L2P
L is for Largely forgotten rally sim. The first video game worthy of the tag ‘simulation’ wasn’t a flight sim but a 2D side-on recreation of the sport that’s currently monopolising the THC idiot box. An attraction at Brookhaven National…
Category Wargames
F2K
F is for Flying pencils added to Scramble. Slitherine’s thoroughly 3D BoB wargame has some Schnellbombers at long last. While the new Do 17s must run the gauntlet of player-controlled Spits and Hurricanes, there’s no danger of them suffering the…
A2E
A is for Affordable angling games. It’s not too late to grab a price-slashed piscatorial plaything on Steam. Ending in approximately seven hours’ time, the emporium’s nearly-over Fishing Fest includes two of my current fishy favourites, Ultimate Fishing Simulator (£2)…
Maximum fog-of-war (A Q&A with a blind wargamer)
If you frequent certain forums at Matrix Games, Subsim, and Reddit you may have come across posts written by today’s interviewee, ‘BlindGuyNW’. As his online handle suggests, Zack wargames by ear and touch rather than eye. In many battle sims…
Return to Riesberg (Remembering the very first Combat Mission demo)
For many, the love affair with Combat Mission began with Chance Encounter and Valley of Trouble, the astonishingly replayable CMBO demo scenarios that showcased Big Time Software’s brave new world of 3D WeGo wargaming so well. It’s easy to forget…
Master of Command executes a pleasing pivot
By switching to a 1:1 venue scale, thoughtfully redesigning terrain visuals, and enabling almost-ground-level spectating, Armchair History Interactive send out a very clear signal to serious PC wargamers. Anyone who has enjoyed Ultimate General and Take Command/Scourge of War in…
This and that
Early Access Dagger Directive’s first update doesn’t seem to have cured its corpse reanimation problem. Loading still seems to revive fallen foes now and again. The new build doesn’t like old savegames either, so it looks like I’m going to…
Review Reprise: War and Peace 1796-1815
I’ve written hundreds of reviews, previews, and retrospectives during my twenty-odd years as a games inspector. As many of these appeared in the British version of PC Gamer magazine and nowhere else, now and again something from my archive may…
Squad 22 is aimed squarely at the vatnik demographic
“When diplomacy fails, our time comes – the time of warriors.”…Squad 22: ZOV starts spouting pro-SMO claptrap seconds after launching. A hastily developed Door Kickers knockoff “officially recommended by the Russian Military”, the game appears to be the brainchild of…
Alphabetised game news (V2Z)
V is for Verisimilitudinous virtual tides. The tiny selection of maritime sims that acknowledge the Moon’s effect on sea levels grew by one late last month. Not only do eSail owners who opt in to the V3 beta get improved…
Alphabetised game news (Q2U)
Q is for Quick fag card. The 25 cards that make up ‘Victoria Cross Heroes in Action’ are not your typical fag cards. Released in 1970 by Sheffield firm Bassett & Co, they were distributed in packets of candy cigarettes.…
Alphabetised game news (L2P)
L is for Light at the end of the tunnel at long last? General Staff: Black Powder’s website and Steam page haven’t been updated in a dishearteningly long time, but recent posts on the Kickstarter page give wargame AI aficionados…