vehicles with your ground troops.
• Strategically plan your assault as weather conditions and time-of-day affect landscape appearance.
• Engage others in Internet or LAN multiplayer combat.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006IRI2
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: November 5, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,164 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Manufacturer's Description

World War II Panzer Claws is a real-time strategy game that depicts the struggles in war-torn Europe between 1941 and 1944. Take control of the Allied, German, or Russian forces as you engage the enemy in the European theater of war from the German invasion of the USSR, to D-Day, to the last great German offensive in the Ardennes Forest. Use ground troops, a vast number of tanks, and air reinforcements to crush the opposition and reach your ultimate objective... victory.

Product Description

Over 20 historic missions!Product InformationTake command of the Allied German or Soviet armies as you engage the enemyin the European theater of war. Utilize infantry a vast number of tanks andother motorized vehicles as well as air reinforcements to shift the balance ofpower and reach your ultimate objective...VICTORY!Product Features Battle through over 20 historic missions from the German invasion of the Soviet Union to D-Day on the battlefields of World War II Infiltrate defensive installations with ground troops bombard the enemy with tanks and artillery strikes and call in air reinforcements Strategically plan your assault as weather conditions and time of day affect landscape appearance and the behavior of your units Command the German Wehrmacht the Soviet Red Army or the Allied Forces Create your own theater of war for single player multiplayer or skirmish battles with an easy-to-use map editor Engage others in Internet or LAN multiplayer combatWindows Requirements Windows 98 Me XP (XP Professional recommended) Pentium II 450 MHz or faster processor (Pentium 4 1.0 GHz recommended) 128 MB of RAM (256 MB recommended) 670 MB free hard disk space (1.2 GB recommended) 16 MB DirectX 8.1 compatible 3D graphic card (128 MB NVIDIA GeForce 4 TI or ATI RADEON 8500 graphic card recommended) DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card (SoundBlaster Live 5.1 recommended) 1280x1024 monitor 16-bit color recommended 12X CD-ROM drive (24X recommended) DSL Internet recommended Software pictured here is represented by the packaging for easier viewing.You will receive actual software on CD in a jewel case.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I like it., March 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: World War 2 Panzer Claws (CD-ROM)

I am an avid WWII enthusiast & researcher. I make WWII armor models. So naturally, anything with tanks and the likes I rather enjoy.

After playing all missions and maps, I have to say that this game is an impressive game. It is very stable and I really haven't had many problems with it. The programmers were of high quality, and knew what they were doing. The artists were also of high quality, and knew what they were doing. They made a great game in the end.

There are several drawbacks however:

The first one is the lack of a realism mod... I'm sure in time it will be developed, but the hit point based unit system is just too unrealistical to me (taking 5-6 shots in a King Tiger to kill an M3 Stuart makes me laugh, or making it so ALL tank killers can kill ANY tank, even IS3s and etc., or making it so Tanks can NOT hoze down infantry /w their MGs, but can run them over). I can totally understand the need for balance in any game, but lets face it, war is not fair, and any game emulating that should be able to emulate the unfairness.

The second drawback is the Earth-3 engine. All this engine is is an overlay to the DX components. Sure, with the Earth-3 engine, the water looks incredibly realistic, but with 15-30fps avg. with my G4 Ti4200 128DDR, it's a major drawback. After turning it off and using "Compatibility" mode, I am recieving the 50-60fps I should be getting.

The third drawback is the initial problem of the screen refresh rate problem. Initially, the program assumes your screen can handle a 120hz screen refresh... So naturally, when you try to run the game, nothing but a black screen will show up. Turns out you have to edit your registry and get it so the configuration utility allows you to select your screen refresh rate to something more realistic like 60hz or 75hz. Again, a major drawback to anybody w/o a bit of computer knowledge, especially since it's neccessary to fix or else you won't be able to play.

The only real other drawbacks are a few minor things... like not being able to assign units to a group "0", or having to use left-ctrl to assign units while right-ctrl does nothing, or having to manual go into the program settings and unchecking "lock camera" to be able to rotate your camera around.

All in all, there are a few minor drawbacks that can make anybody a bit skeptical of the game's ability, but you honestly need to realize that the only real major problem with the game is the HP based unrealistic system. For some people, thats fine, for the die-hard WWII enthusiasts like me, HP based system will really turn you off.

On the better note, the Graphics are amazing... Each model is superiorly done and they made sure that the scenery and the likes is just as well done. The maps that come with the campaigns are very very nicely done...ten times better than some games like Close Combat, Panzer General, or even Sudden Strike II. Trees are able to be knocked over, clearing paths through forests to allow your forces to flank the enemy. The explosions are heart felt, very impresive and well done.

All in all, I rate this game 4 stars, 1 star taken away for the non-existance of a realism mod, but I'm sure that will come to pass.

Great game, great replay-ability, great graphics, good interface, and excellent visual effects...

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great game to put in your WWII collection!, March 21, 2004

By 

chaoslegion (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World War 2 Panzer Claws (CD-ROM)

I got this game for free for my birthday along with Secret Service In Harm's Way. This game is RTS unlike Secret Service. This game was very good RTS game. I don't know about the accuracy because I don't know that much about tanks even though I'm interested in WWII. I think this game is just like Blitzkrieg but only with tanks. I didn't have any bugs so I was able to enjoy the game without frustration. It's very good WWII game and I enjoyed it a lot. It just like your typical RTS games and you will definitly be satisfied with your purchase. From the two birthday gift I like this game more though I shouldn't be comparing RTS to FPS. Secret Service was no match for World War II Panzer Claws even though I enjoyed Secret Service. That means this game is a damn good game because I enjoyed Secret Service but I enjoyed this game even more. The gameplay, sounds, and graphics are all amazing. I don't think accuracy matters as much as the execution of the gameplay. I really had fun playing this game and I think about playing again during classes. I can't concentrate in school because I think about how I should attack the enemies and stuff. If you really like games, you should know what I'm talking about. So I highly recommend this game to any RTS fans.
P.S. I also plan and think about Stacraft and Warcraft in school (it means I recommend them as well).

13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Try the demo before buying!, June 14, 2003

By 

tomaso68 (Fairfax, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World War 2 Panzer Claws (CD-ROM)

It is good that Eidos Interactive launched a demo so that everybody, who can download the 312 MB, can try it. The demo is regrettably limited to only 2 missions and no multiplayer function. It shows, however, that the game has very nice graphics, but overall it does not bring anything new or better than other Command and Conquer-style games. You are in command of a tank or a squadron, plus the support of soldiers and bombers. You control them with a mouse clicks and that's it (for me). I did not like it and also I think that the too limited demo version deters customers. I'm glad I saved few bucks.