Rating: 
Summary: Superior operational level wargame
Review: "Korsun Pocket" is not a microwavable lunch product, but an excellent operational level wargame backed by an impressive AI. You also get a bonus, "The Ardennes Offensive", which was an earlier game but revamped and joined with a modern AI and upgraded game system. The scenarios covered by Korsun Pocket cover various phases of the desperate battle fought in early 1944 as the German Army was forced out of the Dnepr region, and the Soviets successfully trapped two German army corps in a "mini Stalingrad" bubble. As the Germans, you assemble and thrust armored divisions to rescue the trapped army. As the Russians, you have to both reduce the pocket before the rescuers arrive, and fend off the massed attacks. Both sides have to contend with interdiction, supply, and sporadic reinforcements. (In the real battle, a few thousand German troops made it out but many were slaughtered in the final breakout.) Korsun is a vast improvement in AI over prior boardgame-syle wargames. It feints, carefully assembles striking forces before attacking, and conserves resources. It does not merely react to local battles or movements - it is (or appears to be) using a "whole board" approach, as in Go. It is easier to assess unit strengths in Korsun and predict combat outcomes. The computer actually roles dice. The units' rating is a combined quanta of strength, proficiency and leadership, and does not appear to be based on counting rifles or AFV. On the complexity side (like a good game, the game mechanics are like an onion, yielding as much complexity as preferred), a player who ignores supply, transport and bridges is asking for trouble. Unit reinforcement is handled manually, and choosing which units to reinforce is quite a decision. The differences in design are manifested in the mechanics of gameplay. In earlier wargames, "general offensives" by nearly every viable unit on the board were common. In "Korsun", this is suicide, since once units begin to suffer casualties, they tend to stay understrength. Casualties are easy to track and matter a lot in an immediate drop in unit strength. Attacks must be selective and balance armor, infantry and available artillery support. Unit integrity matters. Supply, artillery and most engineer units have virtually no defensive capabilities, so if they fall victim to rampaging armor, you're screwed. I agree with one negative reviewer that this IS a hard game (although the "Ardennes" remake is easier.) I haven't found the grail yet, and that is how it should be, since the replayability is important for a $40 game, isn't it? I would recommend, however, that Matrix include an easier beginners scenario, especially for people who haven't been exposed to the Norm Koger's "Operational Art of War" games or similar simulations. Other recommended wargames: The "Combat Mission" series (squad level), and the Koger "Operational Art" games for machines not running XP.
Rating:
Summary: Superior operational level wargame
Review: "Korsun Pocket" is not a microwavable lunch product, but an excellent operational level wargame backed by an impressive AI. You also get a bonus, "The Ardennes Offensive", which was an earlier game but revamped and joined with a modern AI and upgraded game system. The scenarios covered by Korsun Pocket cover various phases of the desperate battle fought in early 1944 as the German Army was forced out of the Dnepr region, and the Soviets successfully trapped two German army corps in a "mini Stalingrad" bubble. As the Germans, you assemble and thrust armored divisions to rescue the trapped army. As the Russians, you have to both reduce the pocket before the rescuers arrive, and fend off the massed attacks. Both sides have to contend with interdiction, supply, and sporadic reinforcements. (In the real battle, a few thousand German troops made it out but many were slaughtered in the final breakout.) Korsun is a vast improvement in AI over prior boardgame-syle wargames. It feints, carefully assembles striking forces before attacking, and conserves resources. It does not merely react to local battles or movements - it is (or appears to be) using a "whole board" approach, as in Go. It is easier to assess unit strengths in Korsun and predict combat outcomes. The computer actually roles dice. The units' rating is a combined quanta of strength, proficiency and leadership, and does not appear to be based on counting rifles or AFV. On the complexity side (like a good game, the game mechanics are like an onion, yielding as much complexity as preferred), a player who ignores supply, transport and bridges is asking for trouble. Unit reinforcement is handled manually, and choosing which units to reinforce is quite a decision. The differences in design are manifested in the mechanics of gameplay. In earlier wargames, "general offensives" by nearly every viable unit on the board were common. In "Korsun", this is suicide, since once units begin to suffer casualties, they tend to stay understrength. Casualties are easy to track and matter a lot in an immediate drop in unit strength. Attacks must be selective and balance armor, infantry and available artillery support. Unit integrity matters. Supply, artillery and most engineer units have virtually no defensive capabilities, so if they fall victim to rampaging armor, you're screwed. I agree with one negative reviewer that this IS a hard game (although the "Ardennes" remake is easier.) I haven't found the grail yet, and that is how it should be, since the replayability is important for a $40 game, isn't it? I would recommend, however, that Matrix include an easier beginners scenario, especially for people who haven't been exposed to the Norm Koger's "Operational Art of War" games or similar simulations. Other recommended wargames: The "Combat Mission" series (squad level), and the Koger "Operational Art" games for machines not running XP.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent game!
