Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Because there’s a demo out. Granted, this thankless wargame won’t be for everyone, but for desktop generals with a bit of grit there are three demo-specific scenarios in there, as well as a not-quite functional version of the scenario editor, to show you how all that stuff works. Lovely AAR video below.
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The simulatory war-men of Battlefront send word that they’ve crafted a Theatre Of War 3 demo for you to download and play on your computer-machine. Excitingly, it’s a time-limited version of the full game, so you can try to win the Korean war in an hour. Now that’s what I call a speed-run. “It allows access to all the missions, features, editors, save games and even multiplayer as the full version. The only restriction is that you are allowed only 60 minutes total gameplay running time before the demo will expire.”

Then, if you like it, you can buy it. Or just say “I like this,” and give a big thumbs up to the empty room in which you sit.

Hampshire – well, my little corner of it – is all fire and brimstones at present. A Spring-enthused Mother Nature is providing the Brimstones. A preview build of Battlefront’s Combat Mission: Battle For Normandy is supplying the fire. Beyond the html hedgerow below, you’ll find a first-hand account of my second brush with this realism-rammed game-o’-war. Fingers-crossed, you’ll also find numerous pictures of kaput Panzers and surrendering Stormtruppen. Read the rest of this entry »

 
In June 2000 a metaphorical Tiger Tank burst from a metaphorical Norman wood and proceeded to blow the turrets off 14 metaphorical Shermans. I was those 14 metaphorical Shermans. Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord was the Tiger. Nobody is quite sure about the Norman wood.

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Handsome sailor and shooty boat simulator PT Boats is getting an expandalone, which is to say it’s getting a sequel that doesn’t quite justify the sequel tag, because it’s more of the same. And more of the World War II toys, too, including new aircraft, and plenty of new boats with guns. The expansion, called South Gambit, about which you can get of details just here, buffs up the graphics and the AI, as well as setting the scene on new seas. Battlefront inform us that the game will take place along the North African coast, and in the Black Sea, where there will be some new Russian units to play with. It’ll go on sale later this month, and owners of the original game get it for just $10.

These masters of military strategy appear to have snuck up on us and delivered a surprise attack. We’re onto them now. The new stand-alone Combat Mission game – Combat Mission: Afghanistan – is available to buy now. It’s Battlefront’s first collaboration with a third-party studio, and consists of a couple of campaigns, with another ten standalone maps and a mission creator. There’s a demo available now, which comes with demo-unique two missions, so is probably worth downloading even if you’re already buying. It also features the full level editor, meaning you can play around, but just not save. They’ve also entered a VIDEO FRENZY. Six (count ‘em!) videos follow…
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By putting on my Tim Stone hat – which is a handsome cross between a deerstalker and a camoflaged Brodie helmet – I can bring you news of the Strategic Command WWII Global Conflict demo’s release, in advance of the full game. It features the whole world circa 1942, at the high water-mark of Axis power. Will the allies pull it back? Well, they won’t in the demo, as it’s limited to two months of game time. Poor Western Democracies. Sad face.

Er… tralier follows.
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A demo for the recently-released naval combat game from Akella and Battlefront, PT Boats, turned up while we were off-air. You can grab it here for a price of 838mb. Battlefront report that: “The demo includes 3 airplanes, 16 naval units, 3 tutorial missions, as well as a demo campaign playable from both the Allied and the Axis points of view.” So that sounds interesting. Recentish game footage posted below.

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Not a good week for Combat Mission creators Battlefront. After waiting donkey’s years for Jean-Michel Mathé to finish his ground-breaking Napoleonic ‘First-Person Commander’ wargame HistWar: Les Grognards, the scamp has jumped ship at the eleventh hour and decided to self-publish. Battlefront are sticking doggedly to a ‘we cancelled because of repeated delays’ line, but the simmering annoyance radiating from their statements suggests subtler shenanigans. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you excited about the forthcoming turn-based wargame from Battlefront? Here’s a chance to continue to be excited (and/or be crushingly disappointed). Are you not aware of it? Here’s a chance to have your expectations created. Are you still reading this paragraph? Well done. The beta demo of Empire of Steel can be downloaded from here. As the name says, it’s beta, so expect issues, but it includes two full maps to play, with no restrictions, and a chance to nose at all the other features. To get a feel for the game, there’s a game footage video below…
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