This is a classic game and one of the early proper military infantry simulations. Having replayed the game again after quite a few years, of it not working on modern systems, I have a few things to say. Tactics: Now... it has been said in other reviews that there are no tactics to this game, just run and gun. I would say that is not true, but I can see how some people would think that. This is a game in which you die very easily and tactics are usually needed to complete your mission, however this IS a game about being a Delta Force operator and thus the game often rewards swift and decisive action. If you don't watch your back you will likely get shot, but if you keep moving and you can put out quick and accurate fire you will survive a lot of the time, at least against less than overwhelming odds. Gameplay: It's a fairly solid FPS though with some more traditional things such as the lack of aim down sights that you'd find in a modern mil. sim. like Arma. Making shots at a distance can be tricky and spotting the enemy can also be tricky at long distances with unscoped weapons as they tend to melt into the terrain which, I suppose, is half the low res nature of the game and half the enemy camouflage. It was also made before the wide-spread advent of the WASD configuration so, if I were you, I'd take some time and rebind keys to suit more modern sensibilities. For example, reload is set to M for Magazine instead of R for Reload. Graphics: Good old voxel graphics that look pretty dated now, but made massive open levels a possibility back in '98. I still think they look decent enough, but maybe that's my rose-tinted nostalgia spectacles speaking. Overall: It's still a good game after 19 years, it definitely shows its age, but I have had a very good time playing it again. I would personally recommend the game for people who might: A) Want a less complex mil. sim., B) Play an old FPS classic and/or C) Play a tactical shooter that is actually good.
Review based on original Steam version. I played this "game" almost 4 years ago, a few months it came out on Steam. I had heard people I knew talking about it and I thought I would take a look. I played it through a couple of times and my thoughts were, and still are, "that was kind of interesting" and "That was it?". It took me roughly 60 minutes to go from start to finish. I thought it had some cool ideas and it had some emotional response, but the randomized audio was not noticeable to me. The very slow trundle on this incredibly linear path across this rather beautiful island can be frustrating at times, especially when you deviate a little and then take ages getting back on the path. Overall I would rate it an average experience with some cool ideas. I would not call it a game, but a recent term I quite like is "First Person Experience". That term seems to fit the bill quite nicely without getting into the argument about whether "Walking Simulator" is a pejorative term or not. Would I recommend it? I think if you can get it at a discount it's worth playing through. I think that is about as highly as I can recommend it.
Windward is a nice little game in which you generate a map, select a faction and sail the seas. You trade, you fight, you take quests to fight people, take passengers to locations, transport goods etc.. The game looks good, it's a decently interesting game and I think with a few changes I would enjoy it a lot. What I didn't like was the combat which was unfortunately my main reason for buying the game. Now the combat I was looking for was the age of sail combat of ships that don't turn on a dime, combat with more weight to it, more control of your armaments like for example Sid Meier's Pirates!(2004) instead of what I got was a bit of auto-firing and the occasional button press and click for the volley. I mean it's not awful, but I feel pretty disconnected from the actual battle. I suppose what I am looking for is combat that is a bit more visceral. I want the ship to make it's way through the water, slowly turning and then being able to entirely personally decide when cannons/broadsides are fired. Now I am not asking for super-detailed combat a la "Naval Action", but if I can get an updated "Pirates!"-style combat with more advanced physics and that requires a bit more skill and judgement of when to fire. In conclusion it's a pretty decent game with some nice moments, but not quite what I was looking for.
What can I say about this game that hasn't been said a thousand times? Not much really. It enabled you to play as the bad guys which was almost unprecedented. I remember my first time bringing the game home, installing it and going into it. First there was an, at least at the time, amazing cutscene with Vice Admiral Thrawn and you realized that this was going to be special. I got into the game, flew my first TIE Fighter, gawked at the beauty of the gouraud shading and relished in flying around and taking on that pesky rebel scum with as much enthusiasm as I had when taking on those vile imperials in X-Wing. You soon learned that the TIE Fighter really is an eggshell of a craft so you have to fly it well or you're dead, but soon you'll also be flying TIE Interceptors and TIE Bombers and then you get even more craft to fly as you go along in the Campaigns. What you do as an imperial is a lot more nuanced than the way they are portrayed in the movies. It's very much a matter of order and one of the campaigns is all about bringing order and peace to this system(by force if necessary) which is embroiled in a civil war between the Dimoks and the Ripoblus and you are sent to escort convoys on both sides, gather intelligence and generally maintain an impeial presence in this Outer Rim system. There are also some rather cool sidestories involving the Order of the Emperor and traitors to the Empire. It's a great game, it can be difficult at times, but it's rewarding and I think it's a "must have" for any Star Wars fans who are also into flight sims or space flight games.
I had hoped for this game to come on Gog even though I already own the games plus the Special Editions that were in the X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter engine. X-Wing is a really good game, I picked X-Wing up when I got a gift certificate from my grandmother not quite 20 years ago and I was hooked. I had a problem with sound due to the game going for the conventional memory so I was mostly only able to play it silent while playing Star Wars music in my room. The basic premise is that you're a new pilot joining the Rebel Alliance and you are fighting against the Empire. You have 3 options: Flight Training which is an obstacle course, more or less, with some target practice. Historical Battles in which you are set into certain "historical" missions like "Farlander's First Mission" and a few missions that seem not to have an actual Star Wars historical background like Mock Combat in the A-Wing which, if I remember correctly, is the A-Wing Historical Mission 2 in which you have to fight off increasingly skilled A-Wings, Y-Wings and X-Wings up to Top Ace level, I believe it was. Tour of Duty: In this mode you are fighting the actual ongoing battle between the Empire and the Rebels and take on a variety of missions. This is basically what you would call a "Story Mode" as what it entails is your missions and cutscenes. Overall I would say it's one of the best space flight games I know and if I had a counter of how many hours I spent with it over the years I think I would have a minor stroke. If you have any interest in space flight games such as Freelancer and Wing Commander then I implore you to pick up this game.
Luftrausers is a thoroughly satisfying arcade-style shoot 'em up. The general art style smacks of old German and even Prussian aesthetics. I would describe the general look of the game as Gameboy HD(original Gameboy) which I, in this case at least, really like and, while there are a lot of bad games trying to get by on 8-bit looks, this game is not one of them. The mechanics of the game are quite enjoyable with the amount of control you have of your plane and the manouvres you can pull off. The game challenges you to become better and better and soon I felt myself going "just one more game". For several days I have been meaning to play other games, but end up playing Luftrausers. I have put 13 hours into the game thus far and still want to go back for more. The music is interesting and changes depending on your parts as each type of part is tied to a piece of the music so when you change a part you change either the lead, drums or bass line. It's a pretty good dynamic soundtrack. Negatives: It lacks a "Default Controls" reset option. The Gog version seems to have an issue with not going to fullscreen even though it is set to fullscreen. It is a very minor issue and all you have to do is press F11 or Alt+Return and it goes fullscreen. I hope this issue will be fixed though.
I think this is a great game. The mechanics are interesting and can, at certain points, be really frustrating, but it feels like the game rewards your efforts. The game is a bit short and some people will hold that against the game, but I don't think it detracts from it at all. The humour is good and there are some really funny jokes and some fairly funny references here and there. I feel the story is pretty well written in all it's glorious absurdity. I really like the family, especially the little girl which I think is just hilarious and adorable. Overall I found it a great experience. There are some bits that will tug on your heartstrings and some bits will make you laugh. I would warmly recommend it if you are looking for an adventure game with humour and heart(and a bit of frustration that is totally worth it).