Review: Excellent turn-based, hex-based war game. Very easy to learn and understand, but hard to master. Because the mechanics are so simple (for example, artillery simply 'shifts' the odds) you can really focus on your strategy. It seems like I've played every game of this type going back to Apple II days, and this is the best.
Rating:
Summary: This Game is a Masterpeice
Review: Highs: Massively detailed yet quite degestible; it sets a new standard for turn-based games.
Lows: Aside from the game's inherent complexity, it really doesn't have any lows
Bottom Line: What an accomplishment! Korson Pocket reaches a new pinnacle in wargame design
Rating: 
Summary: Second Review - Lowered My Rating
Review: I reviewed this game awhile back after I had played it for a short time and had not finished working my way through the tutorials. Now that I have had a chance to play the game several times I want to change my review and the star rating. This is, superfically, the old Avalon Hill board game concept. I liked that concept a lot. With a board game, if something is going on that is just plain nuts the players just ignore it and go on with the game. A computer prevents that. So when crazy things start happening you just can't stop it. The game is very complex. So complex that it is ponderous to play. Common sense just isn't part of the process. At some very fundamental level I don't understand this game. And I have played everything from Tactics II through France 1940 plus a lot of electronic computer games. I have read the manual (80+ pages) and I have played through the tutorials. But when playing the game incomprehensible things go wrong. My units run out of supply, even when they are in the supply net. The Soviet side has little or no air support while the Germans are just busting with it. How is this possible in 1944? My units lose combat value rather quickly and fast manuver is just out of the question. I have noticed that even surrounded German units fight better than my unit (when I play the Soviet side). So... something is wrong with my game play. At this point I am about to give up. I have spent so many hours now just trying to master the basics of the game. I don't think it is worth it to keep going. After all, this shouldn't be like taking a college course in a subject you hate. So the game is hard? So what? That alone would not lower my scoring to two stars. It is the game itself. It moves so slow. And as the commander you must constantly review the supply situation etc for each and every unit on each and every turn. If there were 20 units that wouldn't be so bad, but when you have to review hundreds of units the burden is amazing. That, along with a lot of other similar problems, sucks all the fun right out of the game. I think the programmers need to put in a level of subordinate command that would handle at least some of these details. It could toggle off and on just in case someone really wanted to do all of the supply detail and whatnot themselves for every unit. Another level of subordinate command might have some units move on their own or at least alert you that they had possible movements available. Reinforcements fall into that catagory. It is easy to forget to scan the supply centers and see if reinforcements are sitting there read to be moved. And that can be critical. Another really crummy idea was to make the artillery unmoveable without some kind of special circumstance. All artillery units in the real world have, built in, movement equipment or horses and most artillery can move and shoot very quickly. That is one reasons it was (and is) so effective. The set up time was minimal. In this game you can only move by clicking on extended move. Strange. I think they need to build in to every game a "starter" kind of game. Something with very simple rules to introduce the game player to the basics without a lot of fluff. The manual itself explain the rules but it doesn't take enough time telling us WHY the rules were written in such a way. Trying to remember the rule in isolation is almost impossible. I remember a rule because it make sense in context. These rules have to be remembered out of context. Very hard. So, I still think this is an Ok game but I will probably not be playing it very often if at all. The slow moving, complex and non-intutive nature of the game play simply means the game isn't any fun.
