In terms of both visuals and sound design, Panzer Corps 2 is excellent. For instance, I earned a hero that allowed an artillery unit to shoot twice, forcing me to rethink how I used that unit in my attacks.Ĭurrent conflict: Check out the best modern warfare games Panzer Corps 2’s system of improving units actually went a long way to keeping things entertaining through the campaign. Missions are still tied to tight timers and sometimes the enemy can be given overwhelming forces to ensure there is enough of a challenge for an experienced commander, but overall, I never felt the scenarios strayed into the ridiculous. Scenarios do run into the same problem as all Panzer General-style games though. Panzer Corps focuses heavily on Europe and Germany, Order of Battle has significant Asian DLC, and Unity of Command 2 focuses on the Western Allies. Which one you like will likely come down to scenarios on offer. Order of Battle: WWII and Unity of Command 2 both offer different takes on the same formula. Panzer Corps 2 is an excellent game, but there’s competition.
It’s nice to see that Panzer Corps 2 put so much effort into army building and refining the RPG elements that work so well. Heroes add tangible new skills and stat upgrades to their units, special medals received in dire circumstances do likewise, and a detailed record sheet for each unit keeps tracks of its campaigns and kills. In this way, Panzer Corps 2 reinforces the excellent level of attachment to an army that the old games brought to the table, but turns it up to 11.
Panzer corps special heroes series#
The Axis Operations 1941 DLC is the fourth in the series and, while there is a totally competent starting army to work from (I used it for the purpose of this review) the game encourages players to start from the beginning and work their way through using the same army. The formula works, at its core, and Panzer Corps 2 leans into it in an attempt to out-Panzer General the original. Those are the major pros and cons of the formula, so what does Panzer Corps 2 – and specifically the Axis Operations 1941 DLC – do with it? Well for one thing, they stick to it, hard.
Global conflict: These are the best WW2 games You’ll be spending a significant amount of time ensuring that every unit ends up where it should, to properly support an attack – and it can lead to some odd manoeuvres. The abstraction of unit statistics into different unique vehicles, coupled with no unit stacking within a hex, also contributes to complaints that these games are more puzzle than wargame. The downside is that it significantly gamifies the business of getting through scenarios. Rather than more fluid representations of modern war, Panzer General-alike games rely on a puzzle-like structure of optimal or near-optimal moves, tied to a tight turn limit, to keep gameplay moving, and tension high. You could spend your men to achieve a tactical victory, but would it be worth it? As a central conceit, it works really well.īut the board game heritage of Panzer General also lent some frustrating elements to its gameplay. It also really hurts when a tough encounter sends a favourite unit to an untimely grave, giving each mission a sense of gravitas. The formula is undoubtedly functional, and leads to entertaining longform wargaming, where you can see your army grow and develop over time. It hurts when a tough encounter sends a favourite unit to an untimely grave Will the change of scenery be enough to warrant a look for those unsure of Panzer Corps 2’s pedigree? Settle into that Panzer 38(t) and let’s go find out! Released only this week, the fourth DLC in Panzer Corps 2’s Axis Operations series, 1941, brings players into the underrepresented invasion of Yugoslavia, before continuing on to Greece, and then the infamous Operation Barbarossa. Today’s offering, a brand new DLC for Panzer Corps 2, highlights everything that is good and bad about these types of wargames, and whether or not this latest edition will be for you comes down to how frustrating or fun you feel the trickier bits of Panzer General-style games can be.
There is a lot to like in Panzer General-style wargames, and a lot to dislike, but nearly 30 years as a standard for hex-and-unit wargames means that they’re definitely a part of this hobby that’s not going anywhere. Do I like Panzer General-style games? They’re almost a genre unto themselves, and whether or not they offer that tactical itch-scratching that all wargamers crave comes down to each individual – and how they feel about certain gameplay abstractions, and stylistic choices. A deep question, a probing question, the kind of question that dictates a lifetime of purchases. There is a question that every wargamer must ask themselves.
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