Steel Panthers (video game)
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| Steel Panthers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Strategic Simulations |
| Publisher(s) | Mindscape |
| Producer(s) | Tom Wahl |
| Designer(s) | Gary Grigsby |
| Programmer(s) | Keith Brors Gary Grigsby |
| Composer(s) | Rick Rhodes |
| Series | Steel Panthers |
| Platform(s) | DOS |
| Release | 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Tactical wargame Turn-based tactics |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Steel Panthers is a strategy video game released for MS-DOS in 1995, and is the first game of the Steel Panthers video game series. The player may control the army of the United States, Great Britain, The Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, or Imperial Japan in either the European or Pacific Theater.
Gameplay
Players control individual tanks and vehicles from a top-down perspective, on a map with a hexagonal overlay. Infantry are mostly in squad/section sized units (8-12 men), but some units, like snipers, can be controlled individually. The whole force under a player's control is typically Battalion sized, but may be as small as a Platoon or Company, or as large as a Regiment/Brigade.
The game is turn-based and played against the AI or other humans via email or hotseat.
As with other tactical turn-based wargames, the game features realistic military control, with the smallest common units being squads, up to a brigade sized force. The player controls every available facet, from simple ammunition usage, to the morale, disposition, and command-chain of his troops.
The game features: packed single-battle scenarios and campaigns (either branched or linear), single battle generator, campaign generator, and long campaign generator.
Reception
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| PC Games | A[1] |
A reviewer for Maximum stated that "From the producers of Warlord I and II, Steel Panthers is everything you'd expected, with authentic WWII footage and over 200 digitized photographs of tanks adding an interesting dimension to the proceedings. A must for any war game guru." They gave it 3 out of 5 stars.[2]
Steel Panthers was named the best wargame of 1995 by Computer Gaming World, PC Gamer US and Computer Games Strategy Plus.[3][4][5] It also won Computer Game Review's 1995 "Military Sim of the Year" award, tied with Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness.[6] The editors of PC Gamer US called it "easily one of the best tactical simulations ever developed for the PC."[3]
In 1996, Computer Gaming World declared Steel Panthers the 53rd-best computer game ever released.[7] Steel Panthers and Steel Panthers II were named, collectively, the 62nd best computer game ever by PC Gamer UK in 1997.[8]
Reviews
- PC Gamer Vol. 2 No. 12 (1995 December)
References
- ^ Klett, Steve (December 1995). "Steel Panthers". PC Games. Archived from the original on October 18, 1996.
- ^ "Maximum Reviews: Steel Panthers". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (3). Emap International Limited: 158. January 1996.
- ^ a b Editors of PC Gamer (March 1996). "The Year's Best Games". PC Gamer US. 3 (3): 64, 65, 67, 68, 71, 73–75.
{{cite journal}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ Staff (June 1996). "The Computer Gaming World 1996 Premier Awards". Computer Gaming World (143): 55, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 67.
- ^ Staff (November 2000). "A Decade of Gaming; Award Winners of 1995". Computer Games Magazine (120): 56–58, 60, 62, 66, 68, 70–76.
- ^ Staff (April 1996). "CGR's Year in Review". Computer Game Review. Archived from the original on October 18, 1996.
- ^ Staff (November 1996). "150 Best (and 50 Worst) Games of All Time". Computer Gaming World (148): 63–65, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 84, 88, 90, 94, 98.
- ^ Flynn, James; Owen, Steve; Pierce, Matthew; Davis, Jonathan; Longhurst, Richard (July 1997). "The PC Gamer Top 100". PC Gamer UK (45): 51–83.