“They may be called the Palace Guard, the City Guard, or the Patrol. Whatever the name, their purpose in any work of heroic fantasy is identical: it is, round about Chapter Three (or ten minutes into the film) to rush … Continue reading
Last year, I wrote about Guns of Icarus Online, an interesting, atmospheric shooter set on board opposing steam/dieselpunk airships. Since then, developer Muse Games has unveiled a Kickstarter campaign for the long-awaited paid expansion, Adventure mode. Muse’s stated plan … Continue reading
As promised, here’s the Age of Wonders III Q&A with designer Lennart Sas of Triumph Studios! By way of introduction, Age of Wonders is a high fantasy, turn-based strategy series that has been around since the late 1990s. … Continue reading
Civilization V designer Jon Shafer has unveiled his latest project on Kickstarter: At the Gates, a 4X strategy game that casts the player as a barbarian chief out to pick the carcass of the crumbling Roman Empire. The game … Continue reading
Happy New Year, everyone! 2013 has dawned, and it’s time to review the best of last year’s games (that I played). This year I’ve opted to break from the traditional “best RPG”, “best strategy”, etc format normally used in … Continue reading
This entry is part 7 of 7 in the series Storytelling in GamesTo what heights – and depths – of emotion can we be moved by text in a game? This is the question posed by two of the best … Continue reading
Two high-profile strategy games came out recently, Civilization V: Gods and Kings and Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, and I might as well spoil my forthcoming reviews by saying I like both of them. Each offers incremental but … Continue reading
This is a good time to be a fan – as I am – of games that mix squad-level strategy and RPG mechanics. Last year saw the PSP release of the excellent Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, a … Continue reading
This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series Persona 3 Portable 2006 was a big year for video games. That year, two of the current generation of consoles launched: the Playstation 3 and the Wii. The rival … Continue reading
This entry is part 6 of 7 in the series Storytelling in GamesNote: Storytelling in Dominions 3, part of this feature series, is available off-site. You can read it at Flash of Steel. (Note: this article contains moderate … Continue reading
This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Game of the Year Awards2011 was a good year in gaming. Just counting new releases, I enjoyed all of: Bastion (PC), an isometric action game with pretty art design … Continue reading
If I had a penny for every game set in outer space, I’d be writing this post from somewhere sunnier and sandier. How many first-person shooters have cast us as Angry McShootsalot, the space marine? And how many RPGs and … Continue reading
This entry is part 5 of 7 in the series Storytelling in GamesNote: Storytelling in Dominions 3, part of this feature series, is available off-site. You can read it at Flash of Steel. Almost every game out there … Continue reading
This entry is part 2 of 7 in the series Total War: Shogun 2Update: You can find my verdict on Shogun 2 here. Total War: Shogun 2: A diplomatic victory, but not in the way you’d think I’ve … Continue reading
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the differing pricing strategies that Matrix Games, Shrapnel Games and Paradox Interactive use for their respective catalogues of niche strategy games. Matrix and Shrapnel keep prices high and discounts rare, while Paradox titles … Continue reading
For some time, I’ve kept my eye on a space-opera 4X game by the name of Distant Worlds, developed by Code Force and published by Matrix Games. This game (based on what I’ve read) could best be described as Master … Continue reading
I’ve played video games for 21 years. Adventure, rhythm, role-playing, platformer, first-person shooter, and of course strategy – I’ve played virtually every genre, with the notable exception of sports games, at one time or another. But for all that, there … Continue reading
This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Game of the Year AwardsThis would normally be the time to review the best and worst of 2010’s games, except I only played a handful of the titles which came … Continue reading
This entry is part 4 of 7 in the series Storytelling in GamesNote: Storytelling in Dominions 3, part of this feature series, is available off-site. You can read it at Flash of Steel. Warning: this post contains extensive … Continue reading
I’ve talked about how a strategy game should ideally build to a dramatic climax, a point also made by the most recent episode of Flash of Steel. I gave several examples: Civilization, Emperor of the Fading Suns, and (going by … Continue reading
This entry is part 3 of 7 in the series Storytelling in GamesNote: Storytelling in Dominions 3, part of this feature series, is available off-site. You can read it at Flash of Steel. If you were a hero, … Continue reading
Why do we play strategy games in ways that, in real life, would land us in the dock for crimes against humanity? Three Moves Ahead, Troy Goodfellow’s strategy game podcast, recently discussed the ethics of wargames, but to me, … Continue reading
This entry is part 2 of 7 in the series Storytelling in GamesNote: Storytelling in Dominions 3, part of this feature series, is available off-site. You can read it at Flash of Steel. “What’s the story all about?” … Continue reading
This entry is part 1 of 7 in the series Storytelling in GamesNote: Storytelling in Dominions 3, part of this feature series, is available off-site. You can read it at Flash of Steel. Ever since the first men and … Continue reading
