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Reviewed: 13 JAN 2012 by LPGamble
Gems like this keep me investing money in games trying to find hits.
Reviewed: 5 JAN 2012 by myness
I purchased Unity of Command in hopes of finding a game with more historical depth than PanzerCorps, but a bit less daunting than War in the East. I was initially put off by the unit icons, but having read a positive review on the Wargamer, I decided to give this one a try. The interface is simple and intuitive, and the guided tutorial taught me all I need to know to get started. Bordered hexes indicate how far a unit may move and still attack, and a simple scroll of the mouse wheel shows hexes that may be reached using extended movement. Most unit details are apparent from the on board icon; others are available in a sidebar display. Simple keystrokes offer views of terrain, weather, objectives, or supply lines. Theater resources - airstrikes, improvements to your supply network, air supply, bridge construction/demolition, and partisans for the Soviets - are indicated by icons along the side of the screen. The review I read saw little purpose to the bridging options, but use them wisely. They may open opportunities for attack or defense, and can alleviate (or create) supply problems. The supply view is critical. Outrun your supplies or leave your supply lines open to the AI, and you will find your offensive running out of steam quickly. The supply mechanics demonstrate the simultaneous depth and simplicity of the game. The manual explains how supply points impact unit readiness, and how attenuated supply lines, weather, and terrain affect those lines. The supply view shows supply sources and assigns each hex a number, so you can easily see how your front line units will fair next turn when their readiness is calculated. Movement and combat are with a simple point and click. Hovering over an enemy unit provides casualty estimates and retreat probabilities. Units possess a number of steps rating their combat effectiveness, and you may also assign specialist steps - engineers, towed AT, recon, or heavy tanks - that augment a unit's capabilities. You can easily see a unit's status by the color of the circles on it's icon, representing its steps. While the interface is simple, determining where your best chance of a breakthrough may be and whether to sacrifice weaker units to attrite the readiness of an enemy unit make for a challenging game. Order your attacks incorrectly, and you will watch your chance to capture that objective slip by until next turn (I know this from personal experience). Many of the scenarios are quick-playing, but still challenging. Operation Uranus, for instance, is only 5 turns, but trying to get your attacks just right to capture your objectives on time (this is critical), sealing off as many German units as possible in Stalingrad, provides quite a bit of replay value. And dont give the AI an opening to take back an objective. Youve been warned. Speaking of the AI, I have played at least a dozen scenarios now, and finished two campaigns, and I find it offers a good game. It does have limitations. For instance, its a little too eager to seize supply sources. This is a good tactic generally, but you can almost bait it into exposing its own units to a quick encirclement. Then again, dont expect the historical reaction to the threat of encirclement in Stalingrad. And while it does display some aggression, the human and AI players for the various scenarios are fixed. I was a little disappointed in the campaign game, which is simply a series of linked scenarios, rather than a monster scenario for the whole campaign. The scenario tree does vary with your results, however, so this adds some variety. The campaign engine also tracks prestige, which can be used for reinforcements or specialist steps in later scenarios. Some scenarios offer access to OKW/Stavka resources. Deploying these units or specialist steps has a corresponding cost in prestige and impacts your level of victory, so choose them wisely. Overall, I am very pleased with this game, and look forward to more titles using this engine. If you have been looking for an accessible game that contains both historical and strategic depth, I highly recommend it. And now, back to the front. Im about to capture Rostov and seal off the remaining German divisions in the Caucasus
Reviewed: 28 DEC 2011 by Claudeee
An excellent STRATEGY game, turn-based with pausable real-time combat and relatively easy to learn rules. Not far from being a masterpiece; maybe with the next expansion. Simple, complex too, with some humor sometimes. Very well done. "Master of Orion" with better graphics? For me, YES.
Reviewed: 21 DEC 2011 by pcpilot
I enjoyed the campaign. The AI surprised me more than once. I was also pleased with the branching of the campaign;it gave you a choice of where to attack in Poland. Overall, a nice addition to the base game.
