Narrowing down a list of the 10 greatest ?strategy board games of a?ll time is no easy task.

In my experience, almost every board game that I have played involves some kind of strategy as you devise a plan t?o win. That said, this list includes games where strategy is the core part of gameplay. While there might be slight reliance on luck, your strategy, and that of your opponents, will ultimately decide who are the winners. In this list, you'll find some evergreen classics, along with a few relatively new ones.

10. Carcassonne

The strategic part of Carcassonne boils down to how you're laying down the tiles. Sometimes, you would be force??d to lay down the tile at only one possible spot. But more often than not, you'll have to figure out the most efficient spot for dropping down your tile. W??hen it comes to drawing your tiles, it's entirely dependent on luck. But it's up to you when it comes to the placements. Similarly, you'll also need to place your Meeples strategically as they fetch you all your points.

9. Splendor

Splendor has strategic decision-making at every step as you choose how to spend your gems. Being a jewel maker is no easy feat at all. Picking the gems most efficiently is the hardest thing to balance, and it becomes harder if you and your opponent are going for any of the same colors. Also, you don't have any control over which card is going to pop up next. More often than not, you might end up spending your gems on a card, only for an even better one to come up from the deck. Despite some reliance on luck, Splendor, whether played in g??roups of 2 or more, relies heavily on strategic decisions.

8. Wingspan

The beauty of Wingspan lies in the fact that you can only make one of four available decisions at every turn. In simpler words, you're already giving up on three alternate decisions every turn. The goal is to choose what you think is going to be the most efficient decision during a turn. However, a game changes every moment, as you and your oppon?ents take turns to pick up new cards. While you can decide how to play the cards, elements like card draws and food tokens aren't mostly in your control. Hence, you'll need to think deeply in order to succeed in this incredible nature-themed game.

7. Pandemic

Pandemic is very different from other strategy board games on this list. For starters, you play with other people, and not against them. Pandemic is also one of the best co-op board games you can add to your collection. The common goal is to work with your buddies to solve a disease and prevent it from spreading. But you don't get a magic wand; instead, you'll need to work with the cards dealt to you. How you play out the cards from your hand, along with your buddies, will ensure if you manage to halt the next COVID-19 or not. Pandemic is also available in different themes ??and timelines, offering great many choices to pl?ayers.

6. Twilight Imperium

Twilight Imperium is almost three decades old, and it's one of the best strategy board games of all time. Over the years, Fantasy Flight Games have made some changes with every new edition, and the latest one (fourth edition) perhaps has the most strategic decision-making at every step. Players choose from different factions, with the ultimate goal of rebuilding it. Every turn, you'll have to choose between one of the many available actions, which again depends on the cards you draw. You can't control every piece of the outcome in Twilight Imperium, but relying on sound decision-maki??ng will make your life easier.

5. Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride can be one of the most elaborate strategy board games you can come across. On a map, you ?and your opponent(s) are building the longest railroad possible while connecting cities. Each turn, you can only take one of three possible actions. There's a lot of emphasis on the risk-rewards approach. Having more destination tickets will allow you to score more, but only if you can connect the route. You can stack as many train cards as you want, but you'll have to keep pace with your opponents while laying down the routes. While the overall theme is simple, Ticket to Ride can have an extremely strategic approach at times.

4. Scythe

Scythe is arguably the best board game that I have played but don't own in my collection. Its theme can delight fans of strategic and general board games equally. There are five factions, and you have to vie for dominance in the closed city known as 'The Factory.' Each turn, you can make multiple decisions, but there's always an opportunity cost. Scythe has very little re?liance on luck in the form of Encounter Cards. Other than that, every outcome will be based on your decision/actions. Additionally, every faction grows di?fferently, adding to the overall complex nature of the game.

3. Ark Nova

Ark Nova is undoubtedly one of the new entrants to the world of strategy board games, and it inherits core parts from other hits of the genre. Like Ticket to Ride and Wingspan, your chances of wi?nning depend on action cards. But the role of the c?ards is a lot less reliant on luck and more on your ability to understand what to do with them. The main goal is to improve the appeal of your park and collect conservation points. But your opponents will try to do the same, and the primary strategy is about how you play out the cards.

2. Brass: Birmingham

Brass: Birmingham sits on top of the list for strategy board games on BGG. While the game, published in 2018, doesn't attempt to do something radically new, it implements all key aspects required for a successful strategy title. The main objective is to build, develop, and establish a thriving network of industries, which takes place across two eras. In Brass: Birmingham, you have a total set of six different options, but you can only make two decisions every turn. I am a massive fan of the theme of this particular board game as well, which helps it rank slightly higher t?han other names on this list.

1. Catan

Catan is a great family game until someone rolls a seven on the dice. Catan is undoubtedly one of the older titles on this list of great strategy board games. There are multiple expansions that help to expand the base experience. At its core, Catan relies more on strategy than luck. You have to be very careful about placing your fir??st settlements. From there on,?? every step involves strategy. Whether you're trading resources or expanding your settlements, there's always an opportunity cost. A good roll of dice will benefit you immensely, but your chances of winning depend mostly on your decision-making abilities.

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The freeze is coming in the form of Frostpunk 2, and the Deluxe?? Edition will get you plenty of extra additi?ons, but at a price.

The sequel will look to build on the success of the first title, which introduced a new form of post-apocalyptic city-builder to the audience. But the second title is a fresh beginning, and the Deluxe Edition has an extra cost. Let's take a look at if you should spend the extra ?money or go for the cheaper Standard version.

All Frostpunk 2 Deluxe Edition contents

The Frostpunk 2 Deluxe Edition is available for $74.99, but if you choose to pre-order it, you save 10%. The Standard version costs $44.99, and there's no discount??. But that's not all, and h??ere's the list of all the content that comes with Deluxe.

• 72 hours of early access
• 3 DLCs as post-release content
• Exclusive in-game item
• Digital Artbook and Soundtrack
• Warm Flesh Novella (Digital version)

While you do save slightly le??ss than $30 with the Standard, you get nothing more than t??he base game. You'll also have to wait till September 20 before you can dive into the frozen land and build your city.

Is the Frostpunk 2 Deluxe Edition worth it

So far, we have yet to receive any information about the post-launch DLCs. For Frostpunk, 11 Bit Studios released two mega ex?pansions: The Last Autumn and On?? the Edge. The Rifts was a small DLC that introduced bridges to traverse cliffs, so I am not considering it an expansion.

The Last Autum?n and On the Edge were both excellent releases. Both DLCs had fantastic altern?ate story scenarios, very different from the base game. In fact, I have played more hours after the two DLCs were released.

That said, this is for Frostpunk, and the Digital Edition you're getting is for Frostpunk 2. All 3 DLCs are likely going to be a part of a possible Season Pass?, and you should be able to purchase them separately as well. Yes, they're going to cost more, but you d??on't have to engage any more money upfront than you need to at the moment.

Ultimately, if you have faith in 11 bit and what they could deliver, the Deluxe Edition could help you save at least a few dollars in the long run. Early access doesn't matter so much to me since this isn't a live service title. There's no grind in it, an?d beginning on September 20 won't make any ?difference over September 17.

