Rating: Summary: Crash and freeze-up outstanding game Review: I've tried about 20 games since getting the game about a week ago and everyone of them have ended in a system freeze or crash. But the graphics and game play are teriffic. Once you master the six or seven key stroke combinations needed to get everything moving where and how you want it to it has a great level of involvment and need to pay attention to everything going on. This is a game that will be great in a couple of months once all the absolutly necessary patches are made available, but it's "not ready for prime time" just yet.
Rating: Summary: Panzer Elite suceeds on many levels Review: Panzer Elite has dominated my gameplay habits for quite a while because it has so much to offer. One aspect neglected in most reviews is the availability of an Object Editor, downloaded from the Home page. As a military modeler hobbiest, I can appreciate a bran new world of vehicle contruction made available to the novice, or the software experts amongst us. The user can access all the items in the game, and detail or re-camoflage each tank or vehicle using the supplied textures. When through tinkering, the new creation can instantly be added to the game. The real fun is to watch your new customized Tiger prowl through an absorbing 3d environment, or check out your buildings made of brick instead of stone. In essence, a bran new hobby is created through the new world of computer software. And like most great pastimes, the pool of fellow enthusiasts that correspond over the net enliven the experience further. This great tank sim is for the computer gamer who is tired of the 'checkers' type simplicity of first person shooters, and would rather become involved in something with more substance and longetivity ,like chess.
Rating: Summary: great simulation, needs a bit work Review: Panzer Elite is a detailed WW II tank, platoon size simulation. After a few days struggle /crashes & lockups/ with videocard drivers I finally found the right ones /in my case nVidia Detonator 3.53 for my Viper 550/ and since then the game rules! Graphics, sounds and gameplay are very good, didn't play another game since then. The game still has some bugs, but thanks to absolutely exceptional tech support from WingSimulations development team led by Teut Weidemann /yes, these guys are actually listening what the players are complaining about, and fixing the things accordingly, in a fast pace; pretty amazing! ; there is a PE forum running at their site, responding very fast all the gameplay and tech aspects/ the bugs will be sorted out in a short time.. Game is a bit hardware hungry; fast CPU plus 3D card is a must for a smoother gameplay at higher resolutions. Would recommend this program to anyone interested in the WW II armor battles; some patience in order to fine-tune it on player's computer might be needed as well. Overall, PE rules and will rule even more after the rest of small glitches will be removed!
Rating: Summary: great simulation, needs a bit work Review: Panzer Elite is a detailed WW II tank, platoon size simulation. After a few days struggle /crashes & lockups/ with videocard drivers I finally found the right ones /in my case nVidia Detonator 3.53 for my Viper 550/ and since then the game rules! Graphics, sounds and gameplay are very good, didn't play another game since then. The game still has some bugs, but thanks to absolutely exceptional tech support from WingSimulations development team led by Teut Weidemann /yes, these guys are actually listening what the players are complaining about, and fixing the things accordingly, in a fast pace; pretty amazing! ; there is a PE forum running at their site, responding very fast all the gameplay and tech aspects/ the bugs will be sorted out in a short time.. Game is a bit hardware hungry; fast CPU plus 3D card is a must for a smoother gameplay at higher resolutions. Would recommend this program to anyone interested in the WW II armor battles; some patience in order to fine-tune it on player's computer might be needed as well. Overall, PE rules and will rule even more after the rest of small glitches will be removed!
Rating: Summary: The best armor sim ever. Panzer Elite sets the mark ! Review: Panzer Elite is one of the best sims I have ever played. I have been computing for the last 15 years with a background in studying military history, specifically armor combat of WW2 for the past 20 years. Panzer Elite models all the details of armor combat and it truly gives you the flavor of WW2 tanking. I had zero problems installing and running the SIM, most users who experience problems do so because they do not have updated drivers necessary for running Panzer Elite proper. I have followed Wings Simulations tech support board for sometime now and to see how they support their clients. Wings has developed patches for those experiencing problems that need addressing a common practice for software publishers patches are part of life for software users. The developer of Panzer Elite has done so with blinding speed and support second to none. In short they are the best company I have ever dealt with. The graphics are gorgeous and immerse you in combat. Enemy AI is top notch and a challenge. Multiplayer support, 80 missions. Varied campaigns make this a must have for anyone who enjoys sims and armor. They are also expanding the product and will enhance Panzer Elite further with addons. Varied realism options help beginners as well as hardcore sim options for those wanting utmost realism. To sum it up if you want a quake or doom experience of shoot the bad guys, Panzer Elite is not for you. If you want a quality product, the most realistic tank sim on the market, a company who cares about putting out excellent product then Panzer Elite is for you! Buy it, learn it, live it!
