Category Archives: Reviews

Disciples II Takes Form

There were so many great new titles to see at E3, that it is hard to figure out where to begin. So what I wanted to do was take a look at an interesting game that was still pretty far out in terms of release date. Thankfully, we will see many great titles in just a few weeks. And since Ken and Hargosh wrote about console games endlessly at E3, I thought I would take a quick glance at a PC title. Disciples II: Dark Prophecy follows another game I reviewed called Disciples: Sacred Lands. Both titles stand out in … Continue reading Disciples II Takes Form

Fallout Tactics is a Strategic Heavy-Hitter

Fallout Tactics – Brotherhood of Steel takes the very-cool post apocalyptic world of the Fallout role-playing universe and uses it as a setting for a tactical combat game. It has the same look and feel as the Fallout RPG, but without the detailed inter-party relationships and without the myriad of external side quests. I am a huge fan of the Fallout series. Perhaps it was one too many Mad Max movies growing up or one too many generic sci-fi movies set following a nuclear war, but this is a universe that I enjoy. It probably goes back to one of … Continue reading Fallout Tactics is a Strategic Heavy-Hitter

Warlords Battlecry is predictable mayhem

The Warlords name has always meant a solid turn-based strategy experience. So it was with some expectation that I delved into the world of Warlords Battlecry, which is the newest real-time addition to this wonderful series. The move from turn-based to real-time is a tricky one. Some game series do it well, while others end up mere shadows of their former greatness. Battlecry sort of comes up between the two extremes. The real-time game is slightly better than the average RTS, but it does not even approach the top of the genre heap, something the other Warlords games did for … Continue reading Warlords Battlecry is predictable mayhem

Risk II Globally Dominates

"Risk, the Game of Global Domination?!" Now, I know what you are thinking. "Another board game adaptation?! Jeez, what a novel concept." Yeah, I was thinking the same thing myself when I got this in my inbox. Generally, you expect a classic board game adaptation to fall into one of two categories. Either it’s so completely untrue to the original that you wonder why they named it after the game in the first place, or it’s such a painstaking duplication that you might as well just break out the actual board game. Sure, there have been a few exceptions, and, … Continue reading Risk II Globally Dominates

Century of Warfare has war covered

Century of Warfare (CoW) is the latest iteration of the The Operational Art of War series, widely considered the most comprehensive wargaming system ever created for the computer. CoW combines the original TOAW, TOAWII and their expansion packs in a single game. The attendant scenarios (with several exceptions) are updated to the current version of the game engine. Additionally, CoW includes a variety of World War I (and pre-WWI) scenarios, rounding out the great conflicts of the Twentieth Century, hence the name. For those of you unfamiliar with the TOAW series, it’s the modern version of the traditional board wargame, … Continue reading Century of Warfare has war covered

Disciples: Sacred Lands is a pleasant diversion

Disciples: Sacred Lands is the latest entry in the turn based strategy gaming arena. It comes from a Canadian company, Strategy First, which is known for highly detailed strategy war simulation games like Man of War. The game almost got delegated to the lowest shelf of the "to review" library after a quick glance. When you look at the game from a distance, it seems to be a clone of the highly successful Heroes of Might and Magic series. It’s only after you have spent a little time with the game that you realize that it is really different, and … Continue reading Disciples: Sacred Lands is a pleasant diversion

West Front makes up for the mistakes of the East

The West Front of World War II is one of the more interesting theaters of the war. TalonSoft’s latest edition to their ‘Campaign Series’ explores this theater of War, which includes the deserts of North Africa, Sicily, the Bleak landscape of Norway and the march across France after the Invasion of Normandy. West Front is TalonSoft’s sequel to the ill-fated premiere game in the Campaign Series: East Front. Those familiar with this type of wargame will probably recall the volley of complaints that were leveled at TalonSoft after the release of East Front. Releasing ‘unfinished product,’ releasing ‘buggy games’ etc., … Continue reading West Front makes up for the mistakes of the East

Roller Coaster Tycoon is an E-ticket

I was walking through Staples a few weeks ago and I saw a demo running of what looked like a really cool game, and I was thinking to myself that it looked like something I would like to try out. A couple days later the Corkscrew Follies expansion pack and the original Rollercoaster Tycoon were plopped onto my desk. This tells me never to go shopping for office supplies with my editor ever again. Since GiN never reviewed the original game, I thought I would try something a little bit different with this review. I am going to review the … Continue reading Roller Coaster Tycoon is an E-ticket

Mob Rule is an offer you can’t refuse

Ay Toni? Check dis kid out. Eh-eh-eh-eh. The little squirt says he wants ta be a mobsta. Eh-eh-eh-eh. So ya’s think bein’ in the mob is a slice of pie do ya’s? Well ya got it all wrong kid. Mobbin’ ain’t easy. Dere’s rules to da game kid. Rules to da game. Ya gotta have connections. Ya gotta have charisma, style, and class along with nerves of steel. Ya gotta be tough as nails. Don’t take no crap from anybodies! Eye for an eye. Someone steps on your toes? You step on dere’s back! There ain’t no room for softies … Continue reading Mob Rule is an offer you can’t refuse

Imperialism II is a strategy game Renaissance

Ever want to rule the world? More specifically, ever want to rule a Renaissance-era Europe, and its accompanying New World colonies? Then Imperialism II is the game for you. You start off in charge of one of the reigning European powers in 1500, either in a map of Europe or a random one. You have a certain number of provinces, each which contains one principle city. While you start building up your resource network at home, you also must send out a ship or two in order to explore the vast oceans in search of the New World. While your … Continue reading Imperialism II is a strategy game Renaissance