Möbius Front ‘83
I think this is my first Steam review; I watched a talk from Zach and he said that he takes feedback seriously so I figured, why not?
I love Zachtronics’ coding games, and I also love turn-based wargames, so I was pretty excited for this one. Unfortunately I think they’ve missed the mark this time. There’s a lot to like, but while it has the pleasing simplicity of games like Into the Breach (single-digit numbers for health, damage, range, and speed, grid map, etc.) it lacking some of the elegance.
– Real player with 53.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Alternate History Cold War Games.
Möbius Front 83 is a simple and good game. Yet to finish it, but played enough of it to say what I think.
PROS:
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Great presentation, graphics is aesthetically pleasing, great animations of units – I love how dust animation is used to indicate direction of movement of vehicles.
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Outstanding sound design. Muffled sound of weapon fire and explosion sound like you hear weapons firing in the distance or if, like I imagine it would be to hear sound of weapons firing while you sit in an armoured vehicle.
– Real player with 39.7 hrs in game
Europa Universalis IV
I’m a divorced woman of color. Recently, my ex got our son Larry a video game called Europa Universalis for his 14th birthday. It seemed good for him, because it takes place in the distant past and he’s always been interested in history, so it seemed like a nice enough game, no graphic violence or anything, at least until I sat down and watched him play at it. I don’t know what sorts of racists made this game, but it’s basically a colonialism and genocide justification simulator. If you want to survive, you need to have access to money and soldiers, and the most (only) reliable way to ensure you have enough is to attack and conquer your weaker neighbors. If you don’t, you can be sure someone else will eventually come attack and conquer you.
– Real player with 4558.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Alternate History Historical Games.
So EU4 was a good game. Then they released the 450+ ‘bug fixes’. The entire game outside Europe has now been put back behind a new paywall unless you have the paradise DLC as it is now impossible to develop your provinces to spawn institutions as army tradition gives you impossibly high dev costs. I played one game and when I needed to dev an institution from a 1/1/1 grasslands province and starting cost is 120. That is only with 33 army tradition giving a 150% penalty. This was a custom nation and I had -20% dev cost. Good job paradox forcing everyone to buy your shittiest dlc in order to use any of the other DLC’s you have paid for. The game is now broken outside of Europe without the paradise dlc. You make me sick Paradox!
– Real player with 1819.5 hrs in game
Great Battles of Carolus XII
PROS
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simple graphics
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easy to learn, hard to master
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price
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easy concept, for me better than Great Battles
CONS
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no settings (music disable, resolution settings, nothing)
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no save function - if you have no more time or game crash you have no chance to continue battle
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no minimap
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only a little content
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no army builder
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no “undo movement” button
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no “next unit” button
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infantry and grenadiers looks the same
BUG
- after winning battle “Continue” button does not work
Conclusion 6/10. It is fun for 5 Euro, but missing some basic functions.
– Real player with 5.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Alternate History Historical Games.
This game is great! It is easy to learn and simple but very engaging! I will spread the word and with you all the luck in its success!
Please play this game, folks!
– Real player with 2.5 hrs in game
Wargame: European Escalation
This is the sort of game I have been waiting for a long time; an ultra-realistic RTS game simulating the tactics of a hypothetical Cold War showdown. As a professional soldier I know the history on the development of all the vehicles I used in combat, but we always wondered how they would do fighting in the role for which they were designed (hint: Bradleys, Abrams and Apaches weren’t meant to fight third world insurgents). All of the Wargame battles require a combined arms fight with knowledge on how to use terrain and maximize the strengths and weaknesses of one’s equipment. This game is an incredible achievement in my mind. When a red horde slams into your position, and you realize that you do not have enough TOW’s to stem the tide, it puts the Fulda Gap into perspective.
– Real player with 232.5 hrs in game
I really hate that I have to call this game terrible, but sadly I do. For me, it is almost unplayably bad, and I wish I had never wasted my money on it.
The gameplay mechanics are good; it is sometimes difficult to micromanage the orientation of platoons to keep them facing the enemy, and my recon helicopters have an annoying tendency to land whenever they’re not actively moving, while I may want them to stay airborne to keep enemy units visible; the inability to set stances, and the rather awkward method of turning off individual weapons on individual units to keep control of who fires what, can be annoying, but I can generally get my units to do what I want. The graphics are fantastic, making each unit distinct and identifiable. The music fits the scene nicely, and the single player campaign storyline is nicely plausible.
