Codename Panzers is turning into a
solid series for fans of the strategy genre. The first game was a fantastic
World War II real-time strategy game. The game had all of the ingredients for a
great game; amazing graphics, great gameplay and hard hitting A.I. that kept you
on your toes. If you enjoyed the first game, then Phase Two will be another
helping of gaming goodness that will surely please. But it should be said that
Phase Two seems to be more of an expansion pack then an entirely new game.
Most of the game plays out exactly
the same as Panzers: Phase One. I would refer gamers to check out my review of
the first game for a better understanding of what Panzers is all about. The
review for Panzers: Phase One can be found here:
http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r21216.htm. Phase Two offers the same
gameplay as the first game but with some minor upgrades. In addition to the
mandatory new units the game also includes all new scenarios based upon
different historical figures of World War II. The players in Phase Two are Dario
& Sergio De Angelis and Hans von Grobel from the Axis campaigns. Jeffrey Wilson
and James Barnes represent the Allied campaigns. Farvan “Vuk” Pondurovic and
Aleksander Efremovich Vladimirov represent the Partisan campaign. The campaign
selected will determine which historic figure you will play during the game.
Besides the new units and new
characters in the game another new feature in the game are the night missions.
During the night missions your headlights determine whether you (or the enemy)
will be visible during a mission. The viewing range you have without your
headlights on limits you to only see certain parts of the playing field. If you
turn the headlights your viewing area increases but so does your chance of being
spotted by the enemy. Sure, it might not sound like such a big deal and it
really isn’t but the night missions offer a change of pace compared to the usual
missions. The graphics of the headlights do look fantastic and helps set the
atmosphere of the night missions.
The cutscenes in the game offer an
insight into the story of the different characters in the game. The cutscenes
will occur usually during the beginning of a mission and at various points
during a mission. The voice acting of the characters were well done with Peter
Weller (Robocop fame) supplying the voice of one of the characters. The
developers even hired two Hollywood script writers for the story which helps
keep the storyline moving along nicely.
If you never played the first Panzer
game then there isn’t that much of a difference between the two games to justify
which one is better. Read the review of the first game and then weigh your
options as to which game you should purchase immediately. Since the first Panzer
was released late last year it’s possible that you might be able to pick up the
first one at a discounted price. Another big difference between the two games is
Phase Two comes on one DVD instead of multiple CDs. It’s so refreshing to see PC
game publishers finally embracing DVD media instead of having to waddle through
5 or 6 CDs.
For gamers that lived Phase One
night and day then Phase Two might not offer enough to warrant an immediate
upgrade. It hasn’t even been a year since the first game was released so it’s
hard to feel nostalgic for the game just yet. But I’ve learned that strategy
gamers can be rather hardcore when it comes to their games. It’s hard for them
to get enough and these gamers are always looking out for the next game to wet
their appetite. Phase Two is definitely the game for you if you fall into this
category. It’s the same great gameplay, great graphics but with some new
weapons/units, night based missions and new characters not in the first game.
Just be prepared that if you didn’t enjoy the first game then Phase Two won’t
change your opinion.
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Review Scoring Details for Codename: Panzers Phase Two |
Gameplay: 8.6
This is a great strategy game that shouldn’t be ignored. Yes, I know that I’ve
mentioned the game is similar to the first one but that still indicates that
it’s a great game. I still enjoyed being able to pause the game and still being
able to issue commands to my troops.
Graphics: 8.5
The graphics engine looks exactly the same as the first engine. That’s ok since
this is an excellent-looking game with some great effects. Destructible
environments are still fantastic and the headlights during the night missions
look amazing. The graphics of the characters in the cutscenes were one of the
few blemishes of the graphics. The characters have a blocky look to them but
it’s not a big distraction.
Sound: 8.5
The sound effects of the vehicles blowing up still create a rush of excitement
while playing. The voice acting in the game was top notch with some characters
while bland with other characters. Some of the phrases spoken by the characters
in the missions do get repetitive after the first couple of times.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Strategy games can be a test of will. Sometimes the game will go on for what
seems like hours upon hours with no end in sight. I still have a problem with
how the game shows the enemies on screen. One minute there’s nothing and then
the next minute you’re surrounded. During one mission I was sitting in the
middle of the playing field with no enemies in site. Once the mandatory cutscene
finished the enemy had me surrounded. Why couldn’t I see them 30 seconds earlier
when I was sitting in the same area?
Concept: 8.2
The first game offered a great idea on how a WWII strategy could be played.
Since we’re talking about a sequel there isn’t much of a difference between the
two games just some refinements. These refinements, unfortunately, offer nothing
so awe inspiring that Phase Two rises above Phase One’s original idea.
Multiplayer: 8.5
The game’s multiplayer mode offers some great online strategy action. The game
can be played over the internet via Gamespy or Direct IP (connecting to a
specific IP address of another player’s computer). LAN mode is also available
for playing against other gamers. The gameplay modes available in multiplayer
are Team Match, Domination and Assault.
Overall: 8.5
To sum it all up if you enjoyed the first game then this should be the game for
you, especially if you are a hardcore strategy game fan. It’s still a great WWII
strategy game but with some changes not found in the first game. If you were
disappointed by the first game then there is nothing in Phase Two that will
change your opinion. The Panzer series is a strategy game that shouldn’t be
overlooked by gamers looking for a great strategy game.
