Deadlock: Planetary Conquest

I've played a few hundred hours since I was a teenager, found on one of those magazine CDs from the 90s. I remembered it because I always play it back then. Given the turn-based mechanics, this game is relaxed at first, but as it becomes more complex, you can manage resources, position strategically, and even contact the black market for all your needs (but risk being discovered by the public). Regarding the second game (which has some minor improvements), Deadlock 1 has aged better, because its interface uses the Windows windowing system, which leaves the game without stretching. I'm playing it in 1080p on a 27-inch screen and it runs smoothly. Finally, a warning: although the game is also available on Steam, the version there is buggy and will not run properly on Windows 8/10/11, requiring file changes and even then running without music. Meanwhile, the GOG version, in addition to being cheaper, works perfectly as downloaded!

I played this relentlessly in high school and even into college. It has a depth and humour that sadly many modern games only wish they had. If you only ever buy one turn-based strategy game, this is the one to buy.

The CIV like game of my childhood ('82).

Deadlock is a fun little game, in the weird early Windows game era (similar to Civ2 having the actual windows interface in the game), its fun for a few playthroughs but it lacks a lot of strategic depth and replayvalue is pretty low, once youve beat the AI at a high difficulty, each game is the same.

I love the lore of this game and have been returning to it periodically for 29 years since it was released. The various leaders slinging insults, the unique buffs and debuffs for each race, and the relaxed pace of building your empire all appeal to me greatly. Definitely worth the $2!