Hmm. Not many of the 87 jpegs in my Old School Rally screenshots folder convey just how much fun I was having with Frozen Lake Games’ Early Accessible memory stirrer yesterday evening. I blame the fact that I was concentrating too hard on steering and braking to take eye-catching snaps, and, for reasons of practicality and immersion, was awfully reluctant to abandon the first-person views. The absence of replays probably didn’t help too.
Every Friday, Tally-Ho Corner’s cleverest clogs come together to solve a ‘foxer’ handcrafted by my sadistic chum and colleague, Roman. A complete ‘defoxing’ sometimes takes several days and usually involves the little grey cells of many readers. All are welcome to participate.
Turn off the metal detectors. Recall the sniffer dogs. Put down the machetes. I think I’ve just stumbled upon Steam’s most entertaining free trial.
Released yesterday, the Ground of Aces demo lasted approximately ten minutes on the THC toe warmer. One viewing of the tutorial video (posted below) was sufficient to convince me that Blindflug Studios’ idea of a WW2 airbase management game and my idea of a WW2 airbase management game have almost nothing in common. While I could have tolerated a dash of artistic licence, I really can’t bring myself to play a Biggin Hill build-em-up in which mushroom/berry gathering is important, and creating grass airstrips is impossible.
If the years of waiting have taken the edge off your Burden of Command enthusiasm, I strongly recommend you spend twenty five minutes with the two video whetstones embedded below. In readiness for a release date announcement later this month, project lead Luke Hughes demonstrates BoC’s tactical and historical heft. There are gameplay and scenario insights aplenty, and numerous indications that the PC’s first military leadership RPG is going to justify all of the hype and hope it has generated.
I spent yesterday evening contentedly mauling marus, raking Rufes, and dodging depth charges. The fact that I opted to patrol the Pacific in a familiar Crash Dive 2 Gato, rather than a brand new Silent Depth 2 one, speaks volumes about what I found when I fired-up MicroProse’s latest release for the first time.
If MicroProse make their deadline, tomorrow’s THC post – and possibly Thursday’s too – will consist of first impressions of Early Access Silent Depth 2: Pacific, a “sim lite game for those who want to put their foot in the door and understand the challenges of being a Submarine Commander”. The newcomer appears to boast snazzier visuals than its main rival, the recently expanded Crash Dive II. What I’m keen to find out is whether it can out-realism CD2, and match it for accessibility, operational freedom, and mission variety.
Reason 1. In other train sims you seldom fail a task because you’ve accidentally shot a prostitute.