I have yet to decide w?hich edition I am getting, but it's likely going to be the Deluxe.

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History is cool, but like everything, dinosaurs make it better. As part of the Triple-i initiative stream, Ghost Ship Publishing and developer Northplay have shown off a new trailer for strategy game Dinolords.

Dinolords takes us back to the days of the Viking Exp?ansion of the 9th to 11th Century. Specifically, in 985 AD, Eric the Red discov?ers a dinosaur egg encased in ice, and in 1002, they unleash dino combat across Britain and the rest is history.

Dinolords has? you build up your stronghold to try and protect your people fr??om dino-havoc. You build your city, construct your fortifications, and man the ramparts. It's a hybrid strategy that has you commanding your troops while controlling your own avatar.

No release date has been announced, but Dinolords will first hit Steam Early Access.

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A previously PC-only turn-based strategy game, Warhammer 40K: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters is now available on Xbox and PlayStation consoles. PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One owners can now play the Warhammer universe-based adventure for the first time. I've spent some ti??me playin??g it on PC already, so here's what you're getting, console players.

What console players should expect

Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters is a turn-based strategy game developed by Complex Games. It takes place in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, like Darktide, Space Marine, Rogue Trader, and Boltgun, for example. ??This simply means it uses characters, creatures, environments, and lore from the franchise.

You don't need any previous knowledge of the extensive lore or other games to understand the story and characters of Chaos Gate. Additionally, the story isn't too important, you'll mostly just want to make your army of knights awesome and (strategically) take ?out every enemy in sight.

Overall, the game plays as you'd expect a turn-based tactical game to play. If you've played a game like XCOM, for example, it's a very similar style. You're in command of a?? group of 'Grey Knights', capable of dismantling enemies using a host of rad weapons and abilities. Knights are class-based, so you'll bring a healer, tank, mage, and soldier-like characters into battle.

It's full of fun but challenging battles

One thing to note is that Warhammer 40K: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters is very challenging. In my time playing it on PC since it came out, I've definitely had my fair share of struggles. However, there are multiple difficulties to choose from. If you're new to the turn-based strategy genre, or don't want an exceptionally hard challenge, I'd recommend?? playing on a lower difficulty.

C??ombat feels much more exciting than many turn-based games. I'm not a particularly huge fan of the ge??nre, but enjoyed my time blowing things up and performing big melee executions. The after-mission parts of the game are its weakest area for a few reasons:

• Upgrading your ship and other attributes is a little tedious, and takes in-game days to complete.
• If your units take heavy damage or die, the only way to get them back in fighting shape is to wait more in-game days.

In other words, you'll be using the butt??on to pass time and waiting to get back into the battle fairly often.

Building a team of Knights, upgrading them, and equipping them with ?awesome melee and long-range weapons is certainly the highlight of the game–if you're into that sort of thing. Fun and interesting abilities, like teleporting behind enemy lines to execute them with a sword, help it to stand out among others in the genre.

Warhammer 40K: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters is now available on consoles for $44.99.

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Frostpunk is one of the more memorable titles for me in recent years. Building the last bastion of a city in a post-apocalyptic world—when done correctly, like it is in Frostpunk—is sure to stick with you. I'm not quite sure there have been any games that have been released since that made me navigate harsh moral dilemmas quite as much as Frostpunk.

We recently had the opportunity to take a look at the freeplay mode of the upcoming sequel Frostpunk 2. As such, we didn't get to see the story and nitty-gritty bleakness that's a st??aple of the universe. But, we did get a look at some of the new features and overall gameplay t??he sequel will bring.

It's a cold world

The stakes in Frostpunk were about as high as they can get. Players have the task o?f building an efficient hub in the shadow of a massive coal generator. In the end, you would oversee a population of about 600, while making choices all for the overall goal of simply surviving the harsh frozen landscape.

Frostpunk 2 takes place thirty years later. Survival has been accomplished, and the focus has shifted to thriving as opposed to just surviving. If the original could be considered a simulation title on a micro-scale, Frostpunk 2 is certainly on a macro-scale in comp?arison. Instead of placing individual buildings, you lay out entire districts. It's a sprawling city as opposed to a tight hub in the original. Instead of a population in the hundreds, your city can grow into the thousands.

But while the denizens of Frostpunk 2 have survived the apocalypse, life still isn't sunshine and rainbows. The choices player make when building up their city has shifted from pure necessity for survival to trying to help the city thr?ive and flourish. Several factions have been established, including the Engineers and t?he Foragers.

A divisive utopia

In the demo presented to us, a choice was given to the player where they had to side with one of these two factions on how to increase food production. E??ngineers wanted to utilize certain chemicals to increase food production. The Foragers, on the other hand, believed nutrients could be harvested from human waste and produced into a fertilizer of sorts. The choice was made to side with the Foragers, which in the?? immediate term provided a food production boost.

However, a little later in the demo, some problems stemming from our decision started to pop up. Those tasked with handling the human waste—mostly children—ended up falling ill. Of course, this led to new issues and new choices, just as you would expect from Frostpunk. Even though survival seems assured at this point, that d?oesn't mean there aren't still harsh realities to living in this post-apocalyptic world.

You can't make everyone happy

At the end of the presentation, we see that there are several factions at play in Frostpunk 2. It's important to balance your decisions amongst the factions. You don't want one faction having all the power, or a faction to have growing dissent within you due to feeling neglected. While factions aren't necessarily a new system to a game like Frostpunk 2, the?? overall theme m??akes it so much more important.

There is even a law system where delegates from the differen?t factions will vote to pass or abolish laws. As the player you will have ways to influence the factions, even pressuring them to vote your way. Of course, you will have to carefully walk the line of give and take when it comes to dealing with each faction.

I'm excited to see more about Frostpunk 2, especially its story mode. The original Frostpunk was one of the better simulation management games in r?ecent years. It's great that 11 Bit Studios is opting to keep the core gameplay here while building upon it. But the additions to the sequ??el seem meaningful enough to make it a new experience worth playing.

Frostpunk 2 will release on PC in 2024.

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The Jeds

Team17 has announced that they will be publishing Absolutely Games�World War II title, Classified: France �4, sometime in �3. The tu??rn-based strategy game is targeting PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Oh, crap. It’s just a teaser.

We get to see some Nazis get killed up in different ways, which is always f??un, but no actual gameplay.

//youtu.be/54JYIQaD-V8

Let’s se??e here. There’s a press kit. It looks like an Unreal 3 Engine ga??me. That might be why they chose to go with CG over in-engine stuff.

Aesthetics aside, WWII is a great setting for squad tactics. Killing Nazis never gets old, and when WWII gets strategic, it’s usually in the form of some grand strategy game. Which are enjoyable, don’t get me wrong. I guess Classified: France �4 got my attention because I’m pining for the days of Silent Storm.

There’s a big Silent Storm-shaped hole in my heart right now.

