Operation Europe
WWII wargame, focused on the European front
This is a KOEI title that focuses on a larger portion of the events that took place in the second world war, and because the scope of it is larger, a lot of precise historical accuracy had to be scraped, to be able to manage a rather high level wargame, one that focuses on larger brush strokes of the events. Thus, you will be have to deal with the fact that the units are not that well represented, are quite indistinct fro one another, not only in the way they are depicted, that could have been more palatable, but actually in the mathematics that describe their abilities and their capacity to produce or take damage. What is less forgivable though, is the AI, which is simply dumb, incapable of any smart moves. No, it cannot flank you, it doesn't seem particularly adept at mounting or sustaining an attack; in many ways, it seems like the AI is chaotic, its moves seems directed by randomness too many times. And, because you can't play this game in multiplayer, you won't really feel compelled to keep on playing it. Maybe for the better, since Crusade in Europe, while not some awesome, without flaws title, is still miles ahead of Operation Europe. I can't really recommend OE, unless you want to take a look at some of KOEI's lesser titles.
Almost a classic military sim
Die-hard military and history buffs will find much to enjoy in Path to Victory, which offers plenty of detailed and challenging tactical gameplay. Armchair generals are given the chance to play as either the Axis or Allies in a series of scenarios that cover the principal battles of World War II, with several famous generals making an appearance to add some character to proceedings. Players are given control of several divisions, which can all be split up into regiments and battalions, and are then tasked with completing the various missions, which are presented in a third-person perspective. A huge variety of unit types are available, from paratroopers to anti-aircraft guns to engineers, all of which have their own specific tactical use. In general, Operation Europe is a great little strategy game, with challenging scenarios to test even hardened veterans and an excellent level of detail. However, a number of annoyances bring things down somewhat. The enemy AI is inconsistent and confusing, while the interface is simply unintuitive and awkward to use, which is frustrating given the amount of troops which are under your control. However, if you can get to grips with the interface, then there is much to enjoy here, with gameplay that offers some true tactical depth and historical accuracy.
