Genre: Action
Publisher: JoWood/Koch Media
Developer: Zootfly
Release Date: Q1 2006

There's something very primal about the idea of the tank. I mean, look at the things: they're nothing but heavy plates of armor supporting massive guns intent on blowing large holes in anything that opposes it. Panzer Elite Action takes the metal monsters of WWII and throws them into an arcade-style action game that is surprisingly fun and satisfyingly deep, if not somewhat difficult at times. Although the preview build we received wasn't fully featured, there's much to be said about the direction in which Panzer Elite Action is seemingly headed.

In the past, tanks in games really haven't gotten much love. There are countless games of varying quality in which you play as a foot soldier, a helicopter pilot, or a flyboy, but for the most part, games featuring the tank have been fairly forgettable. Panzer Elite Action takes the approach of placing you as the tank commander in one of the three main sides of the WWII conflict – Allied, Russian, or German – and sets the tone of the game as mostly arcade-styled, with some simulation tendencies.

Controlling your tank is as easy as using WASD to move about and using the mouse to control your turret and weapons. There are a few ancillary commands, such as utilizing binoculars or requesting air strikes, but for the most part, controlling your tank in Panzer Elite Action is a breeze. Controlling it how you want to, however, is a little more of a refined art, as there are many factors that will affect your movement and aim. For instance, jostling around on rough terrain will make your shots fly wild, so often a choice between speed and mobility or firepower and accuracy must be made and remade as the battlefield dynamic changes. Then of course, one must always be mindful of the fact that your turret pans slightly slower than your view can, and of that blasted house that found itself in your path. Thus, controlling your tank is easy, but one must still use a greater amount of tactics than what you'd originally think of in a primarily arcade-styled title.

On one hand, Panzer Elite Action is somewhat realistic. Infantry don't pose nearly as much of a threat to a tank in open terrain as do other tanks and gun emplacements, enemy aircraft are the bane of your existence, and you are pretty much limited to the armaments wielded by the real-life version of the tank you are playing as. Tanks have heavy armor to the front and sides, but a good shot to the turret's base or a shot to the rear will make it explode like a shrapnel piñata. On the other hand, while enemy tanks can only take one or two shells before popping, you and your allies' tanks are built like mountains and are able to withstand withering gunfire. Therefore, you and two other tanks can easily tackle a lance of 15+ tanks without skipping as much as a beat. When the tank needs to be rearmed or repaired, simply drive up to a rearm or repair station, and you automatically get restored to full status.

Panzer Elite Action looks and sounds pretty good, although the sound segment could use just a little more time in the oven. Visually, the title is fairly gripping, and it can be guessed that a lot of time went into the title's art direction before a single line of code was typed. The tanks themselves are modeled and textured to a very high degree of realism to react to everything from shooting and taking hits, to subtle maneuvering. Houses can be blown into various states of rubble, first smoking, then flaming, then finally losing walls until the structure explodes in a shower of brick and mortar. Smoke and fire in the game both look and are used well, and at a glance, the amount of smoke being emitted from a tank is as good an indication as any of its ability to fight.

It's the mix of the two aspects of arcade style and realism that makes Panzer Elite Action fun to play. You still experience many aspects of realism in the title to keep things interesting and dynamic, but you're also not overwhelmed with them to the point that the title requires a 150-page manual on a Panzer's drive train or a keyboard overlay. The game looks great and sounds good, but the important part is that even in the limited preview build we played, it can be an absolute blast to just fire up a mission and have a romp through the European countryside. Panzer Elite Action is neither the most realistic tank title ever crafted, nor is it explicitly arcade styled, but in either case, it could be one of the best excuses to hop into a Sherman in the past couple of years. Keep an eye on Panzer Elite Action as it continues development and rolls towards its release in Q1 2006.