Fun game that feels like a crossover between 2012 XCOM and... Thronebreaker? Both games lend familiar mechanics, but the mix is well seasoned with the satisfyingly weird "western" setting. It's engaging, swift, brutal and well-designed - it requires some thought input, but rewards you with spectacular 1-round wins.
For those familiar with Panzer General and other classic wargames this will immediately feel like home. What makes it stand out is beautiful presentation: interface, music, animations are all lovingly crafted for a grand fantasy adventure. And time-proven mechanics make sure the game is rock solid until the end... and maybe a bit more if you fancy an alternative playthrough path or a multiplayer match.
A game to measure all the other space strategies. A breakthrough conversion of Civilization blueprint into a galaxy-spanning adventure. Tight, focused, challenging, but rewarding. This version allows you to set resolution and mouse sensitivity to fit modern screens. Same amount of fun as many modern games, but in a tiny package and cool on CPU!
I might be the only user to avoid any major bugs everyone keeps mentioning. But even if I didn't... Cyberpunk 2077 hits a strangly underrepresented subgenre of RPG that has relatively low dialogue choice compared to classic D&D games, but it makes every option sound reasonable and resonate with the events and more importantly, you. It has a right amount of flavour that makes dialogues sound like a true well-narrated table-top RPG. I was hugely unimpressed with combat at first, but grew enjoying it on my second playthrough so much that I don't regret anymore when either diplomacy or sneaking fails. Improved performance definitely helps that :-) I feel that despite all of the obvious reasons to like the game and even if all the issues across all the platforms are resolved, the game would still hit the spot of "I played the heck out of it, but I still feel it's not completely satisfied". Why is that? Everyone wanted to get something else from the game, but what the game is - a thrilling rollercoster with an inevitably dire ending. Yes, you get to choose the flavour, but the game was always honest with you: the clock is ticking, your are doomed. A very mature and uncomfortable solution. At the end I just sat for 15 minutes speechless during the ending credits and then went into writing poetry (and I'm not a poet, I'm a programmer).
When I first tried this game, it really stood out for a few reasons: - mouse control done right (unlike most flight sims) - reasonably good HUD - an option to board enemy ship and wipe it's crew (useful if you want to avoid a space fight and don't mind a bit of 1st person shooter) - quality CD music to listen to while flying Overall it was such a smooth experience for it's day, that I completely forgot it had plot and objectives while I've been just flying the space back and forth :-) And even 2 decades later there are not many games in the genre that are up to level set by Parkan. I'm really surprised and excited to see it come back!
I remember when this game made first appearance - and I was charmed. Yes, it stole the game mechanics and balance completely from Fantasy General (a spin off for Panzer General). It added nice windows graphics, good tough missions and a bit of meta-game changes (research thrown away, but management kept familiar to FG veterans). And it was just what we needed! It was the only old-school hexagonal TBS on the market. And a chance to show new gamers what strategy games were (and no DOSBox required): no big numbers, no clicking skills, just pure tactical analysis and deeply planned moves.