– Real player with 83.3 hrs in game
41 Hours
Serious Sam… with a weird girl following you around
Pros: Good graphics
Gun modifications
Open World
The bullet-time is pretty dope
Some RPG elements
Cons: The RPG elements (skills, leveling, etc.) can be a lot better
Mindless waves of enemies spawning all around you
Needs more guns (like a sniper, shotgun, hand cannon, etc.)
Enemies have aim-bot like a mofo
The building mechanic needs work, as it’s unwieldy
Is it the best game ever? No… but is Serious Sam the best game ever? No, it’s not either. I’d really just compare this game to being a slightly worse Serious Sam… so for the price, it’s good if you’re looking for a game similar to Serious Sam.
– Real player with 155.1 hrs in game
41hrs Review
Its hard to give a review for this game as i did receive it for free via gift purchase from my brother and also this a game made by a small team and by what i can see and feel when playing the game they did not have a AAA budget.
So i finished the game on the pro skill level took me just over 7hrs to finish but keep in mind i have played tons of first person shooters and tend to finish games quite quick. I liked the game it has some frustrating moments which i will get too but overall its quite decent and for $20 bucks aussie dollars its not bad value.
– Real player with 7.4 hrs in game
Hearts of Iron IV
Let’s be real, you’re here because you want to finally have the chance to play as a Nazi.
Maybe you’re someone like me. I’m always the good guy, the Jedi, the Paragon, the lawful good.
Then when playing Hearts of Iron IV something in me snapped, I came to see that in these strategy games you are the villain, you are evil.
Embrace it, let the hate strengthen you, harden your heart to the lamentations of your foes, sit atop a throne of skulls steeped in blood and command all you survey.
If I’ve learned anything by talking to other gamers, it’s that if someone makes a game where you can kill people, some gamer is going to kill everything that can be killed in that game. Be that gamer, and enjoy this gem of a game. 10/10
– Real player with 3419.8 hrs in game
after 1500 hours i can tell you the developers dont care about this game, mod creators make better and more enspired content as 1 or 2 people they charge 20 dollars for them to break your game and kill the community with there unenspired lazy dlc filled with expliots and bugs tank designer is so broken and transport planes are actually supply a whole army with 200 planes and its taken them more them weeks and they still havnt fixed it it is just a value they have to change in the game code modders have already fixed it in days sad to see that this company is all about the money so sad man i just want to play a game that is made by people that care
– Real player with 1562.3 hrs in game
Red Button
fun short
– Real player with 0.6 hrs in game
usa are cracked
add more stuff
– Real player with 0.3 hrs in game
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom
I am very happy with the new “Fight for Freedom”. I am a big fan of “The Pacific”. The game plays well like the other Starni titles. The developers have always been attentive to the players concerns.
This title IMO seems to be a little more inline with historical information, more or less. That is my only negative for “The Pacific”
If I have any negative feedback so far is with the music. Tracks like the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” are USA civil war music. If developers are going to use music it should be era tracks. There are numerous WWII era music tracks that are much more fitting for the Allies and the Axis. For me the wrong music departs from immersion. So I do not let it play.
– Real player with 117.2 hrs in game
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the graphics and especially the hexes are extremely shiny and weird looking, like everything is constantly soaking wet and neon lit
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the videos are interminable and filled with atrocious voice acting. it’s a blessing that you can skip them
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history is at best a very rough guide to the theme only and mission design takes no account of it ex: Germans and UK with hordes of tanks in Norway (along with ZERO French presence), giant Norwegian navy fighting the Germans off of Norway, absolutely massive British airforce showing up once the airfield is captured… it’s a clown show that makes Panzer Corps look like a serious historical take by contrast
– Real player with 53.0 hrs in game
Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism
This is an outstanding game, and the first of the Strategic Mind games I have played
I’ve played almost all the panzer corps and the other many WWII wargames that use similar, and often improved, mechanics. This game is very similar in its basic concept but much improved. It is much more immersive in the well voice-acted cut-scenes before and after scenarios, and some dialogue during a scenario. Your units are also quite chatty (reminiscent of Stronghold) and I’m particularly fond of the female bomber pilots.
