M1 Tank Platoon
1990 video games Atari ST gamesAmiga gamesPC games
real-time strategystrategy gamessimulator games
A tank simulator that proved to be so much more than a tank simulator. And a bit less.
Well, let’s face it, the simulators from 1980s and early 1990s came in a variety of forms - some were just the sets of "stations" that you could switch between, others were trying to dip their toes in the 3D technology, but the hardware limitations were cutting their ambitions quite short. M1 Tank Platoon is a combination of those two sub-genres, but with a twist.
At first glance it is a typical early days’ simulator, in which you can switch between the commander station, driver station and the gunner station. They look like you would imagine the interior of a tank, they have switches with acronyms to confuse you, and a tiny part of the screen contains an outside view. What you see outside is... let’s just say it leaves a lot to the imagination - the mountains are simple vector objects, the vehicles are simple vector objects, the trees are simple vector objects. Sometimes telling apart a target and just a random object could be tricky.
The simulation bit, as simplistic as it might seem, was done well enough to keep you interested. You are in charge of the single platoon (4 tanks), in most of the missions you also have access to the support of other units. But unless you tried the campaign mode, you most like missed the glorious bit of M1 Tank Platoon - the strategy. Single missions are good, but during the campaign, you see the bigger variety of scenarios, have different support units, you can basically play the whole thing like a strategy game. Some planning, some knowledge of how you can make the best use of the resources available, and you can spend hours playing the game that looks like a set of random vectors.
M1 Tank Platoon is one of the retro games that will surprise you with its complexity. The graphic side, no, but the complexity, definitely yes. Being in charge of the platoon is fine, could be fun for a while, but once the strategy layer kicks in, the game becomes something else.
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