This entry is part 7 of 7 in the series Wargame: European Escalation/AirLand Battle My last attack failed. This one, I promise myself, won’t. I’m playing a NATO vs NATO mirror match, one of the options available in … Continue reading
This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series StarDrive I’m five hours (per Steam) and three abortive practice games into StarDrive, a new PC space strategy title from one-man studio Zer0 Sum Games. So far, I can perhaps … Continue reading
Talisman: Prologue is a recently released Android/iOS adaptation of an old board game (which I have not played), Games Workshop’s Talisman. TP is a solitaire game in which the player controls a single high fantasy adventurer (a warrior, troll, … Continue reading
This entry is part 6 of 7 in the series Wargame: European Escalation/AirLand Battle Wargame: AirLand Battle is the upcoming sequel to Wargame: European Escalation, a Cold War-themed fusion of two genres: the RTS and the beer-and-pretzels wargame. EE was … Continue reading
Papers, Please is an indie game by Lucas Pope, currently in beta, in which the player takes on the role of a 1980s border guard in a Communist country. On paper, the game is simple: read the papers of … Continue reading
“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
This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series BioShockSince so much of my response to BioShock Infinite is wrapped up in the details of the game’s story, I thought it deserved a short follow-up of its own. As … Continue reading
This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series BioShock “Bring us the girl, and wipe away the debt.” The year is 1912. With those words ringing in his ears, Booker DeWitt, washed-up private detective and … Continue reading
This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Tomb Raider After finishing Tomb Raider, I’m happy with the gameplay appraisal I posted halfway through. This is a title that’s not sure whether it wants to be “the … Continue reading
Eador: Genesis is a turn-based fantasy strategy game in the vein of Dominions, Heroes of Might and Magic, and Master of Magic. Originally released back in 2009 as the brainchild of one man, Alexey Bokulev, it was only recently … Continue reading
Following on from last year’s Gods and Kings, 2K/Firaxis has announced Brave New World, a second expansion for Civilization V. Whereas G&K‘s headline features were religion and espionage, BNW seems to focus on “soft power”: trade, culture, diplomacy, and a … Continue reading
This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Tomb Raider For the last week, I’ve guided Lara Croft across an island filled with dangers, both natural and two-legged, in Tomb Raider. This is the first game in the … 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
That is the title of a short, but really interesting, Financial Times piece on virtual economics (free registration required). For years I’ve wanted to see the mainstream media pick up on the “giant social sciences lab” nature of games such … 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
Of all the magic woven by storytellers, immersion has to be one of the most precious threads. How wonderful it is that we can pick up a book, or play a game, or sit in a cinema, and be … Continue reading
Following up on a news item I posted last year, Chimera Software has launched its Kickstarter campaign for an Android/Mac/PC port of Starbase Orion. SO is a 4X space strategy title that – if the trailer is any indication – owes a … Continue reading
This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series Fallout: New Vegas (With apologies to every writer, director, and star of the Wild West) EXT. THE MOJAVE DESERT The one-horse town of Goodsprings bakes, silent, in the … Continue reading
The Fleet is a CYOA-esque piece of interactive fiction from indie outfit Choice of Games (I wrote about Choice of Broadsides, one of their earlier releases, last week). The Fleet trades in Broadsides’ sailing ships for space cruisers, and costs … Continue reading
The railroad must get through. Chicago must connect to Santa Fe. But I’m almost out of locomotives, my rivals are muscling in, and can I get three cards of the same colour? Welcome to Ticket to Ride, the … Continue reading
“Fire the starboard broadside!” shouts the Captain. Cannons roar as H.M.S. Courageous attacks the enemy frigate. As one of the junior officers–really, more of an officer in training–you command three guns on Courageous’s main gun deck. The guns of … Continue reading
First Aubrey & Maturin sailed into the digital world, and now one of my all-time favourite games, Illwinter’s strategy masterpiece Dominions 3, has finally made its way to digital download shops Desura (edit: and Gamersgate)! It’s also reasonably priced, at … 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
Drox Operative is the latest title from Soldak Entertainment, an indie developer of action-RPGs (Depths of Peril, Din’s Curse) renowned for their dynamic worlds. Drox transports that concept from fantasy into space opera – its galaxy is filled with alien … Continue reading
How much can we care about a digital companion? Whole games have been built around this question – most notably 2001 classic Ico, which cast players as a young boy who had to escape a witch’s castle together … Continue reading
This entry is part 10 of 10 in the series XCOM: Enemy UnknownFor one month, you followed me as I played through Firaxis’ XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the successor to one of the greatest games of all time. Now that I’ve … Continue reading
It seems all over for the crew of the airship Babbling Goldfish. On one side – the enemy, two airships bigger and heavier than ours. On the other – the ruins of a vast, ancient airship, still lodged vertically … Continue reading
This entry is part 9 of 10 in the series XCOM: Enemy Unknown North America, 1 September 2015. The aliens’ forward base on Earth, the wee hours of the morning. Above the landing bay, a shape appears: XCOM’s Skyranger, … Continue reading
