Panzer General - Playstation

I fell in love with this game in the mid-90's when it first came out. I recently decided to purchase it again to see if it held up against the test of time. In my opinion, it did this very well.

If you are expecting brilliant graphics, amazing sounds lots of action then this is not the game for you. If you like strategy wargaming, then this is the game for you.

Play is fairly simple, at first. You are only controlling 10 units moving across a small battlefiend. It gives you a chance in the beginning rounds to understand how to best used all your troops: Infanty, Armor, Anti-Armor, Fighters, Bombers, Artillery, etc and all the different types of each. Another neat aspect of the game is that your troops become experienced after every fight they survive. They are rated in experience from 0 to 5 stars. Each star makes them just that much more lethal at what they do and they stay with you from scenario to scenario provided you don't get them killed.

As the game progresses you move deeper into World War II and consequently the battles become larger and more difficult to defeat. It is a great feeling when you conquer a major engagement that took you 2 or 3 times to get past, but there is a downside.

Once you are on the 4th or 5th battle (and so on), it is so large that it can take literally 2-3 hours to fight the battle to it's conclusion. My advice: When you know you've lost, save yourself the time and restart. Unless you are one of those people that has to fight it out to the bitter end, in that case have at it! :)

One other bright point is that the better (see: faster) you defeat your enemies, you get rewarded with not only extra resources but you can actually alter the course of the war!

Overall, it's a very interesting strategy WWII game that people with patience and time on their hands can really sink their teeth into.

from reading some of the other reviews , one would think these people work for the company . a total waste of money . this game annoys , not entertain . the most likly to never finish playing . the worse part is the price charged for a play station and this is the crap they come out with to play on it ? my advise is to stay away from any ssi games. insted , buy a bag of rocks. at least you can do something with that.

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.

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.

Simply unsurpassed by later versions more dedicated to tactic levels, PG let you mastered the great strategy in WWII commanding not only batallions but entire groups of armies through some of the toughest and most famous clashes, equipped with the most sophisticated and letal weaponry available.