Codename: Panzers Demo 2

Games like Age of Empires and Rise of Nations may provide you with the possibility to build a base from scratch and train a large army, but they also take a lot out of the actual combat, since it would be too much work to make all these components work together. For realistic battle situations, you can try your luck with other genres, which only provide you with a limited number of troops and a list of objectives.

Codename: Panzers is a real-time tactics game that obviously takes place during World War II and it revolves around the three major factions that fought in it: the Germans, the Allies and the Soviets. Each one of these has different units it can use in battle and various other special abilities you can employ during the missions, although it is still up to you when it comes to strategy and tactics.

There are three campaigns you can play, one for each side. The Soviets campaign revolves around the famous battle of Stalingrad, which should make things rather interesting, at least for history enthusiasts. On the other hand, the Allies campaign is all about the invasion of Normandy, which is rather overused at this point and it doesn’t make for a very original story.

The gameplay itself is very similar to what you might have seen in titles like Sudden Strike or Blitzkrieg, since the main goal is to make use of your forces as effectively as possible, given the fact that you cannot train more troops or call in reinforcements at will. You can control armored units and a variety of infantry types, all of which are vital on the battlefield, as long as they are used properly.

Visually, the game does look very good, especially when it comes to the environments and the 3D models for units and buildings. A lot of work went into recreating authentic World War II landscapes around Europe, which is clearly visible thanks to all the vegetation and the detailed buildings that can be used for cover during sticky situations. The special effects are pretty good-looking as well, although there are some glitches when it comes to shadows and the like.

Codename: Panzers may not ooze with originality when it comes to the campaigns and the general setting, but the execution is top notch and you can definitely forget that you have seen the very same landscapes over and over again. Moreover, the game comes with a multiplayer mode and plenty of other scenarios for you to try out.