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preview :: panzer elite action fields of glory
Panzer Elite Action Fields of Glory
Reviewed on: PCAvailable on: PC, Playstation 2, Xbox
Players: 1 Player
Genre:
Release: TBA
Genre:
Release: TBA
Developer:
Distributor: Auran
Distributor: Auran
Auran?s most recent offering is a well structured shooting game of high tankitude. Escaping from the more cinematic and serious feeling WWII games we?ve seen lately, such as the neverending Medal of Honour series, Panzer Elite Action steers more towards a simple but effective almost arcady action shooter.
Unsurprisingly, you play the role of a tank commander in World War II. Controlling said tank is a breeze, with the keyboard controlling the tank?s motions and the mouse controlling both firing and looking around. A pretty standard setup really, and it feels natural and intuitive. The right mouse button fires your cannon, while the left fires a machine gun.
I could probably end this preview here and get some much needed sleep. Seriously, that?s about all you need to know. Combine all of the above and you?ve got Panzer in a nutshell. A large, fiery nutshell.
Anyway, the ?action? of the title mostly centers around the need for you to blow up large numbers of enemy (ie, Panzer) tanks. This is done largely by pressing the aforementioned ?cannon?, while it?s pointed at the bad man?s tank.
Sorry if I seem to be dumbing things down a little, but that?s pretty much what there is!
You have a small group of tanks at your disposal, who follow you around and generally do ?squadmate? kinds of things. You can give them basic commands, such as flanking maneuvers, and in general they get it right. At the very least they?re nice human shields to share the bullet taking.
Panzer Elite Action is really quite fun. I?ll say that straight up. The cannon fire is especially meaty, and that?s just as well, because you?re going to be doing that A LOT. The sound is heavy and deep, with a metallic tone to it, and the explosions are satisfying in their happy thud. And you can hear that thud from a lot of things. Primary target is, of course, the filthy Hun, but scattered around are buildings, trees, vehicles, etc, that can be blown up.
Graphics are adequate, though not something you?ll bring your friends around to see. There?s a lot of green, and a lot of brown. Smoke from burning tanks is handled well, and it?s just as well, as they?re pretty common fixtures.
Your squadmates (if that term applies as appropriately to men sitting in 8 tons of mobile artillery) are an interesting addition, turning what would have been a pure blast fest into a little bit more of a? well? blast fest with squadmates. They provide a little bit more strategy. They?re also quite well done, vocally, providing a little bit of story and background, as well as some fairly ribald humour. Army boys. Not the most sophistomacated gentlemen.
There were a few things about Panzer that didn?t impress me all that much.
First of all, I really couldn?t see what I was shooting at half the time. I pretty much pointed in the direction my guys were shooting and started shooting. The difference between the good tanks and the bad tanks is fairly minimal, especially if you?re not sure what you?re looking for, or there is obstructions, such as brush or grass. Another thing, though, and this isn?t aimed at Auran, but at ALL games developers is this simple fact: 10% of your market cannot differentiate properly between shades of red and green. I myself am mildly ?colour deficient?, one of my many deficiencies, and repeatedly find it frustrating when developers use light, low saturation shades of the most commonly troublesome hues to determine such critical information as friend/foe. I found myself occasionally shooting a good guy, because I just couldn?t tell. It made me feel slightly? American.
There are two other problems that I had with Panzer Elite Action. First of all, Panzer is not quite sure what it is. The control and the gameplay are very simple, almost arcadey, and the missions are straightforward to the point of being simplistic. Your squad are often humourous and light-hearted. But at the same time, the scenario of WWII tanks is a serious one. The graphics are realistic and detailed, and the chatter of your team can often be quite confrontational, as they mourn the death of a fallen soldier, etc. This gives Panzer Elite Action a kind of strange contrast, a light hearted seriousness that tries to uncomfortably straddle the divide between a fun arcade game and a serious WW2 shooter.
