Q2U

Q is for Quick stogie card. Significantly larger and younger than all previous occupants of this slot, the thirty cards that make up ‘Soldiers of Waterloo’ were issued in 1995 and came in packets of Castella cigars. The text on the reverse of the card pictured below includes the story of Kenneth McKay, the plucky piper who, at the height of the battle, marched around the outside of the Cameron Highlanders square playing Cogadh no Sith (War or Peace).

R is for Rubble Town

As this video explains, Rubble Town, a new free solitaire wargame available in print and play, PowerPoint, and Tabletop Simulator module versions, penalises heavy-handed urban warfare techniques. Over-reliance on masonry-pulverising Challenger 2s, Warriors, and NLAWs could end-up making work for your CEVs and complicating things for your PBI.

S is for Show of hands, please

Who’d like next week to be firefighting week here on THC? If there’s an appetite for it, I’ll survey the sub-genre by auditioning titles such as Firefighting Simulator – The Squad, Into the Flames, and Fire Commander.

T is for Transformed coastline

After the Netherlands and China, no country has reclaimed more land from the sea than South Korea. As much of this reclamation happened after the end of the Korean War, the mapmakers at 1CGS who are currently constructing Korea: IL-2’s 440 x 440km theatre have a particularly tricky task.

U is for Unwanted games

Finding himself in possession of a number of GOG and Steam activation codes he has no intention of using, a kind reader called Konrad has decided to offer the codes to fellow Cornerites. While I can’t see any wargames or sims in the list, one of the available titles – Insurmountable – has had positive THC coverage in the past. If you decide to use one or more of the following, please mention it in a comment so that others don’t waste time entering redeemed codes.

(GOG)
Saints Row: Gat out of Hell – W9GAE87351058C07F5
Thief II: The Metal Age – V753C8C2C72022099A
Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain – ZTUNA54CA3117A96F6
Hypnospace Outlaw – HMYV4476A28D0FD3BA
Gamedec – Definitive Edition- 55C6D9E5256BCD60E9
Syberia: The World Before – 8JX76F54639439ACF3
Wild Country – PAGY8337DE4F9D1895

(Steam)
Between Horizons – 98C7D-GPXQA-7ZQYB
Welcome to Elk – X5RRH-TCDRJ-XPJQI
The Blind Prophet – 4E6EY-Q78A7-NBI2L
Mail Time – HRAQB-LH3BR-G86IR
Nocturnal – KPJWE-BA68G-FH95Y
Crowalt: Traces of the Lost Colony- DLD6P-R8T9M-KR78E
Sugar Shack – BM07C-G8WVK-2BNWA
Silence – G4R2C-L45ID-J3GRI
Dead Age – RWDAL-JG4I3-JGHMP
Unloved – Y9TKP-655ZB-IIZMM
Burst Fighter – 44AA2-Z48FK-IPD8Z
Insurmountable – 9PDPP-EI3P8-PJIZQ
Garfield Kart – Furious Racing- CAPG6-WZ8D2-9TALX
Pixel Heroes: Byte & Magic – 55208-RVJJI-5CEVK
Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood – Z3VHN-NKXHT-VI4XB
Talk to Strangers – BMD8I-4FXHJ-KDFVA
Eternal Edge + – CR405-W3FE0-CD6K6

16 Comments

  4. I’m ambivalent towards a firefighting week but would read with interest were one to happen. 112 Simulator is too old to be involved but continues to be the nearest to a firefighting game I’ve played.

    Unless you include the other sort of firefight. Which has made me think of the Churchill Crocodile.

    Can firefighting week subvert itself with an arson oriented game? (No, none come to mind..)

  5. Definitely like the idea of firefighting reviews – or even wider emergency services type games. Seem to remember there’s at least one police sim out there somewhere if you want some variety.

  7. May I suggest a list of recommended, on sale, or good priced simulation and strategy games for this summer sale on steam? I feel the need… to weed out the bad weeds from my wishlist garden.

  11. Yes, please do a firefighting games/sims article, thank you!

    My favourites over the years that remain top of my list are ‘Firefighter FD.18’ on PS2 and ‘Real Heroes Firefighter’ (recently had a “HD remaster” on PS5 that makes use of the haptic feedback on the DualSense controller). Of course, Firefighter FD.18 is a much better looking game today on a properly configged PCSX2 install at full HD res at solid 60fps; highly recommended!

    One thing that’s been lacking and disappointing to me in most firefighting games/sims is the simulation of the fire itself and how it propagates/grows, which to me is the most important thing. The Emergency RTS games remain good in this as whole city districts can potentially burn down if you let it. ‘Firefighting Simulator – The Squad’ isn’t too bad at simulating fire, but only in a fixed single house/office building/warehouse location, so ultimately, not realistic. Looking forward to the new ‘Ignite’ version, here’s hoping that the fire can spread to bigger areas (and get out of control if you leave it alone). Too soon for a recreation of the Los Angeles wildfires? If so, how about the Great Fire of London, 1666?

    EDIT: Real Heroes Firefighter on GOG is a must buy.

  12. A bit more codes for GOG, should all work

    GOG
    TOEM- H26ZCC67CFD7108D7F
    Saints Row 2 – CJ5PEB43A2DC9C28A8
    Star Wars Rebellion- YZV43FD1E1CA5C0BF1
    Thief: Deadly Shadows – GLC95DA77230320E2B
    Jupiter Hell- 3E7B909DF1F897679E
    Stray Gods: Orpheus- 3SYX4ADAC38BD944E0
    FATE: Undiscovered Realms- BTKWFD87D899F7E8DE
    Dark Envoy- NN620CC30EA9CAE8CF
    Death Squared-6HE546AAE7C4585D9F
    Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft- YXLVA4CDEA20EED0A0
    Saints Row IV: Re-Elected- HUWX8156DB32BD12EA

  13. Hand up for Tim’s take on firefighting games!

    It appears Talk to Strangers has been claimed. Picked up TOEM, Jupiter Hell and Death Squared, thank you 🙂

  14. Teardown can be firefighting simulator if you operate it wrongly enough. Jokes aside, it’s fire simulation is pretty good, and sometimes you find yourself needing to extinguish a blaze.

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