Summary
A Great Sequel to 1994's Armored Fist
The Good
The outstanding music, sound effects and graphics. I just rediscovered this game while tweaking an older PII computer. With a joystick and a little practice, you can really destroy the enemy! Here are are some of my field tested tactics for Armored Fist 2:
1. Always engage engine smoke to keep enemies from getting a lock on you.
2. Pop smoke grenades when in contact, which further protects you, and get into the gunner's station. Use the joystick to get the reticle on the enemy tanks. Press "F" for fine control, and blow them away manually as fast as possible (like in Steel Beasts).
3. Manual destruction of the enemy apparently wasn't what the programmers had in mind because you can wipe out a battalion in about 5 seconds as long as you do it behind your smokescreen. It's very jumpy and takes a lot of practice. Once you've got this down, there's no need for the "target lock" which seems to draw the enemy's attention.
4. The Staff round works if you have a "barrel fault" in that you can fire over a T-80 or BMP and it'll take it out from the top down.
5. I always use a line formation, normal spacing, and order "fire on my target". Also, call air support immediately on every mission and call often.
The Bad
The convoluted manual! It makes the game seem way more complicated than it is. It's also unnecessarily repetitious. There's also one or two almost impossible scenarios that almost force you to cheat...but a real gamer wouldn't resort to that!
The Bottom Line
An entertaining exciting armored battlefield simulation that isn't too hard to learn. It's best to use a programmable joystick and get manual gunnery down to have the most fun. Finish all 49 stand alone missions without cheating and you've really accomplished something!
