Rating: 
Summary: Superior, Well-Supported WWII Platoon Tank Simulation
Review: An amazingly detailed you-are-there tactical simulation, covering 82 vehicles, 23 of which are drivable, including Mk IV, Panther, Tiger 1, and various M4 variants. Panzer Elite scenerios cover the campaigns in North Africa, Italy, and Normandy. You operate a single vehicle with accurately modeled physics, interiors, gunnery, and damage, and can command a platoon. The user interface is very well designed, combining mouse and keyboard commands to control your vehicle and wingmen. Elaborate terrain, building, tree, and infantry modeling set the game apart from its predecessors. It requires a Pentium II 200 or better, with at least 32 Mb or RAM, and 250 Megs free disk space after installation. The usual 3D cards are supported. The programmers keep a message board for support at wingssimulations.com and have been extremely response and open. If you have sufficient RAM, free disk space, and use up-to-date reference drivers (directx 6.1), you should not have any problems.
Rating: 
Summary: Panzer Elite- Massive potential but poor delivery.
Review: Another game released for the holidays still in Beta form. Massive potential but incredibly buggy, it didn't even work for me out of the box. Stupidly, I waited for the first patch, I wish I had just returned it. The good; definately the best treatment of WWII tank combat yet done and potentially the best tank sim period. Right now, IMO, M1TPII has it beat just because it is finished. Good graphics, original but very efficient interface, and great detail in terms of the weapons. The bad; Numerous graphics glitches including floating objects, seams in terrain tiles, and things like smoke and flame from burning tanks appearing in front of you, when they should be behind you. Massive terrain 'pop-up', turning apparent smooth terrain into nasty hills and cliffs. Coding errors in the armor files and AI shooting which frequently, for no apparant reason, starts shooting wildly. AI tanks which drive THROUGH each other and a tactical map which gets so small at higher resolutions as to become almost useless. Some of the radio messages do not play audibly, but only display on the screen and frequently, they don't tell you who they are from. Poor design choices; Very poor graphical representation of your round impacts, making it very difficult to determine where you are hitting. A terrible manual that doesn't even include all the keyboard commands. As I mentioned above, the gunnery portion is very involved and detailed, yet there is not a single mention of the gun sights in the manual! You basically have to experiment as even the documented commands don't work the way you would assume. Especially bad is that there is no way to back up your AI wingmen tanks. Order them to a new location and they frequently drive in circles, exposing their vulnerable flanks and rear to the enemy. Inability to switch between tanks meaning if your tank flips over, is destroyed (and your persona survives, even unscathed), or bogs down in a river, game over, even with 4 other tanks in perfect condition. The ugly; The patches themselves have caused problems. The first patch caused unforseen problems, and it was then modified. The updated patch also caused problems resulting in a new, subpatch. Then, due to the problems caused by prior patches, a program was offered to check your install and this also caused many problems, the third version is now available. Many users still cannot get it to work, and many joysticks and other controllers cause problems such as the tank turrets spinning uncontrollably. Luckily the mouse interface works well (I know it sounds strange to use a mouse in a tank game, but the interface is done very well.). This game has massive potential and Wings will provide continuing support until it shines. Without the bugs and glitches I would have given it 4 stars. Take out some of the poor design choices (Several of which Wings has said they will change in future patches), and I would have given it 5. It's just a matter of whether you want to be a Beta tester and wait the several months until this thing is really done. I know many of you will say that M1TPII had problems out of the box also. Believe me, the problems that title had were nowhere near as bad as even the current patched version of PE has. With continued support, this game will eventually be one of the defining sims in this genre. Many hardcore users are jumping into the fray and publishing documents and files to improve, explain, and modify this sim. For now, my advise is, stay away from it.
Rating:
Summary: Panzer Elite- Massive potential but poor delivery.