Rating:
Summary: Second Review - Lowered My Rating
Review: I reviewed this game awhile back after I had played it for a short time and had not finished working my way through the tutorials. Now that I have had a chance to play the game several times I want to change my review and the star rating. This is, superfically, the old Avalon Hill board game concept. I liked that concept a lot. With a board game, if something is going on that is just plain nuts the players just ignore it and go on with the game. A computer prevents that. So when crazy things start happening you just can't stop it. The game is very complex. So complex that it is ponderous to play. Common sense just isn't part of the process. At some very fundamental level I don't understand this game. And I have played everything from Tactics II through France 1940 plus a lot of electronic computer games. I have read the manual (80+ pages) and I have played through the tutorials. But when playing the game incomprehensible things go wrong. My units run out of supply, even when they are in the supply net. The Soviet side has little or no air support while the Germans are just busting with it. How is this possible in 1944? My units lose combat value rather quickly and fast manuver is just out of the question. I have noticed that even surrounded German units fight better than my unit (when I play the Soviet side). So... something is wrong with my game play. At this point I am about to give up. I have spent so many hours now just trying to master the basics of the game. I don't think it is worth it to keep going. After all, this shouldn't be like taking a college course in a subject you hate. So the game is hard? So what? That alone would not lower my scoring to two stars. It is the game itself. It moves so slow. And as the commander you must constantly review the supply situation etc for each and every unit on each and every turn. If there were 20 units that wouldn't be so bad, but when you have to review hundreds of units the burden is amazing. That, along with a lot of other similar problems, sucks all the fun right out of the game. I think the programmers need to put in a level of subordinate command that would handle at least some of these details. It could toggle off and on just in case someone really wanted to do all of the supply detail and whatnot themselves for every unit. Another level of subordinate command might have some units move on their own or at least alert you that they had possible movements available. Reinforcements fall into that catagory. It is easy to forget to scan the supply centers and see if reinforcements are sitting there read to be moved. And that can be critical. Another really crummy idea was to make the artillery unmoveable without some kind of special circumstance. All artillery units in the real world have, built in, movement equipment or horses and most artillery can move and shoot very quickly. That is one reasons it was (and is) so effective. The set up time was minimal. In this game you can only move by clicking on extended move. Strange. I think they need to build in to every game a "starter" kind of game. Something with very simple rules to introduce the game player to the basics without a lot of fluff. The manual itself explain the rules but it doesn't take enough time telling us WHY the rules were written in such a way. Trying to remember the rule in isolation is almost impossible. I remember a rule because it make sense in context. These rules have to be remembered out of context. Very hard. So, I still think this is an Ok game but I will probably not be playing it very often if at all. The slow moving, complex and non-intutive nature of the game play simply means the game isn't any fun.
Rating:
Summary: Best turn based wargame in a long time
Review: I've been an on again/off again wargamer for several years, and with all the emphasis on RTS , it seemed that turn based strategy games were a thing of the past.The developers at SSG have taken their game engine for "The Ardennes Offensive" - a very good game that revisited the Battle of the Bulge, and made it MUCH more user friendly. Sure, there are alot of details to manage (supply, differentiating unit types,taking into account different terrain , weather , etc.) but the developers have managed to take alot of this information and present it in very understandable ways. Their "Combat advisor" is a real timesaver when it comes to helping you decide exactly where to attack by displaying the odds for a succesful attack, but the more strategic decisions are still left up to you.
I've been up till 2 am the past 5 nights trying to rethink strategies/tactics to beat the scenarios, and every time its different. There are several different levels of AI intelligence, and it WILL give you a very good challenge. It knows when/where to attack, how to conduct retreats and manage its supply very well. But of course, nothing beats a real live human opponent, and you can play with a play by email (PBEM) option thats very well integrated into the game.
I was almost ready to write off turn based strategy/war games, but the folks at Matrix/ SSG have a product I think will bring alot of people who wouldn't have previously considered this type of game clamoring for more.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Game
Review: I've been waiting for this game since Ardennes Offensive came out years ago. That was the best hex wargame system ever, now KP is. The great thing is that AO is included with with KP. Glad to see add-on's coming. Some bugs here and there, but I haven't seen them affect gameplay/combat at all, just some occasionally annoying things. But don't let that disuade you, its a solid game. The AI in standard difficultly isn't too challenging, so turn it up.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Game
Review: I've been waiting for this game since Ardennes Offensive came out years ago. That was the best hex wargame system ever, now KP is. The great thing is that AO is included with with KP. Glad to see add-on's coming. Some bugs here and there, but I haven't seen them affect gameplay/combat at all, just some occasionally annoying things. But don't let that disuade you, its a solid game. The AI in standard difficultly isn't too challenging, so turn it up.
Rating: 
Summary: I don't see enough of these...
Review: It's good to see a major release of a hex-based operational level wargame. This is the first one I've seen on store shelves since Operational Art of War, which, to be frank, wasn't that great a game. This one's a lot of fun. The AI is decent, the graphics are very good for a game of this kind, and the combat advisor makes planning an offensive much easier. If you like this sort of game, I'd buy it without hesitation. If you've never played an operation wargame before, this one's very accesible, and a good place to start. WARNING: The first patch for the game is 80 megs, making it quite a challenge to get if you've got dialup.
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