Panzer Elite Action

France – August 1944. A German tank ace named Michael Wittmann has been using his Tiger tank to wreak havoc with the allied forces. The goal is to take him out and stop his rampage. To do so, you have a Sherman Firefly tank, a British variation of the M4 Sherman tank, but outfitted with a more powerful 17-pounder gun.  

With little aplomb, you are dropped behind the controls of the tank, ready to rumble across the terrain, find and neutralize your target.

Ok, no instruction book, but when that first tank appeared with a targeting reticule, it was time to loosen the cannon. Oops, that was an allied tank. Red circle, don’t shoot; green targeting reticule – have fun.

JoWooD and ZootFly are behind the PC release of Panzer Elite Action, a real-time combat sim that has destructible environments, a free-roaming map, solid graphics with great particle effects, a terrific audio complement, a host of controls available for coordinated attacks (like calling in air support - remember you are not a lone wolf, but part of a team) and three difficulty levels that ramp up the challenge.

The demo was quite abbreviated, but even those three levels revealed a game that plays shooter from the third-person perspective but was a lot of fun. Only one mode was available in this demo – instant battle, though the finished product will feature new game and multiplayer capabilities as well. In the Michael Wittmann scenario (which was pretty much indicative of the game itself), you are plopped into the tank behind allied lines. You have a map with markers on it, indicating the direction you should take. At a juncture, other tanks join with you and you can move out together.

Over the ridge you see a tree fall. You can’t hear anything over the rumble of your own machine, but that tree is a sign that something is moving in your direction. Cresting the hill, you see them – three German tanks. The action is fast and furious – flanking maneuvers, firing on the move, leading the target. The high-end blast of the shell leaving your cannon, the delightful site of a direct hit dance before your eyes. Even misses can be fun. Oops, hit a building! But down it tumbles to lie in rumble alongside the road.

The tanks handle like … well, tanks. They can turn smartly, except when moving forward with good speed. The handling, generally, is good, though. The game’s controls are simple enough to allow players to get that machine moving and shooting – intuitive to anyone who has played a mouse and keyboard combat title (W, A, S, D is the movement; the mouse controls the turret rotation for looking about and firing).

The graphics come in two different styles. The environments are solid, though a little dull, but firing and missing to send up a mound of dirt, or nailing a target produces some solid particle effects. And turn up that volume – this game rumbles and explodes with the best of them.

The tank battalion moves down the road, the river to the right, open fields to the left. You see movement and begin the barrage. German tanks are strung across the field. The Firefly swings into action. If you stop to shoot, you are a sitting target. Soon the field is cleared but you are still getting nailed. Oh-oh, there are more across the river, and they have been beating on your allies.

Just when you think you have taken them all out, another shell drops into your midst, sending up a shockwave of dirt and smoke. The vision clears and you saw the general direction it came from, and backtrack the shell’s course. Hiding in the trees in another tank. One shell from your Firefly levels the trees, and you can see it. The next nails the sweet spot and puts that sniper out of commission.

Panzer Elite Action is about action, and about graphical eye candy. The sound is equally delicious, with the rumble of the tanks and the explosions – this is a game best listened to with the volume turned up. The easy setting was a little too easy; the hard was just that. But this is still a title to be on the lookout for when it releases this winter.