Codename Panzers: Cold War

Nice to play, very professional but really unoriginal. [Apr 2009]

A sophisticated, well-paced and remarkably different entry into the RTS genre.

Being in the hands of several developers and publishers is usually bad for a game, but not this time. Codename Panzers is surprisingly good and the missions are designed brilliantly. If you don't need to be in the thick of it and prefer controlling highly specialized units, then this Cold War is for you.

Fast-paced, beautiful, innovative, a bit crazy and with an interesting story to tell - an excellent real time strategy without the redundant economy. The vast array of modifications that can be applied to the basic units makes every single battle unique. At least for some time. [Apr 2009]

Thanks to exciting battles and a motivating experience-system this title offers everything Panzers-Fans expected… despite the aged graphics. So if your’e searching for a classic RTS-experience and can’t be stopped by the WW2-scenario, this is a safe bet!

Ultimately, Codename Panzers: Cold War is a very good real time strategy game that delivers enough in all its aspects, but doesn't offer something brand new. Although enjoying the intense action of the game is satisfying, it will often look as it we had been there before.

Codename Panzers: Cold War is a good RTS that just needed a little more flash and charisma to be in the same league as the rest of the series. The magic disappears and the fast pace prevails, but the ton of contents and the serious and quality proposal are still tags of this franchise.

It's a highly polished, occasionally satisfying, wholly unremarkable game set not in WWII, but in an imagined reality where it had a sequel. Not World War III, but WWII 2. [Apr 2009, p.78]

Codename: Panzers - Cold War is a quite good RTS, but it doesn’t offer a real challenge because of a poor A.I. and some simplistic gameplay choices. Probably hardcore-RTS players won’t like it, but newbies could be interested in a game easy to learn and play.

Stormregion's first adventure outside the World War Two era ends up in a pretty solid game, demonstrating once again the exhaustive knowledge of the developers when it comes to the RTS game-making. The major flaw of Codename: Panzers Cold War is not related to the quality itself, but probably to its conventionalism, reminding the user too often that he has been there too many times before.

The real problem for Codename: Panzers - Cold War is that it was released in the same time period as other strategic blockbusters. Otherwise it is a solid RTS without any innovation worth of note but with an interesting multiplayer mode and a fascinating single player campaign.

Codename Panzers: Cold War is a decent enough RTS title that builds on its predecessors and offers a solid interface and fun gameplay, but doesn’t really bring enough new to the table to make it stand out in the highly competitive RTS genre.

Quotation forthcoming.

It feels a bit too scaled back; the range of missions and the roster of units have definitely been trimmed a bit. To be honest, though, sometimes I appreciate a fun RTS experience that doesn't really challenge my expectations too much.

C:PCW has a bunch of nice ideas, not only those mentioned but a few others as well such as experienced units purchasable from mission to mission, and the whole pre-mission set up phase, but most of them fall flat due to lack of thorough integration into the game mechanics.

Codename: Panzers Cold War has some good things going for it but it feels like the developers were rushed to get the game completed.

Codename Panzers: Cold War is a prime example of a ‘strategy light’ game. The balance between the different units isn’t that important. More important is how the player anticipates to changes in the environment. It’s the ultimate ‘appetizer game’, it’s edible, but it’s not as fulfilling as the main course.

Codename: Panzers Cold War isn't good, but isn't bad either. It will probably be overrun by the sheer quality of the other RTS games. Hardcore strategy fans will find this title too shallow, while gamers that are looking for some fast paced action will find it elsewhere.

It just lacks passion for me. It all feels very, very functional; much like a slice of white bread in fact. You may eat a slice of white bread and there is nothing wrong with it but you would never think it was the best food you had ever eaten; it'd just fill you up until something better came along. Codename: Panzers - Cold War is the white bread of the RTS world. It is perfectly adequate, it'll keep you occupied while there's nothing better to do, but you'd never choose it over the chocolate of the RTS world, Dawn of War 2, or the cake: Empire: Total War.

I want to like Panzers – the basic design is full of concepts that I enjoy, and the presentation is outstanding. It’s a pity that the gameplay sadly lacks the chops to pull it all together.

Codename Panzers: Cold War fails to capitalize on the moderate success of preceding titles in the franchise. A fabulous game engine and detailed physics simply can't hide what is essentially a basic RTS with limited scope.

Tried-and-true gameplay formula, adherent to genre traditions, unchallengeable classic – it’s easy to come up with compliments. But there is a better word - stagnation. Even colourful visuals won't mask an old-fashioned, painfully boring game.

All the polish in the world could not mask the nagging feeling of tactical emptiness. [May 2009, p.59]

The latest addition to the Codename Panzers lineup is too straightforward and simplistic.

Anyone with RTS sympathies will be able to wring some pleasure from it, but no-one's likely to enjoy it enough to recommend it to a mate, devote a fan-site to it, or have its logo tattooed in a private place.

A great disappointment for all who have expected something new from the Panzers game. Cold War is more mod or an add-on then the full-scale sequel. Same (which means nonexistent) pathfinding after six years from the previous Panzers? Kind of a sad joke. [Mar 2009]