Review: Another game released for the holidays still in Beta form. Massive potential but incredibly buggy, it didn't even work for me out of the box. Stupidly, I waited for the first patch, I wish I had just returned it. The good; definately the best treatment of WWII tank combat yet done and potentially the best tank sim period. Right now, IMO, M1TPII has it beat just because it is finished. Good graphics, original but very efficient interface, and great detail in terms of the weapons. The bad; Numerous graphics glitches including floating objects, seams in terrain tiles, and things like smoke and flame from burning tanks appearing in front of you, when they should be behind you. Massive terrain 'pop-up', turning apparent smooth terrain into nasty hills and cliffs. Coding errors in the armor files and AI shooting which frequently, for no apparant reason, starts shooting wildly. AI tanks which drive THROUGH each other and a tactical map which gets so small at higher resolutions as to become almost useless. Some of the radio messages do not play audibly, but only display on the screen and frequently, they don't tell you who they are from. Poor design choices; Very poor graphical representation of your round impacts, making it very difficult to determine where you are hitting. A terrible manual that doesn't even include all the keyboard commands. As I mentioned above, the gunnery portion is very involved and detailed, yet there is not a single mention of the gun sights in the manual! You basically have to experiment as even the documented commands don't work the way you would assume. Especially bad is that there is no way to back up your AI wingmen tanks. Order them to a new location and they frequently drive in circles, exposing their vulnerable flanks and rear to the enemy. Inability to switch between tanks meaning if your tank flips over, is destroyed (and your persona survives, even unscathed), or bogs down in a river, game over, even with 4 other tanks in perfect condition. The ugly; The patches themselves have caused problems. The first patch caused unforseen problems, and it was then modified. The updated patch also caused problems resulting in a new, subpatch. Then, due to the problems caused by prior patches, a program was offered to check your install and this also caused many problems, the third version is now available. Many users still cannot get it to work, and many joysticks and other controllers cause problems such as the tank turrets spinning uncontrollably. Luckily the mouse interface works well (I know it sounds strange to use a mouse in a tank game, but the interface is done very well.). This game has massive potential and Wings will provide continuing support until it shines. Without the bugs and glitches I would have given it 4 stars. Take out some of the poor design choices (Several of which Wings has said they will change in future patches), and I would have given it 5. It's just a matter of whether you want to be a Beta tester and wait the several months until this thing is really done. I know many of you will say that M1TPII had problems out of the box also. Believe me, the problems that title had were nowhere near as bad as even the current patched version of PE has. With continued support, this game will eventually be one of the defining sims in this genre. Many hardcore users are jumping into the fray and publishing documents and files to improve, explain, and modify this sim. For now, my advise is, stay away from it.
Rating:
Summary: The only WW II Tank Sim Worth Owning
Review: First off. This is a Simulation, not an Arcade Shoot-em-up. If you just jump into this game and expect to survive, forget it. The AI is pretty tough and keeping your platoon alive is something you're going to have to work hard at. If you want to feel what it was like to be a Tanker during World War II, then this is the game for you. Wing Simulations, the publisher, has a customer service website that is unsurpassed by any company marketing games today. The game has 80 missions (40 per side) and can be played as single scenarios or as linked campaigns. A really engrossing game.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING Armor sim
Review: Highly recommended for all Panzer-geeks and Treadheads. Speaking as a DesertStorm "Hell On Wheels" M1A1 tanker, PanzerElite is a realistic yet playable armor sim. The tanks and terrain graphics live up to the hype. The Artificial Intelligence is fantastic, making the game very challenging and thus very fun. I've experienced one crash in 30+ games. Tech support by the lead designer couldn't be better. AWESOME!
Rating:
Summary: Good, but you need power
Review: I bought this game with the premise that Wings Simulations web site was correct, a minimum requirement was P166 with a 3D board; on the box, the minimum is a PII and a board. On my system [pentium pro 200 with Voodoo], it runs, but slowly. After tweaking the setup, it is acceptable, but lacking since the graphics move slowly and jerky. The game itself is well done, and the play-time is fun and seems to be pretty realistic. It is a 3 star overall, 4 to 5 with a power system.
