Reseñas

• gamedeal user

  Jul 17, 2020

  Finished the first 2 missions. Currently on the 3rd one. Just a few things that stood out to me. THE BAD: 1. The DLC isn't bad, but I can't help it feeling it's lazy. Commendation points are a neat little tool to gain access to new units but they don't even have their own UI element (like any other resource i.e prestige or unit cap icons) only a text box pop up anytime your Commendation points update after you make a decision to swap them out for equipment or complete bonus objectives. 2. No voiced actors for the briefing. Makes it feel like a scenario that I've made myself. 3. Mission 2, one of the bonus objectives is to sink a battleship with bombers. However, you need to capture a objective hex to gain access to said bombers, which never appeared for me to buy or upgrade after successfully capturing the Hex. Had to use Italian Auxiliary Bombers to complete this one (I predict more bugs and glitches of this sort in following missions) THE OK 1. Economy is a bit out of control, on general difficulty I have 3.5k prestige to spare after repairs and upgrades on Mission 3, allows you to make more reckless decisions than in regular campaign and might be good for you if you don't like min maxing constantly. 2. Could be just me but having no control over infantry units (except for Italian Auxiliaries kind of sucks) The AI isn't bad using them though, pitching the player as support to AI's infantry is a nice change of gameplay (plus you can let the AI meatgrind while you save up prestige) But at the same time feels a bit limiting to me as a player (Using an Ally AI in campaign scenarios would work well with something like Romanian AI in Barbarossa mission, but that's just my opinion) THE GOOD 1. No need to conquer majority of the entire map or all the main capture points to win which is a pretty neat change. There's always enough action and never too much or too little. Along with new objectives types makes the gameplay more fun from the regular campaign. 2. As mentioned by devs, your final army setup after the last mission will carry over to the next Axis DLC campaign (whenever that will be) which is pretty cool. I'll give it 6/10. YALL BETTER GIVE ME MY COMMENDATION POINTS UI ELEMENT (I'm salty about a damn icon lmao)
• gamedeal user

  Jul 19, 2020

  I haven't actually finished the campaign yet (currently at the Battle of Ebro, so maybe a dozen or so missions in) but at the moment I am not really motivated go on. Panzer Corps 2's first DLC is a major disappointment for me. I had hoped for scenarios on par with the last couple of DLCs for the first Panzer Corps. What I got instead are a couple of lazy and unimaginative maps that nowhere near show what this engine can do. Almost all of the scenarios so far have been the standard "conquer/defend X objectives" type that already dominated the Axis campaign in the main game. The one and only gimmick so far seems to be that you need to rely on AI controlled infantry to achieve your goals, since your core army mainly consists of vehicles, guns and aircraft. (You can buy auxiliary infantry but that will cost you precious prestige points.) Which is about as much fun as your typical "escort mission" in an action game: You sit there cursing the stupidity of the AI which time and time again gets its troops slaughtered in the most asinine ways possible: "Yeah, that amphibious assault on that entrenched bunker will surely work great for you, Pedro! What, your elite cavalry got their bums handed to them? What a surprise!" "Oh, thank you for climbing that mountain with your militia! I really could have used that spot to dig in my artillery but I guess your troops are way more useful up there ... sitting there without moving for the rest of the game." No. Just ... no. What a disappointment. I'd rate Panzer Corps 2 a solid 9/10. This DLC? Maybe 3/10 so far. I really, really hope future map packs improve on this. The engine is capable of so much more! Some random observations: - I find the "heroes" and "stories" of this campaign highly questionable given the game's background. At least leave actual historical figures out of the game! If you want to tell stories, tell them within the actual missions, not in between through boring dialogue! - Not all of the scenarios seem to be balanced well. I still have no idea how I was supposed to save that medical transport in Teruel. The defenders got slaughtered within four turns with no way out. - The scenario designer's idea of difficulty seems to be to simply give the enemy every advantage possible and absolutely plaster every single hex with units. Maneuvre warfare is rarely possible, rather you clash with the AI head-on and slug it out. The scenarios get way too big way too quickly. This is more work than fun. I want to be able to develop actual strategies, discover openings and weaknesses, not punch my way through World War I style trench lines. - Mostly boring missions. Conquer X. Hold Y. Some of the secondary objectives were more fun. There were a couple of escorts, some enemy "bosses" - but not enough. - Given the limited scope of the scenario, there is a surpising amount of new units, so you can actually upgrade your forces and aren't stuck with the same equipment throughout the campaign. - I like the idea of gaining extra points through special missions and being able to exchange said points for bonuses from time to time. But I would like to know what exactly I get in exchange. The descriptions are mostly vague. That's all I have for now. I guess I will finish this some day but for now ... I will look to user generated content to get my Panzer Corps fix.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 8, 2020

