I liked it more than I thought I would. When you pull off an assault against an entrenched enemy with minor losses and combined arms, it really feels nice. It looks pretty good, too and the reinforcement based on objectives is a great way to encourage action and progress.
Ultimately, it comes apart because the interface […]

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Remember 82nd Airborne? No? You’re probably not the only one. The wargame has been in development for years, with barely a peep from anyone connected to the project. Shrapnel Games was formed specifically to deliver 82 Airborne, a sequel to Empire Interactive’s 101st Airborne.
Well, Shrapnel’s Timothy Brooks promises that it is still being worked on […]

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Matrix Games has announced a new “turn-based strategy masterpiece”. Their words, not mine.
Advanced Tactics WW2 is a wargame from Dutch gaming outfit VR Designs. It is based on their freeware wargame People’s Tactics, available on their website. Judging from the screenshots, seems to have both theater and regional combat. Operational Art of War III has […]

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I’ve mentioned Clash of Steel (no relation) a few times before. For me, it epitomizes the perfect light wargame. Units arrive, you place them, and then you run across a hex map of Europe killing Nazis.
Commander: Europe at War is better. It’s not perfect, by any means, but I’m pleasantly surprised. Matrix Games has had […]

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You can read my review of Theatre of War over at Gameshark. This is my first review for the site and hopefully not my last. Gamerankings converts the B- to a 75 which sounds a little high. The sense I’m trying to get here is “problematic, but worth a look.” I’m shooting for a low […]

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1. Dual core computers are not exactly new, so why do I have to turn the second core off in order for the game to run properly? I want to use all my processing power.
2. These loading screens take forever.
3. The first campaign on the list lets you play as Poland in September 1939. “Stop […]

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Greg Costikyan has posted a comparative preview of Slitherine’s upcoming WW2 grand strategy game, Commander: Europe at War. Greg analyzes some of the design decisions in Europe at War in light of other attempts to model the conflict.
It’s a brief essay on the mechanics of various games and how they mirror either good design or […]

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I started playing Making History: The Calm and the Storm yesterday, and I’ll hold off on too detailed commentary until the review is done and published. These comments are based on a few starts and one extended play. But the game makes me appreciate the tough calls that grand strategy game developers have to make […]

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While searching for mods and scenarios for Close Combat: Cross of Iron, I came across Close Combat Org. It seems to be the big clearing house for this sort of thing.
At the bottom of the page, they have this disclaimer: This site is not affiliated to or has anything relating to the philosophies of any […]

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I’ve been dabbling with Close Combat: Cross of Iron a little in the last few weeks. Not enough to do a complete review yet, but enough to raise some questions about the release of an updated version of a ten year old game.
While reading Bill Trotter’s eight page review at Wargamer, three things hit me. […]

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