This is a simple, but entertaining game to play. It puts the player in the role of an Ukrainian drone pilot that uses his little machines not only to destroy various targets, but also to retrieve washing machines from the Russian invaders to return to the rightful owners. Although the game is short, it is fun to play through thanks to easy to master mechanics and humourous elements. It can be recommended for some casual play and for supporting the Ukrainian cause as part of the proceeds go to the Come back alive foundation.
Ghost Recon is a squad shooter that allows the player to control several elements to solve tactical problems. The assistance of the AI fire teams is often useful as the opposing forces outnumber the player side by a wide margin and have the unforgiving competence of opponents in the golden era of Red Storm Entertainment games. It incorporates a RPG element by awarding points to team members surviving missions that can then be used to improve the stats of the unit, though the gradual addition of hero characters with higher skill levels will often lead players to ditch the regular grunts as the campaign progresses. The game excels in the art work and atmosphere. The opponents are diverse, showcasing the vast array of different uniforms and camouflage patterns that were used by Russian forces at the time of release. This attention to detail significantly aids immersion, as the cookie cutter effect present in many older shooters is avoided.. It also features vegetation that moves in the wind, and there will be occasions when one is nervous enough to open fire on trees and bushes that are mistaken for lurking enemies. A drawback of the GOG release is the absence of the two sequels that moved the action to a desert and jungle environment. Owners of the original disks can install them with the GOG base game without problems though. Here's hoping GOG will acquire the rights to Desert Siege and Island Thunder to cater to other players, as the Ghost Recon campaign will undoubtedly thirst for more.
Winds of change adds a range of new NATO and Warshaw Pact countries with various new kit for the end of the 1980's Cold War gone hot setting. It also introduces new styles of maneuver by allowing players to lift air assault units by helicopter that allow fast deployments across maps and spectacular fiery ends due SAM missiles and AAA. In addition the Skirmish and Campaign modes have been joined by a new procedurally generated Warpath mode. The basic gameplay remains solid, requiring less micromanagement than the competition and allowing better coordination of movement and combat by the player. It is always nice to see national representation in games and the work done on them is outstanding. Attention to detail includes longer hairdo for Dutch troops, adding the mullet to part of the infantry and vehicle crews for the true eighties experience and the peak of conscript allyness at that time. The minimal web gear is also properly worn by the NLD troops, as magazines were supposed to be stuffed in various pockets instead of dedicated pouches.
The game is easy to get into, which is suitable for casual players, but offers sufficient challenges to satisfy the more hardcore players as the difficulty can be ramped up during the campaign.. The player side of Ukrainian and NATO inspired forces must battle generic Russian and middle eastern insurgent OPFOR over an array of terrains in a tug of war, with minimal resource management and simple controls. The game does well what it is intended to offer in gameplay: for more elaborate resource management or vast maps one may want to look for other games. In this game I find the simple stylised graphics and ease of entry due to the simple controls strong points that contribute to my enjoyment of the game. As such it is a solid successor to the earlier Warpips. The DLC is active on installation of the Deluxe edition, but one needs to unlock certain units before the alternative skins can be used. These are only cosmetic, changing the appearance of default Kozak jeeps, BTR 4 infantry fighting vehicles and T80 MBT to the AMPV, Puma and Leopard2 without changing the characteristics and altering the attire of infantry units.
Ostriv currently lacks a proper tutorial to explain the game characteristics, but the gist can be distilled from in game descriptions of various buildings. This can lead to survival of the first winter being a matter of trial and error, but once one understands the basic gameplay mechanics it is a remarkably enjoyable village management game that does away by the combat element that mars various other examples of the genre. In my experience few games do both management and combat equally well and Ostriv rightly concentrates on making the village management the sole purpose of the game. Watching the villagers go about their business constructing their community and producing the needs for their survival and later on prosperity is a calming experience that can be quite addictive. As the game is still under development the gameplay will be extended with additional features to provide even more depth to growing your own little frontier community into a thriving civic entity able to continue attracting outsiders to migrate into the town.
The gameplay occupies a sweet spot between that of the Mount and Blade series' battles and those of Medieval Total War. There is more opportunity to group units by armament than the former and it skips on the kingdom management of the latter in favour of concentration on implementing better simulation of tactics on the battlefield. The gameplay does a decent job of introducing morale as a deciding element in pre-modern age combat. Though it may be frustrating for a player if panick grips the own troops through careless maneuvers, it is satisfying to pull off a victory by causing the opposing forces to loose heart. This makes for a more historical simulation of battle in the Middle Ages compared to the fight to the last man standing common in many other games. There are a number of battles from both Western and Eastern European medieval history to refight and the possibility to generate new battles extends the lifetime beyond these fixed scenario's. With a decent number of varied force combinations to try out this provides ample opportunity to enjoy the game in Single Player mode.
Hidden & Dangerous is a squad shooter that incorporated many advanced ideas at the time of release, but was plagued by many bugs that could make it frustrating to play. Yet despite its flaws the vast mission areas, the ability to use vehicles and board airplanes and improvise tactical plans during the mission were excellent concepts that showed great promise and made for unrivalled enjoyable gameplay. The joy was further enhanced by the musical score, the briefings and the cartoonish design of the graphics that provided an unique great atmosphere evoking old war movies. The successor game is far less buggy and clunky, but the original has a charm of its own. Its merits outweigh the inconvenience of having to restart a mission yet again because the player character somehow fell into the abyss.
The original Hidden and Dangerous was buggy beyond belief, but the sequel managed to perfect the game mechanics, allowing players to follow different styles of play in pursuit of mission success. Leading a team of saboteurs across a range of WW2 battlefields will offer many challenges and hard choices regarding kit and personnel to be made along the way. Whether playing the game in SP or MP Hidden and Dangerous II will provide many hours of enjoyment, though one has to balance that against the wonder why no follow up game ever came out to carry on its proud tradition.
Although the late 1980's Cold War has been a popular setting for the genre Regiments is a welcome addition to the collection. Reducing the amount of micromanaging compared to the direct competitors makes this Cold War RTS more accessible. Each NATO - and Warshaw Pact country has a unique selection of units that require a slightly different approach to engagements, while offering the option to subordinate missing capabilities from allied Task Forces to balance out the basic national core. The current array of nations is due to expand by later additions to the game by Microprose and I do hope that these will become available to the GOG version as well. The models and textures are top notch, which makes it a minor point of critique that one is generally too busy directing the battle and thus often lacks the time to appreciate the graphics while zoomed in on the action.
The Viking Conquest expansion for M&B Warband enhances the already solid base on which it is built by including a range of additional game mechanics that create an even better player experience. The enthusiasm and love for their creation of the developers is on display in the meticulous recreation of the period and their imagination and skill find an expression in tweaks to the basic formula that manage to complement and enhance the underlying base. There are numerous adaptations to Warband to make VC stand out as a distinct game of which some deserve special mention. An emphasis on dismounted combat and the inclusion of naval engagements add interesting variations to the original. The ability to create a stronghold as a home base without having to enter vassalage with any faction is a welcome alteration. Hunting as a minigame is a proper medieval pastime that subsequently seems an odd omission when returning to the TaleWorld games. Period appropriate religious differences have an impact on several aspects of play. These differences all combine to foster a fuller enjoyment of the game environment in which one can live out the fantasy of being an early medieval warlord.
