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This classic gets my vote for best ever, but I also gotta put the original Close Combat I-III series near the top. I've heard many accolades for Combat Mission, but never played it. What do you think, guys? Maybe my closeness to SPWaW makes me prejudiced towards it (LOL, what am I saying--of COURSE it does), but seriously, does the old warhorse still remain at or near the top of the heap?

As far as my portfolio of games go the answer is: YES YES YES!!
SPWAW is on of only two games that I have never stopped playing for more than a few days at a time. (CIV series being the other). I just can't help feeling like I am playing my old board game love "Squad Leader" when I play certain scenarios.

TOP OF THE LIST.
Dave

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

Maybe my closeness to SPWaW makes me prejudiced towards it (LOL, what am I saying--of COURSE it does), but seriously, does the old warhorse still remain at or near the top of the heap?

It does, but to a certain extent this is because its genre has more or less died out in this world of RTS click-fests. I still love it, though. It's one of the few games I keep coming back to over and over again.

I think that the whole series of Steel Panthers are the best wargames that I have ever played. The only other game that is close is Harpoon 2-3. I played Close Combat. You could not see all the action and the oob's were not realistic. Even the sounds in the Steel Panthers series are realistic.

Jim Yalem

JimPY, you mentioned the sounds, and they are unsurpassed. With a good sound system, you are THERE. I realize that I'm preaching to the converted, but don't forget that the long campaigns give you the opportunity to take command of a reinforced battalion and lead them through the entire war. This is the best feature I can think of, as you can re-equip and reorganize your force as the war progresses. Other than Close Combat, which followed a scripted path as opposed to SPWaW's randomness, there is no comparison. Combine this with the Mega campaigns and the hundreds of scenarios, no other game can come close.

I have a stepfather who fought in WW2 in the Pacific. He and my mother were visiting me one time and I was playing SPWAW in another room. Soon after I started he came into my room to ask what was going on. He thought that he heard machine gun fire. I showed him the game. He says the .50 cal sound was exactly the same as the real machine gun, which he fired many times on landings.

Jim Yalem

Have you ever gone to the Wargamer and looked at the number of downlaods, For
Wild Bills Korea series, its well over 1000
alot of SPWAW fans still out there!!!
How goes the New Mech testing, anyone heard anything??

Greatest ever tactical game is X-COM . SPWAW may be greatest ever wargame, but I'm not an expert on the wargames.

Oh, well, I can't help but be a cheerleader for SPWaW. It's a timeless classic. Origins is still 17 days away, but I'm getting psyched--can't wait to meet the guys. [:D]

ORIGINAL: serg3d

Greatest ever tactical game is X-COM .
SPWAW may be greatest ever wargame, but I'm not an expert on the wargames.

Obviously, X-Com does rate well with me also [:D]

X-Com will always be on my hard-drive






Major Mess

Ok, I'll bite--what is X-Com, and why would I want it?

For the record, I still like John Tiller's Battleground series games-- I have Shiloh, Bull Run, Antietam & Gettysburg. Some good mods were made for these games, and I have them.

Also, for ancient battles-- I have the Great Battles of Alexander, Hannibal & Caesar.

All this to say, I used to play operational-level games, but the tactical level grabbed me, and for wargaming, this is now my favorite mode of play.

On the WWII level, though, SPWaW is the king--does anyone dispute this?

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

Ok, I'll bite--what is X-Com, and why would I want it?

You probably wouldn't... X-Com is an old series of games from Microprose, where the player controls an organisation called X-Com against alien invaders. The tactical part of the game involves moving individual operatives around an iso-3D map to capture and/or destroy a range of alien adversaries.

It was a good game for its time (1993, unless memory fails me), but mostly for its atmosphere. SP: WaW beats it pants down.

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

On the WWII level, though, SPWaW is the king--does anyone dispute this?

No.

I'd still like to see SP: WaW ported to the modern era, though. Back in the day, I spent far more time with SP2 than SP1. SP: MBT was a disappointment of enormous proportions.

ORIGINAL: Terminus

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

On the WWII level, though, SPWaW is the king--does anyone dispute this?

No.

I'd still like to see SP: WaW ported to the modern era, though. Back in the day, I spent far more time with SP2 than SP1. SP: MBT was a disappointment of enormous proportions.

The thought of the SPWaW engine being able to recreate the Battle of 73 Easting from Gulf War I is a wonderful idea, but I don't see it happening anytime soon.

However, with Matrix, you never say never. [;)]

Hey, Riun, I see that you're lurking---got anything to say, my friend? [:D]

I will say that from my perspective the series of SP games are the best wargames out there. The game offers so much variety that one can play just about any scenario they want (from recreations to what ifs, from small fire fights, to large battles). Though I have never played SPWWII, I have been playing alot of the SPMBT since my main interest is in modern combat (I do wish Matrix had done a modern game though!). So in term of versatility, I think the SP series has it all!

ORIGINAL: Terminus

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

Ok, I'll bite--what is X-Com, and why would I want it?

You probably wouldn't... X-Com is an old series of games from Microprose, where the player controls an organisation called X-Com against alien invaders. The tactical part of the game involves moving individual operatives around an iso-3D map to capture and/or destroy a range of alien adversaries.

It was a good game for its time (1993, unless memory fails me), but mostly for its atmosphere. SP: WaW beats it pants down.

Well, you may not like X-COM, but to call it "good game for its time" and "mostly for its atmosphere" is a mistake IMO. There was not even one game after X-COM which had all its main features: all enviroment is destructable (fighting inside burning hull of your shuttle after it was hit by rocket), operations both inside and outside of multistoried buildings (cutting through the wall to get to your enemy - Israel Army applied this tactic in urban combat couple of years ago for the first time), units poses, wounds, mlee, moral etc.
There weren't any successful clones of the X-COM either [:(]

Oh, you're very much mistaken! I LOVED X-Com back in the day, and spent many, many, many hours playing it; all I'm saying is that it's been supersceded, and hasn't stood the test of time.