April 2023
Anomaly: Warzone Earth
April 29, 2023 Filed in: Video Games
I closed out April playing Anomaly: Warzone Earth. This game from Polish developer 11 Bit Studios was a pleasant surprise. It had very good ratings and reviews yet I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Instead of the familiar tower defense style, Anomaly: Warzone Earth is the opposite—a tower offense game. You control a commander leading an armored squad in the 14th Platoon. Your job is to plan a successful route through enemy defenses on way to designated areas stated in the mission objectives. Story mode has 14 missions, which start in Baghdad, move to Tokyo, and return to Baghdad for the finale. You are given money to purchase squad members and upgrades and also accumulate additional cash during the missions. Available units are the APC (Armored Personnel Carrier), Crawler (mobile artillery), Shield, Tank, Dragon (dual plasma throwers), and Supply. A key element of the game is using the commander's special abilities: repair, smoke screens, decoys, and air strikes. They are in limited supply so you have to choose wisely when to deploy them.
It didn't take long to complete story mode but that was fine with me. There are also extra missions and a mobile campaign available. The series continued with several sequels as well: Anomaly: Korea, Anomaly 2, and Anomaly Defenders.
It didn't take long to complete story mode but that was fine with me. There are also extra missions and a mobile campaign available. The series continued with several sequels as well: Anomaly: Korea, Anomaly 2, and Anomaly Defenders.
Worms Armaggedon
April 16, 2023 Filed in: Video Games
Long time PC video game players are probably familiar with Scorched Earth. It was an artillery combat game with a large variety of weapons. I played much more of Tank Wars, a similar game that predated Scorched Earth. The fun in either game was choosing just the right weapon, accounting for the wind, determining the appropriate angle, setting the power and … hopefully annihilating your opponent (human or computer). Another take on this type of game is the Worms series from Team 17. With its sense of humor and cute characters, Worms has thrived over the years with an impressive number of titles. I had always wanted to play a Worms game but somehow never did. I own a few in the series and wanted to start with one of the early entries. Worms Armageddon from 1999 is widely regarded as one of the best so I decided to begin there.
If you are familiar with any artillery video game, Worms Armageddon isn't too much of a stretch. The characters can move and jump, there are useful crates that drop from the sky, and the terrain options are quite numerous. However, the gameplay is essentially the same—choose from a big list of weapons, aim, adjust power if necessary, and fire. At first, I was pretty horrible with my aim and the computer opponents were easily destroying me. I've gotten a bit better with practice so it's gotten more fun as my experience has grown. The sheer number of weapons is a bit daunting but learning what they can do and when to use them is a big part of the fun. As a solo experience, I doubt I will devote that many hours into the game. Tanks Wars and Scorched Earth were best played with your friends. I think Worms Armageddon would be as well.
If you are familiar with any artillery video game, Worms Armageddon isn't too much of a stretch. The characters can move and jump, there are useful crates that drop from the sky, and the terrain options are quite numerous. However, the gameplay is essentially the same—choose from a big list of weapons, aim, adjust power if necessary, and fire. At first, I was pretty horrible with my aim and the computer opponents were easily destroying me. I've gotten a bit better with practice so it's gotten more fun as my experience has grown. The sheer number of weapons is a bit daunting but learning what they can do and when to use them is a big part of the fun. As a solo experience, I doubt I will devote that many hours into the game. Tanks Wars and Scorched Earth were best played with your friends. I think Worms Armageddon would be as well.
Total War: Shogun 2
April 03, 2023 Filed in: Video Games
I haven't been playing a lot of computer games recently. The time I have spent has been devoted to Total War: Shogun 2. In my experience, the Total War series has been reliably entertaining with a nice mix of strategy on the main map and tactics on the battlefield. Previously, I've played Rome: Total War, Medieval II: Total War, and Empire: Total War. I enjoyed them all but Rome: Total War was a particular favorite. From what I've read, Total War: Shogun 2 is regarded as one of the best of the series, if not the best. Although I have only played Shogun 2 a little while, it has definitely been another quality game in the series.
Set in 16th-century feudal Japan, Shogun 2 features an assortment of clans fighting for supremacy. I chose to play as the warlord leader of the Chosokabe clan. They are masters of the bow and excellent farmers. The Chosokabe start in Tosa Province on a small island, which provided some welcome early game protection. I conquered the provinces of Iyo, Sanuki, and Awa to unite the island under my rule. Later, I clashed with the Miyoshi clan. I took Awaji province from them, which was a tiny island adjacent to ours. Eventually, I sailed across to the big mainland to take their capital in Settsu. I achieved victory in the campaign, which was a short one. I will need to try a longer campaign to get a fuller experience of what Shogun 2 has to offer.
Marching to Victory
Set in 16th-century feudal Japan, Shogun 2 features an assortment of clans fighting for supremacy. I chose to play as the warlord leader of the Chosokabe clan. They are masters of the bow and excellent farmers. The Chosokabe start in Tosa Province on a small island, which provided some welcome early game protection. I conquered the provinces of Iyo, Sanuki, and Awa to unite the island under my rule. Later, I clashed with the Miyoshi clan. I took Awaji province from them, which was a tiny island adjacent to ours. Eventually, I sailed across to the big mainland to take their capital in Settsu. I achieved victory in the campaign, which was a short one. I will need to try a longer campaign to get a fuller experience of what Shogun 2 has to offer.
Marching to Victory