ALARM! New Commandos Announced!

After nearly two decades, one of my favourite real-time-strategy titles is back, looking better than ever. Commandos: Origins takes you back to the early days of the (in)famous elite force. The Green Beret, Sapper, Sniper, Driver, Marine and Spy are back and ready to spread mischief and trouble behind the enemy lines. The details on the available screenshots are very reminiscent of the incredible detail the first and second games in the series had at the time.

Here’s Commandos: Origins

And here’s Commandos 2: Men of Courage.

No release date has been announced.

The Lamplighters League Is Out Now And It’s a GOTY Contender

It’s hard to let go of The Lamplighters League, I tell you that much. The new turn-based-tactics game from Harebrained Schemes and published by Paradox is quite a neat title I’ve been absorbed by. The pulp-exploration style heavily draws inspirations from both The Mummy and Indiana Jones, some of my favourite movie franchises, and pairs all that style with great substance in its gameplay systems: large maps, complex stealth and ambushes, and hard turn-based battles are the perfect combination for a week of uncovering old mysteries and fighting moustache twirling villains. The game is available on the Xbox Game Pass, and on Steam, for the price of 49,99€ or your regional equivalent.

Steam NEXT Fest

The “celebration of upcoming games” is coming back and will run from October 9th to October 16th. Not a whole lot has been revealed by Valve, but I know for a fact that Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance is making an appearance. The RTS that’ll have you leading the surviving humans against the rebe machines is showing up with a demo containing three single-player missions and a skirmish map where the human traitors might play as the rogue machines.

Another game that I know will make an appearance- with 3 campaign missions- is the promising Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin.

Bastogne Breakout Is Out – Wargaming Devs Hear My Call

What’s up with new titles going completely under the radar? I guess that’s what you have to live with when no other websites are covering the same news you are. One individual from the Bruin Bear Games team reached out to me with a Steam key in hand and a request for review Bastogne Breakout just as I was wrapping this one up. I’ll make sure to evaluate it fair and square after I’m done with The Lamplighters League and The Troop.

The hex and counter card game contains three scenarios, going from the 16th of December until the 25th:

1. Bastogne Breakout – An introductory scenario to introduce concepts of the game. In this release

2. 2nd Panzer Goes West – The Second Panzer Division must exit the Western edge of the board under a strict timetable.

3. Bastogne Breakout – Both the Second Panzer and Panzer Lehr must exit.

If you’re a developer and would like to have your game featured on my weekly news round up or want me to review your game, please reach out at strategyandwargaming@gmail.com.

If you’re looking for a marketing manager, I don’t mind doing some pro-bono stuff here and there, as long as you’re a small time developer! Again, feel free to email me and we can talk it out.

Hooded Horse Publisher Sale

Hooded Horse is one of my favourite publishers at the moment. They came out of nowhere and suddenly became a beacon for some of the best strategy titles available. They’re currently running a sale on their entire catalogue. Here are some of my suggestions:

• The best (and only?) Soviet-based city builder: Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic is currently 35% off, costing 19,49€ or your regional equivalent;
•  Xenonauts 2, the spiritual successor to the original XCOM from the early 90’s is a “triumphant return to form” (read my whole review here), even in Early Access, and is now 25% cheaper, going for 29,99€ or your regional equivalent;
•  If tactical combat is not what tickles your alien slaying fancy, then the engrossing strategic layer of Terra Invicta might be a better fit. With 30% off its original price, it’s down to a very affordable 27,99€;
•  One of the best 4X to have come out in the last decade Old World is also down a respectable 25%, going for 29,99€;
•  To round things off, Against The Storm, a roguelite city builder is so cheap, it’s nearly a steal, at 19,49€, down 35% from its original price. Probably the best deal of the bunch.

Hearts Of Iron IV: Arms Against Tyranny Out This Week

Nearly a year after the last DLC, Hearts of Iron IV is getting another massive expansion titled Arms Against Tyranny. As the name implies, the main focus revolves around the development of “a war machine of your design”, with new options to streamline production lines, increase the quality of developed products and the ability to become a world-renowned power in the arms dealing business. Other additions are inbound: Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark getting new National Focus, expanding their roles on the European conflicts of either the Winter War or the Second World War.

It’s releasing on October 10th and will cost you 19,99€ or your regional equivalent.

Wargroove 2 Released

Chucklefish’s Advance Wars tribute but with pirate, Wargroove 2 just came out, with Nintendo Life titleting it a “must-play tactical RPG”, IGN mentioning that it’s “bigger than its predecessor in every way”, and PC Gamer dearly titling it a “familiar but filling all-you-can-eat-strategy-buffet”. Wargroove 2 will take you to the shores of Aurania, three years after the events of the original game. Now the threat appears to be more Lovecraftian in nature, and the kingdom is at stake once again. If you’ve dabbled around with the first game and enjoyed it, I’m sure this won’t disappoint. It’s more of the same, but bigger, and… arguably better?

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