Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The Perfect General: Greatest Battles of the 20th Century expansion builds on the rock-solid turn-based blueprint of the base game, dropping you into 20 meticulously recreated battlefields from Kursk in 1943 to the hypothetical Fulda Gap clash. Each scenario feels unique, with varied objectives, terrain types and force compositions. You must deploy infantry, armor and artillery across hex-based maps, carefully weighing supply lines and movement costs. The requirement to own the base game is a small price to pay for the sheer volume of new content.

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What sets this disk apart is the sheer breadth of theaters covered. From the brutal urban warfare of Stalingrad (1942) to the island defense at Malta, from the jungles of Saigon (1968) to the open plains of the Falklands (1982), you’ll constantly adapt your tactics. The Vietnam and Korean War maps force you to rethink line-of-sight and cover, while Cold War “what if?” clashes like Fulda Gap demand modern combined-arms coordination. Every battle feels like a fresh puzzle to solve.

Replayability is off the charts. The AI opponents vary in aggression and cunning, and you can tweak difficulty settings to sharpen your skills. Multiplayer via hotseat remains a highlight: challenging a friend to a tense standoff at the Suez Conflict or Bataan feels as rewarding today as it did at launch. With no two battles playing out the same way, the learning curve stays engaging without ever growing stale.

Graphics

This expansion inherits the original’s crisp, top-down 2D visuals, embracing a classic hex-grid aesthetic that prioritizes clarity over flash. Each new map features distinct color palettes and terrain icons: lush green jungles for Vietnam, frozen steppes for Kursk, dusty sand dunes for Crete. While the graphics engine shows its age, the unit counters, hex borders and overlays remain sharp and easy to read, even on modern displays.

Map details are surprisingly rich. Smaller engagements, like the 1941 Moscow Push, showcase town icons with ruined buildings, while larger scenarios—such as the Dnepr Bridgehead—include detailed river crossings and forested flanks. Weather effects are limited to icon indicators rather than dynamic animations, but fog of war and visibility ranges are communicated clearly. This focus on functional design keeps the battlefield readable and avoids visual clutter.

User interface elements remain consistent with the base game, with straightforward menus for issuing orders, reviewing combat odds and tracking supply lines. Tooltips provide quick reminders of unit strengths and movement allowances. Though you won’t find dazzling particle effects, the expansion’s graphics serve the gameplay perfectly, ensuring you never lose sight of strategic decision-making amidst unnecessary bells and whistles.

Story

While The Perfect General never aimed to be a narrative-driven experience, this scenario disk delivers engaging historical briefings that set the stage for each battle. Before the horn of war blows, you receive concise overviews—troop numbers, strategic objectives and geopolitical context—that immerse you in the stakes at hand, whether you’re defending the Pusan Perimeter in 1950 or spearheading Guderian’s advance in 1940.

The breadth of conflicts offered feels like a crash course in 20th-century military history. You’ll witness the turning point at Stalingrad, the tense standoffs of the Cold War “what if?” Fulda Gap, and even whimsical deviations like “The Hollywood Dream.” Each briefing invites you to rewrite history: Can you avert disaster at Bataan? Will you push past Operation Sea Lion’s beaches? There’s an unmistakable thrill in tackling both famous and lesser-known engagements.

The absence of a scripted storyline is more a feature than a flaw. Your own tactical choices create the narrative, turning each playthrough into a personalized tale of triumph or defeat. As you navigate shifting front lines from Shenyang to the Suez, you’ll feel the ebb and flow of momentum and the weight of every decision—an immersive, player-driven epic without the need for cutscenes.

Overall Experience

The Perfect General: Greatest Battles of the 20th Century is a must-have for strategy enthusiasts and history buffs alike. With 20 sprawling scenarios spanning World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Cold War era and beyond, this disk revitalizes a classic engine. Each battle provides hours of thoughtful positioning, combined-arms tactics and supply-line juggling, ensuring a deep, rewarding experience long after the first turn.

The expansion excels at balancing accessibility with complexity. Seasoned generals will appreciate the nuanced differences in terrain and unit types across eras, while newcomers will find the step-by-step briefings and user-friendly interface a gentle introduction to hex-based warfare. The hotseat multiplayer remains a highlight, offering tense showdowns that feel timelessly addictive.

Requiring only the base game and fitting neatly into its existing framework, this scenario disk represents outstanding value. It breathes new life into The Perfect General, extending playtime by dozens of hours and delivering a compelling variety of historical and “what if?” challenges. Whether you’re reliving famous clashes or forging alternate outcomes, this expansion cements the game’s legacy as one of the most engaging turn-based wargames of its era.

Retro Replay Score

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