Finally. Steel Division.
The info is still pretty sparse but it looks like Paradox Interactive, the studio who developed Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, and Stellaris, are publishing a Tactical RTS WW2 strategy game developed by Eugen Systems. You might remember Eugen from RUSE and the Wargame series.
This is gonna be good. Here’s a few things that caught me eye in an otherwise sparse press release.
Dan Carlin opens up one of his best Hardcore History Podcasts talking about the hatemail he gets whenever he covers a modern story. When he covers Nazi Germany there’s still people who can look down at the numbered tattoos on their arms and remember. It’s tough to speak when the memories are fresh, even 70 years later. You don’t get that from some ancient war. The cultures are too far gone.
So when I saw the game Syrian Warfare I kind of cringed a little bit. If 70 years isn’t long enough, how about something that’s still going on? What does it say about the conflict that there’s been enough time to come up with the idea, Steam Greenlight it, code it, and release it. And this war still continues.
This is a game I had to check out.
Edit : This has been getting lots of traffic and comments. Here’s my TL;DR version : If we took this out of the Syrian theater and instead stuck it in, I don’t know, Korea 1952, or Berlin 1945, it’d be a forgettable game. It fills a spot beyond what an average RTS player might want and not what a more hardcore strategy gamer likes. It’s not a bad game, it’s just not terribly good. Mechanically the game is lacking from what I desire in a strategy game and the context isn’t done in a tactful manner. Even if it was I’m not sure I’d have any interest in it. It’s just not my thing. But it still makes you think, and for that I have to give it some credit. Continue reading…
I’ve started a new Discord Server specifically to cover board games, computer wargames, tabletop wargames, and any other strategy game. (Hearts of Iron to Revolution Under Siege to Stellaris to Civ 6) Discord is not only a fully functional chat server but also a voice chat server as well. No more Skype, Teamspeak, Ventrilo, or any of that jazz. Just jump into an audio channel and go.
But beyond that it’s a place for a community to hang out, chat games, ask questions, share images, and get the grog on. It’s got the basic functionalities and will have more added down the road as we see fit.
If you’re a streamer or Youtube type feel free to pop in and post your streams in the #twitch_youtube channel. We’ve got some great streamers out there and I’d love to see more of the community engage with them.
It’s free. It’s chill. It’s a good place to ask why your panzers are out of gas or why your pixel troops are doing dumb things. It’s also a great place to find an opponent. Come on over and check us out!
Stars in Shadow has exited Early Access and is on sale for 25% off right now. (~$18) This 4X-MOO2 Like-Spaceship Dictator game is the newest in a rather crowded playing field of space games. One bummer about Early Access is the ratio good to bad is pretty low, so how does Stars in Shadow compare?
