Category: Reviews

09/30/12

PC Game Review of FTL: Faster Than Light

Reviewed by Avery Abernethy, 30 September 2012

Publisher: Subset Games

Can a game offering simple mechanics, an absurd plot, and multiple, humiliating fails be any fun? Maybe…

In Space No One Can Hear Your Ship Explode

FTL: Faster Than Light is an very simple, inexpensive and fun PC game. You command a single space ship with a tiny crew. There is an absurdly minimal plot. You belong to a Federation under attack by Rebels. You have information vital to the destruction of the Rebels. To defeat the rebels you must guide your underpowered space ship through a number of star filled sectors defeating other single ships while being slowly chased by a huge enemy fleet. Time is always slipping away.

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09/9/12

PC Game Review of Panzer Corps AfrikaKorps

Review by Avery Abernethy, 9 September, 2012

Developed by Lordz Game Studio and Published by Slitherine

The Battle for North Africa was characterized by dramatic swings of fortune. GrogHead’s Avery Abernethy examines how the spiritual successor to the great Panzer General games takes on the subject.

The North African campaign in World War 2 represents one of the great “what if” moments of the war. Italy attempted a quick assault into Egypt from their territory in Libya in and were repulsed. The British seemed poised to conquer all of Italy’s African territories in early 1941 when Hitler sent Rommel and a small force of armor, infantry and air units ordering a holding action with very limited offensive actions. What followed was several years of see-saw warfare with large swings in momentum. Rommel’s Afrika Corps generally suffered from very poor logistics, was usually heavily outnumbered, and had little in the way of air support. Yet Rommel almost managed to cut the British supply lines by capturing the Suez Canal.

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09/6/12

PC Game Review of Decisive Campaigns Case Blue

Review by Jim Cobb

Publisher: Matrix/Slitherine; Developer: Victor Reijkersz Games

Most wargames set on the Eastern Front have either too much abstraction or too much detail. Can Case Blue find a sweet spot in the middle?

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GrogHeads is pleased to induct Decisive Campaigns Case Blue into the Order of the Hex, for Accessible Accuracy. Case Blue’s East Front detail doesn’t short grogs seeking accuracy, but packages its gameplay in a sleek and solid interface.

 

Decisive Campaigns From Warsaw to Paris, Victor Reijkersz ’ first foray into historical operational games continues to be very popular. However, moving from the confines of Western Europe in 1939-1940 to the East Front in 1942 is like switching from the shallow end of the pool to the highest diving board at the deep end. Can Decisive Campaigns Case Blue make the transition?

Informative Eye-Candy

Although Case Blue may visually resemble From Warsaw to Paris, many changes to all aspects of play are evident. The zoomable map is a typical board-game type map with forty-km hexes and weekly turns. Each hex has a stacking limit over which units lose combat efficacy. Units are regiments, headquarters, and air groups. Smaller specialized units are also available. Combat units on the map have NATO symbols along with indicators for seven values such as readiness, and supply. Headquarters are marked with national flags, supply status and the all-important command points.

 

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08/17/12

PC Game Review of Orcs Must Die 2


Reviewed by Jim Zabek, 17 August 2012

Developer: Robot Entertainment; Publisher: Robot Entertainment

A great action/tower-defense hybrid for the Orc-crushing fan, Orcs Must Die! 2 is a sequel that picks up where the original left off and raises the bar.

Orcs Must Die!

With a name like that it has to be good, right? It is. Orcs Must Die! 2 is an improvement on the original game in every way. Offering more traps, more upgrades, new levels, and introducing a multiplayer component, the sequel takes what is already a great game and makes it even better.

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Sproing! I take a rare moment to admire my handiwork as I fling a hapless orc over a cliff.

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08/3/12

A Review of Minecraft

Jim Cirigliano, 3 August 2012

Indie sensation Minecraft has exploded over the past two years. Now that the game has officially gone live from beta, Jimmy C dives in to gives us the rundown.

Imagine yourself in a vast landscape surrounded by desert to your east, lush forest to the south, tundra to the north, and a spooky entrance to a dark cave in the barren terrain to your west. You have nothing but the clothes on your back, and you must explore this vast world in search of materials in order to scratch out a living and survive. 

Actually that sounds pretty scary. But that’s exactly the scenario you find yourself in when you begin a game of Minecraft.

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Oh, did I forget to mention that monsters spawn in dark places? They totally do. And while you’ve been busy punching trees to collect wood, the sun has started setting.

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