Rating: Summary: Finally a tank game worth investing my free time. Review: Panzer Elite is the game I have been searching for years. I have been playing tank games on paper and on computers for years. I admit to having had some flight simulator envy with their great first person perspective. Now I need not envy anymore. I can hop into my trusty Sherman (or Tiger) and let the lead fly. This game is very immersive. It gets all the essentials of tank combat right. The terrain is modeled in great detail with trees, hills, nooks and crannies great for hiding behind. Tanks are modeled in appearance (insides too), but also in how they respond to damage. Damage to can range from a catastrophic 'brewing up' to a damaged radio. The player can command an American or German platoon in combat from Tunisia to France, by way of Sicily and Italy. The learning curve is steep, but is mostly developing situational awareness and learning to deal in real time with hairy situations. The game ran great for me out of the box. There is great support on the web for any that encounter problems. There is an active user's community growing for Internet play and user enhancement. Panzer Elite has become the new standard that all tank sims will be judged by.
Rating: Summary: Panzer-Elite Review: Panzer-Elite has finally done what most software manufacturers try to do, deliver a playable yet entertaining game. The graphics in this game rival those of WWII fighters, the campaign game is very entertaining to say the least, be prepared to lose quite a few platoons as the game progresses. Remember to play the long campaign and if victorious you will be given a chance to get some surprises from their website(even though it is not ready as of yet). This game needs to be played with at least a machine that has 266MHZ at least and a 3D accelerator card is a must. After some tweaking I was able to get my Voodoo 2 card to work well and I also was able to use a Riva TNT card as well. One thing that the game lacks is the lack of fighter and bomber intervention. During WW2 Panzers had to deal with many raids by P-38s, P-47 and many other aircraft. I believe this is going to be addressed with add ons or maybe a new campaign disk. One last thing if you have played Panzer-Commander, this is a game that is head and shoulders above it. Closer to M1 Tank Platoon but a smoother better paced game.
Rating: Summary: Panzer-Elite Review: Panzer-Elite has finally done what most software manufacturers try to do, deliver a playable yet entertaining game. The graphics in this game rival those of WWII fighters, the campaign game is very entertaining to say the least, be prepared to lose quite a few platoons as the game progresses. Remember to play the long campaign and if victorious you will be given a chance to get some surprises from their website(even though it is not ready as of yet). This game needs to be played with at least a machine that has 266MHZ at least and a 3D accelerator card is a must. After some tweaking I was able to get my Voodoo 2 card to work well and I also was able to use a Riva TNT card as well. One thing that the game lacks is the lack of fighter and bomber intervention. During WW2 Panzers had to deal with many raids by P-38s, P-47 and many other aircraft. I believe this is going to be addressed with add ons or maybe a new campaign disk. One last thing if you have played Panzer-Commander, this is a game that is head and shoulders above it. Closer to M1 Tank Platoon but a smoother better paced game.
Rating: Summary: Panzer Elite BLOWS away the competition Review: Thats right! Panzer Elite has no competition out there as far as Tank Sims go! This is THE most realistic Tank sim I have ever seen since I was in the Army. This has to be the most stable product right out of the box. I had no problems installing this product...it did take a little while to install. After the install finished, I started the game and it prompted me to configure my 3d card which is a 3dfx Vooodoo3...no problems were detected. I must say that certain cards will not work with this program very well, but they are few and far between. Once the 3d card was configured it was time to "brew up some tanks", The game enviroment is very realistic, lots of hull down positions ambush spots galore! The AI is in my opinion very smart for a game..but just keep a eye out for your wingmen they tend to fire and then forget in battle. Speaking of battles...they are a challange. I won't go on about that you just have to see it for yourself, and dont worry about the manual being thin, Panzer Elite has a great web site if you run into any problems, besides it saves trees! Just a word of advice: Get a PII 450mhz 128mb memory and a decent video card and sound card and you wont run into any problems like you have been hearing. Besides games on anything less than a PII are boring!
