Monthly Archives: April 2013
Tuesday Screenshot
Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai
It was almost poetic.
My clan, the last supporting the Shogunate, was being destroyed by the invasion of new cultural ways we fought so hard to resist. Overlooking the courtyard I did not feel sad but proud that we had survived as far as we did.
But then grief did overtake me…would Japan, or the world, ever see men like us again? Would we be totally snuffed out? It just couldn’t be true. I could not accept that this was the final battle of my kind. I hated to think that we would disappear forever. I could not accept it.
Then…from what must have been miles away…great deep-sounding, booming shots, like a volcano erupting, were fired at my keep from the great iron ships in the harbor, destroying one of the towers and killing dozens of my samurai in just one salvo. I jumped from the wall, landing in the high grass and ran uphill away from the inferno my fortress had become.
I never looked back.
Small General Eastern Front
GrogHeads is pleased to induct Small General Eastern Front into the Order of the Hex for Excellent Depth in Mobile Gameplay.
Review by Jim Zabek, 27 April 2013
Publisher & Developer: Victor Reijkersz Games
Great gameplay on the go? Believe it! If you’re on an Android phone, you’ve got a new ‘must-play’ game.
About a year ago Grogheads published a review of Small General. Set in a generic World War II-ish environment it to offered a non-historical operational wargame to players with Android-powered devices. Developed by VR Designs, the same development house that recently won an Order of the Hex award for great historical gameplay and Third Place in our Readers’ Choice Awards, it should come as little surprise that a more historically-focused game for Android devices would soon follow.
GARPA 17 – GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory
by Dan Pinkham and Lloyd Sabin, 26 April 2013
As April comes to a close we look forward to those May flowers, dancing around the Maypole and the much anticipated Mayviation here at GrogHeads. In the meantime, we bring you another installment of your favorite bi-weekly wallet emptying column.
Tabletop Gaming
Lincoln’s War by Brian Youse and MMP
$37,562 of a $40,000 goal funding ending May 2nd
In the midst of the 150th anniversary remembrances of the American Civil War comes a boardgame with a unique look at the conflict. Instead of focusing strictly on the battles and military operations, Lincoln’s War takes a look at the political and logistical side of the war. Opponents take on the roles of Davis and Lincoln and spend political currency (PCs) to lead their nations through the war and ultimately to victory. PCs are, “used to promote worthy commanders, purchase war material, restore confidence or be translated into direct support for commanders in the field. Driving an opponent to 0 PCs may bring on auto-victory, but most games rely on a variety of geographical objectives.”
SimCity AAR, Part 1
Sean Drummy, 25 April 2013
Apparently… manning a nuclear power plant with people that do not have a high school education is dangerous. Also, somewhat related conclusion, SimCity does not allow you to build on radioactive ground.
Click images to enlarge
SimCity AAR – Part 1 – Drill baby drill!
AARs are like floral arrangements. You should put them together when everything is fresh otherwise things may become a mess. (Did I just work in a floral arrangement analogy? Do I know the Grogheads demographic or what?) Unfortunately in this case I did not take this advice and am recounting the trials and tribulations of my city long after they happened.
But, don’t fret! The fascinating part about SimCity, is that the mistakes I made many game-days ago still manifest themselves in conspicuously bad ways on my city today. I can’t remember precisely why I built this one structure here or why I neglected to plan for vital utility X – but I know that these shortcomings are snowballing into even more complex challenges as my city’s population steadily increases while the space I have to accommodate them seems as if it is getting smaller and smaller.
Second Look: Wargame AirLand Battle
GrogHeads Staff, 21 April 2013
With the imminent release of Wargame AirLand Battle from the maestros behind Wargame European Escalation, we thought we’d tease you with a few (more) screenshots.
click to enlarge