  If I could pick a neutral recommendation, I would. This DLC isn't bad, but it's not the best. Pros: Spanish Civil War. A theatre of war that we very rarely hear about. Mission variety, which challenges the way you may typically play. Lots of new units. Which coupled with only early war units being available, you are forced to use them. In the base game I usually skipped these early war units as I usually had access to better ones. E.g I very rarely if ever used static AT or AA (except the 88) guns in the base game, I always went with the mobile AT and AA. Story/narrative. I thought the developers did a good job with the supporting characters in the mission briefings and debriefings. I didn't mind that they weren't voiced like your adviser in the base game. Cons: Allied AI controlled infantry. I'm sure there are plenty of other reviews going on about this, and there are plenty of threads in the forums about this. At first I thought it a unique and historical way to play, but as the campaign progresses the AI controlled infantry became frustrating, and eventually completely outclassed by their adversaries. SPOILER: In the last mission you get to take complete control of the whole force in a three way battle. I found the last mission so much easier than the rest of the DLC because I had my army working as a whole. Difficulty. This DLC is very, very, challenging. Most of this is compounded by the AI controlled infantry. I also think some of the mid to late missions need some balancing. The enemy just seem to turn into an endless horde, with wave after wave spawning. Resource control: You have to share your prestige with your AI ally. And they have no compunction dipping into that. Coupled with the above, I played this DLC from release day, and there were a couple of things that detracted from the experience that have now been fixed. But it has still robbed me of my desire to ever go back and play this DLC again. This was also coupled with a bug that stopped awarding prestige when capturing objectives. I had to wait for a patch to release before playing again. TLDR: Get this if you're like me and want to play a Grand Campaign right from the very start. But fair warning, this campaign is very difficult and frustrating at times due to the AI ally. The patches have fixed the bugs and have apparently balanced some of the missions.
• gamedeal user

  Oct 25, 2020

  I just can recommend to read the negative comments and to leave hands off that DLC. Besides the "story line" that is so bad and naive that it made me cringe, the content itself ist just annoying. AI being blessed with endless supplies and substitutes keeps sending out wave after wave for compensating its stupidity while your "partner AI" is just as usefull as a fridge at the northpole. However one good thing to mention : The added bonus option / missions and resulting recommendation points. Wait until on sale before you get this.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 18, 2020

  Axis Operations: Spanish Civil War is an extremely well-crafted new DLC that builds on the legacy of the legendary Grand Campaign while taking it to the next level in terms of quality and quantity of its content. If this is indicator of the level of quality we should expect from this new Axis Operations series, then Panzer Corps 2 truly has a bright future ahead of it. The scenarios are extremely well crafted with a lot of interesting new mechanics and mein Gott! There are just so many of them! This DLC is thiccer than a King Tiger. I swear this DLC feels as long as the vanilla campaign all by itself. There is even a lot of replay value with the different branching paths and secret content you can find. You will also love the new characters we are introduced to in the briefings and enjoy the high quality of writing. Anyone who enjoys turn-based strategy should consider this a must-buy! Update: I am on my third playthrough and still having a blast. This DLC just has some undefinable, magical quality that just makes it so extremely satisfying to play. The mission design, the writing and characters, I have spent more time with this DLC than I have the vanilla game. And yet this is just the "prologue" to the upcoming grand campaign!
• gamedeal user

  Dec 11, 2022

  I really liked the idea of playing something other than D-Day or Stalingrad for the 997th time in a strategy game. Unfortunately, the execution of this DLC is ruined by the all-to-common trap of taking a winning formula and "innovating" good things out of it. The most fundamental problem is that friendly infantry is AI-controlled, but uses *your* prestige to replenish, and will happily gobble up all of it. Consequently, this game is primarily about baby-sitting AI to keep it from draining out your prestige, which just isn't a very fun game concept. The AI really only does three things: make a beeline for the next objective, making a beeline for an objective already held, or staying put. The one good thing I can say here is they didn't make it dumber than the enemy AI, so if you know how PC2 infantry works, you can pretty reliably predict what the Nationalists will do. It's just annoying to get your artillery wrecked by an enemy because its infantry cover ditched it. The campaign is doable if you aggressively capture enemy units and get good at baby-sitting the infantry so that it doesn't suck down all your prestige. But even when you get it right, it's not fun or rewarding.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 19, 2020

  If you want a decent tatical game this is not the one. Its ZOCs and supply chains are terrible. The original Panzer games were infinetly better.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 20, 2021

  Fighting what feels like the entire population of Spain using the absolute worst possible equipment isn't fun. The sheer amount of enemies in every single battle is absolutely insane, and it becomes completely tedious as you wait for the AI infantry to get itself into position so you can actually do things. Hard pass.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 21, 2020