Quiet squall

Classified: France �4 i??s inspired by the untold story of the Jedburghs" which, uh, have a Wikipedia page, so I’m n?ot sure it’s definitely untold. However, the term is applied to allied groups who were dropped in occupied France, the Netherlands, and Belgium as part of Operation Jedburgh. They helped set the stage for D-Day by sabotaging German operations.

To set itself apart from other tactical games, Classified: France �4 promises a greater emphasis on stealth. The campaign is to be non-linear and will have you guiding a growing team of operatives while gaining favor with various factions. Absolutely ?Games says that the PC version will come with a mission editor that?? will be the same one that the studio itself used to design the in-game missions.

[caption id="attachment_382952" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Team17[/caption]

I’m down for this. I like turn-based strategy games, and despite the fact that it’s well-trodden ground, I haven’t tired of games set during WWII. Still, there’s not a lot of information given, especially when it comes to any inspiration it might have gained from Silent Storm.

Sorry. I promise I won’t mention Silent Storm again.

Classified: France �4 is coming to P??C, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S sometime in 2023.

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The team is delaying for more time to refine and polish

Homeworld's newest venture is getting pushed out of this year. Gearbox Publishing and Blackbird Interactive have delayed Homeworld 3 out of 2023, and into February 2024.

Previously set for the "first half" of 2023, the team behind the new Homeworld is taking a little more time for development. Today's statement specifically ci?tes time for polishing up  this new entry.

"Our primary goal is to deliver a Homeworld experience that lives up to the standards set by its predecessors and is worth of this series' incredible legacy," reads today's statement. "Homeworld 3 is shap?ing up to be exactly that, but in order to fully realize that vision we need more time to refine and polis??h the game."

//twitter.??com/HomeworldGame/status/1661839559?204675598

No specific date has been set yet for February. In an FAQ on the Gearbox site, the team says it plans to share its "biggest Homeworld 3 progress update yet" later this summer. And the team also asserts that Blackbird's move to a four-day work week has not had a delaying effect on Homeworld 3. The scope of the game has not changed, either.

Who says you can't go home (world)

Announced back in 2019, this follow-up is a big deal for long-time fans of real-time strategy. The first two Homeworld ga??mes have been well-re??garded, especially by those who love space fleet battles and three-dimensional strategy.

Blackbird showed off some gameplay at PAX West that looked solid, too. So if this delay is to ensure that Homeworld 3 can both live up to its legacy and deliver o??n ?its promises, that sounds like a good thing.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=16C8iYq8l48

Oddly enough, this isn't the first game of 2023 to get delayed out to next February. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League also moved from an expected May date to February 2, 2024. So even?? though there's still plenty left to release thi?s year, we already have two big games looming in the early months of 2024.

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Company, Halt

Publisher Sega, in association with developer Relic Entertainment, has announced that wartime strategy sequel Company of Heroes 3 wil?l be making its debut on PS5 and Xbox Series X on May 30, following on ?from its initial PC release in February of this year.

This will be the first time that the lauded strategy series will be made available on console platforms, with Relic promising a fully optimized experience for PlayStation and Xbox players. Company of Heroes 3 will feature a fully overhauled U.I. and control system designed especially for the console platforms, with in-game features such as Ful?l Tactical Pause allowing players to masterfully control their troops in the thick of the action, unperturbed by the lack of mouse & keyboard cont??rol systems.

//www.yout?ube.com/watch?v=YDfn-TFydEY&ab_c??hannel=SEGA

Set against the backdrop of the North African campaign of World War II, Company of Heroes 3 offers up new solo and multiplayer game modes, as well as the new, sandbox-style, Italian campaign. Unfortunately, reviews were incredibly divisive for the ambitious new release, and while many praised the sequel's new control features and highly impressive destruction physics, some critics compla??ined that the title didn't do enough to recreate the intensity of battle, with weak A.I. opposition and a casual approach to moment-to-moment warfare.

Fortunately, the community has been utilizing the feedback forum to discuss the title's issues with developers. So, hopefully, there will be time and opportunity to polish the g?ame's rougher edges.

Company of Heroes 3 launches on PS5 and Xbox? Series X May 30. It is available right now on PC.

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Death Dealer

Good news for any Xbox owners who are feeling a little too comfortable and secure in their lives, as Devolver Digital has released a port of Daniel Mullins Games' delightfully disturbing card strategy title Inscryption �now available?? to purchase for Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

Released for PC in the fall of 2021, before truly finding fame via its latter-day PlayStation and Nintendo Switch ports, Inscryption is a unique and thoroughly creepy deck-building strategy game, framed in a novel "found footage" narrative device. Its twisted tale is that of an expert games player who finds themselves delving deeper and deeper into the strange lore behind a mysterious and seemingly long-abandoned card gam??e, the roots of which delve far deeper than one could ever imagine.

//twitter.com/devolverdigital/stat??us/16454688366?05329433?s=20

Upon release, Inscryption was highly praised for its creepy visual style, unnerving atmosphere, and smart blending of narrative, strategic gameplay, and metaphysical nature. Inscryption would go on to sell over a million copies and bag numerous awards, including the prestigious Game of the Year award from the Game Developers Conference. This new Xbox port will only serve to further invite more victims/players ?into its weird, soul-staining world, and is definitely worth a look for anyone who enjoys deck-building titles with a strong slant on the mysterious and macabre.

Inscryption is available now on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nin??t??endo Switch platforms.

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Conquer the nodes

Wargroove is back with its sequel Wargroove 2, a surprise follow-up that returns to the tile-based tactics. And while it's hitting many of the same notes as its predecessor, we got to go hands-on with its n?ew spin on turn-based warfare: the Conquest mode?.

The Conquest mode is one of Wargroove 2's big new features. It's a roguelike approach to battles that follows a familiar structure if you've ever played other styles of roguelike. Yet for all the familiarity of this concept, it wound up being a pretty refreshing take on the turn-by-turn fights of Wargroove.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL8C_8u_jyI

Assemble the army

Starting out my demo at PAX East 2023, I was given the main Commander Nadia. Wielding a flamethrower and able to make fire rain from the sky, I was already in a good spot. But I'd need some mo??re forces to have a real army going.

Three choices were given to me for my starting forces. I could pick a weak group, made up of dogs and soldiers, that came with a significant sum of gold. Or I could go the other way, getting very little seed money but a strong foundation of units. I chose the middle option, giving me some decent units and gold. In retrospect, I could have benefit??ted from being a little more confident in either approach.

From here, a map stretched out, laying out potential routes through a series of challenges. Some icons, with swords and skulls, clearly indicated battles ahead. Others, with question marks, were possible events. Again, this will be immediately legible if you've played something like Slay the Spire. I?t's a node-based map pr?ogression where you often have to make choices about which route to take at various forks.

Tense decisions

What the roguelike mode emphasized for me was the value of each unit. I'll freely admit that I'm probably too carefree with my units in strategy games. Normally, in a game like Wargroove, you can throw a few smaller units into the fray and make more when ??you need them.

Here, though, every unit was precious. Each point could be the difference between a clean sweep or a messy loss. Fog-of-war becomes all the more dangerous when the danger could wipe a unit in one fell swoop. Terrain, already a key part of the tile tactics that Wargroove 2 partakes in, becomes all ??the more val?uable when it's the difference between losing two points or four.

