Deadlock: Planetary Conquest

I was 12 when i first played the demo of Deadlock (which i got from a CGW demo cd) on Windows 3.1. The game was fantastic, different and innovative then, and it is still today. The whole concept and realization is spot on. The races for the game are chosen perfectly. Every race has its own speciality and penalty. The micro-magagement aspect is ellaborated. The tech tree is well put together and the unit roster is also great. The map and city view is crisp and the graphics and animation is still good today. Yes there is no single player campaign is the game, but the randomizer make up for that. There are some things in the game that where not fixed for the GOG release. For example: If you attack a territory with more units, than the territory allows, the surplus units will disappear after the battle. That was annoying then and still is now. However, this was implemented to prevent rush attacks. To sum up: 5/5 stars, Runs great and is fun. If you are a fan of Empire, Heroes 1/2, Outpost or Civilization, this game is a must. (PS.: Dear GOG, the game also came out in Japanese. It would be a great addition if you include the version in future updates as well. Thanks!)

Played a few 100 hours on a Mac (OS 7.5), back in the day. Lot's of fun for the time and technology of the day. I think the game system still holds up for pure TBS fans / old school enthusiasts but not so much for general strategy fans. Me I loved it back in the day but would have to put on the nostalgia glasses to get into it now. Overall a good purchase *when on sale*...

The first strategy game I ever played. Loved it and the sequel. I still have the original games and boxes. This got me hooked on gaming which lead to C&C, Starcraft, Mechcommander, the list goes on. In fact this is the first game my son (who is now 22) ever played on a computer. Deadlock got him into gaming. The fond memories this game brings back.

... just for for sentimental worth. I still have the original disc but that version won't run on newer OSs, so I was very happy to see the game appear on GOG. It's a turn-based strategy game and your goal is the same every time: conquer the planet (either by destroying all enemies or by building a certain amount of city centers). I can't begin to recall the amount of hours I sank into this game. There are diverse enough different races, and even if they clearly are "these are good at this aspect of the game and not so at this aspect" choices, they make sense and help you shape your strategy. Speaking of which, on the higher difficulty levels you'll experience games that can last for days and really challenge you on a strategic and tactical level. The tutorial is one of the better ones and helps you understand the game mechanics quick. "Easy to learn, hard to master" definitely applies here. If you have an hour free, read the manual, but specifically all of the background material for every race. It's amazing to see how much they wrote, a clear sign of the time and effort involved. The animated advisors help personalize the races, and if you play long enough, will be rewarded with subtle jokes (ouch my spleen!) and understanding of the Deadlock universe. There's only one (really minor) thing I'd love to have in this game and that is more control over the battles themselves (outside of just placing units, hit 'Go' and wait). But as it is right now, this game is solid and still going strong.

This game was great while I was growing up. I remember reading the instructions over and over committing the races and lore to memory. So glad to see it on here.