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I’ve been in the mood for a good wargame.  Maybe it has something to do with just completing Last Citadel, David L. Robbins’ fantastic novel on the Battle of Kursk (what a coincidence!), but suddenly I felt like a more detailed strategy game. Unfortunately, most RTS games, while pretty, ultimately are little more than spam fests.  On the other hand, while there are some very detailed and realistic wargames, few sport the modern production values that I have come to expect from post-1999 gaming.  What’s a gamer to do?

Perhaps Battlefront is here to ride to my rescue.  Battlefront is definitely a wargame company that likes to offer titles that have depth and pizzazz, along with realism and fun.  They were responsible for the legendary Combat Mission…need I say more?  Well, now they have just published 1C's Theatre of War 2 - Kursk 1943:

“Operation Zitadelle, the largest tank battle in history, taking place near the Kursk salient in the year 1943, has just begun! Secure your place in this monumental battle by ordering Theatre of War 2 - Kursk 1943 right now!

When I first learned about Metro 2033, I was excited.  In the fashion of Stalker, Metro 2033 seemed to be a dark, post-apocalyptic shooter with the potential for lots of frights and fights.  But then I learned it’s a strictly on-the-rails shooter….

Don’t get me wrong, scripted shooters can be a lot of fun, but they rarely engage me like a game built around an open sandbox world as found in Stalker.  When everything occurs in a pre-scripted sequence…well, where’s the thrill in that?  Yeah, I know – the devs have said that they favored a scripted shooter because it allows them to tell a better story.  That may well be so, but if I want a story, I’ll just read the novel that Metro 2033 is based upon (which I am planning to do – kudos to THQ for getting the novel published once again).  But when it comes to gaming, I am much more interested in telling my own story. 

Anyway, those of you who can’t wait to take a crack at this shooter will be happy to know that the game went gold today:

Generally speaking, when you get a press release from a game company that calls themselves “Zombie Studios”, it is usually a good idea to take a closer look. With that in mind....

Zombie Studios has announced that they are developing a game called Blacklight: Tango Down, a “near-future first person shooter that will offer AAA-quality military shooter action in a downloadable package.”

I’ve got to tell ya, after seeing this video I am more than a little curious. Check it out:

Cliff Harris is the Energizer Bunny of gaming.  Bursting onto the gaming scene last year with his addictive Gratuitous Space Battles, this one man game designing machine has never ceased in his efforts to perfect GSB with tweaks and expansions.  Not content to rest on his space laurels, Mr. Harris has announced yet another expansion filled with tons of laser beams and things going 'zap!', 'ka-boom!' and 'ka-pow!'.  Prepare to do battle with…The Order:

“The Order are religious extremists determined to wipe the universe free of all non-believers. Including you. The Order's ships are big on power but low on speed, and are held together by tractor beams, rather than mere girders."

The Order's new weapons:
 

One of 2010’s most intriguing games is Obsidian Entertainment’s Alpha Protocol. This game will put the player in the no-squeak shoes of a modern day spy who must stop an “international catastrophe” from occurring. Similar to USA Network’s excellent Burn Notice (if you’re not watching it, what are you waiting for?!? Sheesh!), the player must go rogue and work the international espionage system to get the answers he needs and stop the nefarious plot before it is too late. Promising a nice dose of role playing, along with plenty of action enhanced by all the cool gadgets and weaponry that goes with spycraft, Alpha Protocol sort of reminds me of the espionage equivalent of Mass Effect.

I am really looking forward to this game. I haven’t played a good spy game since…well Spy vs. Spy back on the 8-bit machines. When you stop and think about it, it’s a clear shame because espionage would seem to be a natural setting for conflict-based gaming. Even on the Atari 800XL, there was nothing as sweet as laying a deviously clever trap for the black spy (I always played the good spy) and laughing with joy when it was sprung with all its malice.

Continuing with my Borderlands kick….

Gearbox has announced the third DLC for their super-fun FPS, Borderlands.  Entitled The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, the DLC will add lots of new guns, vehicles and some new, smarter enemies!  The level-cap will also be raised to 61.

In other words...Best.  Add-On.  Ever.

Borderlands has proven to be my favorite game from last year.  There is just something unexpectedly enjoyable and addictive about it.  If you haven’t given it a try, what are you waiting for?  Get on a bus and head out to Pandora now!  All those wonderfully collectable guns are waiting for you!

Enjoy this vid:
 

Today, Ubisoft announced that salty sea dogs can now place their pre-order for the next installment in the popular WWII submarine simulator franchise, Silent Hunter.  The press release reads:

“Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic hails the return of the number one submarine simulation. For the first time, the player will be able to play as a U-boat captain leading his crew from a first-person view in a true dynamic campaign. Operate against Allied shipping across the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea and participate in famous encounters with strong enemy warships.

The Gold Edition will be available for download only and will contain seven unique submarines and enemy ship skins. The Gold Edition will also include the Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic Official Guide containing 110 pages of crew details, submarines, ships and weapons as a pdf on the build.”

Mount & Blade is perhaps the best medieval-themed game in existence.  Yes…in existence (don’t you dare mention Warcraft as a contender!).  Hailing form a small Turkish studio, Mount & Blade quickly garnered a huge international following for its open sandbox play, along with its deliberate exclusion of any of the usual fantasy clichés, such as monsters or wizards.  Best of all, Mount & Blade is supremely moddable, something that has unleashed the creative juices of the M&B community and led to such wonderful mods as an Old West mod and a feudal Japan mod.

Not content to rest on its laurels, last year TaleWorlds’ announced the ambitious Warband expansion that would bring a number of much sought after additions, including a 64-player multiplayer component.  However, in an unexpected move, TaleWorlds has just announced a new Warband facet the many M&B diehards wanted but didn't expect to see in this go around:  a marriage dynamic.  Don’t roll your eyes, love and marriage determined the fate of many a medieval kingdom, so I am both intrigued and excited.