Winless in War of the Austrian Succession

Night has fallen on squelchy Clifton Moor and once again it seems I’ve failed to stop the majority of Lord George Murray’s tartaned troublemakers retreating northward towards the Scottish border. My search for a win in the fascinating War of the Austrian Succession continues.

Read More
Nurture vs Torture: Thoughts on campaigning in Door Kickers 2

“F**k this for a game of soldiers”… “I didn’t sign up for this”… “The mission designer needs shooting”… Alpha One, my level 3 Rangers team, has turned mutinous! Having suffered heavy casualties during the first three days of Operation Subjugator (three KIA, three seriously wounded, and three lightly wounded) the top brass now expects them to fight their way into a water filtration plant crawling with hostiles, and defuse three bombs in under two minutes. “This shit is pure Hollywood” mutters Dalton as, shaking his head, he slots a mag into his M249. I nod in agreement.

Read More
Friday Foxer #216

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.

Read More
Review Reprise: Hidden & Dangerous

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 appear as one of THC’s daily posts. Below the jump you’ll find a love letter to Hidden & Dangerous, a SASsy 1999 tactical shooter that’s £1 on Steam at present.

Read More
Competition for Cleared Hot

One of the obvious risks of announcing a game years before it’s ready for release, is your screenshots and vids could end up inspiring rival projects. Although Cleared Hot’s relatively high profile and lengthy gestation may not be the sole reason the Desert Strike-alike sector is now buzzing like the airspace over a freshly deposited summer cowpat, it’s difficult to believe it’s a complete coincidence.

Read More
Chastened Charioteers

The following two sentences appear connected but aren’t. I’m rather impressed by Tryphon 104, a new, twenty-turn recreation of the Second Servile War for Wars Across The World. I spent a portion of yesterday evening overseeing charioteers.

Read More
GHPC was leopardised last week

Gunner, HEAT, PC’s latest hot-under-the-collar Haus, the early* Leopard 1, hits hard, goes like stink, and cuts quite a dash in its scalloped skirt. However, because it does its rangefinding with two lenses rather than a laser beam, using it effectively in long-range engagements can be tricky.

Read More