Game Description

In the title P.T.O. II, P.T.O. stands for Pacific Theater of Operations. The game recreates battles of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean between Japan and the United States. Players can play as the Chief of Naval Operations and command U.S. forces or play as the Chief of Naval Staff and command Japanese forces. There are three campaign scenarios and 10 short scenarios to fight for victory in.

The campaign scenarios are The Brink of War (Nov. 26, 1941), Counter Offensive (May 27, 1942) and Approaching V-Day (March 31, 1944). In order to win campaign scenarios one of three objectives must be met: capture the capital of the enemy country, reduce productivity of the enemy country to zero or achieve a total of over 1,800 in base productivity. Victory for short scenarios will differ between each scenario. However, a short scenario can always be won if one of the three objectives from a campaign scenario is met. Short scenarios include: The Day of Infamy (Dec. 8, 1941), Southern Operation (Dec. 9, 1941), Battle of the Coral Sea (May 7, 1942), Battle of Midway (June 4, 1942), U.S.-Australia Plan (Aug. 7 1942), U.S.-Australia Plan II (Oct. 26, 1942), Admiral Koga Takes Command (Nov. 2, 1943), Operation A-GO (May 3, 1944), Battle at Leyte (Oct. 18, 1944) and The Final Days (Feb. 19, 1945).

P.T.O. II is turn-based with four phases per turn. Each turn represents one day with the order of each turn being: Japan Move Phase, U.S Move Phase, Japan Plan Phase and U.S. Plan Phase. Battle Phases may occur during a turn if one country moves one of their units onto the same space as an enemy unit. Also, on the first day of each month a conference will take place. At each conference you represent the Navy and attempt to increase your budget as well as obtain more supplies and fighting forces. The conference plays out as a card game with each member of the conference being dealt 2-7 cards. Cards are used for the following actions: submitting a proposal, agreeing to a proposal, persuading other members to agree with your proposal, persuading another member to withdraw their proposal, refusing a card, passing your turn, shortening a discussion and extending a discussion.

While moving across each map players will be in charge of four types of units: fleets, air forces, land forces and submarines. Fleets consist of your warships (Battleships, Cruisers, Carriers and Destroyers) and transports. Air forces consist of your fighter jets and bombers that can be launched from aircraft carriers or bases. Land forces are divided into the Marines and the Army and are the only units that can occupy an enemy base. In all, P.T.O. II features 120 warships, 60 fighters and bombers, 20 submarines and 10 categories of tanks. When battles are about to begin the map is zoomed in on allowing players to give commands to each individual unit.

The game settings can be adjusted in a variety of ways: message speed has three settings, sound can be placed on mono or stereo, animations can be turned on or off, advice can be turned on or off, and you can also choose to watch or not to watch battles that do not involve your forces. Other game features include a glossary of terms and biographies on famous World War II personnel. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

P.T.O. II is influenced most by its predecessorP.T.O.. P.T.O. was released during the 16-bit era and appeared on both the Genesis and Super NES. All of the scenarios found in the game are based on real life events that occured during World War II. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

P.T.O. II is a little difficult to get into and will take some time to learn. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

Production Credits

Produced by: Kou Shibusawa ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

P.T.O. II accomplishes its job of putting players into World War II. As you command your forces you will undoubtedly feel as if you are at war. However, the game is overly complex and will take some time to figure out. Not including a tutorial was a bad choice because the instruction manual can be confusing. In any case, if you stick with it the game can be a rewarding experience but only if you really like World War II-based games.

There is no shortage of information here. The manual is 50 pages, there are 9 pages of biographies on the game disc and even more pages detailing each of the warships, submarines and fighter planes. As just mentioned above, a tutorial would have helped as all of the data can be overwhelming. You can't simply read the manual and then go play the game because you just won't be able to remember or understand everything you read. Instead, players will need to constantly refer to the manual as they progress through the game.

Gameplay moves excruciatingly slow, but then it is a turn-based strategy game so a slow game should be expected. Animations that take place during battles are what really slow the game down and are best left turned off. Flipping through menus and giving out orders makes up most of the gameplay. You never actually are put in control of a unit outside of selecting its target. That is really all there is to it. Luck will play a part in the game as you cannot aim for your units, you just have to hope they hit their targets.

P.T.O. II's graphics are very simple and serve their purpose. There are video sequences that describe each scenario and battle animations. Battle animations are fun to watch at first but they are not worth watching more than a few times. After the animations run, little explosions take place near or on top of the units that were attacked. The explosions are far from impressive though and for a 32-bit game they definitely could have been better. Sound effects are dull; no explosions are loud or realistic enough to grab you. Music plays in the background and although it is not too entertaining, it does fit the style of game.

P.T.O. II is a lot like the Saturn game Iron Storm. Iron Storm placed users into World War II as well but that game allowed players to experience the complete war and not just the happenings around the Pacific Ocean. Although Iron Storm does not have as historic a fell to it as P.T.O. II, it is easier to get into as there are less menus and much more basic setup. Iron Storm also features more detailed animation scenes and better sound effects.

This game is not bad but it is not great either. If you are looking for a World War II strategy I would choose Iron Storm over this game. However, P.T.O. II does feature many more details that add to the game's strategical element. With more details comes a larger learning curve too though, so be prepared. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

A majority of the time you will only be looking at a world map so don't expect anything special. The video clips are good but the battles need more detailed explosions. You don't even get to see the ships sink! ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

There are no explosive gunfire effects. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

There are plenty of scenarios and some of them allow you to play as either side. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

The manual contains a lot of information but some of it is hard to follow. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide