3×3

Want to turn a green lane into a brown lane, tow a Gulaschkanone across a snowy field, or roam the Western Desert trashing Axis airfields? Get a 4×4. Want quick introductions to games of interest to realism relishers and old fogies? Read a 3×3. Prior to penning one of these articles I’ll play three tempting titles for at least three hours each. While it would be cavalier to call the reports that result from such brief auditions ‘reviews’, it’s conceivable they might lead to more prolonged playtests, and prompt or prevent the odd purchase.

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Demo Disc

A minute’s silence in memory of the demo disc, if you please. Coup de grâced by broadband, the wafer of wonders* that once clung limpet-like to the front cover of almost every games mag is no more. Denied these monthly mix tapes, the gamer of today is, I reckon, less inclined to reconnoitre and genre-flit than their predecessor. Because in 2024 you rarely find yourself installing kite flying sims, apian Settlers clones, and puzzle games inspired by Underground Railroad quilts, out of boredom-tinged curiosity, there’s less chance of unlikely love affairs blossoming.

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D-Day Defeats

The dense ‘D-Day 80’ coverage on British TV and radio has shaped my reading and gaming this week. Stephen Ambrose’s Pegasus Bridge has been reminding me just how close Operation Coup de Main came to failure and just how gruesome warfare can be at ground level. And Command Ops 2 has been reminding me just how rusty my Command Ops 2 skills are, and sad it is that Panther Games has never tackled Overlord head-on or produced a squad-level title.

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