Rating: 
Summary: EXERCISE IN FRUSTRATION
Review: I was so anxious to get this game. I mean really anxious. I'd been playing SSI's 'Panzer Commander' for over a year and the buzz about Panzer Elite was so favorable and so electric, I just couldn't wait to get my hands on it! I finally got the Panzer Elite game home and I literally ripped it out of the box and threw the CD into my computer. What ensued next was the beginning of a long series of headaches, disappointments and aggravating computer "down time". While the install itself went smoothly (the opening cinematic sequence was nice as well) it was all down hill after that. I attempted to jump right into game play only to discover that my video card was having some serious problems. Without hesitation I went to the Panzer Elite web site and then straight to the PE trouble-shooting forum. As I suspected, it was recommended that I download the latest drivers for my Riva 16mb 3D card. It took me nearly an hour and a half to find the right drivers (no fault of the folks at Panzer Elite HQ)! Once installed, I discovered I was going to have to "tweak" the settings of my 3D card via a 3D tool that came with the game as it was still not working properly. I downloaded a diagnosing utility from the Panzer Elite site, made a few more adjustments and the problem was fixed (!). I jumped right into game play and things SEEMED to be off and running. The frame rate looked a little sluggish and I considered tweaking my 3D settings again, but then I decided to live with the minor problems. The graphics looked great and the pre-campaign/mission briefings were absolutely outstanding. Panzer Elite gives you full control of your tank crew and I found myself immersed in the decision making. Then I began to notice that the audio in the game did not seem right. The only thing I was hearing during game play was the sound of my tank engine and nothing else. Ok, now I knew I was having a sound card problem. Again I went to the PE web site which suggested I get the latest audio drivers for my Turtle Beach sound card. After installing the new sound card drivers I was still receiving minimal sound. I even tried 2 different sets of speakers. No luck! The install and help manual that comes with Panzer Elite is wretched. One of the most vague, UN-detail oriented game manuals I have ever read. No trouble-shooting help to speak of, no practical tips or suggestions, nothing! I later realized that not only was I missing out on all the audible pops and whistles, cracks and bangs of warfare in Panzer Elite, but my tank crew members also spoke and relayed orders and directives. This of course is imperative to game play. Without it, you'll find yourself struggling to read the scrolling text that brings you up to date with what's going on in your tank. The 'Help Forum/Chat' at the Panzer Elite web site was a welcome trouble-shooting guide, but after trying numerous suggestions, my system (450Mhz, 128mb RAM, the works, etc!) could just not handle the game. I put it back in the box and took it back to the store and got my money back. If there was one good aspect of the game, it was that the folks that make it are very helpful and very patient. "Teut", one of the designers was kind of enough to help me try to work through the bugs and glitches. This type of one-on-one attention is almost unheard of in the software gaming world. Hats off to the designers of PE for their commitment to their customers. That said, I did notice that A LOT of other people seemed to be having problems just like mine. The PE on line Help Forum was clogged with questions similar to mine, some even worse. I know the designers of Panzer Elite delayed the release date of this game by almost a year, but it seems as if they should have waited longer. It should have been re-tested on a multitude of systems and then tested again. I consider myself to have a reasonably standard system, and one I've even enhanced for game play. I've never, ever experienced problems like I did with Panzer Elite. My recommendation to persons considering buying this: Approach with caution, and save your receipt. The game is apparently breathtaking once you get it going -it's getting to that point that will try your patience.