– Real player with 357.5 hrs in game
IN A WORD: WORTHWHILE
IN A NUTSHELL:
WHAT TO EXPECT: WWII strategy wargame. Tactical turn-based battles. Narrative linked campaign of 20x historical battles. Cutscene briefings with voice-overs. Command a core force. RPG style army and unit customisation. A number of genuine stand-out combat mechanics. Detailed prestige reward model. HQ unit and command points Requires much more strategic planning than other games in the genre. Scenarios can feel heavily scripted and overbalanced. Some GUI ailments. Single-player only.
– Real player with 70.3 hrs in game
Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty
A story from the legends, but in real history
Winter War: over 500,000 Soviet soldiers attack Finland, a country with a population of 3,700,000, and the Finns drive them back, inflicting 5 times their own casualties. Continuation War: the Reds return with a total strength of 1,500,000 - almost half of the entire Finnish population - and the Finns stop them again. Finland’s survival in these two brutal wars against an enemy so vast was a true historical miracle. A miracle of heroism and valor. A miracle of the Finnish spirit of liberty.
Experience heroic struggle and make tough choices
You are the commander of the scarce Finnish troops. Your only goal - to save your homeland and your people from total annihilation. Would you risk losing your experienced troops to try and capture the enemy tanks? Would you try to save the stragglers during the retreat and risk losing everyone, or cut your losses and establish a new line of defense? Would you agree to negotiate with the Soviets that had treacherously attacked you twice before?
Play two campaigns: historical and “what if”
Historical campaign
Play through a number of missions throughout the 1939-1945 timeline, spanning three wars: Winter War, Continuation War, and Lapland War. The historical campaign will have smaller-scale but action-packed operations, covering all of the iconic historical battles.
Alternate history campaign
Play a shorter campaign with larger operations, centered around the “what if” events. Help the Germans take Leningrad, cut off the allied aid shipments to USSR by taking the port of Murmansk - that is only the beginning.
Immerse yourself into the (hi)story-driven gameplay
Primary and secondary objectives
Complete numerous objectives grounded in history and narrated by a number of historical characters.
Cinematics before and after each operation
Watch history unfold through the eyes of the key historical figures of the time - over 60 minutes of in-game cinematics with characters such as Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Risto Heikki Ryti, and others.
Create and grow the army of your own design
Variety is the spice of war
The Finns had only 12 Vickers British tanks in 1939 against up to 6000 Soviet tanks. Even the odds by getting units from various other countries, and shape your rag-tag forces into a well-oiled war machine.
Trophies for everyone!
Where Finnish production is struggling to catch up, make up for it by taking advanced equipment from the enemy. Turn the Soviet guns against their creators.
Faithfully recreated historical units
Command the Finnish ski troops and captured Soviet vehicles, including BT-7, T-34, and KV tanks. Purchase German Pz-IV tanks, StuG assault guns, and Ju-88 bombers. Make use of pre-war British Bristol Blenheim bombers, covered by Dutch Fokker and US Buffalo fighter planes.
Upgrade your units to newer models
Make sure your forces are always up to date and up to the task. New models become available at historically accurate points in time.
Train your troops and choose equipment
Gain combat experience
Choose various skills for your men as they gain combat experience.
Combine units from different classes
Compose your own force from ten classes available: Infantry, Artillery, Tanks, Reconnaissance units, Assault guns, Armored trains, Anti-tank guns, Anti-aircraft guns, Fighters, and Tactical bombers. Utilize their unique skills and equipment to maximum effect.
Acquire diverse equipment
Equip units with various special equipment, such as Machine guns, Mortars, Smoke grenades, Anti-tank rifles and Molotov cocktails, Winter equipment, and many more.
Use transport vehicles
In the harsh Finnish winter, speed may be the difference between life and death. Provide your units with vehicles to improve their mobility, or have your Infantry use skis to outmaneuver the enemy in winter operations.
Assign historical heroes to your units
Unique heroes system
Every unit in your army could meet certain high requirements to generate a historical personality - a hero with a unique set of powerful skills.