Reviewed: 9 DEC 2011 by Tehlongone
Having played this game since release and recently the expansions, I have to say this is among the best 4X games I've ever played. The game seems a tad complex, but the underlying mechanics are really quite simple. The AI is actually quite decent for a 4x game, and the automatic options work surprisingly well, which helps if a first one is a bit overwhelmed by the amount of things to do.
Reviewed: 5 DEC 2011 by xlegion
Had great potential and it didn't look half bad on my old computer. I get a brand new Gateway Computer with a large screen and the game looks like hell. I can't even play it any more. Unbelievable that you can't change the screen resolution on this thing. I have tried all the 'fixes', playing it 'windowed' etc..Nothing looks good. This will probably be the final straw for me and IBM-PC computer games. I have been burned just once too often. Just like "Liberty or Death" there is no support after you have purchased.
Reviewed: 4 DEC 2011 by Jeromus
It took less than 30 minutes for me to determine that this game is so bogged down in minutiae that it is unplayable for all realistic purposes. The land order of battle is hopelessly overrun with anti-aircraft and more engineers than you shake a stick at. Every ship in the game is an individual unit. Capital ships I can see, but PT boats, AP's and AK's? To top it all off, with one-day turns, it will take almost as long to play the full war scenario as the real Pacific War took to fight. I spent 50 bucks on this game and uninstalled the game the same afternoon. Avoid this like the plague.
Reviewed: 4 DEC 2011 by STUCKER
I am giving three stars for "effort" but I still don't like this game and regret the purchase. The bottom line is the game is so abstracted that it barely resembles a wargame. I find it overly complicated (even for a Gary Grigsby game) and not fun. The supply system is a demon to understand and I won't even mention production or the horrid interface. I know a TON of work went into the production of this game but again I just can't get into it despite being a 40 year veteran of wargaming of all kinds.
Reviewed: 3 DEC 2011 by blutrache
Good overall campaign. Play balance favors casual players but can be challenging for vet's trying to minimize losses. The added objectives makes for a more enjoyable campaign since decisive victories are not always about capturing objectives with speed. The equpiment/unit tables could use some adjustment. Early panzer IIIs and IVs should be available at the start of the campaign in small numbers (as in history) to offset the weak panzer I, II, and 38t. Also, the randomized "SE unit" awarded after certain scenarios seems to be bugged.
Reviewed: 30 NOV 2011 by Grell
I just adore this game, I have never played any game in my life for more than one session. I play this game all the time over and over. If you like strategy then get this game.
Reviewed: 28 NOV 2011 by STUCKER
The A.I. is brain dead to say the least even with the latest patch. As France, and in my first game I rolled across Europe and by 1808 had it all. I kept expecting this huge Russian behemoth to appear but all I saw was groups of corps and a little artillery hanging around the major cities. Disapointed to say the least as I was expecting more from Matrix.
Reviewed: 25 NOV 2011 by Hansstory
I recommend the Grand Campaign DLC's to anyone who has enjoyed Panzer General & Panzer Corps. They introduce new battles that are normally not available. Also, they have very interesting briefings that give you some unusual objectives along with intelligence regarding enemy force structure and deployment. Unfortunately, they are only in written form. I love the voice briefings and I hope they can be added later. I like this WWII series because it is more accessable versus some grognard titles.
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Release Date: 4 JUN 2013
Genre: StrategicReleased: 14 JUN 2013
Sixth official update for Distant Worlds: Shadows
Reviewed: 30 MAY 2013
Review at GrogHeads
"The Cantabrian Wars is a truly outstanding scenario with lots of events, many seemingly dynamic to the campaign".
Reviewed: 23 MAY 2013
Preview at SpaceGameJunkie
Overall, even in beta form, I had a blast playing the latest expansion to Distant Worlds. Its like Ive fallen in love with the game all over again.
Reviewed: 17 MAY 2013
Review at Historia Games
8.5 / 10 - "Through various concepts that aren't found in most wargames, Battles from the Bulge offers an original concept. This sets it apart from the concurrency. And that's very good. Especially as the AI is excellent"
