Introduction

Axis & Allies is the king of war board games. It may lack the tactical subtlety of titles like Squad Leader, and Risk may be more approachable, but with its marriage of realism and WWII fun, A&A ticks all the boxes - and can be completed in an afternoon. This is a big plus, when games like A World At War drag on almost as long as the battles they attempt to emulate. Nov 8, 2017 - Axis and Allies Map Downloads Axis & Allies: Iron Blitz Edition. PC Mac Linux VR XONE PS4 Switch Customize It has over games. Axis and Allies Overview Axis and Allies Free Download for PC is a 1998 turn-based strategy video game closely based on the Axis and Allies: Classic board game.

Axis and Allies: Iron Blitz is a turn-based war game based on the successful board game. And it's a follow up to Hasbro's first PC port of the game - which it includes. The game reflects the world during the whimsical spring of 1942. Get TripleA, it’s free and has all the same rules as Axis and Allies Iron Blitz as well as some others. Seriously, I sold my old Iron Blitz because TripleA is faster and does not crash as often. (Yes, you can still play over the internet with it, just not with me.

Popular simple boardgames seem to be hard to port to computers. Two attempts at computer versions of Risk made hardly a ripple on the market. The first computer Axis & Allies was a tremendous flop and the Iron Blitz Edition stand-alone patch didn?t fare any better. At face value it appears as though Atari and Timegate Studios are trying again but actually they just use the Axis & Allies title as a come-on for the game they really wanted to do. The pity is that this marketing strategy hides a pretty good game within the clothing of a struggling franchise, at least on the PC.

Installation and Documentation

The two-disk install is smooth, taking up a whopping 1.4 GB of hard disk space. The size of the install may explain the lengthy load time when booting the game. Thankfully, the ?Play Disc? is clearly labeled.

The 64-page manual is well written and fairly well organized but incomplete. Technologies are not explained or priced and a technology tree would have been helpful. The point of picking one of four generals for the player?s side in the strategic game is unclear since which four of the 35 special operations belong to which leader is never stated. Such omissions may be explained by the text being written before the game was complete. Neither the on-line manual nor readme files clear up these issues although the mouse tooltip explains technologies quickly during play.

Graphics and Sound Effects

Axis And Allies Iron Blitz Machinery

Graphics and sound effects are the first hints to the split personality of this product. The strategy map that should be the heart of the game is absolutely blah, an unimaginative copy of the boardgame. Generic soldiers, trucks, and tanks represent infantry, mechanized and armored armies. Broad green arrows indicate possible moves by the selected unit to friendly territories while red ones show moves into enemy areas. Battles are depicted by small puffs of smoke. Bars showing income are clear. The icon grid and the mouse tooltips facilitate play. Sound effects are non-existent at this level.

Matters change when players choose to play in the real time mode. Units are to scale with terrain and buildings. Troops and vehicles are not only nation-specific but different models of vehicles are realistically detailed. Landscape and weather effects reflect not only geography but also the seasons. Fire from buildings, ships, bunkers and emplacements is spectacular as are damage effects. Animation for combat and movement rival the best real time games on the market. The portraits of troopers on the unit bars also show the weather and emotions of the moment. The green health and blue morale bars are easily read as are the symbols for special abilities. Weapons boom and crash and engines grind along. The corps commanders yell at players in excellent voice acting. The mini-map could be brighter but is still usable. The quality of graphics in real time mode is as professional as those of strategy level are pedestrian.

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