In my own run, I didn't get many chances to bolster my forces either. Part of this was my own luck; I had some gold, but never hit a shop. One of Wargroove 2's developers told me that while maps will be prebuilt, the order and routes you could encounter, as well as the enemy numbers and d??etails on those maps, can be random.

Routing became crucial, and maximizing the advantage of my Commander was all the more cru??cial. I lost my run, in a hail of arrows and a flood of canine warriors. But I learned a lot about myself in the process.

A fresh fight

When the first Wargroove came out in 2019, we were in a bit of a tactics drought. It's odd, but just four years later, the tables have turned; tactics games have become increasingly popular, and Wargroove's most direct inspiration Advance Wars has a reboot looming on the horizon.

So going into Wargroove 2, I was curio?us how it would differentiate itself. Chucklefish still has much of what you'd expect in s?tore, including new units, Commanders, multiplayer, and a new campaign with three different arcs.

Conquest, though, is the X-factor. It got me to think about this style of tactics in a way I hadn't before, making Wargroove 2 feel fresh. Battles are shorter and faster for sure, but the meta-layer of strategy and planning, as well as the tension of e?ach clash, added a lot to every map.

With so many tactics options available, it feels like Conquest is a major part of how Wargroove 2 will?? stand out above the fold. I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of this strategy sequel pans out.

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Are you feeling The Hunger?

2K Games has released the third DLC pack for its great strategy adventure Marvel's Midnight Suns �"The Hunger", now availa??ble on all platforms, sees the arrival of the sinis??ter and conflicted nightwalker, Morbius the Living Vampire.

A masterful sci??entist of shifting morals, Morbius has been pushed to team with the Midnight Suns following a vampire breakout in New York City. In a related incident, Hydra has begun infusing its soldiers with?? undead DNA in an effort to create a form of unkillable soldier, Morbius is hoping to reverse-engineer this formula in order to further develop a cure for his own medicinal misgivings, while further preventing Hydra from dabbling in the undead arts.

//www.youtube.co??m/watch?v=Xnav8pZSjoY&ab_c??hannel=Marvel%27sMidnightSuns

The Hunger DLC adds Morbius as a recruitable hero, as well as new story m?issions, complete with their own bespoke enemies. A new "Laboratory" upgrade will be added to the Abbey, along with a fistful of Hero Skins, Abbey Outfits, and Swimsuits. Morbius himself sports 11 brand new Hero abilities, mostly focused around causing "Bleed" status on his enemies, (naturally). Morbius f??ocuses on single-hit damage, and can also activate "Bloodlust", which applies the Bleed effect to all of his other skills.

While seemingly strange bedfellows, teaming Morbius with Blade will result in an assault pattern absolu??tely teeming with the red stuff �With Blade able to cause Bleed with his various chain attacks, before Morbius follows up with powerful, single-hit impacts to put their hapless enemies back in the dirt.

Marvel's Midnight Suns is available now on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X.

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The only 40K I'm getting for free anytime soon

Epic Games Store has revealed the next title that it will be offering up to its user base free of charge, and hopefully you have plenty of long afternoons to kill, as we're going 4X with Slitherine Software's deep strategy title Warhammer 40,000: Gladius �Relics of War, which will be available to download from March ??16.

Released on PC and Mac in 2018, and developed by Proxy Studios, Warhammer 40,000: Gladius �Relics of War is a Games Workshop take on the deep, turn-based, 4X action that fills the hours of strategy lovers everywhere. Players choose from one of four races �Imperial Guard, Space Marines, Necrons, and Orks �before engaging in long-form combat in ord??er to hold dominion over the titular world?? of Gladius. Unlike most 4X titles, there are no "Diplomacy" mechanics.

Well, it's not called Compromisehammer 40K, i??s ?it now?

//youtu.be/aMSsNRkvIMQ

On release critics praised the title's adaptation of 4X to the Warhammer universe, as well as the game's action, but specialist press noted that the title failed to truly capture the intricate nature of 4X titles, resulting in a release that was both engaging and enjoyable, but fails to break the upper echelon of more dedicated brands such as Age of Wonders, Alpha Centauri, or Civilization. For Warhammer fans, however, Gladius �Relics of War will certainly scratch that strategic 40K itch.

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius �Relics of War will be available to download free from Epic Games Store from March 16-23. Until then, you still have time to pick up Raw Fury puzzler Call of the Sea.

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Stop the cult, save the world

Harebrained Schemes, the studio behind Battletech and the Shadowrun Returns trilogy, has a new strategy game. Today, Harebrained and Paradox revealed The Lamplighters League, a pulp fiction adventure that mixes stealth and stra?tegy with quite a look.

Announced as part of today's Paradox Announcement Show, The Lamplighters League definitely has an XCOM sort of vibe to it. You manage a motley crew of misfits, all working together to stop the Banished Court cult from t??aking over the world.

As the tagline notes, "Unfortunately, the best of the best are all gone, so now it's up to the best of the worst." Today's announcement trailer emphasizes that a bit, as your team are not quite pristine heroes, so?? much as endearing rapscallions.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7oq0_dIRiU

Each team member brings their own skills to the field, and the action takes on a mix of modes. While you infiltrate in real time, combat plays out in turn-based order. It's a pse??udo-real-time-w?ith-pause that I've come to like a lot, actually.

Mixed in all of this is an alt-history 1930's aesthetic that reminds me of those classic globetrotting, treasure-hunting stories. The pulp style is a neat one, and definitely a departure from the likes of Battletech.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnTjWoFvmzg

Don't put this in a museum just yet

Add on some mentions of injury and stress that I spotted in the Steam Store description, and The Lamplighters League seems like a pretty neat entry in the strategy genre. Harebrained Schemes did some solid work on the Shadowrun trilogy and while I've yet to try out the big mechs of Battletech, I'm definitely intrigued by today's reveal. The Lamplighters League could be something a bit different and unique for strategy fans to k??eep an eye on, as we learn mor?e.

The Lamplighters League is expected to hit PC and Xbox Series X|S sometime this year. Also confirmed today for Paradox fans were a new life-sim and Cities: Skylines 2.

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If you build it, they will come...

As part of the Paradox Announcement Show, the publisher has finally teased the coming of Cities: Skylines II with a tentative release date ??of this year. So far, we’ve only got a teaser trailer to whet our appetit?e and that kind of sucks.

//youtu.be/vP_h2OM2zFY

Cities: Skylines was released eight years ago in 2015 and has enjoyed continuous updates. Released in the fallout from the massive disappointment that was 2013’s SimCity, Colossal Order’s city builder has sold millions of copies. Numerous expansions have built upon the game’s bones, but many, like myself, have been awaiting the next big iteration. I don’t exactly know where they can go from Cities: Skylines, but I have a wishlist. I mostly just want my city peeps to have more depth. Let me zoom right into their nos??trils.

