Decisive Battles of WWII: Korsun Pocket

The game depicts the historical World War II battle of the Korsun Pocket.

In October 2001, SSG announced a deal with publisher Matrix Games to release Korsun Pocket.{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020222105259/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2816430,00.html | url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2816430,00.html | title=Matrix teams up with Strategic Studies Group | author=Walker, Trey | date=October 4, 2001 | work=GameSpot | archivedate=February 22, 2002 | url-status=dead }} It was revealed under the name Decisive Battles of WWII: Korsun Pocket in May 2002.{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020602092531/http://www.matrixgames.com/insidemg/index.php | url=http://www.matrixgames.com/insidemg/index.php | title=Matrix Games and SSG Announce Next Game in Decisive Battles Series | date=May 9, 2002 | author=Schwanebeck, Marc | publisher=Matrix Games | archivedate=June 2, 2002 | url-status=dead }} It was shown off by Matrix Games in April 2003. It is the sequel to Decisive Battles of WWII: The Ardennes Offensive.{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050313041921/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/korsunpocket/news_6026011.html | url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/korsunpocket/news_6026011.html | title=First look: Korsun Pocket | date=April 30, 2003 | author=Calvert, Justin | work=GameSpot | archivedate=March 13, 2005 | url-status=dead }} The game was released on August 25, 2003.

In December 2003, SSG released an expansion pack for Korsun Pocket called Across the Dnepr, referring to the Dnieper River in Ukraine. The expansion pack is only available via a download from the Matrix Games website.

{{Video game reviews

| PCGUS = 93%{{cite journal | author=Trotter, William R. |authorlink=William R. Trotter | journal=PC Gamer US | url=http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/korsun_pocket.html | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017235601/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/korsun_pocket.html | archivedate=October 17, 2006 | title=Korsun Pocket | url-status=dead }}

| CGW = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine | author=Geryk, Bruce | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040326110147/http://www.computergaming.com/article2/0%2C2053%2C1489968%2C00.asp | url=http://www.computergaming.com:80/article2/0,2053,1489968,00.asp | magazine=Computer Gaming World | archivedate=March 26, 2004 | date=December 1, 2003 | title=State of the genre, state of the art | url-status=dead }}

| GSpot = 8.6/10{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050329062857/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/korsunpocket/review.html | url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/korsunpocket/review.html | title=Korsun Pocket | author=Lackey, Jeff | date=August 21, 2003 | work=GameSpot | archivedate=March 29, 2005 | url-status=dead }}

}}

In PC Gamer US, William R. Trotter declared Korsun Pocket "the best wargame ever made for the PC." He praised its combination of extreme detail and accessibility, and argued that "it can be mastered by any novice willing to invest the time and patience", despite single turns requiring an hour of play. Trotter concluded, "It is the Mount Everest, the Beethoven's Ninth, and Moby Dick of PC wargames, and it absolutely qualifies as a genuine work of art." Similarly, Bruce Geryk of Computer Gaming World called Korsun Pocket "the best hex-based computer wargame ever made", and echoed Trotter's praise of its high level of detail. He wrote, "Korsun Pocket manages to capture everything that's compelling about historical wargaming, exclude the tedium, and present it as a tremendous game." Writing for GameSpot, Jeff Lackey echoed Geryk's and Trotter's praise: Korsun Pocket is "easily the best 2D wargame for the PC to date", he argued.

The editors of Computer Gaming World named Korsun Pocket the 2003 "Wargame of the Year". They wrote, "The core design is as outstanding as the interface and presentation, and the A.I. demolishes the myth that war games can't put up a decent fight against a human opponent."{{cite magazine | author=((Editors of CGW ))| magazine=Computer Gaming World | title=Computer Gaming World{{'}}s 2003 Games of the Year |date=March 2004 | issue=236 | pages=57–60, 62–69 }} GameSpy also declared Korsun Pocket the best computer wargame of 2003, and its editors called it "arguably the best traditional hex-based wargame of all time."{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040805164500/http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2003/pc/index14.shtml |url=http://archive.gamespy.com:80/goty2003/pc/index14.shtml |title=GameSpy's 2003 Game of the Year Awards; PC Wargame - Korsun Pocket |author=Staff |date=December 2003 |work=GameSpy |archivedate=August 5, 2004 |url-status=dead }} It was a nominee for PC Gamer US{{'}}s 2003 "Best Turn-Based Strategy Game" award, although it lost to Combat Mission: Afrika Korps. The editors called it "the new 'big dog' of the hex-based wargame genre".{{cite journal |date=March 2004 | title=The 10th Annual PC Gamer Awards | volume=11 | number=3 | pages=38–40, 42, 44, 45 | journal=PC Gamer US | author=Staff }}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20041208020525/http://www.matrixgames.com/Games/KorsunPocket/features.asp Official site] (archived)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20020621003737/http://pc.ign.com/objects/481/481732.html Game profile on IGN.com]

{{Strategic Studies Group}}

{{Matrix Games}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decisive Battles Of Wwii: Korsun Pocket}}

Category:2003 video games

Category:Computer wargames

Category:Matrix Games games

Category:Single-player video games

Category:Strategic Studies Group games

Category:Video games developed in Australia

Category:Windows games

Category:Windows-only games

Category:World War II video games