Oct 11, 2007

John Randall is having fun. The community manager for Codename Panzers developers Stormregion has the camera centered on a crane in the middle of a postcard German town. It's a beautiful day in the Cold War, the sun creating dappled light in the gradually evaporating puddles. On top of the crane sits a Russian sniper. He's sitting peacefully, minding his own business, doing no harm.

"Let's bring down an artillery strike." The rounds hit slightly to the left, buckling the lower support beams and sending the poor trooper toppling to his death. "Let's try it again." The scene is reset. The artillery lands just to the right this time. The tower leans the other way, before catching on a small villa. This time our victim is flung across the sky, bounces off a chimney and dies once more.

"Again!" Bang. "Again!" Bang. Perhaps it's WWII fatigue, but the Cold War suddenly seems the perfect setting for conflict. Even the intricate strategy series Codename Panzers is moving on, rebuilding and retooling itself for a fictional war in the 1950s, when Russia and America decide to settle their differences with guns and tanks.

"Our game is more about leaving World War II and exploring a new era than just jumping into the Cold War," explains John. "Going to the 1950s was a natural progression: we're continuing the storyline from where we left off. It gives us the opportunity to present something fresh and new, as well as an interesting mix of war technologies to experiment with."