Stalingrad

Varese, 15th February, 2005. Black Bean is proud to announce that Great Battles of World War II: Stalingrad has gone gold.

"Great Battles of World War II: Stalingrad " is a historical military realtime strategy game created by DTF Games. It is based upon one of the pitched battles of World War II, the Battle of Stalingrad.

The plot of the game unfolds during the period of July 1942 - January 1943 and tells the story of one of the most dramatic episodes of World War II. Featuring two detailed campaigns, the game will let the player take command over Wehrmacht and lead the German forces into the city, then switch to the Red Army and liberate the Soviet stronghold from the occupants and obliterate the 6th Army under the command of Gen. Paulus. In contrast to many other RTS games out there, each mission in "Great Battles of World War II: Stalingrad" is created with historical authenticity in mind and with reference to the actual place and time to real events that took place during the war. Besides, the missions are created in such a way that campaigns give an authentic picture of events at the theatre of war operations.

The Battle of Stalingrad became the turning point of World War II and one of the largest battles in the Eastern Front. Combat operations were spread over the territory of more than 100 sq. kilometers large, with over 2 million people involved in separate episodes on both sides.

For the Red Army, on the other hand, Stalingrad was a boot camp. Our forces went through the bitter defeats and retreats to the victory in one of the biggest combat operations of all times. Strategic scenario was unfortunate for us because of anti-aircraft ant anti-tank artillery shortage, and some divisions were low on ammo. Divisions sent by the General Staff reserve had no combat experience, others were tired out in previous battles. Open plains allowed the enemy aviation to strike hard at the Soviet troops, causing bitter losses and damages. Vanguard battles preceded heavy defensive fights, in which the military academy cadets participated. Just out of military schools, young officers went into assault alongside the rookies.

The Battle of Stalingrad provokes interest even today, and it is still a matter of heated debates. The city of Stalingrad will remain in the memory of humankind as the symbol of bitterness and suffering, and also as the place of great courage.

The title will be a documentary directed by the player. Real events that took place in Stalingrad back in 1942, little-known historical facts and two accurate interconnected campaigns for the Germans and the Soviets.

Great Battles of World War II: Stalingrad will be released in Europe in March 2005 in a special edition box containing a 64 page full color manual and an interactive war encyclopedia dedicated to Stalingrad battle.

Features:

• 36 missions spanning the Wehrmacht and Red Army campaigns, 7 secret missions revealing little-known facts about the Battle of Stalingrad.

• Accurate reconstruction of historical events, turning the game into a interactive encyclopedia

• In-game map landscapes are based upon tactical maps and actual WWII aerial photography

• Over 150 different infantry and armored vehicle units, created according to blueprints, dozens of unique buildings modeled based on actual footage: Stalingrad railway station, grain elevator, department store, the House of Specialists, and the Red October plant.

• Vehicles, weapons and military forces never seen before in historical RTS games, including the experimental Panzerselbstfahrlafette V "Sturer Emil" howitzer, PZB-41/28 anti-tank gun, and the armored assault infantry of the Red Army.

• Significant changes to the Blitzkrieg's combat system, aimed at a new level of combat realism: shooting range and line of sight for infantry and armored units have been increased, artillery fire made less accurate, new parameters for infantry and armored units.

• Original dub-metal soundtrack performed by St. Petersburg band "SKAFANDR"

• New in-game interface

For further informations

Stefano Petrullo

Senior Account Manager

Pulsar Communication srl

tel: +39 (0)332 874 375

@: s.petrullo@pulsarsrl.com