Arsenal of Democracy

Paradox Interactive, the team behind Majesty 2, East India Company and Elven Legacy, has announced the completion of the new World War II strategy game, Arsenal of Democracy.

Arsenal of Democracy was developed by BL-Logic in partnership with Paradox Interactive. The WWII strategy game is hardly a new concept, but BL-Logic has created an ambitious title with AoD, offering players a detailed historical setting with in-depth challenges and detailed control over their nation’s economic, diplomatic and military choices. Players can battle enemies on land, air and sea, or control espionage, political alliances and international trade, with a wide range of customization available.

Arsenal of Democracy will be available for $19.99 at all major distribution portals starting February 23.

Paradox Interactive also expects to release Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West later in 2010.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Game Review: Totem Tribe

Totem Tribe was sort of a cross between MyTribe and Age Of Empires. You start out as a young chief with a small tribe, and you complete building, combat and searching missions to improve their fate.

Totem Tribe uses building and unit training without the usual resource management side of things. There’s no real harvesting involved and no resource requirements to build new items, which takes some of the challenge away, and lets you focus on building an aesthetically pleasing settlement. Or maybe that’s just me. Your buildings each create specialized units, which you can then use to explore, build, fight, and so forth.

It’s no Momo, but this game is cute. Your villagers fight mushroom people and funny animals, and they live peacefully with giant ladybugs and lazy turtles.

Each island has gems, seashells and other clickable collectibles. It took me a little while to realize that what I’d thought were some funny-looking flowers are actually the gems you are meant to collect. Oops. Because there are surprise activitable items, I found myself clicking on everything, old-fashioned hand-activate style, to see what might happen.

Totem Tribe blends a civ game, a strategy game and the good kind of hidden objects game, all things I like, into an addicting casual game. My only real problem is that the story falls flat.  While I actually liked the gameplay of repeatedly finding a new object of Epic Supreme Destiny on each unlocked island, I found  the chief’s requests for and the general quest text about each Super-Duper Supreme Epic item to be stilted and annoying.

Overall, a solid casual game, even if the story arc leaves a bit to be desired.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Troll And Toad Holiday Discount Code

TrollAndToad.com is an online shop for board games, Magic cards and the like. I got on their mailing list when I got my boyfriend’s Christmas gift there. If you haven’t gotten a gift for the gamer in your life, they’re running a holiday discount. From their holiday email:

Speaking of giving, we here at Troll and Toad want to make sure that
you are given a darn good deal for this Holiday season. By entering the
coupon code LASTMINUTE, YOU GET 10% OFF EVERYTHING ON WEBSITE
on Wednesday, December 17th!! Thats right, 10% off for anything and
everything we have on site coming this Wednesday! It’s really the least
we can do by showing the appreciation we have for you and the obvious
good taste you all have!

Too bad I was actually organized for a change, and already ordered my games.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Red Alert 2: A Great RTS Game

Red alert 2 is one of the great real time strategy games that i have played so far. It is a war based game in which you have to build up your base and army and then defeat the other team. You get money by harvesting gold which is used to buy army units and building your base. You also have to maintain your base power by building power plants. There are two teams both with their different campaigns. One is the US and the other is Soveit Union. You can even play this game online with your friends or on LAN. The game can run on an average PC and you don’t require a high end graphics card for this game. The learning curve is not more than half an hour. Over all i think its a must have game for RTS fans. I will give it 8.5 out of 10.

Popularity: 5% [?]

A Force More Powerful

Ever thought of learning the ropes and strategy of nonviolent conflict? If the answer is “yes”, then A Force More Powerful may be something you’d wish to keep your eyes upon. Wired News has an interesting article about this upcoming game, the child of Ivan marovic who, along with the Otpor resistance group, helped remove former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic from power.

Created by BreakAway Games, the game leads players through simulations of real-life events, such as Gandhi’s struggle for Indian independence, the civil rights movement in the American South, and Otpor’s protests in Serbia.

“Young people grew up with video games,” said Marovic, “and they take the medium seriously.”

The game doesn’t require an itchy trigger finger or keen hand-to-eye coordination; rather, it relies entirely on strategy. As well as historical recreations, players can set up their own scenarios, based on their own situation on the ground, and experiment with different nonviolent strategies. The game’s artificial intelligence calculates the results.

Again, this is all about nonviolent strategy (this time, there’s no way the old smelly “video games turn our children into violent beasts” argument can hold water), and it seems to me, from the way the article summarizes the game, that it can be not only interesting and captivating, but also a good lesson in strategy at all, as well as a voice whenever and wherever such tactics could be needed for the good of all.

The game is planned to be sold in the United States, and distributed for free to international groups.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Rebelstar: Tactical Command ships to North America

The squad-based strategy game developed by Codo Technologies (known for being, among other things, the developer of X-Com) arrives in North America today. This is on Game Boy Advance, and tells “the brightly colored story of a grim future where mankind has been subjugated by alien invaders. Stepping into the shoes of the newest recruit to the human resistance, Jorel (no relation to Superman’s father), gamers must lead a squad of soldiers through a single-player campaign mode where their troops will hone skills and level up with combat experience.”

