ic-games Review - Korsun Pocket - Reviews, Previews and Interviews for PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii

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Decisive Battles of WWII: Korsun Pocket

Korsun Pocket

Information
Reviewer: Andrew St.Denis
Developer: Matrix Games
Publisher: Just Play
Reviewed: PC
Genre: Turn-based Strategy
UK Release: 15th Aug 2003
Article Date: 31st Aug 2003
Difficulty: Hard
Retail Price:
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Score Breakdown

Experience:
Game Play:
Graphics:
Sound:
Overall Score: 86%

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Pros

Comprehensive Strategy Title

Impressive AI

Cons

Difficult For Beginners

Basic In Game Tutorial

Screenshots

8 of 27

All along the Eastern front the German Army had been forced back ever since the battle for Stalingrad was lost. The capitol of Ukraine, Kiev was recaptured by Russian forces during November 1943 and by the start of 1944 the Germans had been forced across the Dnieper River except in the area around Kanev and Cherkassy. This created a bulge in the German lines and the perfect chance for encirclement by Russian troops… and this is where you enter… It’s your job to finish the encirclement and to create what was to become the ‘Korsun Pocket’

This is the scenario used for Matrix Games and Just Play’s ‘Decisive Battles of WWII: Korsun Pocket’ a hexagonal turn based strategy game. Featuring single player, two player ‘hot seat’ or two player email modes, the game allows you to play as either side. Utilizing an advanced version of the engine used in the first DB: The Ardennes Offensive. The units are Regimental or Divisional in size, this allows you to move entire divisions as a single unit or split them off in their regiments perhaps to allow layered defence or encirclement of enemy units. The way this is done also allows the movement of mixed units being moved together as well thus making rapid advances by mechanized troops possible while the foot or even cavalry units follow mopping up. Yes, even as late as 1944 and even 1945 there were full cavalry regiments still in use as frontline troops, as well as horse-drawn artillery pieces.

Now the units you control are fixed, you can’t ‘buy’ more although reinforcements are available to make up numbers in depleted units, there are only a certain number per turn though, so choose carefully which will receive them. Later on during the missions units do ‘appear’ as entire regiments/divisions are brought forward for your use, but these are fixed and will enter at set times during the game play. Supplies are also an important feature, with trucks having to keep up with any advancing troops to keep them in ammunition. Thus meaning a rush of troops to capture an important position may be a good idea, as long as once they get there you don’t expect them to survive for very long without support (think of Arnhem!). The supply trucks are moved as any other unit and provide support to all units within a fixed radius (depending on near-by enemy action).

The units available are those that where available at the time to both sides, although the AI, when controlling the Germans is more likely to make sensible command decisions, since it doesn’t have links back to ‘The Fuhrer’ who, lets face it, wasn’t exactly playing with a full deck by that point. You will have command of Infantry both mechanised and on foot. Armour, Artillery (including horse-drawn and mechanised) and a full support group with engineers to repair/blow bridges clear minefields etc. and supply trucks to keep everything rolling.

Moving your units is a simple case of choosing the unit, (de)selecting the units stacked with it (up to 4 units may be stacked on the same hex) and then telling it where you want it to go. Then depending on the movement points available they will either get there in one turn, or queue up the order, and take however many turns it takes. The movement points for each unit can be used however you wish… so you can move 8 ‘hex’ in one go, or one at a time with no penalty

Combat takes place when you’ve moved next to the enemy unit and then clicked on that unit… This takes you to the combat screen, where you can add things like close combat air support and artillery bombardment as well as adding other units adjacent to the battle ‘hex’ to increase your chances of success… The possible outcomes are shown prior to battle commencing, whilst after the battle the results are shown, including losses and the way the result was decided. The way in which is done is, well… very complicated to say the least and seems to encompass a lot of steps from the board gaming strategy side, but it must be added that while there are similarities everything is computer controlled making it simple to play, unless you wish to analyze all the results in detail.

The game itself is easy enough to pick up, but a lot harder to master. The controls are also simple, all being made using the mouse. There are training missions available, and it is advisable to take them, but it is here that the one major flaw that was discovered comes to light… and this is, that the training missions don’t actually have any built in instructions, there are instructions in the User Manual contained in the packaging, however… but it’d have been nice if there was some on screen prompting. This is however the only problem that was discovered and it gives me great delight that such care was taken prior to publishing (such a shame that can’t be said for more games released today). This is a game for true, diehard strategists though, not one for those that want graphics and sounds to carry them along. It is probably THE best hex strategy game out to date though, and indeed possibly one of the best single campaign one too. If you like true-to-life, historical battles or are an avid strategist there’s only one thing left to say… Why are you still here reading this review?… you should be on the way out to buy this game!!

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