I was going to rewrite this, but the press release that they sent me was pretty funny :)
Reclusive gamers wanting to play War Plan Pacific from KE Studios and Shrapnel Games who live in fortified mountain compounds and think that members of the United States Postal Service are a secret paramilitary organization bent on world conquest through Pottery Barn catalogs take note! You, along with other gamers, will not need to deal with a shipping service to enjoy this great new wargame. Shrapnel Games is now offering War Plan Pacific for purchase as an immediate download. Those preferring a physical product can still order it as such.
War Plan Pacific, released in December, is a computer wargame for Windows developed by start up KE Studios and published by Shrapnel Games. One or two players command the air, naval, and (abstractly) ground forces of either Imperial Japan or the Combined Allied Effort (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and the Netherlands) in the brutal struggle for the Pacific between 1941 and 1945.
Battles rage across the vast expanse of the Pacific as players vie for control of twenty-nine strategically important bases using a historic order of battle, fighting with air groups, amphibious groups, and naval vessels of light cruiser size or larger. Both sides, while having the ultimate goal of defeating their opponents through force of arms, have very different approaches to achieving said goal, making War Plan Pacific almost feel like two different games. As the Japanese can you carry out the longest delaying action in the history of warfare? Or aggressively take the fight to the Allies and cut the Americans off before their massive war machine begins to take its toll? As the Allies will you need to fight for every square mile of island or will you slip the noose around Japan and strangle her?
A perfect companion for today’s busy gamer, War Plan Pacific plays out in a single session. No more coming back to a game and wondering what exactly your strategy had been last turn, no more multiplayer sessions that are never finished because your opponent vanishes after months of play. Highly intuitive in nature, gamers can jump right into the game without a problem. Of course War Plan Pacific also comes with a detailed manual, chock full of cool tidbits, for those who prefer to learn the game first. The only thing missing is beer and pretzels; you’re on your own to supply those.
Although only released a scant few weeks ago already early reviews have been showering War Plan Pacific with praise.
James Allen of Out of Eight says of War Plan Pacific:
“War Plan Pacific is a grand strategy game truly designed with the more casual user in mind. A lot of the tedium and frankly unnecessary complexity found in similar games is removed while still keeping a satisfying level of depth. War Plan Pacific is easy to manage, with great unit organization and simple mission assignment. The multiple victory conditions are fantastic and reduce the amount of repetition seen in subsequent matches. War Plan Pacific also doesn’t waste your time with drawn-out contests. For gamers on a time budget (or those easily distracted by other games or shiny objects), War Plan Pacific is a great way to taste strategy gaming without devoting too much time to the endeavor.”
Steve Butts of IGN echoes James with:
“War Plan Pacific nicely straddles the sometimes contradictory concepts of realism and accessibility. With a simple interface and gameplay that’s focused more on basic essentials, the game proves that you don’t need reams and reams of technical data in order to be successful. It’s true that we’d like to have seen a few more features here and there but, overall, War Plan Pacific is a welcome addition to the wargame catalog that makes good decisions in terms of sacrificing details and streamlining gameplay.”
Noted strategy blogger Troy Goodfellow of Flash of Steel has War Plan Pacific sharing his Wargame of the Year award. He writes:
“War Plan Pacific is new. Inspired by Avalon Hill’s Victory in the Pacific, WPP is much simpler. The Pacific Ocean is interpreted as nodes that must be controlled by the Japanese or the Allies. There are multiple victory conditions and some neat rules about reinforcement and building up bases. But it’s very simplicity means that you will be able to pick it up in an evening and still find new ways of doing things.”
You can find links to the full reviews at the War Plan Pacific forum. Or you could use Google, but we’d prefer that you go the forum because then you’ll see all the other cool games we have and also read the great comments from your fellow gamers.
For more information on the game, to download a limited demo (single player only, allowing play as either Japan or the Allies for four turns), or to purchase the game please visit its official product page.
War Plan Pacific is only $39.95 and is available only for Windows, either as a physical product shipped to your door in a nifty case or as a download (but you knew that since that’s what this entire release is about, right?). And like all Shrapnel Games products there’s no need to fear some sort of draconian DRM scheme. War Plan Pacific won’t phone home every seven days or kidnap your dear old mum and hold her hostage, and will still be playable in twenty years.
Be sure to stop by and visit www.shrapnelgames.com for our complete catalog of award winning independent games with a focus on strategy. Recent releases includes War Plan Pacific and the newest title from the masters of the bizarre, Digital Eel, with their own electric kool aid test, Brainpipe. Stay tuned for more great releases in 2009!
