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Very entertaining and addictive

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: April 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I was happy that my old copy of East Front II works on my laptop running MS XP. This game has good sound and graphics related to the time it was released plus campaigns and scenarios that are right out of real life military history. If you can find a copy of Talansoft's West Front, I recommend that as well.

another failure

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 15
Date: December 24, 1999
Author: Amazon User

clumsy interface and a game sequence with opportunity fire of course it doesnt work nice sound and pretty graphics despicable computer opponent like 15 years ago computer does move straight forward some people sue microsoft maybe they should think about talonsoft

East Front II

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: February 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Absolutely fantastic! The only thing Talonsoft ommitted was the smell of burning gasoline, and i am sure they could probably create that too.

Everyone has an opinion

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: January 06, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Unlike the previous customer review, I enjoy the game. It is best played by e-email against a human opponent. The AI does need some work. But I think the game delivers what you could expect from this type of game. I love Talonsoft games.

A good simulation in the classic style

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I wargame, alot, just ask my wife. TalonSoft's EFII is well worth the time and effort to learn. Thats right, effort. Like any well designed game there is a definite learning curve to mastering both the tactics particular to and the interface of the game. The interface is kind of clunky at times until you get used to it. The tactics are true to life (at least for a sim.) with the exception of the supply rules which just don't make sense for anything other than the largest scenarios. That being said, the game is awesome in its design and scope. Lots of beautifully done options are available so there is lots of replayability. Best of all, you don't choke to death on charts and tables like in TAHGC products unless you want to delve into the well done beefy manual. A great game for history or simulation buffs. Bravo Talonsoft!

Panzers Forward!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Playing this game on a 733mhz, here is what Ive got to offer in play and operation. Very good and quite adequate. Excellent sounds bytes, and if you have an enhanced speaker system, you'll drool. I used a Klipsch set with a sub woofer. Some of the traditional songs of your side add to the game.
The only bad part of this was when you want your Icon of what ever to go somewhere, sometimes they went the wrong way around, and end up being spotted. If you click the Icon to move hex by hex, you take out the speed of the game, but your staying hidden from Line of Sight! It did get frustrating though.
I did not have any game play problems.
My only offer to expand of such a thing would be this, simply at the smallest unit group you can (Battalion), It would be really cool if you could select a Command Vehicle and Zoom into it during either movement or into contact/battle. Then when its over, you may zoom out and resume the overall map-scale of battle again. Perhaps that would take a CRAY to play it, but I can dream can't I?!!
I believe the historicals are right on! Armour facings, ranges, fog-of-war, good job gang.
My only complaint is as a german or russian player, you have no say in a production time-table or equipment type to change some of the Order of battle tables, as in 12 O'clock High. Currently, you are given what a real person gets, and if you understand the German war production politics behind the scenes,you understood the mis-givings on why you didnt get the good stuff until it was too late. Who the heck wants to keep on advancing with Pz III's when your facing SP152's! RUN AWWWAAAAAAAAYYYYYY! the only thing you can hope for is your Artillery being able to stun them enough, if you catch them in heavy and costly terrain factors,(hills/forest/woods). Then Plink at then disabled.
I still think its really cool to be able to take out a german tank with the russian AT-rifle!
I hate the fact that you have to plan years ahead to move your Russian Towed-artillery with those tractors! you easily get over run, as they move so slow(two hexes in excellent terrain if you're lucky)
Tactics; you play it as you see it. Remember, if you pick to be a Corp Commander........you've got one heck of a map to deal with!
A great Fog of war factor is the airstrikes you call in, dont always hit the target YOU want.....its what they see.......and its sometimes you!
A valuable feature to play with is the Binocular glasses active so you can see what your unit can see.
Interlocking fields of fire, Smoke screens are valuable. I took out a large group of Tiger tanks with SP76s cause I had the smoke on them until the last minute. AMBUSH! Risky,,...But successful!

The battles are well done and very historical. I only wish there were more points given upon completion of the scenario to replenish your forces adequately again, even if its a tactical victory success.
One point to consider, there were many battles involving rivercraft/gunboats, some with Russian Marines deploying into battle to offer a flanking action against german forces holding their ground. You dont have them in this. Though a small force, the Russians did use them. Same as the Russian Para-troops and Partisans, although if you read the history, the Partisans didnt enjoy the benefits of being a full-fledged Airborne qualified individual; Historically, they were just thrown out the plane at a slow speed, and at a low altitude, at gun point(!!) and hoped they found a forgiving drift of snow! Fact!
It would be cool though to have an airborne drop come in at your discretion, at a designated location to pitch a battle!

