Until recently there were few tank sims on the market - and those that were out there were pretty awful. In recent years developers have once again taken an interest in the genre, spurred on by the success of the top tank game, M1 Tank Platoon 2.
In M1TP2 you take the role of a platoon/company commander, controlling 4 to 10 M1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks. These are supported, depending on the scenario, by further assets including:
As Company Commander you give orders via a well-laid out map/orders screen. There are also Gunner views, buttoned views and the top hatch/binoculars view.
The sim is set in two world types - the deserts of Kuwait, Libya and of the National Training Centre and the greener world of Europe and Russia. There are a wide range of missions, from the progressively more difficult training missions to the assault on Kuwait airport, in which you command Army, Marine and air units under impressive oil-darkened skies. Missions include defending the Fulda Gap against a determined attack by Warsaw Pact forces to the 73 Easting Battle of the Gulf war, in which Marine Corps tanks destroyed dozens of enemy with no losses to themselves.
The game is ideal for Game Commander. Unlike in fighter jets, where radar ranges and weapon selection are done by hand, tank commanders are in effect telling someone else to do something, whether that be to load Sabot ammunition or to stop the tank. It is quite possible to go through a mission in M1TP2 without using your hands once the initial orders have been given, just using voice commands to fight your tank and platoon. This heightens the feeling of "being there" considerably.
Graphics and sound are no more than adequate and in some ways it is a pity that this is the best out there right now. But there is a lot to praise - the sense of depth in the terrain, so crucial in tank sims, is excellent. The M1 Abrams systems appear well modelled and it can get pretty busy at times. Infantry exist in this game, unlike in so many others, and can on occassion immobilise a tank with a well-aimed RPG shot.
Overall this is a worthwhile game that makes a nice break from aircraft from time to time and has a permanent home on my hard disk. And if you enjoy helicopter sims, this is a chance to see things from the receiving end!
