Developed by KE Studios for the Windows operating system, War Plan Pacific has a projected ship date of November 20th and will retail for $39.95. Pre-order from now until October 31st though and War Plan Pacific will only cost you $33.45!

War Plan Pacific recreates on your computer Japan's Imperial ambition to create the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere. From the opening strikes against the forces of the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and the Netherlands in 1941 when the Japanese seemed unstoppable, to their surrender four years later under threat of atomic annihilation, War Plan Pacific is a game of grand strategy focusing on the air and naval operations that shaped history for one or two players (multiplayer supported through live Internet play).

Turn based, War Plan Pacific uses an area-based map that portrays the Pacific from Singapore to San Francisco and from the Aleutians to Brisbane and includes twenty-nine historic bases. Units are individual ships of light cruiser size or larger, amphibious assault groups, supply convoys, and air groups (both carrier and land based). Land combat is abstracted, with bases changing hands due to successful invasions supported by air and naval forces.

Each turn represents one month of time with players forming and disbanding task forces to raid enemy assets, invade, or patrol to protect friendly zones from incursion by opposing units. Combat involves surface actions and air strikes, and while simulated at a high level (i.e. players will not dictate specific vessels to target) battles do take into account many factors such as flak, escorts, interceptors, and the dreaded IJN Long Lance torpedo.

War Plan Pacific includes three scenarios (one historical starting point, two with alternate starts) and gamers will find that crafting new scenarios is as easy as modifying a XML text file. OOB, ship capabilities, base information, sea distances, and relevance to victory conditions can all be easily changed. Want to see how well War Plan Orange would have worked out? A few edits later you can-although sorry, no zeppelins included.

Victory in War Plan Pacific can come in two forms, fast or slow, which are dictated by the side being played. For the Japanese being able to cut off the lines of communication to Australia, thus making it much more difficult for the United States to go on the offensive so far from home waters, will win the war rapidly. Alternatively, the Japanese player can simply survive until the American public grows weary of the war and negotiates a peace with the Empire of Japan.

As the Allied forces, led by the United States, victory against the Japanese can come in either the form of denying the Japanese their much needed oil, essentially strangling their resource base, or by a build up of strategic bomber air bases and the subsequent attacks on the Japanese mainland. Create enough of a threat and the Japanese will be forced to surrender rather than see their home islands reduced to ash.

Most excitingly, a session of War Plan Pacific can be completed in an average time of two to three hours! Less if you really suck at naval strategy! With War Plan Pacific there's no need to make a career out of playing the game. And while yes, this means you won't be tracking every single bean and bullet, that doesn't mean history and realism needs to be sacrificed. Historical tactics and strategies work as they should, allowing the perfect balance between playability and realism.

Will the fate of the Pacific be sealed by the decisive battle the IJN wanted? Will American production capability be enough if they lose all their carriers early? What happens if the opening battles of the Japanese offensive don't go as historically they did? Can you do better than Yamato or Nimitz and bring the war to conclusion in 1944? 1943? Pre-order today and find out!