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Challenging

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 32 / 34
Date: July 19, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I have found this game far more exiting and challenging than the alternative turn based war games. I must admitt I did leap into the deep end without fully completing the tutorials and smaller scenarios but instead elected to take on the full blown battle.I soon found I had to constantly use the pause button to survey the battle field and then dish out orders. To not use the pause button frequently, is inviting a rout if enemy cavarly are lurking nearby and cavarly can be absolutely devasting in this game. Victory points are gained through obtaining field objectives,inflicting casualties, demoralising your enemy. Performance on the field is affected by factors such as cohesion, stress and battle formation of your units and enemy units. The graphics are good but not brilliant and sound effects are very good from the thundering cannon fire, clash of sabres, to the cries of charge and retreat. In this game you will learn to constantly survey the battlefield and change your battle formations and keep reviewing your strategy. The AI is certainly a handful and I have only attempted battle at the easy level so far. I have not yet downloaded the patches which apparently will increase the graphics quality and tone down the devasting cavarly attacks. This is a game that may take a bit of practice but it is worth it.

Give Waterloo A Chance, A Patch Has Changed It Around

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 27 / 28
Date: June 25, 2001
Author: Amazon User

First off, don't buy Waterloo if you are expecting Sid Meier's Gettysburg. The game has changed, from different time periods and warfare. Many have given up because Waterloo forces you to use advanced Warfare, never seen before in Gettysburg. It is a must for anyone who is up for a challenge, has an interest in the Napoleonic warfare or who is a RTS War gamer.

The reviews written previously have highlighted the negative problems from Waterloo when it was originally shipped. A patch has changed everything. The Cavalry has been re-tuned; the artwork has been revisited to give it the Gettysburg! look and feel, new features, such as Artillery hide in Infantry Square make this game so much better.

Other Gettysburg! Features have been added since the original release in the second patch, including the right click to move feature, absent from the original release.

New game play changes have made it possible to fight the AI and handle the larger scenarios. A very stable game, with relatively few bugs, Waterloo provides pure entertainment. Waterloo also provides a large amount of history. Thorough research has gone into the scenarios; unit artwork and game play, making it one of the most historically correct Napoleonic PC war games to date.

Also, the game allows for you to create your own battles, either in the new easy to use Battle generator, or through text editing, making scenarios for the game. The din of battle has been captured excellently, as you can hear your flank being assaulted while caring after troops at a different area. All commands for the French troops are in French, and the same goes for the Prussian units. Over 60 different types of unit artwork has been included, and they have all been researched beforehand. Along with the game, more materials come along, and even explain the exact amounts of the rate of fire, from different types of units, how stress can defeat your army (and the many different ways it is calculated)

Your units can make a wide variety of formations, including 4 deep lines, assault columns, squares; all of which have different firing limitations and bonuses, per situation. Cavalry, if used correctly can be a dangerous force, but if used incorrectly, can give your enemy an advantage.

The multiplayer features included in Waterloo give the game a long life, that allows for unlimited replay ability (from the battle creator, which allows you to randomize the locations & units) never limiting how long this game can be played.

I hope this has helped, and don’t be discouraged at first, it does have a learning curve. A few notes, as the current DEMO is at original reatail release, and is not a fair representation of what it now is under the second patch. Look around, and have an open mind. The new patch has given Waterloo a new life, and is well worth the purchase price.

great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 23 / 23
Date: April 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Waterloo, Napoleons Last Battle is a great game. It gives an accurate recreation of one of the most important events in the history of Europe. The Game is a work of art. Each armies individual units are displayed in the actual uniform they wore on the day of battle covering the field with a riot of color spiced by flags fluttering in the wind.

There is a lot involved in learning to play the game its play is so rich. The learning curve is aided by six scenarios and a jewel of a game manual. Once up to speed the game's true deep becomes apparent.

The AI is extremely good and will give you a real challenge. The addition of cavalry tactics so important in the napoleonic era to the SMG engine is a one of the really neat aspects of the game adding whole new dimensions to battlefield tactics.

A very enjoyable game and a chance to experience a fascinating era in history. Lets hope Breakaway develops more games from this era.

The Best And Most Authentic Napoleonic Game Ever!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 16
Date: May 21, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you Love Real Time Strategy games and Love the Napoleonic period, Buy This Game! The Graphics aren't the best But, the gameplay, the variety of units, the many senerios, the Sounds, and the History make this game Great!... Buy WATERLOO!