Great Game. Eastern or Western fronts!

Close, but not there yet!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 11 / 25
Date: February 26, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The main flaw in East Front II is one it shares with many other computer WW II strategy games - a distinct bias towards the Axis and away from the United States' Soviet ally. Now whether this is some sort of Cold War hangover, a lack of familiarity on the part of designers with the Soviet contribution to victory in WW II, or simply that some people view the Axis equipment as 'sexier', I couldn't say.

What I will say is that [after several hundred hours playing] everything from the manual, to the selection of units, to apparently the combat algorithms, favors the Axis to some degree. With respect to this last assertion, continued experimentation shows that (in the game) Axis armored cars with a front armor of 14.5mm in the open typically shrug off any Soviet ordnance up to 76.2 mm at any range (a virtual impossibility in reality), whereas a Soviet T-26 tank with a front armor of 25mm under cover has about a 50 percent chance of getting destroyed by Axis MG fire at a 2-hex range; this appears to be, at best, faulty research]. The penultimate, ideologically neutral tactical computer game on the WW II East Front is, unfortunately, yet to appear.

It should be noted that this particular flaw is shared by far less board games, perhaps because a commitment on paper is more easily challenged than one based on pixels, and perhaps because the boardgaming press has always been far more influenced by solid journalism based on facts and research, and less by whizz-bang and advertising dollars.

Review (c) 2000 by Ray Crawford

Solid value - some cunning rebuttals

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

East Front 2 is excellent value, the vast array of scenarios and campaigns alone is sure to keep enthusiasts busy for months. The addition of scenario, map and Order of Battle editors make the possiblities limitless (I haven't had to use these much, as there is an abundance of additional user and designer created scenarios on the web). The Gamespot reviewer states there is no save available during campaign scenarios - this is not true! The game state is saved automatically whenever you exit - you can resume the scenario in play at your liesure. Much has been made of the inclusion of supply - the rule is sound and represents command and control as much as the ammunition state (the manual does state this). It also accounts rather handily for a number of other variables that can effect a units firepower . That aside - the very absence of re-supply for units in tactical battle is the main reason for your troops conserving ammunition when there are no clear directions coming from above. Overall this package is only surpassed in value by the compilation that includes it (i.e. Europe in Flames).

Squad Leader/Panzerblitz boardgame in e-form

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: January 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Warning, this review will only be useful to veteran wargamers and mil-geeks.

EF2 is designed by one of the founding fathers of the classic Avalon Hill "hexagons and hundreds of cardboard counters" boardgame Squad Leader, but actually more closely resembles the Panzerblitz game from the same company... i.e. platoon, not squad level units.

I always loved those games as a kid, and a PC version solves the two main problems-- finding opponents and all the time it takes to set up. The artwork is really great and quite clear.

However, I'd like to see more of a breakaway from the turn-based boardgame paradigm. Also, even with fog of war rules on, you still know far too much about the condition of your opponent's units.

As a game, it is fun, but as a simulation it could be substantially improved. Sequential, turn-based movement is the worst problem. Just as artillery strikes are "lagged" in the game, you should have to issue your movement orders in advance and then watch your poor troops try to carry them out in real time, as the enemy simultaneously does the same. Your ability to alter these orders in any given turn (based on what you've bumped into) should be limited and based on your experience, nationality, degree of unit mechanization, etc.

Be Warned: Best Suited For The Hardcore Wargamer

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: April 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The other reviewers are more articulate than I, so why am I bothering? Mostly because if you're reading this review, then you're probably interested in buying EF 2 and maybe already know something about it except the most important thing: will YOU enjoy EF 2? I think EF 2 is the sort of historical military game that usually only hardcore wargamers love: detailed unit statistics, complicated supply and movement restrictions, and so on. If you're not a veteran, this EF 2 is not likely to be as enjoyable. For one thing, it is sloooooow: waiting for the AI to make its moves can seem interminable. I find the drama greatly reduced (in comparison to games like Steel Panthers and Combat Mission) but far more distracting is the predictability of the AI with its inflexible attacks. You can learn to love EF 2 (I did) but it was work: ask yourself why you're playing...

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