New expansion Graviteam Tactics: Stalemate on Donets

One of the best World War II games of all time, Graviteam Tactics: Mius Front is getting a new expansion zooming into the Izyum-Barvenkovo offensive that the Red Army carried out from 17 to 27 of July, to defend the German group defending the Donbas region. What’s in the game? I’m glad you ask:

• Three operations of 9 to 10 turns for each of the factions, in July 1943.
•  Recreated area of over 140 sq. km: forest, river and plains with harsh terrain, farmlands and small settlements.
•  Historical organizational structure of units at the time of the offensive.
•  Combat use of Mk4 Churchill tanks.

Graviteam Tactics: Stalemate on Donets is already out, and it will cost 16,64€, or your regional equivalent.

Unity of Command II New DLC Goes To Kursk

Unity of Command II is getting its 8th piece of DLC! The friendliest of wargames is going to Kursk, with two complete campaigns, Soviet and German (with two separate alt-history paths in the German Campaign). Here are its main features:

• New and updated specialist steps, from Storm Sappers and Soviet recon troops to Panzer III M and Brummbär, to Italian and Finnish specialists.
•  Elite towed anti-tank gun specialists (Soviet Tank Destroyer Brigades and German 88mm Pak 43).
•  New models for Soviet Regular and Guards Infantry models.
•  Reskins of existing models, including the T-34 for the Finnish tank division.
•  Expanded and updated main map, which now features a detailed and swampy Karelia and Finland, and more complex terrain in southern Ukraine.
•  Zoomed-in maps for the city of Novorossiysk and the island of Leros.

Unity of Command II – Kursk DLC releases on October 19th, and will set you back $11.99, or your regional equivalent.

The Lamplighters League Has a Demo

Just in case you’re looking for something to give a go this weekend, Paradox and Harebrained Schemes have released a demo for their upcoming pulp adventure, Indiana Jones and The Mummy-inspired turn-based tactical combat game, The Lamplighters League. I’ve already installed it and might give it a go later tonight. It’s style is looking phenomenal, I’m only hoping the gameplay is half as good. It has some serious GOTY vibes for me. IGN gave it a 7/10, so that means the game is probably fantastic. I love me some games where fighting off-brand nazis in faraway lands is the main premise.

The game is coming out on October 3rd, and it will cost 49,99€ or your regional equivalent.

Flashpoint Campaigns: Central Storm Coming Later This Year

The exquisite Cold War gone hot facsimile Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm is getting its first DLC later in 2023 “Central Storm covers the front lines of the Belgian I Corps and West German III Corps. It was these two corps that covered the West German capital of Bonn from Soviet attack. With flatter terrain than we saw previously in Southern Storm, Central Storm promises front-loaded battles and aggressive tactical manoeuvring”, said On Target Simulations, the team behind the title. Europe-stationed commanders can expect to find:

• A new playable army, Belgium
• 19 new maps set in central Germany
• 18 new standalone scenarios
• Two new campaigns with a total of 11 campaign scenarios featuring the Belgian I Corps, West German 7th Panzer Division, and Soviet 57th Guards Motor Rifle Division

As part of a wider update, both the DLC and core game will be supporting two new free features.

• A brand-new ability to load leg infantry into helicopters (or trucks) to perform tactical transport on the battlefield. Fly your special forces deep into the enemy rear!
• A completely rewritten unit logging system that will provide deeper and more accessible unit information during play.

Expect Central Storm and the free update later this year.

Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm Getting a Tutorial Series

Matrix and Slitherine have been pulling their weight when it comes to democratizing war and simulator games. I’ll go as far as to say they’ve been the stand out company at this endeavour, with the newly reformed MicroProse not too far off their trails. Flashpoint Campaigns is getting a tutorial series. Our combined streams/videos will be sure to teach you the dos and donts of Cold War mechanized warfare:

Old World New DLC Goes To Egypt

I still need to give Old World a go. Since Civilization IV that I’m yet to find a decent 4X, or one just worth playing for longer than a couple of hours. Instead, I’ve found my “just one more turn” fix in more classical wargames, and tactical turn-based titles. Pharaohs of the Nile is putting the game’s focus on what is, arguably, the most famous of ancient civilizations: Old Egypt. The DLC will include six historical free-form scenarios set in The New Kingdom and The Kingdom of Kush as a new civilization. Here are the new scenarios:

• Unification: Start as a small regional power and establish one of the greatest empires of the old world. Lead Thebes against Hyksos and Kerma to unify Kemet and begin The New Kingdom Period.
• Dawn of a Golden Age: Expand your domain into the Levant, Libya, and Nubia, dotting the lands with obelisks and building the Temple of Karnak before erecting a Mortuary Temple and immortalizing your name.
• The Amarna Period: Engage in a unique holy war as you fight to establish the world’s first monotheistic religion – defeat cults of pagan gods and partake in battles of faith and conviction.
• The Battle of Qadesh: Play as Pharaoh Ramesses the Great and confront the Hittites in the largest chariot battle in the history of the world.
• Hearts of Kemet: Embrace the concept of Ma’at and seek victory through balance. As the High Priests grow stronger, your goal as Pharaoh Merneptah is to restore a sense of order.
• The Sea People: The Bronze Age Collapse threatens everything you have built over 300 years – how long will your empire hold against the onslaught of this previously unknown threat?

The Pharaohs of the Nile DLC will launch on October 4th.

Command: Modern Operations Turns 10 Years Old

Command: Modern Operations is- probably- the most complex simulator/wargame in existence is celebrating it’s 10 year old anniversary with massive discounts. If you’re interested in trying out this absolute behemoth of a game, now is the time to do it.

Solium Infernum Looks Intriguing

“The Strategy Game From Hell” is one… hell of a catchphrase. This simultaneous turn-based political strategy game will turn friends (or fiends?) into foes. You’ll play as one of the eight powerful Archfiends, with the ultimate goal being the control of Hell’s capital, Pandaemonium. It’s clearly meant to be a co-op game, meaning I won’t play it, but it certainly looks fun.

No release date has been announced, but a demo of Solium Infernum will be at Steam’s NEXT FEST, starting October 9th.

Cities: Skylines II Delayed For Consoles

Console peasantry are, once more, getting shafted by their bad life choices of using an inferior platform. Man, remember when PC vs Consoles was a thing?

“Mayors! We’re hard at work getting the game ready for release. We’ve come to realize that we need more time to reach the quality targets we’ve set for console”, said Colossal Order and Paradox on Twitter. “We want to provide the best experience for our players, we’re updating the release window for Xbox & PS5 to Spring 2024”. Console pre-orders for Cities: Skylines II are being automatically refunded.

Total War: PHARAOH

Do I just slap in Total War every once in a while to please the SEO Gods and squeeze a couple more views? Yes, yes I do. Do I think Total War: PHARAOH will be a good game? No, no I do not.

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