You won’t give any blustering speeches in HISTORY Legends of War: Patton, but you will direct small squads through 21 missions of turn-based, top-down war. Recruit far-sighted Rangers, deadly Commandoes, and mobile armored support, then tackle infiltration, VIP-protection, sabotage, and area-clearing assignments. Units earn XP and slowly become better fighters, while completing objectives yields Prestige Points to spend on healing, upgrades, and new blood.
Hiding behind buildings and crouching behind fences is critical to your troops’ survival.Crouch-walking between bits of cover is straightforward enough, but the controls are finicky about locking on to enemies. You don’t have all the time in the world, either: whenever you stroll into enemy sight cones, Patton unwisely shifts into a sort of half-assed real-time. The opportunity to snuff supernaturally eagle-eyed marksmen before they can fire a second shot is welcome, but the slippery targeting foils most of these opportunities. (You’ll also wish you could zoom out farther and rotate your view faster, as scenery constantly obstructs the view.)
Not being able to save during missions is a pain, as a single poorly tossed grenade or unseen enemy tank might cripple your crew. But find your sweet spot among the five difficulty levels, and suddenly ambushes and rolling heavy artillery feel like reasonably fun challenges instead of backbreakers. The prospect of improving on previous successes for better experience and greater resource rewards even grows somewhat appealing. Patton’s no legend, but strategy buffs should give it a look.
Enemy sight cones will help you move about without catching too much lead.PUBLISHER: Enigma Software Productions • DEVELOPER: Maxiumum Games • ESRB: Teen • MULTIPLAYER: 2 in local-only co-op play • ACHIEVEMENTS: Rote • COST: $50 • RELEASE DATE: November 6, 2012
+ Long campaign full of diverse mission objectives and some formidable challenges.
+ Soldiers, tanks, and aircraft that become more effective as they gain experience.
– Disagreeable controls and camera adjustment; ill-considered semi-real-time combat; limited save system.
? Why do some soldiers sound drunk?