Some more information is given on Gamespot.

I know… I really have a thing for tactical games, haven’t I.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Squad Assault News!

Got Game and Merscom announce that Squad Assault: Second Wave has shipped:

Got Game and Merscom announce that Squad Assault: Second Wave has shipped:
Weston, CT – September 1, 2005 – Got Game Entertainment LLC and co-publisher Merscom LLC today announced that “Squad Assault: Second Wave” for North American release has begun shipping to retail stores across the U.S. and Canada. A 3D real-time strategy game with multi-player, “Squad Assault: Second Wave” immerses players in a realistic, riveting recreation of World War II tactical combat. Featuring 57 total single missions playable at three different difficulties, 26 operations and 6 dynamic campaigns, the game is primed for replayability and retails for only $29.99 (USD). “Squad Assault: Second Wave” is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB for Blood and Violence.

Created by Eric Young, of DAS Entertainment, designer of such war game classics as the “Close Combat” series and the “V for Victory” series, “Squad Assault: Second Wave” continues that quality tradition. Once the battle starts, the soldiers you command respond with real reactions to the combat situations around them. While the battles can rage fast and furious, the game’s user-defined auto-pause feature for order entry and battlefield assessment also offers a perfect alternative for those who prefer traditional turn-oriented play and a more thoughtful game. Further, the full 2D maps in “Squad Assault: Second Wave” are available at a keystroke to make battle overview simple and easy to view, and a simple to use mod-installer for mod swaps requires just a click of the mouse.

“As World War II buffs know, this Saturday, September 3rd marks the anniversary of the day the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany in 1939,” said Got Game President Howard Horowitz. “With the release of ‘Squad Assault: Second Wave’ this weekend, both history buffs and real-time strategy fans can experience the intensity and the drama of the ensuing battles.”

For demo and more information visit www.SA2ndWave.com.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Worms 4 Mayhem Coming to America

Or at least on PC and Xbox, since a PS2 version isn’t in the works, according to GameSpot:

Worms 4: Mayhem expands on the oddball invertebrate warfare of its predecessors. Players will be able to create their own six-worm team to do battle in a variety of terrain created by a random level generator. Players will also be able to customize their worm teams’ look, sound, and fighting style. Furthermore, they will be able to equip said worms with new customized items from a weapons factory, including the tail nail, poison arrow, and sniper rifle.

Worms 4: Mayhem will also support several modes of play, including a 25-mission story mode for single players. Owners of Xbox and PC versions of the game can engage in online multiplayer bouts of up to four players. But if you own a PlayStation 2, you’ll miss out on more than Worms 4: Mayhem’s online play–the game isn’t being released in North America for the console.

The game will be available this upcoming fall, although no date has been announced yet. Let’s hope this will soon be done, as fall is almost upon us now, or so I’m told by my friend the calendar.

In any case, it’s worth a try. Worms is always fun to try with a bunch of friends, after all.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Interview of Martin Klima About UFO: Aftershock

RPG Vault publishes an interview with Martin Klima, Lead Designer on the upcoming UFO: Aftershock game. Aftershock is the sequel to Aftermath (note that this could be expected), and [...] takes place some five decades later, in the year 2054. The events of the first title left Earth largely if not completely uninhabitable. The remnants of humankind departed to a huge flying island, the Laputa. Sadly, life on this ostensible sanctuary proved considerably less than idyllic. Corrupt, unbending leaders created a festering discontent that eventually flared into open hostilities. Perhaps inevitably, the airborne platform itself was destroyed. Ironically, a new generation of survivors was left with no choice but to reclaim the very surface their forebears had abandoned.

There would be no point in posting it word by word, but I’m going to encourage you to read it, if only because it’s always extremely interesting, at least in my opinion, to know about the ropes behind the development of a game.

And because an image is often worth a thousand words, you can also see quite an amount of screenshots and download materials at Cenega Publishing.

UFO: Aftershock is bound for release on October 7th.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Suikoden Tactics Preview

Here’s something that got me hyped and enthusiastic. No, really. Contrary to my habit of not being too thrilled about tactical games, I’ve however always been a huge fan of Final Fantasy Tactics, from a few years ago, when I was running amok trying to find a PSX imported from the USA because the only version of the game I had found was the US one, to fondly getting my CD out again from time to time nowadays. So what did I think when I saw this article at Gamespy featuring a preview of Suikoden Tactics? Well, I thought: “Me must have! Mine! Mine!”

*coughs* Alright, I need to calm down. Nevertheless, a FF Tactics-style game would be something I’d really like to get my hands on once it goes live by November of this year (I’m also quite fond of the Suikoden series, that is).

