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Let’s get one thing straight: this is a man’s game.
“Panzer General III: Scorched Earth” (PGIII) simulates a man’s second most basic urge –
to take what is not yours by brute force. Seeing how this is generally frowned upon these days,
PGIII allows all armchair commandos to take charge of tank divisions, bomber squadrons, infantry
battalions, artillery units and reconnaissance squads during WWII.
The theatre of operations for PGIII is war-torn eastern Europe circa 1943. You chose to play as
either the Nazi’s marching on Moscow or the Russians “liberating” Poland, Lithuania and Rumania.
That’s right – there are no American forces to choose from. Either play as the really bad guys,
or the bad guys. The view of the game screen is shown as a
beautifully rendered overhead view of the specific area of |
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conflict. Gameplay is turn based, and
you have unlimited time to position all units at your command. Besides moving units, other options
during a turn include repair damage, resupply ammo, entrench, camouflage
, patrol and ambush. Depending on the type of unit and the rank of the unit commander,
a unit may compete between 3 – 7 separate actions in a turn.
A game campaign consists of individual scenarios. For example, the campaign may be “Capture
Leningrad” with the first scenario being “Destroy the Russian tank division located in the
outlying town of Novoblia”. Upon successful completion of the scenario, surviving unit
commanders get promoted, earning advanced skills (such as plot artillery, bunker attacks
and precision bombing) and more movement per turn. After 3 or 4 successful scenarios, you
quickly learn which unit officers have the killer instinct, and you can reward them with the
better equipment at the start of the next scenario.
The sound quality of PGIII makes this game successful. The grinding of tank treads, low whistle
of bombs dropping, the crackle of machine gun fire, the low boom of artillery fire in the distance
and the rousing teutonic soundtrack all create an impressive war game atmosphere. Detailed graphics
show fog, rain and the morass of a long snowy winter in Russia. Tank and ground units show
smoke as damage is taken. Bomber and air fighter units crash impressively into the ground in
a ball of flame. At your command bunker, review detailed photos and stats on new war machines
before adding them to your strike force.
PGIII is a game designed for gamers looking for a war game simulation with an arcade feel.
This game does not take long to learn, but does get progressively more difficult. There are
enough strategic decisions required and subtleties in the game required to sustain a successful
campaign that PGIII is a rewarding game experience over the long haul.
How historically accurate is the game? Last week while playing as the Nazi’s, I was entrenched in
the Russian town of Tostuya, marching for the gates of Moscow. I took a break for lunch, flipped
on the history channel and saw an hour-long documentary of the exact same battle that I was playing
in PGIII.
If you are looking for a game with an epic scope, addictive gameplay, strategic elements and the
chance to kick some Nazi ass, get a copy of “Panzer General III: Scorched Earth”.
Sliceboy's rating: :
4 out of 5 Bazookas, er, Planets
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