14 DAY TRIAL // I'm already playing Panzer Corps 2 for several hours. The game hasn't been launched yet, but I was lucky enough to obtain an early build that includes the full single-player campaign and part of the multiplayer. Some stuff is missing like sound and I noticed that there are some minor bugs, but nothing major that might break the game.
I'm about to head to France for the second time during my playthrough, but I don't have time for a full mission, so I plan to upgrade, replenish and deploy my troop so that I can save the game and go to sleep. Sadly, my game suddenly freezes in the deployment panel and the only way to quit is to close it from the task manager. Oh well, Panzer Corps 2 has an auto-save system, so I did not lose anything.
Panzer General is one of my favorite games of all-time and I have high hopes that Panzer Corps 2 will quench my thirst for a sequel. In theory, Panzer Corps 2, just like the predecessor, is a spiritual successor of Panzer General. In truth, it's so much better gameplay-wise. After spending several hours with Panzer Corps 2 all I can say is that this might be one of the best turn-based strategy games involving World War 2.
Panzer Corps 2 offers a massive campaign with 60 missions, many of them historically accurate. In my short playthrough, I did manage to conquer Poland, Norway, and France without taking heavy losses. In Panzer Corps 2, your army is limited to a certain size, so it's up to you to choose between having two rookie units or one overpowered veteran unit. Typically, division of infantry, artillery, aircraft or tanks consists of 10 units, but you can overpower a division by up to 20 units.
If you do that, you won't have space for more units next time when you deploy your troops. Just like in the other games, you'll use Prestige, the in-game currency that can be obtained by completing main objectives or by taking over enemy cities. You have plenty of Prestige when you start your campaign, but as you progress, you'll notice that your coffers will start dwindling if you suffer heavy losses.
As your troops fight and survive more battles, they become veterans and sometimes a member of such a veteran division distinguishes in battle and becomes commander. These commanders have powerful abilities and can be attached to your division making them deadly in certain situations.
Panzer Corps 2 has an interesting option that lets you choose what rules the game will use when deciding the outcome of a battle. You can either choose to have the result the game predicts or you can randomize it. Unlike Panzer General, you don't need to savescum in Panzer Corps 2 because the game has an unlimited “undo” feature that allows you to repeat a battle until you get the desired result. You can limit the use of the undo feature from the settings or even disable it altogether.
Overall, I did like everything I saw in Panzer Corps 2 and I strongly recommend the game to anyone who loves wargames. My only fear is that the game might not have the same soul as Panzer General. I felt that the lack of voice acting and images from WWII in between missions breaks immersion because everything else is so top-notch.
Panzer Corps 2 releases for PC on March 19 and it's a bit pricey at €50 (15% discount included). You can wishlist it on Steam right now if you're considering buying the game.
