Tag: Tactical

02/17/13

PC Game Review of Squad Battles: First World War

A review by Boggit, 17 February 2013

Developer and Publisher: John Tiller Software

Click images to enlarge

 

The recent surge in wargames set during the First World War is leaving Wargamers spoilt for choice. With Squad Battles: First World War, Boggit takes Grog’s view of whether it is a “Breakthrough” or is “Caught on the Wire”.

 

Squad Battles: First World War John Tiller Software’s latest addition to their series of Squad Battles games. Hitherto John Tiller’s Squad Battles have focused on the Modern and World War Two timeframe. The First World War is a new departure for this series so what has changed and does the Squad Battles Engine “work” for the First World War?

 

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Pins and casualties everywhere as the first wave break against the British line

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02/6/13

PC Game Review of XCom: Enemy Unknown

Review by Jim Zabek, 6 February, 2013

Developer: Firaxis and Publisher: 2K Games

XCOM is a top-selling game and GrogHeads’ readers voted it best general strategy game of 2012. What makes it so great?

Back to the Future

Keen observers of PC gaming may note a trend. Over the last several years there has been a move to resurrect, polish, and re-release some great older classics. Tropico, Baldur’s Gate, Sid Meier’s Pirates, StarCraft, and Close Combat to name just a few. The latest game to receive this treatment is XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

I can remember playing the original XCOM when it was first released. It could be a devil to play and win – just when I thought I was making progress in one area the aliens would introduce some kind of new technology or invade my base. They were always just one step ahead. I have played the new XCOM from start to successful finish on the Normal difficulty level (there are four, the next higher level is “Classic”). The normal level of difficulty was quite satisfying and challenging, but allowed me to eventually win without the frustration that the old XCOM gave me. I probably dithered a bit too long before triggering the final series of missions, but I put off developing psychic technologies until I had exhausted all other tech trees. The result was a highly satisfying 60+ hours of gaming – good numbers for many single-player campaigns these days and with my experience I can share insight into the game if you haven’t bought it yet, and I can share a few overall tips on how to win if you’re having some difficulty.

There are gamers out there who will derive great satisfaction in being able to recall every nuance of the original game and point out every deviation by the new one. I am not that guy. Suffice it to say that the original model of XCOM is followed: the strategic game unfolds in a pausable real-time environment as the player invests in technologies and building weapons, armor, and gadgets. The turn-based tactical game is where the player drops a strike team into an alien encounter and proceeds to either kill/capture the aliens, save civilians, or disarm a bomb. It makes for great fun, and while it is clear that the new version isn’t an exact clone of the old one, I found more than enough commonality to be satisfied. The new XCOM is great and I have no complaints. It’s updated enough to feel good, and yet true enough to its roots to recognize its origins.

 

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A UFO is spotted over Russia. If I don’t attempt to engage it, panic will rise there. But do I have the technology to shoot it down? Do I have a team capable of taking on the alien threat?

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11/3/12

GrogHeads Reviews Star Wars X-Wing

Review by Scott Krol, 3 November 2012

Designed and published by Fantasy Flight Games

Is the Force with Fantasy Flight Games’ X-Wing Miniatures Game or is it a Jar Jar Binks mess of plastic and cardboard?

 

Science fiction may be a genre that is often looked down upon, seen as a realm populated by thirty-year olds living in their parents’ basements, but it has spawned a surprisingly large number of series in both television and film. Many of these series have legions of devoted fans, but none have had a bigger global impact than Star Trek and Star Wars. Arguably, while both are universally known, Star Wars, with its Campbell-esque Hero’s Journey, has had the bigger impact of the two. Yet when it comes to the world of board/table top gaming Star Trek has dominated.

This is somewhat odd for a series that was all about peaceful exploration of the galaxy (just consider the difference in names—Trek versus Wars), and yet there have been numerous wargames of tactical and strategic warfare in the Trek universe. Star Fleet Battles is the best known of these, with literally dozens of expansions and now thousands of pages of rules, yet there are many other flavors of Star Trek wargames available (see Jim Zabek’s recent AAR of Federation Commander).

Fans of Star Wars have had to make do with very few options. Star Warriors from West End Games was a “serious” game of tactical fighter combat, perhaps a little too serious considering the subject matter. Wizards of the Coast released a collectible miniatures game of space combat, but the less said about it, the better. The recent release of Fantasy Flight Games’ X-Wing, a tactical game of frictionless furballs between fighters in the Star Wars universe, is therefore a welcome addition to any Star Wars fan’s game library.

X-Wing is a miniatures game of fighter versus fighter combat in the Star Wars universe using pre-painted plastic minis scaled at 1/270. Don’t let the fact that these are pre-painted plastic minis scare you off; the quality is impressive. And for anyone who shudders at what the fighters looked like in the Wizards of the Coast game, these models are essentially Ferraris to Wizards’ Yugos. It should also be said that this is not a collectible game in the sense of blind packaging.

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All the currently available fighters, though you can bet we’ll be seeing A-Wings, B-Wings, TIE Interceptors, and more. The bases have interchangable stat cards, showing the fighter’s stats, actions, and firing arc at a glance.

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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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07/29/12

Review of Legend of Grimrock


Avery Abernethy, 29 July 2012

Developer: Almost Human Games; Publisher: Almost Human Games

 

Legend of Grimrock is a PC game in a unique niche. It is a four character, party based, puzzle heavy dungeon crawl. Although there is some combat, the real challenge is in the wide variety of puzzles.

The Basics

The game employs many conventions of medieval/magic based role-playing games. The player can create their party of four characters or use a preset party. There are four races (human, minotaur, lizardman, and insectoid) and three character classes (fighter, mage, and rogue). There are four ability scores (strength, dexterity, vitality, and willpower).

The party of four moves around the dungeon tiles from area to area trying to get past locked doors, teleporters, moving floors, pits, hidden rooms while battling the occasional monster. There are places which fully heal the party. You can save at any time. If successful the party finds their way to the stairs leading down to the next level.

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