Extremely realistic WWII simulation/strategy game by Valour on October 27, 2008
Rating: 7/10
This is a game that any history teacher would herald as the best thing since textbooks - if any history teachers knew about it, that is. KOEI has produced yet another marvelous strategy game, a real gem, in Operation Europe - and as usual, made a goof that doomed an otherwise remarkable game to relative obscurity.
You can control either the Nazi or Allied forces across one of several scenarios realistically depicting all facets of several major war operations (like the landing at Normandy, battle for North Africa, etc.). As with D&D, you can actually roll for your general's stats at the beginning of a scenario, and choose which generals to use.
Non-battle game play is from an overhead map perspective, where units and towns are shown on geographically accurate maps. Each unit is part of a division, and you can order units around the map. And in each unit are specific battalions (such as Infantry, different kinds of tanks, Paratroops, Mechanized Units, etc.) Units ending in a 7 (17, 27, 37, etc.) can place minefields, build and destroy bridges, and find and remove minefields. Units ending in 8 are supply units that can fix damaged battalions or hold large amounts of supplies, which they can then transfer to other units or even towns.
Game strategy can be, as with all KOEI games, summed up in one word - comprehensive. You can station troops/battalions in towns, switching them between mobile units and the towns, transfer supplies between towns and units, order air strikes or Paratroop operations, request additional troops/battalions, practice diplomacy, spy on or sabotage units and towns, and much more. There are numerous in-game scenario effects, including weather conditions and reinforcement arrivals.
And once in battle? You control each specific battalion, ordering them around terrain maps against other battalions, where terrain obstacles can include trees, buildings, and rivers. The realism of the game can not be over-emphasized. Historically accurate names and details are present for tanks, planes, troops, generals, scenarios, cities, etc. And there are NUMEROUS different kinds of each of these units within the game. How they fit it all on a Sega Genesis cartridge is a wonder in itself.
From both historical-reenactment and strategy-management perspectives, this game is an absolute marvel. KOEI made just one little error... they didn't link everything together. There is no reward for beating all scenarios. You get a different ending depending on which scenario you beat (and it will likely take days if not WEEKS just to beat a single scenario) but there is no ultimate game direction or focus. It's just a bunch of scenarios you can play separately.
It's a shame. KOEI produced an absolutely brilliant masterpiece in all other respects. They really ought to re-do this game and fix that flaw so that plot, difficult, and replay value are added.
