Maxim Klose-Ivanov
Sons of Ra is a super focused yet small game, but this isn’t inherently a bad thing. Its gameplay is addictive and fast-paced, the core loop works on the whole, and the setting plus the presentation gives the game its character. If Sons of Ra is to succeed at being a competitive multiplayer game, it’s vital that the balance issues with towers and upgrade buildings are addressed as soon as possible. Nonetheless, this neat little strategy game is worth checking out.
Total War: Rome Remastered is a solid technical remaster of a classic game, but fails to legitimately improve and adapt for modern sensibilities.
Though the mediocre UI makes the game needlessly intimidating, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground is an engaging tactics game that successfully mixes systems from multiple genres.
While the game has interesting concepts and ideas, some odd design choices and an atrocious tutorial hamper Old World's ambition.
Line War introduces awesome and innovative ideas for real-time strategy gaming, though it's bogged down by technical issues and not quite enough ambition.
Regiments may give you the opportunity to try yourself out as a combined arms commander, but it doesn't go the extra mile to flesh out the experience to the fullest.
Radio Commander is a solid role-playing crisis manager game set during a compelling historical event, with great concepts and an interesting communications mechanic. However, the game is brought down heavily by an identity crisis in its core game design and inherent tedium and repetition.
Though technically not a bad game by any stretch thanks to great art direction, solid gameplay, and several potentially fantastic ideas for the future, A Total War Saga: TROY is still an uneven and disappointingly stagnant entry in the Total War franchise.
Though the foundation is laid for a great game with excellent presentation, style, and robust gameplay systems, the horrid user interface and vast number of bugs and glitches keep Empire of Sin from being a great game.
Though innovative in concept and boasting a great setting and aesthetic, a lack of content and glaring balance issues keep Hero Among Us from taking to the sky.
Stronghold: Warlords' innovative potential in its fun gameplay loop and interesting concepts is stifled by an archaic engine and design philosophy.
While the multiplayer is where Red Solstice 2: Survivors shines, fundamental design clashes, lack of single-player focus, and poor information presentation make the game a highly inconsistent experience.
Battlesector may attempt to give Space Marines a human face, but the game ends up being an incomplete suit of power armor.
Grand Tactician: Civil War 1861-65 is a solid historical wargame in its own right, but players will need to slog through a lot of mud and frustration to get to the meaty heart of the game.
Instead of ushering in a revolution for the strategy genre, Carrier Command 2 ends up feeling more like a prototype that needed extra time in development.
Though excellent conceptually and visually, Iron Harvest is a run-of-the-mill real-time tactics game with significant unrealized potential, lack of depth, and minimal innovation.
The characters form the heart of Lost Eidolons, but a whole slew of grating and annoying issues makes this a run-of-the-mill tactical role-playing game.
While the tactical gameplay authentically captures the Cold War battlefield, Combat Mission Cold War is stuck in the past under a mountain of frustration and tedium of its own design.
Just like many of its undead characters, King's Bounty 2 fails to revive a venerable franchise due to its lack of innovation, archaic design decisions, and grindy backtracking.
Out There: Oceans of Time tries to be a small-scale No Man’s Sky, but it gets lost in the darkness of space by learning the wrong lessons.