"The Cities brand has been an important part of Paradox’s catalog of games for over a decade. Cities: Skylines is a profound success, selling millions of copies, welcoming more than 5.5 million new players just last year, and setting the foundation for Cities: Skylines II," said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive. "With unprecedented amounts of customization and player control, Cities: Skylines II will contin??ue to push?? boundaries for the city-building franchise."

Cities: Skylines II i??s slated for Xbox Series X |S, PS5, and PC this year.

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It's a kind of magic

I don't think I've minced my words when I've talked about my distaste for fantasy settings. Whether it is a lingering effect of growing up in a religious household where magic was the creation of the devil, or just not finding it interesting, I've never been able to find an interest in fantasy worlds. So when I was approached with a preview build of Age of Wonders 4?? I was apprehensive. Thankfully though I accepted, and for the first time I was enthralled by the fantasy world that stood before me.

So what was so great about the world that Triumph Studios built? Even though the world had so??me form of procedural generation built into it, each world was brought to life by not only the landscape but also the kingdoms and cities that inhabited your world. Like most 4X games, you start out in your own little corner of the world with no knowledge of what lies beyond your realm. As you venture further from your home and discover the world that you have been plopped into, you meet all kinds of races and ch??aracters.

Depending on how your actions, factions will react differently to you. Long-time veterans of th?e 4X genre will probably balk at my thoughts and try to say that it's all built upon some reactive code. Which it is. Knowing this though, it still feels like a vibrant and real world when the second I meet a new civilization they judge me on my previous actions and re??act as such.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2xc0AI9EOE

The best part is that every interaction in the world is built on the base of your society's traits, and they are all customizable. Sure there are the basic things like race, royal colors, and emblems, but the customization also goes much deeper, allowing you to craft the perfect roleplay base. There are cultures on which your lineage is based such as feudality or war-mongering barbarians. This culture is then re?fined even further into traits and schools of magic where you can either double down on the benefits of your culture or branch out and create a mix of different schools of thought. Whatever choices you make, they will come back around in both strategy and role-playing mechanics creating a sort of feedback loop.

Being the elf lover that I am (don't @ me) I found it particularly fun to make a race of nomadic feudal wood elves that were masters of wind and lightning magic. Nothing overly original but hey, I like my wood elves. One thing I did find odd though that with so much customization available, only binary pronouns were present in the game. It is nice that they are completely disconnected from character models but in a rich fantasy setting it feels weird to limit the choice to strictly? male or female.

The gameplay feedback loop was only deepened by the fact that you gained the ability to access new tech, based only on the affinities of your culture. The way it works is that there are six different affinities that your society can have such as nature or material. You gain experience in an affinity through different means while playing. Some are as simple as choosing a certain outcome during a role-playing event, but it's also wrapped up in what schools of magic you decide to pursue in your research. The?? more you learn in a certain affinity the faster you will unlock empire-wide abilities that correspond to the affinity.

[caption id="attachment_366605" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Screenshot via Triumph Studios[/caption]

It is a bit of a letdown that the topics you are able to research are randomized but I kind of get what they were trying to do. One of my biggest gripes with the 4X genre is that it's ripe for railroading and making the research tree have a bit of randomness in it isn't the worst way to go about mitigating it but I don't know if it's the best either.? It all feels a bit gamey to have to pay a resource to shuffle potential topics because you don't like anything that is presented to you.

While the actual research tasks are randomized, the schools of magic that are presented to you are left entirely up to you. As your society progresses you gain access to new schools of magic which in turn allow you to research new abilities and units and increase your affinity. So being that I liked wind and lightning, I was able to quickly build units that specialized in that, whi?ch came back to bite me in the ass when I went underground and had to fight rock people. I didn't feel like I was being punished for my actions but I did question what I thought would happen when taking a group of lightning elves underground. In a way I was glad the game kind of slapped me upside the head, because I know I'll never make that mistake again �which lead to tense relations with underground societies that hate forest walkers.

While I was only able to play for a short while compared to the amount I've played othe?r 4X games, I can tell that this mix of role-playing and strategic decision-making would add tons of mileage to a genre that can easily burn people out with samey worlds and experiences.

[caption id="attachment_366604" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Screenshot via Triumph Studios[/caption]

One of the things I dislike the most about the 4X genre is when the minutia of battles are left up to a computer simulation. I've had the argument with my friends about randomness in all types of battle simulations countless times but when it comes down to it, I don't want to lose a battle because the computer decided I had a bad roll of some ethereal dice. I want to lose battles based on my own tactical incompetence dammit! Thankfully Age of Wonders 4 retains the option to either play out battles through simulation or by commanding your troops yourself. Even in tactical battles you can let the computer take control for a turn or two if you are nearing the end and know victory is inevitable. On the flip side, if you c??hoose to simulate and don't like the outcome you can run the battle yo??urself.

Now, it wouldn't be a Marzano preview if I didn't talk about the UI/UX. Just as you can min/max your society, so too has the UI/UX been min/maxed as there are some areas it shines and others where it frankly doesn't. Anything relating to the strategy elements of the game is impeccably designed and gives you all the information you need in a prudent fashion. Nested tooltips from other Paradox-published games have made their return. While it's a bit unwieldy, it's super nice to see the ability to learn about a mechanic by s??imply hovering over it. Of particular merit is the diplomacy screen.

[caption id="attachment_366603" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Screenshot via Triumph Studios[/caption]

It's super nerdy to geek out about a single screen containing everything you would need to negotiate politics with a rival faction but Age of Wonders 4 diplomacy screen is one of the best I've seen in my time playing strategy games. Meanwhile, any screen that has to do with role-playing feels? clunky. It took me longer than I'd care to admit to locate the level-up button for my ruler, be??cause it looked like just another equipment slot. It's far from a game-breaker but it does show where Triumph's strengths and weaknesses lie.

Against all odds, Age of Wonders 4 has won over this ardent disliker of? fantasy games and worlds. The world and empire customization makes for an engaging experience that loops back on itself by utilizing all aspects of the gameplay. The base that is being laid for the May 2 launch is fantastic and I can feel my love of the 4X genre ret??urning to me in full.

Age of Wonders 4 is available for pre-order now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

_{This hands-on coverage is based on a preview build of the game provided by the publisher.}

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For the Druchii!

Sega and Creative Assembly have announced that one of the most lavishly massive campaigns for any strategy game is finally exiting the beta stage for Total War: Warhammer III. Immortal Empires merges the worlds of all three Total War: Warhammer games into one giant map, complete with ev??ery faction released across the series.

February 17th marks a full year since the launch of Total War: Warhammer III. During that time, the team has been plucking away at the Immortal Empires mode within it, providing it to players to collect feedback on. They’ve made tweaks and additions, such as end-game? goals, and now it’s time to see it in?? its completed glory.

Best yet, anyone who owns Total War: Warhammer III will have access to the campaign mode. Previously, you had to own its two predecessors in order to jam all the worlds together. There is still one caveat; you’ll need to own the previous games to actually play as many of the factions held within them. Likewise, DLC still works the same, requiring you to purchase any additional factions outside the ones contained within the base game. That sounds like it sucks, but there are a lot of factions, and you’ll still ??get to see and interact with them, even if you don’t own them. It’s probably better if you just find the ones you think are most interesting and purchase? those exclusively, rather than intimidating yourself by trying to purchase everything at once.

