M1 Tank Platoon II

M1 Tank Platoon II followed up, after nearly ten years, on the original tank simulator from MicroProse, putting the player in command of a platoon of American M1 Abrams tanks in modern nineties conflicts. The player commanded not just their own tank but also the other vehicles in the platoon, to which they could issue orders to maneuver, fire, or provide cover, which made the game a hybrid between personal tank action and tactical command of a small unit on a battlefield full of infantry, artillery, and enemy armor.

The game offered a detailed model of ballistics and damage, where the player had to aim at specific weak points of enemy vehicles and account for the angle of impact, terrain slope, and distance, while also managing the survival of their own platoon in open country full of cover and enemy defensive lines. The graphical rendering of the terrain and vehicles was solid for its time, with well-readable tank models and convincing explosions on impact, and the audio, with the rumble of the engine, the creak of the turret turning, and the roar of the main gun firing, nicely underscored the sense of both power and vulnerability of a modern tank on the battlefield. Missions also often combined tank duels with the need to coordinate advances with supporting infantry and artillery, which increased the tactical depth of individual scenarios.

M1 Tank Platoon II is remembered today as one of the more thorough tank simulators of the second half of the nineties, one that combined the personal viewpoint of a tank crewman with command of a small unit, something not seen that often in the genre. For armor fans, the game remains interesting for its emphasis on the platoon's team tactics instead of the lone heroism of a single tank, and although commanding several vehicles at once took some getting used to, it was precisely this element that gave the game a distinctive character among tank simulators of its time. The link to the original title from the same studio, nine years its senior, also gave the game a symbolic dimension as a return by MicroProse to a theme it had helped define back in the DOS era.

Why play it: Armor fans will appreciate its emphasis on the platoon's team tactics instead of the lone heroism of a single tank, even though commanding several vehicles at once takes a bit of getting used to.