The deadliest sniper in WW2 history - Simo Häyhä - will join your troops
With 542 confirmed kills, and an unconfirmed total number of 705, not only was Simo Häyhä the deadliest sniper of World War II, but perhaps the deadliest sniper of all time. His nickname “the White Death” was well-earned.
Manage your Headquarters between the operations
Learn Headquarters skills
Choose in which direction your HQ staff will improve as the campaign progresses. Your decisions will result in new passive and active abilities for various units: your artillery could fire twice per turn, or you could call in the air reconnaissance to get better intel on the enemy positions.
Get promotions and awards
Every operation is an opportunity to get new ranks and awards, increasing your Command points, which are used to activate your Headquarters skills and deploy more units.
Confer with your staff
Consult other high-ranking officers for their opinion on the upcoming battle, and get useful advice.
Use elaborate combat mechanics to overcome any foe
Manage Lethal vs Nonlethal damage
There are two types of damage: lethal and nonlethal. Dealing nonlethal damage to your enemies will make them surrender. Different units are prone to deal either lethal or nonlethal.
Use terrain differences to your advantage
Tanks are vulnerable in difficult terrain and cities, while Infantry can occupy buildings or hide in the forests to gain large defensive bonuses. All units suffer large penalties in swamps or while crossing a river, etc. Be aware of your surroundings, and use them to your advantage.
Take the “line of sight” and the “zone of control” into consideration
Some terrain and building obstruct firing unless you are using artillery or mortars. Approaching an enemy unit up close will finish your movement, unless you are using a Recon unit.
Activate various skills and equipment
Use incendiary or subcaliber shells to maximize your damage to the enemy. Order forced march in the most desperate situations. Employ aerobatics to increase your air force efficiency. Use your HQ skills to affect the entire battlefield.
Use a complex spotting system that represents the importance of reconnaissance
Call upon the air and ground reconnaissance to gather intel about the enemy before ordering your troops forward. No one likes to be ambushed.
Adapt to various battlefield conditions
There is a day-night cycle in the game as well as weather types such as frost or rain. All of these conditions impose penalties that must be countered with special equipment and skills. The finest of your troops may even use such conditions to their advantage. Use the cover of the night to sneak up on the enemy, or strike when the foe is freezing and immobilized.
Utilize the most advanced supply and infrastructure system in the genre
Ammunition and fuel
All units have limited ammo and fuel. Without ammo, your units cannot fight, and without fuel, your vehicles cannot move - and any aircraft will simply crash.
Supply hubs
Generate supplies and transfer them to your troops throughout an entire system, like a heart pumping blood through veins.
Supply points
Connect different infrastructure facilities and redistribute supplies. Supply points also allow your troops to change special equipment and renew its charges.
Airfield
Allows aircraft units to land for refuelling, repairs, and refit of equipment. Damage to the airfield would also damage all landed aircraft.
Seaport
Allows resupply and change of equipment for naval units. It also generates supplies, if there is a maritime hub nearby and the Seaport is not under enemy blockade.
Damage the infrastructure
All infrastructure facilities can be disabled if their HP drops to 50% or lower. It will then gradually regain its HP and its functionality. Strike at the enemy facilities to prevent them from resupplying.
Cut off the enemy supply lines
All infrastructure facilities are considered connected if a simple truck vehicle could move between them in one go. If you put your unit between the enemy facilities, it would create a zone of control, and prevent the enemy from transferring supplies. Leave the enemy units without much needed ammunition and fuel, then hunt them down.
Make sure your own units are supplied
There is a limit to how far your supply vehicles can deliver supplies - make sure you take that into account when planning your next offensive.
Welcome the successor
Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty is the fifth installment in the Strategic Mind line of games, featuring Finland in its 3 wars during WW2. It has two campaigns: historical and alternate history one.
Previous titles in the series:
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Strategic Mind: The Pacific - the first game, featuring both the United States and the Empire of Japan waging war in the Pacific.
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Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg - the second game, featuring Germany in WW2.
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Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism - the third game, featuring the USSR in WW2.
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Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom is the fourth game, featuring both the United Kingdom and the United States in WW2 European and Africa theaters.