Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Posts Tagged ‘Sensible-Software’

Retrospective: Cannon Fodder

Posted by Kieron Gillen on November 11th, 2007.

Share ·

Cannon Fodder.

I still remember a pub-based conversation around the time of its release. It involved the relative merits of Syndicate with Cannon Fodder. We loved them both, clearly. Everyone loved them both. But were we to call, we preferred Syndicate. But perversely, everyone also agreed that in the terms we were used to thinking of, Cannon Fodder was the better game. They’re an unusual pair, you see. Despite the fact they shared a central mechanic – that is, they were both mouse-driven shooters where you controlled a small group of soldiers going about their missions – and came out within a similar time-frame, I don’t recall any direct comparisons in the press. The only reason I can think of is that they felt so radically different.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , .

36 Comments »

The Making Of: Cannon Fodder 2

Posted by Kieron Gillen on September 28th, 2007.

Share ·

[This time we're going retro, and UK-retro at that. On our blighted isle, Cannon Fodder was one of the more iconic games in a generation of software with one of the greatest theme tunes of all time. For the making of the sequel, I talk to Stuart Campbell, the designer. Stuart is better known for his games writing, where he remains the most controversial journalist the UK has ever produced. That is, a lot of people hate him, which is always a sign you're doing something right. If you like this, Stuart has gone into enormous detail on each level of the game over at his site. CF2 is also available on The Underdogs.]

I'm sorry, but this is as classic as it gets.

Cannon Fodder had everything. A pixel-perfect blend of action and strategy with a small squad of men versus intricately designed levels. The greatest game theme tune of all time in the form of the lazy skank of “War’s Never Been So Much Fun”. A splash of controversy over its use of the military poppy, with national outcry from the tabloids over its insult at the old boys. Ironic, when you consider that Cannon Fodder was one of the most anti-military wargames of all time. How do you follow all that?

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , .

7 Comments »

GamersGate has loads of PC games.

Respond to our gibber

  • destroy.all.monsters : “For the USians there's a pretty good deal on gogamer.com for Galactic Civilizations II Ultimate, Sins of a Solar Empire, Darkstar One and Space Assault ...” on The RPS Bargain Bucket: Cracking
  • Paul B : “What about TIme Gentlemen, Please! now half-price (£1.49 + VAT) until Tuesday, to tide you over 'til the release of Modern Warfare 2. All you ...” on The RPS Bargain Bucket: Cracking
  • jackflash : “ok, I take back a lot of the more critical things I said earlier ... this game kicks ass. PC, through and through.” on First Steps With Dragon Age
  • Pantsman : “Without an internet connection, attempt to sign in. It will fail, and report the failure in a window. The window will have three buttons. One ...” on Digi Retailers Drop Modern Warfare 2
  • Levictus : “Thanks, for the interesting read. Regarding Steam and the space games thing, do they actually not allow some space themed games or what? I didn't ...” on Digi Retailers Drop Modern Warfare 2

Browse the archive

Buy classic PC games from Good Old Games, please.