Review: Pirates of Black Cove

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Nathan Meunier

“There’s a fine line between campy and crappy. The way Pirates of Black Cove’s lighthearted “Yaaaarrr”-heavy humor waffles back and forth from amusing to cringe-worthy is forgivable, but a strong personality doesn’t save this sinking ship of a game from its numerous shortcomings. Sluggish high seas adventure and dull, simplistic gameplay detract from an otherwise charming presentation that struggles to stay afloat under its own awkward girth. Simply put: plundering loot across the beautifully shimmering waters of Black Cove should be a lot more fun than it is.”

Check out the full review here at IGN.

Review: Commander: Conquest of the Americas

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Nathan Meunier

“Though it’s not exactly a sequel to EIC, Commander: Conquest of the Americas is a very similar game with a slightly different scope that generally improves on some of the problems that hampered its spiritual predecessor. Instead of ramming combat down your throat, the flow of the game revolves more closely around the steady growth of your colonial empire through trade and balanced management. That’s still no easy feat because appeasing your advisors can feel like an entirely different kind of battle.”

Check out the full review here at GameSpot.

Free Bytes: Civilization Wars

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Nathan Meunier

“Knowledge is power, and power can corrupt. When a once-grand civilization’s possession of ancient knowledge unleashes a destructive curse, all of the people are suddenly wiped out of existence by a fiery cataclysm. After many ages have passed, new tribes sprout up beyond the reach of the destruction, and they retain the legend of an untold power that will be given to those who seek out mystical fallen star. When such a star does indeed fall from the sky, everyone scrambles to acquire its might with little concern about what gets trampled in the process. That’s how the stage is set for battle in Civilization Wars, an extremely sharp-looking and addictive real-time strategy flash game.”

Check out the full column here at IGN.

Worldshift Review

Posted on December 18, 2009 by Nathan Meunier

“There’s a lot of cool stuff found in WorldShift’s sci-fi fantasy world. Magic and tribalism is married with high-tech warfare in a real-time strategy conquest that should be somewhat satisfying based on its premise alone. But, for everything that truly works about the game, you’ll find something that’ll get under your skin.”

Check out the full review here at Cheat Code Central.

Review: King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame

Posted on December 12, 2009 by Nathan Meunier

“Neocore Games didn’t beat around the bush in coming up with an accurately descriptive title for King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame. The game beautifully blends some familiar and engaging war strategy genres into a powerful concoction that’s heavily steeped in Arthurian legend. The King Arthur mythos is ripe with fantastic subject matter and story elements to pluck from, and it’s seamlessly woven throughout the adventure in interesting ways. This epic and challenging quest to unite Britain by sword doesn’t disappoint, but you’re going to need some great fortitude to persevere in your righteous conquest.”

Check out the full review here at Cheat Code Central.

Review C&C Red Alert – Commander’s Challenge

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Nathan Meunier

“Outlandish humor, intentionally cheesy live-acting, and an “anything goes” attitude are all fine trademarks of the Command & Conquer Red Alert series, separating it from other standard real-time strategy games by a thick, barbed-wire wall of silliness. What’s not to love about sending sonic laser-equipped dolphin attack squads, giant Japanese robot mechs, pig-tailed psionic schoolgirls, and armored Soviet war bears charging into battle? Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Commander’s Challenge distills the core gameplay into a standalone, challenge-based expansion that’s light on plot and heavy on the difficulty.”

Check out the full review here at GamesRadar.

Review: Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Nathan Meunier

“Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim initially looks like just about any other average fantasy real-time strategy game out there. You’ll find there are many familiar activities to engage in, like erecting important buildings, hiring units, upgrading abilities, expanding your kingdom, exploring foggy maps, and defeating swarms of foes. However, there’s a catch: you can’t directly control any of your units. This was a unique and challenging concept the original game received high marks for almost a decade ago. With a facelift and a few new features, the formula still feels new and exciting in this long-awaited sequel.”

Check out the full review here at Cheat Code Central.

Review: Little King’s Story

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Nathan Meunier

“At the heart of Little King’s Story lies a deeply enticing kingdom simulation element that lets you add layer upon layer of cool expansions to your budding empire. Between enhancing your conquering capabilities, beefing up your command prowess, diversifying career roles for your peasants, and generally improving the quality of life for those under your command, there are a lot of different angles to tackle as you grow. Fortunately, the management aspect of the game is easily handled through a few simple menus accessed in and around your throne room. As satisfying as it is to carefully decide on the construction of new buildings and other improvements, nothing will ever get done if you simply sit around on your kingly backside all day. Alpoko starts out as a tiny village with few inhabitants and meager resources. That gradually changes as you venture out beyond your borders to explore, kick butt, and amass sizeable quantities of booty.”