World of Tanks is an online multiplayer game chock full of massive, swirling, dusty tank battles that revolve around players defending their bases, capturing enemy bases, and destroying opposing tanks. These exciting clashes unfold on a multitude of maps depicting everything from rolling fields to crowded cities.
When it comes to armored vehicle choices, the options are mind-boggling, ranging from early World War II-era U.S. M3 Lees to 1960s Cold War-era Soviet T-62s, and from light scout tanks to heavy bruisers like German Tiger IIs. But while the game is free to play, the cool tank upgrades must be purchased or earned through experience.
World of Tanks is easy to learn and boasts a large online community where players can fight it out with a friend next door or a stranger thousands of miles away. It’s a great way for gamers to get their metal on!
Long before Fallout hit desktop computers nationwide in 1997, there was a similar role-playing game called Wasteland. In fact, Wasteland was the inspiration behind (if not the parent of) the Fallout series. Well, as the saying goes, all that is old is once again new: Wasteland 2 is now available on Steam.
Wasteland 2 tells a tale of life after a nuclear apocalypse. Gamers play the role of a ranger leading a small team of scavengers across the wastelands of America. The clever story (much of it written by Michael Stackpole) engages players as the ranger wanders from village to village, helping hapless victims in one, looting weapons in another, and adding members to his party along the way.
The combat – and there’s a lot of it – is turn based and deep. The types of weapons employed matter, as does the skill level of the characters wielding them. Additionally, cover is important for protection since those who remain in the open soon die.
Wasteland 2 is the game that Fallout 3 should have been. It’s a blast to play and is highly recommended.
Promoted as “the one-hour wargame,” Ars Victor is a fun science-fiction combat board game played by two people. True to its billing, it’s easily learned and quickly finished.
Players build their armies from an allotted number of “glory points” and then choose and place board tiles to build the battlefield. The better units cost more, yet players must be careful how they spend their points since the goal of the game is to reduce the enemy’s glory to zero.
The gameplay in Ars Victor is card-driven, and the card types determine the number of orders each side may issue. The game ends when one player runs out of glory points or when both sides run out of cards. In the latter case, the player with the most glory points wins. It’s good, quick fun.
Mark H. Walker is a retired U.S. Navy commander and the author of over 40 books, including three novels. Read his insights into gaming, writing and living at overdaedge.blogspot.com or markhwalker.com.
Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Armchair General.
