Panzer General

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Description

The time for resurrecting historical events has come. Panzer General was one of the first games (if not the first) that actually gave you the ability to play for the Nazis, and yet succeed where Hitler failed. Having total and complete control over land, sea and air units, you must defeat the Allied dogs as fast as you can (to get a major victory), or slower than in history (to get the minor victory).

The game's quality lies in the quantity of units. There are basically hundreds of Axis and Allied units from World War II, accompanied with "circled" animations and battle sounds, as well as marching or moving sounds. The Main menu is always located on the right side of the screen, with plenty of options and selections you can change to suit your preferences.

A turn-based hexagon strategy game that will actually go faster if you have faster computer, but will always be playable (speed doesn't go up infinite). The first and original Panzer General, this installment would be followed by sequels and many other games in the series using the "General" name.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Part of the Following Groups

• 5-Star General series
• BPjS / BPjM indexed games
• Game feature: Hexagonal map
• Historical conflict: World War II
• Panzer General series
• Setting: Country - France

User Reviews

The first truely strategic wargame, and lots of fun to boot!	DOS	Maury Markowitz (248)
Bring on the Flak 88's, PzKw IV H's, PzKw VI Tiger's and Me262's	DOS	Thekwane Black (34)
Though more a "strategy" than "wargame" title, the game that brought wargames back from the brink	DOS	weregamer (169)
Playstation's hidden Jewel.	PlayStation	wade hampton (9)

Critic Reviews

Computer Gaming World (CGW)	DOS	Jan, 1995		100
Game Players	3DO	Nov, 1995	93 out of 100	93
MikroBitti	DOS	Jan, 1995	93 out of 100	93
Coming Soon Magazine	DOS	Dec, 1994	91 out of 100	91
Power Play	DOS	Nov, 1994	89 out of 100	89
Score	DOS	Jan, 1995	89 out of 100	89
Video Games	PlayStation	Mar, 1996	84 out of 100	84
High Score	Macintosh	Aug, 1996	4 out of 5	80
CD Player	DOS	1996	8 out of 10	80
Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM)	3DO	Oct, 1995	6.9 out of 10	69

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Trivia

Inspiration

According to SSI designer Chuck Kroegel, the Japanese strategy series Daisenryaku was the primary inspiration for the non-traditional wargame design of Panzer General. Says Kroegel: "I can honestly say that if we hadn't played Daisen Raiku (sic), Panzer General would never have happened, period." [Retro Gamer magazine, Load 43]

Ratings

On June 29, 1996, the DOS version of Panzer General was put on the infamous German index by the BPjS. This only applies to the original version, which had a problem with the manual; re-releases with a modified manual and the other platform releases are not effected.

For more information about what this means and to see a list of games sharing the same fate, take a look here: BPjS/BPjM indexed games.

Awards

• Computer Gaming World
  • May 1995 (Issue #130) – Wargame of the Year
  • May 1995 (Issue #130) – Best Voice-Over Acting (for Barry Lank's performance as commanding officer)
  • November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) - #15 in 150 Best Games of All Time" list
  • November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #8 Best Way To Die In Computer Gaming (getting shot after failing a mission)
  • September 1997 (Issue #157) – Introduced into the Hall of Fame
• GameStar (Germany)
  • Issue 12/1999 - #46 in the "100 Most Important PC Games of the Nineties" ranking
• PC Gamer
  • April 2005 issue - #42 in the 50 Best Games of All Time list
• Power Play
  • Issue 02/1995 – Best Strategy Game in 1994

Information also contributed by Andrew Grasmeder and Xoleras.

Related Web Sites

• Wikipedia: Panzer General (Information about Panzer General at Wikipedia)