06/6/13

Allied Corps – D-Day AAR

Developer: The Lordz Game Studios

Publisher: Slitherine, Ltd.

Author: Jim Zabek

Today, June 6, 2013, is the 69th anniversary of D-Day. As the years go by the Second World War becomes more distant. Few vets of that conflict still live, and fewer people, like me, grew up with them around us. Despite the fact that they almost never discussed their experiences, many of us felt like there was an infusion of that war’s significance as we grew up. It didn’t need to be said – we simply understood that something significant had happened. The Second World War, how it was conducted and how it ended, shaped our world for better and worse. The world we live in today can directly trace many of its current conflicts to it.

Recognizing the anniversary of D-Day with a game of course fails to do the battle justice and risks trivializing the significance. As a life-long wargamer I recognize the potential hazards. Despite my enjoyment of the hobby there does linger in the back of my mind that the pixels, pewter, or cardboard I order around represents once real lives. So at the risk of treading too casually on history, I will try write an enjoyable review of one of my games in the hope that it is appreciated for what it is: an appreciation for those who were there for real. Thank you.
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05/30/13

A Civilization V AAR – Part Ten-and-Five

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Brant Guillory, 30 May 2013

Do the math. Seriously. We’re at 1180 AD, and we’re 15 freakin’ episodes into this AAR. Most game run ’til at least the mid-1800s, even on “quick” speed. And the turn/year ratio gets more granular as we go. Oy.

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More Canadians.

Barbarians in the snow at the far north edge of the map: Canadians!

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05/9/13

A Civilization V AAR – Part XIV

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Brant Guillory, 9 May 2013

Hey look, if you’re still reading at part 14, you probably don’t need much of an introduction.

Click images to enlarge

Last episode, we got screwed with by the Incans, spread a little Catharism around the world, and planted a new city. Here we go…

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Aaannnddd. Barbarians. Again.
I promise I’m not recycling screenshots. Look- the terrain is different!

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05/4/13

Battle of Coral Sea – A Carriers at War AAR

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Developer: Strategic Studies Group (SSG)

Publisher: Matrix Games

Author: Sean Drummy

Carriers at War is a classic game, and I’m not even talking about the original from way back in the day, I’m referring to the remake by Matrix Games. Most wargames require a substantial investment of time to complete a scenario, let alone a campaign, but the brilliance of Carriers at War is how succinct and utterly merciless the gameplay is. Depending on how brilliantly (or stupidly) you perform a scenario the game could be played through in as little as five minutes before a decisive victor is declared. In many ways this is a very wise design decision. If I just spent an hour setting up my weapons loadouts and task groups only to find five minutes in my ships are spotted and then bombed into oblivion I may be a little disappointed (read: infuriated).
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05/3/13

Wargame: AirLand Battle – AAR

Developer: Eugen Systems

Publisher: Focus Home Interactive

Author: Jim Zabek

The closed beta has been released for Wargame: AirLand Battle and I’m having a blast with it. The sequel to Wargame: European Escalation, it builds upon the strength of the land units and adds a robust air power component. Gameplay resembles a tactical RTS, but the units are modeled after historical NATO and Warsaw Pact units. This provides a great mix of real-time tactical action with hard-hitting Cold War units. The beta has only released the multiplayer part of the game, and in this one I jump into a six-player game in the last available slot as the Warsaw Pact. I select an East German force just to see how it plays. While I did play Wargame: European Escalation I didn’t spend much time with the multiplayer game and this aspect is new to me.

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