War in the South Pacific

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War in the South Pacific
War in the South Pacific video game box.png
Publisher(s) Strategic Simulations
Designer(s) Gary Grigsby
Platform(s) Apple II, Commodore 64, PC-98
Release1987
Genre(s) Computer wargame

War in the South Pacific is a 1987 computer wargame designed by Gary Grigsby and published by Strategic Simulations. It is classified as a monster wargame.

Contents

Gameplay

War in the South Pacific is a computer wargame that simulates Pacific Theatre conflicts during World War II. [1] It is classified as a monster wargame, [2] and allows sea, land and air combat. The title contains both historical and hypothetical battles. [1]

Development

War in the South Pacific was designed by Gary Grigsby and was published by Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI). [1] [2] According to Bob Proctor of Computer Gaming World , the title had a troubled development and "was delayed more than a year" because its scope chafed against RAM limitations. "[T]he various game modules are all within a handful of bytes of filling the memory", he wrote, and noted War in the South Pacific shipped with glitches because it was impossible to fix them without more RAM. These problems led SSI reconsider producing monster wargames for 64K machines; Proctor wrote that Grigsby and the rest of the team were "well aware of the game's faults" when it shipped. [2] War in the South Pacific was released in 1987 for the Apple II and Commodore 64. [2] [3]

Reception

J. L. Miller of Computer Play called the game "complex and interesting, but recommended only to those with a special interest in the period." [4] Bob Proctor of Computer Gaming World agreed: "I can only recommend WITSP to those who are very serious wargamers, have a particular interest in the Pacific theater, and have lots of time to delve into it", he wrote. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Katz, Arnie (February 1989). "Waging World War II: Military Simulations for Computers and Video Games". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment : 76–82.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Proctor, Bob (April 1987). "Bali Hai Will Call You: A Review of War in the South Pacific". Computer Gaming World . No. 36. pp. 16, 17, 19, 20, 54.
  3. Emrich, Alan (September 1995). "The Pioneering Spirit of a Wargame Guru". Computer Gaming World . No. 134. pp. 201, 202, 204.
  4. 1 2 Miller, J. L. (January 1989). "The Wargamer's Desk Reference". Computer Play: 34, 36, 37, 39, 40, 42.