Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Gamers Europe likes what it sees in preview of Spartan

Although the graphics weren’t completely finished and they only saw the pre-alpha version of Slitherine's newest game SpartanGamers Europe previewers liked what they saw.

"There is a good Civ-like strategy element, and the battles play smoothly, no matter how many units are involved. I watched a battle between the Persians and the Athenians. It started out with several large blocks of red and blue on a minimap and the main viewing area was devoted to the battle itself. As the Persian cavalry advanced, the Athenian phalanx lay in wait. At the very last moment, 100 spears, each 30’ long came up out of the grass to meet the charging cavalry. “Can you say kebab?” I asked. Indeed they could. The rest of the Persian army saw this and thought “oh dear”. After a while the battle began to go in favour of the Athenians. Morale plays a big part in this game. If you start losing a little, you’ll soon start losing a lot. If your poor infantry are charged from the flanks or the rear, don’t be surprised if they run off in terror."

Computer Gaming World Gives Only Fair Rating to Chariots of War

Despite favorable reviews by GameZone, Game Chronicles, and Ace Games, Computer Gaming World gave Chariots of War only a "fair" review in its latest issue.

"Surprisingly, there's no battlefield commanding once combat begins. You're forced to watch your army carry out overly simplified movements until the battle is over. Victory is based soley on your predeployment choices, rather than your leadership during the fray...These chariots are doomed to run in endless frustrating circles."

Wednesday, September 03, 2003

Celtic Kings: The Punic Wars announced

"Celtic Kings: The Punic Wars is set during the period 264 BC through 146 BC and will explore the three Punic wars between Rome and Carthage, which include the famous campaigns of Hannibal and Scipio Africanus. The game will feature four playable nations in total, with the Romans and Gauls from the original game being joined by the Carthaginians and Iberians. New units for players to wage war with will include Numidian riders, slingers, mountaineers, Libyan infantry, war elephants, and three new catapult models. "

No release date has been announced by Haemimont Games.