Windows

101: The Airborne Invasion of Normandy

There is no other title on the market that can give you such a sense of what these men went through. That’s the highest commendation I can give a simulation. My hat is off to the team at Empire Interactive. This is a great game.

Success in 101 requires luck, good squad organization, team tactics, and proper utilization of terrain. 101 simulates the chaos of an airborne drop very well, and the level of detail is tremendous. The manual explains everything, but learning the game can be done through experience only (a training ground is available). Everything is explained: how many APs each action requires, the statistics behind the weapons, and how much each individual item - right down to the entrenching tools and K-rations - will encumber the soldier. Throw in multiplayer games (the only way you can play the Germans) and this is quite a game. There's also no way to make new campaigns, but the results can be so random during a campaign that this won't be too much of a hindrance. While the scope is limited and the level of detail can intimidate some, 101: The Airborne Invasion of Normandy is a winner.

Geen oorlogsgame en aktie om het knallen, maar realistische missies met gedoseerde aktie in 101st Airborne.

In a year when wargames have been few upon the ground indeed, 101 is a very pleasant surprise. It's fun, historically accurate, and takes for its subject a very hot topic. With a little faster gameplay and a lot more marketing (didn't anyone think of tying this in with the movie or a book?), this game could be a big hit.

If you've got the patience, 101 is a very rewarding game, although the chronic slowness and occasional line-of-sight problems do hold it back from getting a much higher score.

If you're not a diehard wargamer, this game is most likely going to be way too slow and tedious for you. If you are, hmm, set aside a full day or so and have at it. I bet you'll either be addicted or be trading it in for Panzer General II or something that moves a little faster. As a wargame, it's not pretty, but it's realistic and detailed. As a plain game, you'll find higher entertainment value elsewhere.

Tenzij je een zeer grote interesse hebt voor de bevrijding in WOII, en de omstandigheden waarin die uitgevoerd werd, zou ik je aanraden dit spel links te laten liggen en je geld aan iets anders te besteden. Er zijn tegenwoordig voldoende andere turnbased strategie games op de markt, die 101st Airborne in Normandy op gebied van spelplezier ver achter zich laten...

Powiedzmy sobie krótko: gra jest przeznaczona dla rasowych strategów, którzy nie będą się krzywić na grafikę. Natomiast żaden młokos strategiczny nie wytrzyma tego tytułu dłużej niż pięć minut.

Realismus in allen Ehren: Mir bricht es das Herz, mitansehen zu müssen, daß nur jeder Dritte meiner handverlesenen Männer überhaupt auf dem Schlachtfeld ankommt. Den anderen hat der Computer beim Absprung tödliche Zufallsereignisse zugelost. Nach 30 Minuten Vorbereitung, bei der ich den Jungs sogar die Zigarettenschachteln zuteilen durfte, macht mich das rasend. Dafür wirkt der Kampf um so einschläfernder: In einigen Missionen verging eine halbe Stunde, ehe ich den ersten Feindkontakt hatte.

Schade, eigentlich hätte dies ein richtig schickes Taktikspielchen werden können. Hätte, wenn die Grafik zeitgemäßer, die Steuerung ausgereifter, die Missionen spannender und der Spielablauf flüssiger wäre. So bleibt es bei einem billigen Abklatsch solcher Perlen wie Jagged Alliance, denen dieses Programm leider nicht das Wasser reichen kann.