Turn Based Squad Games…Where did you g (0 action points remaining)

Back in the day, I loved a good turn based squad tactical game.

On my BBC model B, my favourite game, (after Elite of course) was called “Paras” or something, a basic but entertaining hex based squad game. This was followed by a few others, until X-Com arrived with a bang, and was followed up by sequels of ever increasing complexity, and ever diminishing fun. Why was X-Com the peak? It was a loooong time ago. Even now, the return of X-Com being mooted is as an FPS?! Have they not noticed we aren’t exactly suffering from a lack of shooters?

The only thing turn based at the moment is JRPGs it seems, which are a hellish 1 button clickathon, of grinding time sink intensity, and something which has never really appealed to me. My recent search turned up laser squad Nemesis, by the author of X-Com no less, but even that was very dated, with limited options. Why can’t we have a fantastically modelled, physics enabled, great sounding and looking turn based squad shooter (be it soldiers, space marines, or mechs!) for the 21st century? Am I just living in the past? Am I the only person who enjoys these games?
There are a bunch of RTS games out there that would be good, but are so hurried due to their real time nature, I can’t relax and actually enjoy watching and playing them. For example the Warhammer Dawn of War, and Company of Heroes titles both looked very interesting, but the hectic real time nature of them turned me off. I want to enjoy seeing my little men run about shooting stuff, not fracture my wrist desperately lassoing troops and whipping all over a tiny map.
I like something I can take my time over and enjoy, at my own pace, not whatever the designer has decided is correct.

Perhaps the resurrection of smaller simpler games, being created for and played on smart phones and devices like the iPad will bring about such a second coming? I for one hope so.

My dad has bought an iPad and we had a great time joining the legions of Angry Bird fans out there. Simple, crisp graphics, a clear task in hand (literally with an iPads touch screen) and fantastic sound design, which had us both laughing our heads off. Boy, those birds really are angry. We also tried Flight Control HD which was a relaxing and new experience, which although it got hectic as the planes started to swarm, really showed how the touch screen interface defines the game. After all, you are simply drawing paths live on the screen. Often with two hands at the same time.

Such interface creativity will be the key to the success of devices like the iPad and indeed Kinect. As creators grasp what is possible with a new array of options, an audience is waiting for them. And as my dad has proved, it might be an audience they have NEVER interacted with before.

I’m excited to see what develops, and in honour of turn based squad games, I have 2 squad members keeping the iPad and Kinect on overwatch.

Glad Tidings of Mechanised Joy! Steel Battalion 2011

How I rejoiced yesterday with the discovery on my return from holiday in sunny Beirut, that Xbox 360 would see the long awaited sequel for Steel Battalion, one of the all time great games.

Yes Steel Battalion, the game with THE all time great controller, a thing of awe and beauty, and extreme difficulty.

Not only that, but it will be a dedicated Xbox kinect title, which will be very interesting. Will it be the first super 'hardcore' game designed for kinect?

Many people think this will mean waving about shouting "missile!" but as a mech pilot myself, I am almost sure it will mean a game which fully integrates the standard controller with the possibilities offered by Kinect.

Think about it. The original SB controller had about 5 joysticks and 348 buttons. What better way to replicate the joys of controlling a mech than with an xbox controller PLUS all the input options that kinect will offer....

Shouting commands ("EJECT!!!") while moving your body to physically control the mech, and using the joypad to control aiming and subsystems will be awesome! It will however make my wife think I am a total nutter, but that's a price I'm willing to pay, plus she probably already thinks that anyway.

The preview video I watched (Here) shows trademark Steel Battalion dull graphics, for a real 'lofi battlefield visuals' feel that the original Steel Battalion so effectively used. I hope that From keep the lumbering mech feel, and not the speedy Jap style Armoured Core bots they may be used to.

I hope that the game can keep true to the Steel Battalion "real mech pilot sim" identity, and become a show case for kinect for hardcore gamers. The ability to feel part of the action, which is what Steel Battalion achieved so effectively originally can only be enhanced by an imaginatively utilised kinect and joy-pad combination.

My only hope is that From, the developer, have learned the lessons from the almost awesome Chromehounds, the only good mech game for Xbox 360 so far, and make the online play fair and FUN. The amount of lag, disconnects, and general tragic nature of the online code, meant that the Chromehounds experience was totally marred by frustration and time-wasting.
While Japanese games can be great for originality and character design (not to mention MECHS!) they have often let the side down in terms of UI and netcode / multiplayer options. Compare the hell of Chromehounds with Halo or COD multi player for a stark contrast.

I cannot wait to recreate the multi player fun we had in Chromehounds (well, sometimes, when it actually worked. I don't think we EVER achieved a full 6 v 6 game, in 2 years of trying) in an even more awesome Steel Battalions environment, with better controllability and a more heavyweight feel.

Lumbering tanks are kings of the battlefield...honest!
Go on the US Army, you know you want them....