//youtu.be/Qqhc3mK06r0

I regret not getting into the Total War: Warhammer games earlier because they are some fantastic strategy titles. Unlike many earlier iterations of the Total War series, every faction is extremely unique, not just in units but also in playstyle and campaign goals. The sheer amount of variety in the game is staggering, even if you’re? just playing the base product.

Total War: Warhammer III is availabl?e for Windows, MacOS, and Li?nux. The Immortal Empires campaign is a free update for everyone who owns the base game.

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Good God... Y'alllllll!

Tomorrow will see Epic Games Store offer up yet another free game for its army of users, with any and all EGS customers able to pick up Daedalic Entertainment's quirky strategy sim Warpips for the very agreeable price of?? A?bsolutely Nothing. Huh, say it again.

//youtu.be/hQRwUsxi2Pg

Developed by indie outfit Skirmish Mode Games and originally launched in spring 2022, Warpips is a fast-paced, tug-of-war strategy title, which offers players quick-to-learn, hard-to-master battles that choose to focus on t??he larger scale of chaos, rather than the time-consuming minutiae of most strategy sims. Warpips tasks players with building up a small army of infantry and vehicles, before diving into bombastic, fast-paced warfare, with a heavy emphasis on damage and destruction.

Sam Fisher need not apply.

Warpips will be available to download, free of charge, from Epic Games Store from February 16-23. Until the end of today, users still have the opportunity to bag themselves current freebie Recipe for Disaster.

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The daaarkness

Chimera Entertainment has pulled back the veil on their fantasy strategy game, Songs of Silence. While Chimera is mostly known for its mobile games, such as Sacred Legends and Angry Birds Evolution, Songs of Silence wil??l be a whole-fat PC ga?me, and it’s looking rather interesting.

Songs of Silence will feature narrative-driven, single-player campaigns on randomly generated maps. It features a fantasy world “torn between light and dark�and contains multiple sub-factions locked in an eternal war. There’s a mix of kingdom and hero management and real-time battles that sort of remind me of North and South.?? You don’t seem to take direct control of your forces in the midst of battle but instead play “powerful combat cards from your heroes.�There are more than a hundred different units, hundreds of cards, and six-person online multi-player.

[embed]//youtu.be/Zcrrvsb8P3M[/embed]

While I can understand skepticism when it comes to seeing a primarily mobile developer entering the PC strategy scene, Songs of Silence looks like a real passion project. Chimera Entertainment cites Ogre Battle, Kohan, and Warlords as inspiration for this endeavor. Personally, I enjoy the kingdom management of strategy games. Even with something like the Total War series, my favorite part is ??the conquest rather than the individual battles.

If you need more to sweeten the deal, Hitoshi Sakimoto is signed on as the composer. He was responsible for the Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy Tactics, Valkyria Chronicles soundtracks among so many others. If nothing else, it demonstra?tes an earnest effort to live up to the clas??sics.

No release date has been announced, but it is currently available to wishlist on Steam.

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The GBA-era strategy game heads to PC

Handheld strategy classic Yggdra Union is ??heading to a new platform. Sting con?firms today that it's bringing the strategy RPG to PC via Steam on February 6, 2023.

Originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2006, Yggdra Union is a top-down, turn-based strategy game that has you mixing and combining formations called unions to take down your enemy. While it received a PlayStation Portable port a couple years after the  GBA version, North America still hasn't received its mobile or Switch port from more recent years.

With the Steam version, Sting will have full English support for the interface, audio, and subtitles. Sting notes the title is heading into Early Access, where it will be for about three to five months, as the team fixes bugs and adjusts features based on player feedback. Yggdra Union can be "??played until the ending of the story," according to Sting's listing,?? and some adjustments will be made. The price of the game may also go up after Early Access.

//twitter.com/sting_pr/status/1617799489661669378

According to the Steam page, there are also som??e special features in store for the port. An autosave function will let players quit out of battle and hop back in on their turn. And a rewind function is also being added, letting players undo actions as much as they'd like.

The Japanese and English?? voice cast can be readily swapped between, and there are some additional settings for Easy mode to help players out on that difficulty. It seems like a nice mix of modern functionality and approachability, which could be helpful for more recent fans of tactics and strategy.

[caption id="attachment_359424" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Sting/Steam[/caption]

A more perfect union

Yggdra Union isn't as well known as the likes of Fire Emblem, but it's exciting to see this game make the jump over to Steam. It's a neat slice of tactics history?, and hopefully getting ported to Steam means it can be preserved for more generations beyond its original GBA launch.

Plus, with the Steam Deck in hand, it's basically heading to another handheld. Yggdra Union doesn't have any confirmation of Deck status yet, but here's hoping it runs fairly alright on Valve's handheld PC. Either way, Yggdra Union hits PC via Steam on February 6.

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The latest Age of Wonders is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S

The Age of Wonders series is back with a new entry, and its arriving quite soon. Paradox Interactive and developer Triumph Studios are bringing Age of Wonders 4 t??o PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|??S on May 2, 2023.

Age of Wonders 4 will mark the latest installment in the fantasy strategy series since 2019's sci-fi spin-off Age of Wonders: Planetfall, and the first numbered installment since 2014's Age of Wonders III. With the fourth entry, Triumph Studios returns to the fantasy rea??lm with its usual mix of magic, role-playing, strategy, and? turn-based battles.

A showcase is being hosted today on the Paradox Interactive Twitch channel, highlighting some of what's in store for the new Age of Wonders. But if you want a glimpse of the future, there's also a teaser trailer here too:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgV66Jdj23c

The different factions are composed of the usual fantasy races, including moon elves and halflings, and can be altered even further with to??mes of magic. The big world map and focused-in turn-based battles make for small choices that can ripple out across the map.

Stories of adventure

For Age of Wonders 4, a new event system will a??dd some extra storytelling potential. Triumph says decisions will shape the world around you, responding to your goals and ambitions, and that you may even see your own creations appear as rivals or allies in subsequent games.

Creation and open-ended storytelling potential seem to be the draws here, and it sounds pretty neat. Having dabbled just a small bit in Age of Wonders III ages ago, I'm curious to see what this team has put together for its return to the fantasy realm. We won't have to wait long to find out, either. Age of Wonders 4 aims to launch on May 2, 2023 for PC, PS5, and X?box Series ?X|S.

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The Industrial Revolution hits the ninth generation

Ubisoft has announced that its celebrated grand strategy title Anno 1800 is finally ready to set ??sail onto console platforms, following on from? its PC release back in the spring of 2019. It will launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X on March 16, priced at around $40. Pre-orders are now live on PSN and Microsoft Store.

Anno 1800 is a real-time-strategy city-builder, set against the backdrop of the industrial revolution of the 19th century. Players are tasked with the micro-management of citizens, factories, economies??, tourism, and the overall maintenance o?f industry, residential life, and local politics, guiding the people and politics of the 1800s into what would come to be known as "The New World".