The gameplay, again, will be largely familiar to fans of tactics games. Character turns are taken based on stats; Suikoden Tactics is not a “you go then they go” type of game. Turn progression for player characters and enemies is individually determined. Physical attacks, of course, require you to be in range of the enemy; here’s one place where the game’s new system of “balloons” (think speech bubbles from a comic book) helps out the player: if an enemy is in range to attack you on its next turn, a sword icon will appear in a bubble over it; whereas if you’re in range to attack it on your current turn, a teardrop (a typical Japanese signifier of anxiety as seen in anime, manga, and games) will appear over it. This saves you from having to manually check movement range, as in other tactical games. These balloons can also show status ailments (poison, etc.). Characters who are hurting bad will call for healing in their balloons, too. The system is designed so that the player can easily see what needs to be done in any given gameplay situation.

And I really don’t care if the graphics looka bit goofy.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Tactica Online: Clash of Ideologies

Tactica Online is still in development, but I admit I’m eager to see where this one will lead once it’ll be finally available. Checking their website more thoroughly today, I took a peek at the “dev diary” held by Imaginary Numbers’ CEO Luke Carruthers, and this fourth issue seemed to present an interesting take on the “ideologies” that will be available in game:

The Renaissance setting for Tactica Online led directly to the different factions. Historically, the central conflict of the age was the clash between the Church and the developing sciences that it perceived as undermining its role. On one level this was a political conflict between a governing power and the forces it thought could end its rule, but it was also much more than this: it was a conflict of ideologies, between those who viewed the world through the received knowledge of their faith, and those who believed that true understanding came from observing the world around you.

We’ve complicated this by adding magic to the mix. It’s not that great a complication really, because the magic we’ve added is exactly what those of the time believed in – alchemy, numerology, astrology, kabbalah, and the like – adding a third ideology not only makes for a more interesting set of conflicts, but makes balancing each side easier as well! [...]

Each ideology’s abilities reflect its beliefs. Faith, concerned with preserving the status quo, is focused on preserving and undoing things – reflected in its ability to prevent damage and restore lost attributes. Magic, concerned with transformation and change, has capabilities that allow you to modify abilities and exchange effects. Science, obsessed with understanding the world around it, can put natural effects to good use.

I now wonder how all of this can shape up in an online turn-based universe, because it almost looks too rich to be true (at least from an avid roleplayer’s point of view). Combat “only”? Opportunities at really roleplaying (and this, without the player being penalized for not fighting or taking missions during this time)? Both? Heated fights during which roleplayed ideologies clash? All of this? There is something intriguing and appealing in this issue of the dev diary. When the FAQ of the game nonchalantly mentions that The Name of the Rose and Da Vinci’s art were inspirations for the game just as much as Fallout and Jagged Alliance, one can indeed wonder what there will be to see, and how this seemingly growing stack of ideas will be exploited.

Popularity: 4% [?]

New Civilizations

After having seen it last at E3, Steve Butts from IGN.com couldn’t resist and posted last week a preview article about Civilization IV:

Gamers who’ve had to struggle with the complications of the interface are also in for a treat. The actual game map now reveals which terrain tiles are being worked and shows off a number of civic improvements. Little pop-up windows and small suggestions about how to improve the area around each city will definitely help new players get started quickly. Those players who do choose to dive down into the detail of city view will find that information is much clearer there as well. Each city improvement will list the specific bonus it imparts to a city’s coffers, contentment and culture. No more guessing or thumbing through the civilopedia to find out just how much those temples are helping you.

When you start a new game you’ll have the option to select from a variety of civilizations, each with their own historical rulers — Gandhi for the Indians, Elizabeth for the English, etc. About eight of the eighteen civilizations in the game have a pair of rulers to choose from. Each ruler has their own personality and preferences and you’ll be able to tell a lot about a ruler just by watching their reactions on the diplomacy screen. When dealing with the flirtatious Hatshepsut or the jowly dandy Louis XIV, you’ll be able to see their attitudes and personality in their animations. If you’re making an offer in their favor, they’ll act pleased and happy.

Due to ship this Fall (when exactly is another matter), this fourth opus sure seems to own some very interestic characteristics. One will for instance be able to focus along certain lines of technology only, instead of having to research them all.

What’s more, Games Domain announces that the game will be open up to 18 players… this is implicitly offering the possibility for nifty LAN parties at home, right? Where again did I put the box of cookies for all of these starving gamers?

Popularity: 4% [?]

Welcome to Thumb Gods!

Welcome to Thumb Gods – a new weblog for hardcore gamers and regular enthusiasts alike – featuring all the latest news and reviews on upcoming games and consoles.

We’ll cover all types of games – from Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube releases to PC Gaming favorites such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, The Sims, and Everquest.

ThumbGods.com is another collaborative weblog brought to you by Niner Niner – your walkie-talkie to the world.

If you’d like to contribute to Thumb Gods, head on over to Niner Niner and get signed up today!

Popularity: 19% [?]