The Time Machines

Games may be accepted by mainstream culture as a medium for entertainment, but as a learning tool for something besides killing your fellow man I think society at large would have words to quickly refute the possibility. I've considered myself a casual student of history for the past few years, and I can easily attribute my interest to a simple catalyst: games. Whether it was the rise of my German Empire in Civilization III or storming the beaches in Allied Assault, both games got me interested in the facts behind the gameplay. My latest article at The Cultural Gutter explores history and gaming, and why we still have a lot to learn.

Civilization IV: standing the test of time

I am always drawn to the endless ebb and flow of creation and destruction in grand strategy games. Whether it's on a single battlefield, amongst the spires of a bustling metropolis, or across an entire planet, seeing something grow before my eyes that has been built because I commanded it to be done, is an exhilarating feeling. Civilization IV only serves to fortify my affections for the series, and the genre as a whole.

Batallion: Advance Wars for PC

Batallion: Head 2 Head can only be described as Advance Wars recreated using Flash. As long as you can get past the overly simplistic art and effects, the gameplay is basically identical. There's no software to install - the only prerequisite is signing up for a free account.

Once you sign into the game you'll be dropped into a lobby similar to Gunbound. Waiting for an opponent to challenge isn't necessary, however, since you can create your own game and add in AI opponents depending on the size of the map. This is good for practice, or, like me, you lack the patience to put up with half-witted humans. Though I quickly found out the latter wasn't that much of a problem - there simply aren't that many people playing Batallion. I think there were five players at one time waiting for games to be started up, and perhaps 14 games ongoing.

Where developers Urban Squall hope to make money is on the sale of Premium Memberships, which gives access to new units and allows players to create and upload maps. It also allows players to participate in "Squad Wars", which seem to be an implementation of a guild ranking system. Winning ranked games will give your squad "Net Worth" which can in turn be used to buy medals that add unit type attack bonuses in game. Net Worth can also be purchased with actual money, and gained for referring friends that sign up to play the game. This completely eliminates the notion that players sporting a full breast of medals are actually skilled. Nevertheless, this referral program serves as a clever device to get people interested in the game, effectively growing the player base.

Even though registration is free, having to log in to a game I see myself playing exclusively single player next to it's anemic online community seems like an unnecessary step. While the convenience of having the ability to access simple and addictive games without the installation of software has worked for services like PopCap, they at least offer the alternative of downloading a fully functional version that can be played locally. The purity of Advance Wars' turn based strategy is fully realized in Batallion, but it lacks a sizable community to make the game engaging enough to play online.

demo: silent storm

At first glance, my reaction to Silent Storm was "Good lord. Another WWII-based game." And by the same guys that made Blitzkrieg, a WWII RTS game that ended up being pretty good, incidentally. Either Nival was feeling particularly unimaginative after their cult hit Etherlords, or they are on to something. I was extremely pleased by the demo for Silent Storm, so I'm leaning towards the latter.

The game sports a great looking 3D engine, and an easily maneuverable camera similar to Dungeon Siege and Neverwinter Nights. I found the graphics to be a bit taxing at some points, though, because I had to turn down the resolution a notch (1280x1024) to get a decent framerate. Hopefully these video optimization issues are worked out for the North American release. The tutorial is well laid out and teaches you the subtle nuances in game mechanics, which I highly recommend playing through before getting started on the included campaign levels. Players of Fallout, Jagged Alliance or even the largely overlooked Shadow Watch may find themselves battling through familiar territory here though; the turn based squad tactics are surprisingly complex.

Objects in the game such as walls and obstacles are destructible, allowing a new dimension of tactics to be revealed. Your characters can run, walk, strafe, crouch or crawl in the prone position, each taking different amounts of action points. The accuracy of the weapons seem realistic enough: you can shoot more with an MP40 or snap off multiple shots with a rifle, but if you can spare the action points you can aim carefully which will result in a higher chance of scoring a hit. Cover and elevation play an important role, as they should; you'll have more of a chance hitting a target far away if you are at an elevated position. This may not seem like anything groundbreaking, and it isn't. However the implementation of the combat mechanics is exceptional, and you barely have reason to think about the combat engine's flaws.

There are two separate campaigns in the full version of the game, Axis and Allies. You're given one mission from each in the demo, and they are both equally challenging and calculatingly paced. The continuous playing of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has prepared me for this type of gameplay, but some may not like the slow pacing. However the deep customization of skills and ordinance loadouts for each character make this a game you must play slowly, for the rewards lie in heeding the finer points. For each demo mission you start off with a preselected squad, but the full version of the game boasts a selection of over 40 operatives of varying nationalities and classes (assault, demolitions, sniper, recon, etc.). The character models all looked great in-game; they seemed a bit cartoony but were still extremely detailed.

The game is only available in Europe currently, and is garnering a few encouraging reviews. We can expect it to hit stores in North America in late January; I plan on preordering over the holidays. It looks to be a solid turn-based strategy/RPG and as always the subject material makes the game that much more fun for me to play. An expansion for Silent Storm has already been slated for release next year, showing that Nival has high hopes for this series. As do I.

You can grab the demo here to partake in this high-quality gaming experience.

heroes of etheria

This weekend I set aside some time to finish the Warlords IV demo I mentioned last week. It's amazing what has happened in the world of turn based fantasy games since the release of Warlords III. Heroes of Might and Magic III and it's many (well, two) expansions were released, and newcomers Age of Wonders and Disciples hit the scene. If Triumph Studios keeps up the good work, Age of Wonders just may take the turn based crown. Especially after the disappointing Heroes IV and the subsequent bankruptcy of 3DO.

Back to Warlords IV. The gameplay hasn't changed much in the last 6 years, which is most unfortunate. The mission in the demo consisted of your standard "hunt and demolish all opponents on the map" fare. Beyond the slight graphical overhaul they haven't really added anything of significance in the way of gameplay. Indeed, even the graphics are a bit campy looking in comparison to the cartoonish quality of Heroes III. The interface and world map have changed a bit, but it remains flat and boring and adds nothing to the experience. In all honesty, if I want turn-based action I'll just fire up the excellent Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic. It's a much more rewarding experience.

On a more hopeful note, the development of Warlords Battlecry III has officially been announced. There aren't too many details at this stage, but I can only imagine that it will continue the excellent combination of real-time strategy/roleplay that has been held dear by fans of the series.