Rating:
Summary: Panzer Elite BLOWS away the competition
Review: I was so anxious to get this game. I mean really anxious. I'd been playing SSI's `Panzer Commander' for over a year and the buzz about Panzer Elite was so favorable and so electric, I just couldn't wait to get my hands on it! I finally got the Panzer Elite game home and I literally ripped it out of the box and threw the CD into my computer. What ensued next was the beginning of a long series of headaches, disappointments and aggravating computer "down time". While the install itself went smoothly (the opening cinematic sequence was nice as well) it was all down hill after that. I attempted to jump right into game play only to discover that my video card was having some serious problems. Without hesitation I went to the Panzer Elite web site and then straight to the PE trouble-shooting forum. As I suspected, it was recommended that I download the latest drivers for my Riva 16mb 3D card. It took me nearly an hour and a half to find the right drivers (no fault of the folks at Panzer Elite HQ)! Once installed, I discovered I was going to have to "tweak" the settings of my 3D card via a 3D tool that came with the game as it was still not working properly. I downloaded a diagnosing utility from the Panzer Elite site, made a few more adjustments and the problem was fixed (!). I jumped right into game play and things SEEMED to be off and running. The frame rate looked a little sluggish and I considered tweaking my 3D settings again, but then I decided to live with the minor problems. The graphics looked great and the pre-campaign/mission briefings were absolutely outstanding. Panzer Elite gives you full control of your tank crew and I found myself immersed in the decision making. Then I began to notice that the audio in the game did not seem right. The only thing I was hearing during game play was the sound of my tank engine and nothing else. Ok, now I knew I was having a sound card problem. Again I went to the PE web site which suggested I get the latest audio drivers for my Turtle Beach sound card. After installing the new sound card drivers I was still receiving minimal sound. I even tried 2 different sets of speakers. No luck! The install and help manual that comes with Panzer Elite is wretched. One of the most vague, UN-detail oriented game manuals I have ever read. No trouble-shooting help to speak of, no practical tips or suggestions, nothing! I later realized that not only was I missing out on all the audible pops and whistles, cracks and bangs of warfare in Panzer Elite, but my tank crew members also spoke and relayed orders and directives. This of course is imperative to game play. Without it, you'll find yourself struggling to read the scrolling text that brings you up to date with what's going on in your tank. The `Help Forum/Chat' at the Panzer Elite web site was a welcome trouble-shooting guide, but after trying numerous suggestions, my system (450Mhz, 128mb RAM, the works, etc!) could just not handle the game. I put it back in the box and took it back to the store and got my money back. If there was one good aspect of the game, it was that the folks that make it are very helpful and very patient. "Teut", one of the designers was kind of enough to help me try to work through the bugs and glitches. This type of one-on-one attention is almost unheard of in the software gaming world. Hats off to the designers of PE for their commitment to their customers. That said, I did notice that A LOT of other people seemed to be having problems just like mine. The PE on line Help Forum was clogged with questions similar to mine, some even worse. I know the designers of Panzer Elite delayed the release date of this game by almost a year, but it seems as if they should have waited longer. It should have been re-tested on a multitude of systems and then tested again. I consider myself to have a reasonably standard system, and one I've even enhanced for game play. I've never, ever experienced problems like I did with Panzer Elite. My recommendation to persons considering buying this: Approach with caution, and save your receipt. The game is apparently breathtaking once you get it going -it's getting to that point that will try your patience.
Rating:
Summary: Great simulation (not buggy , you must have current drivers)
Review: I've been playing this Sim for nearly four hours a day for nearly two weeks now w/o any lockups. This is a great game, no question. It does take some time to learn but what good meaty sim doesn't these days. Very immersive, very tactical, very fun. This game is what Panzer Commander wanted to be but couldn't pull off. If your a WWII buff this is THE tank sim for you. Enough talk, now its time for me to get back to brewing up some krauts. Panthers and Tigers and Hetzers OH MY!
Rating:
Summary: Best Tank Sim on the market -- bar none.
Review: I've bought just about every serious tank sim ever made. Panzer Elite is by far the best. The "feel" of riding around in a steel behemoth over uneven ground makes you appreciate the physical stamina and endurance it took to fight in one of these contraptions. The terrain is a very convincing replica o the real thing (I can vouch for Tunisia and Normandy but not Sicily-:)). This is the first tank sim I've played where infantry is given a somewhat realistic role. Usually, infantry in tank sims is just fodder for you machine guns, but not here. You DARE not barge into a built-up area w/o either artillery preparation or accompanying friendly infantry or you will die. IMHO, the strongest point of the sim is the brilliant mission design. The misisons are long and complex. If you try to play this thing like a first person shooter, you will die. The briefings and misson objectives seem quite realistic. There's a patch that fixes problems I had with crashes. Since installing the patch, I haven't crashed..but I still get my clocked cleaned by enemy tanks, art, inf--you name it! Things I'd like to see? The main thing I pray for is an "Eastern Front" expansion pack. Air support would also be nice. Further, a save function for missions would relieve the tedium of having to restart a mission from scratch. If you are a military history buff, pc combat simmer, or just a run-of-the-mill anal retentive geek, you owe it to yourself to buy this sim. Nuff said (No! I don't work for the company-:)). My 2 cents.
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