M1 Tank Platoon II (PC)

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Gamespot editors' review

• Reviewed by: Alan Dunkin
• Reviewed on: 04/13/1998
• Updated on: 05/01/2000
• Released on: 02/28/1998

Almost ten years ago MicroProse published one of the coolest games yet created for the PC: M1 Tank Platoon. Based on the then-untried-in-combat M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank (MBT), M1 Tank Platoon excelled in playability, graphics, replayability, accuracy, realism, and fun. It was a milestone for military combat simulations on the home computer. Quite naturally any attempt at a sequel would have some pretty big shoes to fill. Recent simulations based on the newer M1A2 Abrams model, such as Interactive Magic's iM1A2 Abrams and NovaLogic's Armored First 2, have attempted to match this unique combination with some success in different areas. Now MicroProse has stepped back into the fray with M1 Tank Platoon II, and while it captures basically everything that made the original good and a bit more, nagging bugs and other problems drag it down as well.

M1 Tank Platoon II initially offers you the capability to command a platoon of four M1A2 tanks, as well as any attached assets, on the modern battlefield. Initially you create a platoon from a variety of real-world active-duty battalions in either an Army Armored regiment, an Army cavalry regiment, or in a separate Marine tank battalion. The type of service plays a role in what kind of attached support you receive during campaigns. Characters are created for each platoon (16 in all, four for each tank), and each character can be promoted and/or given a medal during the course of a campaign, depending on the outcome of each scenario. A character's efficiency rating (professional, good, poor) translates into performance on the battlefield, so it's best to keep them happy in one way or another.

Four different modes of play are offered in M1 Tank Platoon II: training missions, single battles, campaigns, and multiplayer games. Training missions take place at two areas: Armor School at Fort Knox, where basic tank functions and exercises can be conducted, and the National Training Center (NTC) in Fort Irwin, California, where you are put through a number of advanced tactical courses. As a plus, there is a digital strategy guide (DSG) available on the CD-ROM called M1 Tank Platoon II War College, which offers even more help and advice.

M1 Tank Platoon II offers both single battles and campaigns. For the single battles, there are five battles based on historical engagements in the Gulf War, such as 73 Easting and Medina Ridge (albeit with M1A2 tanks instead of M1A1s), and five battles in Europe, based on the typical NATO vs. Warsaw Pact confrontation, like the infamous Fulda Gap. Random single battles can also be generated and saved, and about a dozen of these are already available to play.

There are five campaigns available: Gulf War II (Iraq invades Kuwait and Saudi Arabia), North Africa (Libya invades Egypt), Far East (mutinous Russians near Vladivostok), Moldavia (Ukranian invasion), and World War II Revisited (invasion of Poland). Each campaign has a set difficulty level that can be altered upon selection, though typically the Middle Eastern ones are easier than the European ones. The campaigns are basically dynamic, and your successes and failures can and will ultimately alter the outcome of the war - continued losses will result in more defensive battles, while significant gains result in more offensive ones. The battles are randomized to a point, which unfortunately results in some ridiculously generated engagements. Do not be surprised if it is just your single platoon, with perhaps a self-propelled battery in support, against an entire motor rifle battalion.

Graphically, M1 Tank Platoon II is well done, particularly if you're able to use the 3Dfx Glide version (although attempting to use the Voodoo Rush will dump you straight back to Windows 95). The tanks themselves are beautifully modeled, and the ground gently slopes and swells convincingly. All times of day and night are simulated. On slower machines (Pentium 133 is the minimum here) huge battles have a tendency to bog down, causing choppy frame rates and wreaking havoc on your ability to aim properly with the joystick. On the plus side, however, tanks and other vehicles blow up beautifully, and there's nothing quite like a hillside filled with burning hulks.

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