Category: Columns

Regular columns from the GH team

03/5/18

What’s Gus Playing? Call of Duty – Infinite Warfare pt1

Our bite-size bald battler blasts baddies ~

Lloyd Sabin, 5 March 2018

And each one of these set-piece battles is invigorating…not just exciting, not just well done, but hard driving, balls to the wall fun

Some games just grab on and never let go – especially in the world of first person shooters. Call of Duty has a long and proud gaming history, replete with fantastic single player campaigns, but has met a downturn in the last few years.

With the installment of Infinite Warfare (IW), the single player component was not only revitalized, it was supercharged. IW has received some flak from some players, but honestly I cannot see why. In the single player campaign alone players get to fight in space-based dogfights, lead infantry assaults, besiege giant capital ships, fight mechs and even, for a few fleeting moments, pilot a huge battlecruiser.

And each one of these set-piece battles is invigorating…not just exciting, not just well done, but hard driving, balls to the wall fun, with all kinds of space-based troop types including sailors, marines, battle droids, assault troops…if you can think of it, it is probably included in IW. And the arsenal at your command? As you level up, the player’s arsenal reaches fantastic levels of wonder. Each weapon has an intricate design and a serious heft to them that the player can feel, and using them is just a blast (heh).

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02/26/18

What’s Gus Playing? Total War: Warhammer, Part 3

Danger Dwarf™ deals dastardly damage ~

Lloyd Sabin, 26 February 2018

…the next moment I have really angered some ancient gods who I did not side with and they are slicing me up like some kind of Norse turkey

Well it did not turn out very well. How did this happen? One moment I am on top of the Old World, slashing and burning like a great Nordic-based monster should be, the next moment I have really angered some ancient gods who I did not side with and they are slicing me up like some kind of Norse turkey, Chaos style.

I really gave it my all and once I had some foggy idea of what I was doing, Total War: Warhammer became a quite the digital fantasy party…everything I could have ever asked in a fantasy strategy game. The images below show my descent in to defeat and disaster from the heights of warmongering.

Enjoy them. I will be back to this game and soon…I’ll probably play as the more conventional Empire of Karl Franz next. Honestly almost every faction is looking good now that I have learned the basics…of this one faction.

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02/19/18

What’s Gus Playing? Total War: Warhammer, Part 2

Our fun-size fantasy foreman fights further forward ~

Lloyd Sabin, 19 February 2018

This series is not really intended to be an After Action Report (AAR) but for right now, I suppose it is. Continuing through my first Total War: Warhammer I campaign as the Norsca, I’ve continued to explore the Old World, kill my enemies, level up and generally have a grand old time. I introduced then ins and outs of a Warhammer campaign last week for anyone unfamiliar. This week’s entry will continue to track my progress. After an embarrassing and very short false start, my campaign kicked in to high gear in earnest. You can check it out in the below screen shots.

When I developed this massive mammoth unit, I was psyched. Just one of them are capable of turning the tide of most battles. At some points, I was able to possess more than one, which led to great fun on the battlefield (for me).

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02/13/18

What’s Gus Playing? Total War: Warhammer I

Our speed-bump-sized sovereign of steel speaks of swords and spells ~

Lloyd Sabin, 12 February 2018

The Norsca are close to a Viking type faction in real history, they inhabit the freezing cold northern wastes of the Warhammer Old World, they are evil, and they can align with Chaos in the end game, if the player survives. I can dig them.

Those who know me from the forums have a decent idea of my resolve (or lack thereof) in purchasing games. With most releases, I try to hold out as long as I can for a sale. And then there are games whose mere announcement drives me to pre-order…which I frown upon in general, try to minimize most of the time, and occasionally fail at doing. Some pre-orders are still made…I’ve pre-ordered Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Thrones of Britannia (A Total War Saga), and Vampyr….all of which will find their way in to this column eventually. OK…so maybe my pre-order resolve needs some work. But it does lead to more interesting and varied games for me to feature here!

Total War: Warhammer I was a rare case for me. I am only a casual Warhammer fan – I have never painted any of the minis and the books I find depressing in larger doses. I am just about finished with Dan Abnett’s Thunder & Steel omnibus and although I have liked some WH40K books by Abnett, I found Thunder & Steel to be quite the slog most of the time.

So with that in mind I actually held off on buying Total War: Warhammer I. Even after initial glowing professional and user reviews, the game just struck me as too fantastical, too wacky/fruity. That is, until the Norsca were announced.

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02/6/18

What’s Gus Playing? Battlefield 1 – Italian Front

The diminutive duke of disaster dishes on danger in the Dolomites ~

Lloyd Sabin, 5 February 2018

And it does so in an exciting, all-too-short War Story mini-campaign that I really enjoyed.

Never, not once, have I seen the Italian front (Isonzo, Caporetto, etc.) of the First World War portrayed in a PC game – whether it be in a tactical, strategic or first person shooter. Battlefield 1 may be ridiculous (and fun) in many ways, but it does portray the war between Italy and Austria-Hungary, from the Italian side.

And it does so in an exciting, all-too-short War Story mini-campaign that I really enjoyed. The back story is simple – two Italian brothers are deployed to the mountainous front: one is captured by the Austrians, and one is an Arditi commando. You don’t need me to spell out the rest.

And ‘the rest’ is done with solid attention to detail with loads of Italian weapons available. There is even a dramatic appearance of Italian Caproni heavy bombers! Clearly I loved this Battlefield 1 War Story, except for the fact that is was only about an hour or so long. If only more of these mini-campaigns would be made for single player fans. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s going to happen. So in lieu of that, enjoy the below screen shots of what may be my favorite bout of recent World War I gaming. Continue reading →