//www.youtube.com/watch???v=9p1TDbV0gBA&ab_channel=Ubiso?ft

Anno 1800 offers up several ways to play, from single-player stories and multiplayer PvP, to an hour-eating sandbox mode, which allows you to build your own empire unencumbered by interference or regulation. Online co-op is also available, allowing you and a friend to build an e?conomically viable new world together. Additionally, players can send voyages across ??the seven seas to discover new produce, technologies, and people, further enriching the environment and industry back home, and expanding your burgeoning empire into bold new horizons.

Anno 1800: Console Edition launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X on Marc??h 16. Pre-order customers will receive an in-game bonus in the form of a digital artbook, digital soundtrack, and access to the "Imperial" and "Founders" DLC packages, which will include "Cosmetic Bonuses". Additionally, a Deluxe Edit??ion, retailing for around $50, includes further cosmetic expansions "The Pedestrian Zone", "The Amusements Pack" and "Vibrant Cities."

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Open the grimoire once more in 2023

The latest from Vanillaware has a western release date. GrimGrimoire OnceMore arrives for PlayStation 4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch on April 4, 2023?.

This remaster of Vanillaware's PlayStation 2 game GrimGrimoire updated the resolution and screen ratio, while also adding some n??ew gameplay features. New and improved mechanics have been added to its magical school RTS battles, too.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOFwoilgAeE

The setup of GrimGrimoire OnceMore is that you're Lillet Blan, a new student at Silver Star Tower, training to become a great magician. But as mysteries and?? secrets are uncovered, Lillet will have to fight using her familiars to uncover?? the truth.

It's a bit of a strange set-up, but looks absolutely gorgeous in motion. I'm personally pretty interested in this just to see the RTS development of Vanillaware's from years past. The studio is well-known for its 2D action games, but 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim also? took on a strategy approach and knocked it out of the park, becoming one of my favorite games of 2020.

Play it one more time

Seeing more of Vanillaware's back catalog get the remaster treatment is certainly exciting, too. Between 13 Sentinels and the Odin Sphere remake, I've been drawn back into the studio's ??work. So get??ting to see another piece of its history updated for modern consoles is a delight.

With English and Japanese voice options, new spells to wield, and more to explore, there's a lot to like here. GrimGrimoire is charging into a heavily packed 2023 launch lineup, for sure. But with April looking particularly thin if you're not a Dead Island fan, I think there will be some time found to play throug??h this one.

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Polish rings, fish, cook, and hang out with your wartime pals

A new trailer for Fire Emblem Engage details all the activities you'll be doing outside of combat. Fishing, cooking, training, and more take the spotlight in a lengthy look at the home base activities in Fire Emblem Engage.

The Somniel is a floating home that your protagonist calls their own over the course of Engage. The castle acts as your home base, where characters ??you've recruited hang out and enjoy leisure activities, away from b??attle.

There are a few different categories of things to do in the Somniel?, so we'll run through them one-by-one.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJrItZRyALY

Getting ready to fight

The first category we see in today's trailer is battle preparation, where many of the activities tie into future battle performance. Alongside the standard item and weapon shop, the Divine One (your protagonist) can also head over to the Ring Chamber to tend to their jewelry. These rings are a core part of Fire Emblem Engage, as they contain the spirit of Fire Emblem Heroes past and can enhance your allies in battle.

We see a good look at some crafting and stat-boosting you can do through creating and melding rings here. There are also skills to inherit, ranging from simple boosters to special traits. Bond Rings act as stat boosting equipment made from fragments, which can be combined and melded for some good number b??uffs. Plus, you can polish the rings to keep the ring spirits happy.

Charact??ers can duel for experience. A sepa??rate area, the Tower of Trials, will let you tackle trial maps for rewards. There's also an option to make and share your own battle maps with other players.

Social time

Of course, there are also ways to hang out with the various characters you've recruited in the campaign. A c??afé will let you share a meal with friends, deepening bonds and p?otentially boosting stats.

Shiny spots also hide items you can gift to allies, in order to build up your support levels. It's a Fire Emblem game, you know th?ere has to be gift-giving ?and support-enhancing.

The little things

There a ton of other miscellaneous activities to engage in too. Clothes and accessories for characters can be purchased, to change up your allies' looks. There's a pet dog that just seemed to be part of caring for the Somniel in Fire Emblem Engage, who will give you rewards for giving it lots of attention. And there's a farmyard for animals, like your protagonist is building up their ver??y own Mother Base.

Engage in some fishing, get your tarot ?read, scan amiibo at the amii??bo Gazebo for extra cosmetics and music, or work out for a stat boost going into the next fight. Heck, there's even a bizarre wyvern shooter side-game.

There's really no shortage of things to do in the Somniel, it seems. And when it all gets exhausting, you can take a nap and be woken up by a member of your party. Fire Emblem Engage really seems ?to be ??pulling out all the social stops.

The team looks to be adding a lot of home base activities for Fire Emblem Engage. We'll see if it, as well as the battles and more, come together in harmony next month. Fire Emblem Engage is due to launch for Nintendo Switch on January 20, 2023.

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This is My Dune... So clear off.

You wait decades for a brand-new Dune video game, and then two come along at once! Yes in addition to the 2022 strategy title Dune: Spice Wars, Funcom has released pre-alpha footage of an upcoming MMO set within the arrid planes of Arrakis: Dune: Awakening.

As demonstrated at yesterday's Game Awards, Dune: Awakening will see players the world over attempt to thrive, or merely survive, in the cut-throat dystopian world of Frank Herbert's ic?onic sci-fi series. Starting out as a desperate survivor wandering the hazardous horizons, players will guide their custom characters in a quest for shelter, water, defense, companionship, and the ultimate desire of the Arrakian world: Spice.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixq-y_??r-lkE&ab_channel=Funcom

From there, savvy survivalists will be able to build and trade among their local community, gain favor of the Great Houses, build and equip an arsenal of weaponry, work with spice har?vesting corporations, and build themselves up among the corporations and nobility that holds fort over the lucrative lands. Of course, you might just get eaten by a sandworm on your first day �which honestly sounds like less work and perhaps the better ?option.

Funcom notes that it will roll out further trailers and gameplay overviews over the coming months, giving players a general overview of Dune: Awakening's gameplay, options, and features ahead of its official beta launch. A date for the beta was not announced, but we do know that Dune: Awakening is currently in development ???for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X. So you'd better get your house in order.

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Comic book carnage from Firaxis

Publisher 2K Games and developer Firaxis have released a gameplay overview trailer for its upcoming release, Marvel's Midnight Suns. The comic-book strategy adventure will launch next week on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series, with PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch ?ports to follow at a later d?ate.