Waterloo: An Excellent Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: June 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Having found my copy of Gettysburg (The best PC game of all time) out of order, several years ago I turned to Waterloo as a substitute. I have no stopped playing it since (Even when Gettysburg worked again). The game is complex, realistic and beautifully detailed. It truly captures the spirit and style of Napoleanic warfare, a subject with which I am quite familiar. Anyone who enjoys studying Military History must buy this game, as much as a tool for learning as a fun program. One never runs out of new experiences in it, and each battle is completely unique and challanging. The well-researched units and orders of battle are superb, and make for a smooth and historically acurate gameplay. I really, truly can't stress enough how great it is. Although, to be fair, only people who like Napoleanic warfare will get into it.

Charge!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: April 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is a beautiful game for history buffs and gamers. To experience the pageantry and drama of the Napoleonic battlefield you won't find anything better. The game uses the SM Gettysburg engine and gameplay is very similar. However, it has much more to offer and is rich in historical detail. Differentiations are made between light and heavy cavalry, rifles and muskets, light and line infantry and finally different formations are availabe to each side as historically appropriate. The complexities of combined arms tactics lend much more depth to the game and are much more difficult to master. Calvary charges for instance, can be, and often were, decisive. The graphics may not be as smooth as some of the latest techonogy touted in Shogun and Cossacks (which I haven't seen) but if you love to recreate historical battles and play the invariable "what if", this game has all you need. The AI is a tough competitor and you can play the game online. The game has 60 different uniforms and in my opinion the artwork is great. The "smoothness", in my opinion, is not even an issue once you start positioning your hussars to crush a battalion of highlanders. For me it is the history as much as the game and I have already gotten my monies worth.

Uneven but Brilliant Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: April 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The games graphics are not the cleanest, prettiest artwork ever to grace a game but they bring more atmosphere to the game still. At the end of the day it should be gameplay which decides the quality of the game and so it is with Waterloo. This is the bit thats uneven.In single player the game is approachable and on the lower difficulty settings the ai can be beaten fairly quickly without haveing to be a tactical genius. On the higher difficulty settings the game is considerably harder, perhaps even too hard but everyone can find their own level. Where the game can shine most is in multiplayer, where it can surpass Gettysburg in terms of tension and is even more gripping in the heat of battle. And for this the game gets 5 stars and deserves it thorougly. The addition off cavalry plus defensible buildings counts a lot for this. Also is an army morale rating that counts as casualties at the end of Battle. All these and many more features add to the flexibilty of the game, and most importantly rewards the tactical ingenuity of the player. Though the interface is not as navigable as it should of been and the Random Senario Editor though with more selection options, is not as truely accomplished as the one in Gettysburg the game can still be superb fun. Though some people(as i have had to) may have to stick at the game a little to get the most enjoyment out of it. It's easy to be dismissive of a game that's as complex as this. The demo is a good example of this, it has no multiplayer and the senarios are fairly hard for the beginner to handle which can lead to fustration.

Difficulty is a good thing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: April 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Someone who'd never played any of the games of this type (like Gettysburg, etc.) will find it very difficult to figure out which troops you're controlling at any time. The mass of little flags on the map are difficult to control, and if you're not used to 18 C army structure you might find it difficult to keep units near their commanders, which is a key to the game. Also, the game takes a lot of patience to play. It takes considerable time for pre-mechanized armies to develop and then execute your battle plans. So, in short, you might not like the game if you're someone who wouldn't like ANY of the games in the series because of the aforementioned difficulties that are par for the course.

As a big fan of Gettysburg, my opinion is that this is a worthy descendant. Get the 2nd patch and some of the problems notes in earlier reviews will go away. Before widespread rifle use, cavalry played a huge role in battles and are accurately represented in the game. If you're used to Gettysburg, you fast learn that you can't leave your soldiers in line formation for the duration once the battle starts. Once you learn to use cavalry, though, you quickly can torment the other side the same as they do to you.

One small problem: the background is set a little bit too dark, probably accurate for Belgium after a heavy rainfall, but I liked the terrain colors better in Gettysburg.

So: if you liked Gettysburg and want what I think is a better game (perhaps a pro-Napoleonic era bias coming through) get this. If you're new to this kind of game entirely, download the demo and see whether you like it. But note that the real game runs better, has infinitely more variety, and comes with a tutorial to allow practicing movement, formations, and use of artillery and cavalry.

waterloo

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 16
Date: June 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I have poblam when I play waterloo the game will stop and show me about debug and visual c ++ documentation on asserts

The Best Napoleonic Game Yet.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: July 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Relive the glory days of the little corporal's era in this fun,exciting,& challenging game that recreates the complexities of Napoleonic era warfare in real-time format.Pay no heed to critics who dismiss this game for more simple & less cerebral teen follies;the game has been improved by subsequent patches & will be further bettered with upcoming ones.Strategy wargaming doesn't get better than this.My rating is 4.5 stars.

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