  Somehow, it doesn't work out for me. The new equipment is nice, as are the models. The new gameplay ideas are not bad either, they have potential. But it all leaves a hurried impression. It all shows potential, but it's certainly not present in this one. Commendation points? Nice, but I have no idea how many I have right now, and what I could do with it. I get an option to choose after I get to the next mission, but before I can save that next mission. So best save that last turn of the previous mission. AI controlled units? Nice, but why does it seem that the AI is missing, for both the Nationalist and Republican armies? * They happily attack over rivers without looking for backup * They happily attack panzers without looking for backup * They happily attack full-sized squads while they were down to 3 units * They happily retreat to a river (presumably to admire the view) But they were also quite acquainted with a more leisurely life style: * Hang around on hills, again, admiring the view, eating tapas, while their compatriots are being killed * Defend cities from, presumably, heavily armed rodents and/or pigeons, when there's zero chance of any one attacking And since the story is that I'm there to give them backup, why do they * leave airbases/victory hexes undefended, when it's clear that it can be snatched by the enemy? Their turn is after mine, so I have to take into account that they won't. Or worse: They occupy it on my turn, so I just have to hope for the best. * leave support troops (artillery and similar) undefended? I suppose this is a difficult one in termns of AI, but I stopped sending artillery, AT & AA to support them, because they will just die. The three powerful (their words, not mine) options to steer your allied army ("Attack", "Defend", and "Hold position"), seem to do little, or at least nothing noteworthy. The new scenario's all boil down to the same practise: * Make sure you have enough fighters and bombers (6 fighers by 4 bombers works so far) * Buy a shitload of auxilliary tanks * One by one, kill off the enemy fighters * Bomb the sh*t out any enemy * If it's a "defend" scenario, retreat your core when necessary, leaving the auxilliaries to die (they won't be coming back anyway) * If it's a "conquer" scenario, let the auxilliaries slowly die of, supported by core units to get the win. All in all, it's an interesting addition, lot's of opportunities, but it leaves much, MUCH to be desired.
• gamedeal user

  Oct 22, 2020

  Typical Panzer Corps style DLC. Great idea with sloppy/lazy execution, lacking the basics of playtesting. I don't know if Flashback/Slitherine is unable to afford a proper creative director and/or producer, accompanied by avid testers. The good part of the game is short. Spanish Civil War is an overlooked, but interesting prelude to WW2. Concept is (would be) interesting, alas, the execution fucked it up. You also get a summary about the historical events after the given operation, which is great too. The bad parts are long, though. The base idea is that you play as condor legion and support the Francoist forces. First and foremost story is presented via a wall of text. No speech, just text. We are talking about one (!) woman and one (!) man. Preferably with Spanish/German accent. Two voice talents. Not twenty, two! For a DLC costing 12.5 euros. GG! Second, the gamplay itself. You are heavily reliant on the AI, as Condor Legion allowed to hire no infantry, but everything else. In exchange Francoists have almost nothing but infantry. Considering that challenge in Panzer Corps 2 came from not the cunning AI, but giving you annoying slot system for your core forces and unleashing floods of enemy upon you, that was a pretty brave undertaking. So, one would assume that Flashback revised the AI to accomodate to the challenge. Well, no! AI is the same as before, or maybe something changed under the hood, but on the surface it is the same. Straightforward braindead. I can't count the number of times when my units were massacred because the dumbfuck allied AI decided to go on it's business while my artillery and anti tank units were flanked by infantry. Or when the allied infantry went gung ho on enemy armored cars and tanks on open field, just to happily block the path for my AT units and die by the dozens. To add injury to the insult, you can only give global orders, e.g. attack/hold position/defend. But you fight on multiple fronts, so if you are lagging behind at one front or your forces are scattered, you are fucked. Literally. Because it's either all in or folding. Note: to be frank you can buy some extremely overpriced auxilliary italian units to act as temporary infantry under your control. Which is a straightforward way to sink prestige (what I don't like) and a cheap way to mask the shitty AI working in the background. Just as well of your slot system is a cheap way to hide that the devs are unable to create a balanced prestige system. Random fun fact: When Naughty Dog developed Last of Us, (I know, totally different platform, style and budget, keep reading, though) they weren't worried about the graphics they can produce, or whatever else. They were worried about the quality of frieldy AI, because you spend 90% of your time with playing along a friendly NPC. And they knew if it fumbles, the whole gameplay experience is ruined. So they really made sure that what they release is not a frustrating experience for players. So, dear @Flashback, before you take control away from the player, make sure that you do your homework. What you clearly didn't do here. UPDATE: Since I'm roughly halfway into the DLC, I can only confirm that it's basically a shitshow. The friendly AI is reinforcing from your prestige pool, but obviously surrenders and conquering objectives feat zero prestige income to you. I had a mission where I lost around 2000 prestige in the last couple of turns just because: a.) Nationalists kept dying dime by the dozen against tanks, while blocking my ATs and tanks to hit the enemy vehicles. b.) They kept exposing my artillery and anti air again enemy counterattacks. Also, the order system is ridiculous. I gave out the order to defend which supposed to mean that friendly AI is defending the nearest conquered objectives. And what did the AI do? Kept skirmishing and fighting on open plains against enemy vehicles, while two or three tiles away there were hills, rough terrain, village and basically all kinds of terrain favouring infantry. Some nice ideas are there for sure, but it just unable to make up for the shortcomings. Buy it at around 50% discount or even more if you don't want to be disappointed.