The other real downside to Panzer Elite Action is? Panzer Elite Action. Ultimately, while it?s fun to play for a little while, there?s not really all that much scope to the game in general. You drive a tank. You shoot stuff. You can?t change weapons or loadings, you can?t get out of the tank and run around. It is what it is, and nothing more. Not only that, but the setting doesn?t change. There?s no missions set in the frozen steppes of Russia, or the sands of Algeria, or anywhere that isn?t the same French fields. A change of scenery might have been nice.
Unsurprisingly, you play the role of a tank commander in World War II. Controlling said tank is a breeze, with the keyboard controlling the tank?s motions and the mouse controlling both firing and looking around. A pretty standard setup really, and it feels natural and intuitive. The right mouse button fires your cannon, while the left fires a machine gun.
I could probably end this preview here and get some much needed sleep. Seriously, that?s about all you need to know. Combine all of the above and you?ve got Panzer in a nutshell. A large, fiery nutshell.
Anyway, the ?action? of the title mostly centers around the need for you to blow up large numbers of enemy (ie, Panzer) tanks. This is done largely by pressing the aforementioned ?cannon?, while it?s pointed at the bad man?s tank.
Sorry if I seem to be dumbing things down a little, but that?s pretty much what there is!
You have a small group of tanks at your disposal, who follow you around and generally do ?squadmate? kinds of things. You can give them basic commands, such as flanking maneuvers, and in general they get it right. At the very least they?re nice human shields to share the bullet taking.
Panzer Elite Action is really quite fun. I?ll say that straight up. The cannon fire is especially meaty, and that?s just as well, because you?re going to be doing that A LOT. The sound is heavy and deep, with a metallic tone to it, and the explosions are satisfying in their happy thud. And you can hear that thud from a lot of things. Primary target is, of course, the filthy Hun, but scattered around are buildings, trees, vehicles, etc, that can be blown up.
Graphics are adequate, though not something you?ll bring your friends around to see. There?s a lot of green, and a lot of brown. Smoke from burning tanks is handled well, and it?s just as well, as they?re pretty common fixtures.
Your squadmates (if that term applies as appropriately to men sitting in 8 tons of mobile artillery) are an interesting addition, turning what would have been a pure blast fest into a little bit more of a? well? blast fest with squadmates. They provide a little bit more strategy. They?re also quite well done, vocally, providing a little bit of story and background, as well as some fairly ribald humour. Army boys. Not the most sophistomacated gentlemen.
There were a few things about Panzer that didn?t impress me all that much.
First of all, I really couldn?t see what I was shooting at half the time. I pretty much pointed in the direction my guys were shooting and started shooting. The difference between the good tanks and the bad tanks is fairly minimal, especially if you?re not sure what you?re looking for, or there is obstructions, such as brush or grass. Another thing, though, and this isn?t aimed at Auran, but at ALL games developers is this simple fact: 10% of your market cannot differentiate properly between shades of red and green. I myself am mildly ?colour deficient?, one of my many deficiencies, and repeatedly find it frustrating when developers use light, low saturation shades of the most commonly troublesome hues to determine such critical information as friend/foe. I found myself occasionally shooting a good guy, because I just couldn?t tell. It made me feel slightly? American.
There are two other problems that I had with Panzer Elite Action. First of all, Panzer is not quite sure what it is. The control and the gameplay are very simple, almost arcadey, and the missions are straightforward to the point of being simplistic. Your squad are often humourous and light-hearted. But at the same time, the scenario of WWII tanks is a serious one. The graphics are realistic and detailed, and the chatter of your team can often be quite confrontational, as they mourn the death of a fallen soldier, etc. This gives Panzer Elite Action a kind of strange contrast, a light hearted seriousness that tries to uncomfortably straddle the divide between a fun arcade game and a serious WW2 shooter.
The other real downside to Panzer Elite Action is? Panzer Elite Action. Ultimately, while it?s fun to play for a little while, there?s not really all that much scope to the game in general. You drive a tank. You shoot stuff. You can?t change weapons or loadings, you can?t get out of the tank and run around. It is what it is, and nothing more. Not only that, but the setting doesn?t change. There?s no missions set in the frozen steppes of Russia, or the sands of Algeria, or anywhere that isn?t the same French fields. A change of scenery might have been nice.