Panzer Corps 2

Let us first get some misconceptions out of the way. It's not a war simulator. The units, names, operations and so are represented with good historical accuracy. However, the stats, maps distances, and the actual scenarios are creative interpretation of game makers. And this is fine, but I want to warn anyone that came here for a historically accurate game. Now, about the game. It's good. A good puzzle game set in WWII era from point of view of German Panzer Coprs (the tile kinda gives it away). Don't expect to spend much time commanding a M4 sherman. Each campaign is a series of scenarios on a hex map. Unit stats transition from map to map, along with prestige (the main resource). This means that you are incentivized to leverage strong suits of your units to suffer as little casualties as it's possible. This way you don't have to spent prestige to heal your units. This is not very well communicated in the tutorial campaign and the UI of the game. Each unit works in the same way. You look mainly on stats and special traits of units. Opponents have the same stats and traits visible in the UI. Most missions are 20 turns long which translates into 20-40 minutes for each mission. Sometimes an hour when dealing with more units. Overall, it's a quire snappy game and it feels very satisfying to complete objectives on turn 20 by doing some dariung manouver (which happen to me way to many times). I didn't yet delve into DLCs, but they seem to offer more of the same, but with variations. Surprisingly, I feel quite fungry for it. The main point of contempt for me is the price. 34 euros feels a little bit steep for what the game offers, but at 50% discount I wuld say get it and enjoy.

The problem with this wargame is that they added features without adapting the scenarios&campaigns. Until I understood that, I gave only 3 stars. So, to play the best, allow you 10 general points, so you don't need to take drawbacks (wich may prevent you from playing some scenarios), don't allow you heroes being killed (even at 01% they die too fast), don't take any bad options. They the game is like what the devs wanted, great.

I have been playing the Panzer General series since about 1993 and this is the best upgrade to the game I have seen yet. The encirclement rules are my favorite innovation, and give mechanics as to how a weaker but much more mobile force can destroy a more numerically superior enemy. The vehicle attributes are not perfect but I can see why they made decisons , mostly towards game balance. Can't say enough good things about it.

Bottom line: Assuming you like the genre, PC2 is an excellent improvement on the first installment without reinventing the wheel. This is a game I know I'll play for years as they release more content, and I think it's well worth your time. As noted by other reviewers, Panzer Corps 2 is a turn-based wargame that is easy to learn (for those roughly familiar with other TBS games) and difficult to master. It doesn't reinvent the wheel on the genre or the series--if you don't like the core conceit of carefully and methodically allocating your forces, executing the missions cautiously based on the strengths and weaknesses of your composition rather than bull rushing through, then this game will likely frustrate you--which is to say, it's no Company of Heroes or the like. Assuming you do like the genre, then PC2 improves on a winning formula from the 1st installment in the series in a way that--in my view--moves the game away from the "solvable puzzle" dynamic you sometimes felt in certain PC1 missions and toward a more flexible and open-ended game that provides different avenues to achieve your objectives. Some of this is done through more mission branching--giving you an option to play a more attritional siege-based level or a rapid blitzkrieg one--and some is done through a useful new supply system that limits the number of units you can field not on an absolute basis but on their relative weight and value (e.g. you can't just steamroll with 15 tank divisions and 10 engineers the way you could in PC1). This system, combined with more generous point rewards for improving and maintaining your army, along with a few other smaller tweaks, opens up tactical options that often felt more constrained in PC1. As an aside, I haven't had any technical difficulties playing this game. Obviously, everyone's experience on that differs, but at least know it's not a universal problem.

Seemed like a game that should've been better in every way, but after playing it I ended up refunding it. I know the small maps open up more later, and the customization of your general is great. But the actual gameplay just seemed lacking, a bit finicking in places - especially air attacks, and just rather disappointing. I was really hoping to work on big multi-sided scenarios, but in the end just found myself uninterested. Maybe it's the lockdown blues, but I just found myself very disappointed.