Insane price differences

[Elwro]

OK, so I seem to get back in strategy gaming. I got Gary Grigsby's World at War for $3 with a magazine and loved it. I also grabbed a copy of Panzer General III (I seem to have missed it) from the garbage bin.

But then I decided to enter deep waters and try one of the most complicated simulations I've ever seen: Steel Panthers. And here's the best part.
Matrix, the producer, sells it ("Steel Panthers: World at War Generals Edition") for 67 EURO.
In my country, Nicolas Games sells it for 20 zl, which is about 4.5 EURO. Shipment to USA is 42 zl, so it's about 15 EURO total.
In the Nicolas Games' version you get the English game with English documentation. So, there's no reason for guys from abroad not to buy this.
I myself am delighted. The game's a real gem, and I bought it dirt cheap ("big" games cost around 100-130 zl around here). It has a proper serial code and I registered it at the Matrix Games site.
Many times I heard people talking about reimport. "You have to wait because we need to translate the game. And we need to do it, so we can give you a lower price. If we don't translate it, the price will have to be the same as abroad, as the publishers fear reimport." It seems that in niche genres it doesn't work this way, and I'm delighted :D

 

[Jason]

Or you could just download it for free. Same for SPWW2 and SPMBT.

Let us know what you think of GGWAW. I've been meaning to get that for a while, but there's always other games in the way.

 

[Elwro]

The free version of Steel Panthers is without the Mega Campaigns. And I have a vague plan of possibly thinking about trying one of them in distant future. It's a difficult game...

GGWAW is a good game, I think. Movement rules (normal / strategic moves etc.) are something you have to get used to. The good thing is that, to learn the game, you can automatize resource management and research and just focus on movement and fighting the first time you play.
I like the notion of "politicaly frozen" regions of the world - they become available after some specific events happen. Also, I like the choices you have to face when repairing damaged regions - do you fix the rails or the factories etc. Also, it's nice to see guerilla attacks happening when the occupant doesn't keep a sufficient force in the region. I'm not so sure about the method the game uses to determine victory - the game may end with the Axis being 5 turns from complete extinction and still proclaim "Axis marginal victory". This happened to me the last time I was playing Russia and obliterated Germany with the help of the Western countries. The only Axis force left were the Japanese, and it was obvious they were doomed. Yet, the game told me I lost. But OK, it was still fun.

The game's not too complicated; I fear Steel Panthers may be too much for me as I'm still playing Gothic 3 and will review Sid Meier's Railroads and NWN2, so I won't have the time to learn the details.

Matrix released the "sequel" to GGWAW, A World Divided. The last few features on the list (spies, unit experience, different victory conditions) may, I think, be really good additions to the game.
Well, I'm not sure if Matrrix even sells the first game in the series (the one I'm writing about). It's certainly enjoyable, but I'll have to spend some more time with it to say if it'd really be worth $40, even with the added features.
The active community is another reason for buying the second game.

I think I'm still a newb in this game, but one thing strikes me as a bit ridiculous. Using strategic movement you can move a unit from Berlin to Ulan Bator in one turn. Such precisely planned moves seem to be the key to winning the game. (They cost supplies, so you have to be careful with them.)