Panzer General

Moby ID: 1021
DOS Specs
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Description official descriptions

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 a minor victory).

The game's quality lies in the number 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 a faster computer, but will always be playable (speed doesn't go up to infinity). The first and original Panzer General, this installment would be followed by sequels and many other games in the series using the "General" name.

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Credits (DOS version)

54 People (43 developers, 11 thanks) · View all

Programmer
Artist
Producer
Associate Producer
Additional Associate Producers
Campaign Design
Scenario Design
Audio Programming Director
Audio Programmer
Music
Map Design
Test Supervisor
Lead Product Testers
Product Testers
Test Support
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 82% (based on 28 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 70 ratings with 4 reviews)

Playstation's hidden Jewel.

The Good
I REALLY believe this Game is one of Playstation's hidden jewels that mostly gets overlooked all the time by others because it's a Port on a PC franchise and it's a Strategy Game.However,if you're either a World War Two buff or a fan of Strategy Games(or both),you'll be hard pressed to find a better Game of this type on a Console.The story is immediately familiar because it's based on actual battles in World War Two.And even some ' what if ' battles that will make you salivate from the possibilities.There's Hundreds of Unit types to choose for your Core Army you control and gain Experience through out the Game with.The Battle maps are large and provide challenges to your overall Strategy.You have battle Animations for all Units or choose to turn them off.You can also choose a Hex overview of the Map or a regular View.The Voice acting is really quite hilarious to listen to before a battle.Scenarios of all the battles are always available for play. All Metals and Accomplishments are tracked throughout your Campaigns.And a Directory of all Unit types can be Referenced.

The Bad
There's not much I didn't like on this Game,however there were a few sore spots.The Music is catchy at first,but after awhile it becomes intolerable,and regularly cuts in and out anyway.The cursor occasionally wigs out on you and can't be controlled easily.Every time you select something on a menu,it makes an annoying shooting sound that gets nerve racking.And you can't play Scenarios with your Campaign Army.

The Bottom Line
A turn based Strategy Game of the German Army's Battles throughout Europe and the U.S. between 1939-1945.

PlayStation · by wade hampton (7) · 2005

Though more a "strategy" than "wargame" title, the game that brought wargames back from the brink

The Good
This was both a seminal game in two different ways, and a very fun, engaging game to play. At the time, the "strategy game" and "war game" genres were very distinct. Wargames strove for technical and historical accuracy in the recreation of real-world and hypothetical conflicts; games with fictional themes and looser simulations were "strategy" games, and generally games that couldn't fit the "wargame" criteria would go all-out and use fantasy or SF setups. This game broke through that dichotomy, using a historical conflict and including as much realistic simulation as would fit without compromising the accessibility of the fun. It also broke the mold for both genres by putting some effort into aesthetics, especially visuals.

The result was a breakthrough game, which not only appealed to the fans of both genres but to a broader market as well. It was a great deal of fun to play, with an engaging element of personal involvement (the player earned and spent "prestige" to simulate the sort of favor with higher command that gains extra reinforcements, prototype units, and chances to pursue daring operations) and enough realism to reward realistic tactics without deep bogs of detail for the casual player.

The Bad
At the time, I didn't have a lot to complain about in the game. There were a few bugs and a couple of available exploits (which don't matter much in a single-player game). Along with everybody else, I wanted the chance to play the Allies in a campaign, which had to wait for the followup game, Allied General. (A sad disappointment when it arrived, but only of tangential bearing here.)

The Bottom Line
This was a doubly, or maybe triply, seminal game. It bridged the ideological gap between the "wargame" and "strategy game" genres, but it also managed to be accessible and fun to the broader market of more casual players without disappointing those who already liked these styles of games.

The third innovation is more sociological than directly game-related. This game broke new ground by putting the player in the role of an Axis - in fact, a Nazi - general, This was a great idea for game play, because the Allied side had been played to death, in nearly every possible incarnation, already. The developers judged that we have gained some historical distance from WWII, and can examine the military side of the conflict separately from the moral and ideological sides. That said, if you would be uncomfortable in the role of a Nazi commander invading France, you would need to steer clear of this game for that reason - and that one alone, as it is a fine, fun game.

DOS · by weregamer (155) · 2004

Bring on the Flak 88's, PzKw IV H's, PzKw VI Tiger's and Me262's

The Good
I have a high end computer, with up to date graphics cards, tons of memory and have played many modern day WW2 games, including company heroes, but nothing compares to Panzer General in game play. This intriguing dos game puts you in command as a German General Tank commander, with the objective of conquering Europe and beyond. There is a huge variety of equipment available to you starting off with small panzer s with twin machine guns to huge King tigers with 88mm guns.

The game itself is a history lesson, and encouraged my interest in German weaponry during this era. You have prestige which you use to build up an army. Not only do you control tanks, but you must purchase, fighters, tactical bombers, level bombers,infantry, anti-tank, artillery, air defense, anti-aircraft vehicles, recon units etc..The AI is very clever, and you need a certain amount of each unit to successful complete missions. If you do very well, you can change History. Try attacking fortified towns with tanks and watch them get blown to pieces, you have to soften the towns up with artillery, level bombing and infantry, at the same time you are getting hit by anti-aircraft, counter artillery and stubborn soldiers who doggedly hold on to towns. This game forces you to learn and understand what each units function is and how best to use them.



The Bad
Save your game regularly, one stupid move or placing your units in incorrect layout could mean you have a much tougher fight, or lose the chance of getting a "Major Victory". Worst, you could lose a tank which you have upgraded and which had battle honors going back to Poland, all because you charged it into a Soviet Anti-Tank Ambush! without recon work first.

The Bottom Line
I often come back to this dos based game time and time again. Recently fans created a Windows upgrade called Panzer General forever which brings this game to enthusiasts who do not wish to go through the dos box route. This is a Chess type, turn based game and should be looked at in that context.

WW2 war equipment enthusiast will appreciate this game, and encourage them to look up equipment that they use to combat there enemies. Enthusiasts have made mods, and added more historical equipment as well. Game players will also learn that German tanks during the initial years were really inferior to those of the British and Soviets and only when the Panzer IV G's and H's came out in later part of the war, were the Germans on equal footing.

DOS · by Thekwane Black (30) · 2011

[ View all 4 player reviews ]

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

German Release

The German release does not contain a front and back cover. A sticker with rating information and EAN code is attached directly to the jewel case.

Information also contributed by Andrew Grasmeder and Xoleras.

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by MAT.

Macintosh added by Kabushi. PC-98 added by Terok Nor. 3DO added by Mullet of Death. PlayStation added by Jeanne.

Additional contributors: PCGamer77, DreinIX, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, Rainer S.

Game added July 27, 2000. Last modified March 1, 2024.