Rating: Summary: Ja mein General. das ist eine Panzer Elite! Review: The best WWII tank battle simulation ever produced. It includes very accurately reproduced Battlefields with a stunning texture, Panzers and Tanks that actually look and feel like the real thing, devious infantry who actually pops up whenever you less expect it to destroy your tank. Finally, tanks can destroy trees and buildings and make their way through valleys, hills and rivers. You may even get stuck in mud if you're not too careful, especially in Russia. When it rains, it really pours and your tank will have a harder time to travel across prairies drenched with water. Gun muzzle blasts are as real as you can get them. You have original crew voices (all in the Nations' respective languages) telling you what they are doing and orders from the High Command you better follow , unless you want to end a loser. Strategies and tactics are up to you and it is also your task to command and protect you platoon from enemy fire. It is not "as if" you were in WWII, but rather as if you "are" in WWII. Every mission is based on accurately researched historical events, with historical settings, vehicles and soldiers. Even the camouflage patterns on your tanks change during the course of war and according to the terrain in which you do battle. You can drive almost any tank imaginable in that period: from a Valentine to a Firefly, from PzKpfw II to a King's Tiger and from StuG III to a Hunting Tiger! Each tank comes with its own realistic set of fuel, armament and equipment and you better make sure you fuel it up before a mission, otherwise you're stuck like a lame duck. The only downside to this game is that you won't have any aerial cover nor having Allied aircraft attacking you. This is though, compensated by an ever-present heavy Artillery attack which can happen at any moment and wherever you may be... The interiors of the tanks are as accurate and minutely researched as their exteriors (most of the documentation comes from Tank Museums). You are able to sit in the tank as well as seeing it from an exterior view which you can swing like a camera filming it (at every angle, except from below, but who would like to see his own tank from underneath it?). The weight of the vehicles you drive is also there. The feeling of driving an M-8 might be exhilarating, especially due to its speed, but when you face a Tiger you better duck, or it will blast you off in thousand pieces. If you command a Tiger instead, you will be much slower, but you wouldn't have to worry too much about a Lee or a Sherman. You just stop the heavy beast, aim, fire and move forward. One shot with an 88mm caliber gun will send a Sherman's turret fly as if it were made of Aluminum. The main attractivity of this game though, is that it keeps expanding. More and more scenarios can be added almost monthly. From Africa to Italy and from the vast steppes of Russia to the shores of Normandy and beyond, you will have to survive through the entire conflict. Moreover, its system of MODs, or additional functionality modules, allow it to have it a different feel with every single one enabled. You want to fight in Normandy in Winter, instead of in the Summer? Fine, you just enable the Night and Winter MOD and you have it. You want to drive more vehicles in the African Desert than those that came with the game? Enable the Full-Monty MOD and you will have that too. The description could go on forever. Suffice it to say that this is a unique simulation that cannot compare to any other similar one ever produced. The people who have worked and still work at it are passionate artists, programmers and above all, historians. They know perfectly what they are doing and do it extremely well. A warning though! Since this game is meant to be played directly from your Hard Drive, because you have to completely install it there, including all the additions and scenarios (just to make the game smoother) it is only recommended to those of you who have large HDs and a very performing Graphic Card with lots of memory included. To conclude, until someone will come up with a photo-realistic game, based on WWII, that actually shows the true villages, towns and cities as well as the actually filmed vehicles, this will remain the jewel in the crown of any other similar simulation. I would nominate it the best WWII simulation of all times and also of times to come... Up to you now, to make up your minds, but if you don't buy it, you will never know what you have missed.
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