Tag Archives: turn based strategy

The Android's Bunker (Strategy)

Endless Space Redux

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Mister Adequate has talked before about a little game called Endless Space, but we’re going to talk about it again because it’s just that good and because it was also just officially released!

Like any true 4X, Endless Space takes a little bit of time to get used to.  You’ll need to give yourself an hour or so to get used to the UI and how things work, and then you’ll probably need another several practice games after that to figure out how to not languish in last place in the score chart (hint: just focus on money, industry, and expansion.)  But if you’re willing to work at it and get past all of that, then you’ll soon find yourself faced with a very solid and polished space 4X in the vein of Master of Orion and Space Empires.  The races are wonderfully inventive, the tech tree is a delight to navigate, and on the lowest graphics settings it will run on most computers.  It’s very easy to find yourself sucked into the “One More Turn” mentality with this game, a true sign of a good turn-based strategy.

I Google Image Searched “space ponies” and found this.

Overall this is a game that is well-worth playing for a variety of people: longtime 4X fans will find themselves right at home, and people new to the genre will find this a challenging but rewarding gateway to the genre.  It may not be Master of Orion 2, but it might be the best homage to it thus far.

The Android's Bunker (Strategy), The Android's Horn-Rimmed Glasses (Indie)

You Have Seven More Days to Get Frozen Synapse

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…okay, okay, you can get it whenever you want, but you have seven more days to get it for cheap as part of the Humble Bundle.

What is Frozen Synapse, you may be asking?

Well, let me put it this way:

Do you like tactical turn-based strategy games?
Do you like interesting game premises involving the player being an AI?
Do you like really good music?

If you said yes to the above questions then you should really be looking into getting this game. This is a solid TBS that gives you a considerable amount of control over your troops and provides a rather interesting twist of allowing you to run simulations of your moves before you actually move. You ARE an AI, after all. The actual outcome is always different from even your best looking simulations, though. In other words, the white-knuckle anticipation between turns might just be the death of you.

Twilight Sparkle = You; Rubiks Cube = Frozen Synapse

There is also a multiplayer mode which I’m assuming is intense as all heck but I’ve yet to try it. Mister Adequate and I have plans to butt heads in game at some point, though. As of now we’re both just working our way through the single player campaign between playing a million other things. And yes, Mister Adequate has given this game his Hardcore Strategy/Tactical Game Seal of Approval, which is basically our equivalent of the Good Housekeeping award, except even more elusive.

Anyways, if you think any of this sounds interesting and/or you’re still listening to the music (and you really should be), then go toss Humble Bundle a few bucks and enjoy. There are other games that come in the bundle, of course, and they seem to be adding more every few days, but honestly Frozen Synapse and its soundtrack alone is worth the (user-set) price of the package. Check it out!