In the video, we see the turn-based strategy that Firaxis has finally honed in games such as the acclaimed XCOM series applied to familiar characters from Marvel's huge universe of superheroes, (and villains). Under the guidance of custom protagonist "The Hunter", players will utilize the skills of names such as Dr. Stange, Wolverine, Iron Man, Blade, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, and The Scarlet Witch to lead an attack on the d??ark armies of Lillith, Mother of D??emons.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Icc7o0ex4&t

Much like its XCOM brethren, Midnight Suns will offer up a story-based campaign, in which they will lead a growing team of heroes into the battlefield, utilizing the offensive and defensive capabilities of the crew to ensure a glowing victory in battle. New heroes and abilities will be forged and unlocked as the story progresses, with powerful, scene-clearing Hero M??oves being offered to characters who are on a particular roll in the ongoing war against evil.

There's no denying that the XCOM titles handle strategic action very well, and this marriage of Firaxis' pedigree with the Marvel universe's cast o??f exciting characters could result in a fine hour-eater for those long, cold w?inter evenings. Having already faced a one-year delay, comic book fans need only wait one more week before they get the opportunity to take their favorite characters into battle.

Not my favorites, of course. As I don't see ??Jessica Drew or Nebula anywhere...

Marvel's Midnight Suns launches on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X December ??????????????????????????2.

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Border Advance

Everybody's favorite spoilers, The Taiwan Game Rating Committee, has uploaded a new listing pointing to as yet unannounced console ports of Sega's Company of Heroes 3 —The st?rategy sequel is currently in development for PC, and is scheduled for launch in Febr??uary 2023.

According to the new rating, (as spotted by Gematsu)  Company of Heroes 3 will be getting ported to ninth-gen platforms PS5 and Xbox Series X, though there is no suggestion these console ports will arrive alongside their PC brethren. Still, it's a snug suggestion that console players will be joining the war effo??rt sooner rather than later, and most assuredly in 2023.

The newest entry in the acclaimed strategy series, Company of Heroes 3 will task armchair generals with guiding their highly trained platoons through the North African theater of war. The sequel boasts a new "dynamic" campaign mode, that will adjust itself for multiple playthroughs with a sandbox approach to its tactical action. The "Essen??ce" engine will bring levels of environmental destructibility yet to be experienced in the series, while a battalion of new units and vehicles will be sure to keep fans grinding out epic battle into the midnight hour and beyond.

We will be sure to let you know should official wor??d of the console ports be for?thcoming.

Company of Heroes 3 launches February 23 on PC via Steam.

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And... PARTY ON, DUDES!

Following on from this weekend's leak, developer Firaxis has officially announced the Civilization VI Leader Pass, which will see the com?ing months roll out a who's who of famed leaders, dictators, and visionaries to the grand strategy sequel.

The first DLC drop, "The Great Negotiators" will launch on November 21 and will bring with it diplomatic masters Abraham Lincoln (United States) Queen Nzinga Mbande (Kongo), ??and Sultan Saladin (Arabia). Each leader brings to the table bespoke skills and abilities to help players grow and expand their presence with??in their home territories as well as in the global political picture.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=luWyFMwgQoc

The remaining five packs, which are yet to be? dated, contain the following DLC leaders.? All packs will be released by spring 2023.

• Great Commanders Pack: Tokugawa (Japan), Nader Shah (Persia), and Suleiman the Magnificent (Ottoman Empire).
• Rulers of China Pack: Yongle, Qin Shi Huang the Unifier, and Wu Zetian (All China).
• Rulers of the Sahara Pack: King Ramses (Egypt), Ptolemaic Cleopatra (Egypt), King Sundiata Keita (Mali).
• Great Builders Pack: Theodora (Byzantine Empire), Sejong (Korea), and Ludwig II (Germany).
• Ruler of England Pack: Elizabeth I (England), Varangian Harald Hardrada (Norway), and Victoria: Age of Steam (England).

Note that some? of the included leaders will require their respective scenarios and expansions in order to play. (For example: Nader Shah requires the previously releases Persia & Macedon Scenario Pack).

The Civilization VI: Leader Pass is included as part of the Civilization VI Anthology. It will also be available to purchase separately on Steam and Epic Game Store. A price was not revealed.

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We could all use a little time out

It's Friday, and that means that digital retailer Epic Games Store is ready to reveal the next titles that it will be offering up to its users free of charge �And this week, it's a veritable mix of wholesomeness and wanton violence, with the arrival of Alba: A Wildlife Adventure and Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-Eu9WE3grA

Developed by British outfit ustwo Games, the almost unbearably wholesome Alba: A Wildlife Adventure was released to critical and public acclaim back in 2020. It concerns a simple tale of a young explorer who stumbles across a Mediterranian isle in need while on vacation. Armed with little more than a phone camera, a metric ton of spirit, and her friends and associates, Alba sets about capturing the beau??ty and wonder of Pinar del Mar, determined to prevent its gentrification by ruthless capitalists.

With a distinct visual style, leisurely paced exploration gameplay, and a relaxed, finish-in-a-sitting approach, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is a great title to while away a lazy Sunday aftern?oon, away from the hustle and bustle of the waking world and the bombastic action of its bigger-budgeted brethren. Take the trip.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtJ3dZyoS94

Developed by Mimimi Games and released on PC and consoles back in 2016, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a stealth-heavy real-time-tactics title in the vein of scalpel-precise party planners such as Commandos or Desperados. Set against the backdrop of Edo-era Japan, players guide a team of uniq?uely skilled assassins as they attempt to locate the whereabouts of a mysterious warlord known only as "Kage-sama".

A samurai, a geisha, a thief, and a ninja are the party of four tasked with utilizing subterfuge, stealth, distraction, and good old-fashioned ultraviolence in order to complete a series of missions and uncover the truth about their mission, their prey, and, surprisingly, themselves. For fans of the "clockwork planning" of the Commandos series, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is most definitely worth a whirl.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure and Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun can be downloaded from the Epic Games Store from November 10. Until then, users can still bag themselves current freebies Filament and Rising Storm 2: Vietnam.

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Team Ferguson for life

Xbox has announced that 2021's strategy sim Dune: Spice Wars is headed to the PC Game Pass service �Shiro Games' take on Frank Herbert's iconic literary universe is currently available on PC via Steam Early Access, but should be made available to the paid subscript?ion service in the very near future.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lFx4wfc8Tc

Dune: Spice Wars is a 4X real-time strategy set against the arid and isolated backdrop over the fictional planet Arrakis. Taking up control of one of many factions from the Dune universe, players compete for control of the planet and its lucrative "spice" reserve �a plant that forms the root of incredible powers, from extended human life to interstellar travel. Guide troops, establish refineries, balance resources, and deal with your fellow spice fielders by fair? means... or foul.

Announced and released in the aftermath of Denis Villeneuve's epic live-action movie, Dune: Spice Wars returns the series to its strategic gameplay roots, as popularized by the extremely popular and genre-defining PC/Amiga release Dune II: Battle for Arrakis (1992). The new game r?eceived a major update this past summer, adding dedicated multiplayer servers, p?eer-to-peer support, new regions, events, and factions.

Heartbreakingly, There's no sign of Kyle Maclachlan, Batista, or Rebecca Ferguson, but Dune: Spice Wars still looks like a very ??fine time for ruthless, intergalactic entrepreneurs everywhere.

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It's Wanzer time

Forever Entertainment has locked in a date for the first of its Front Mission remakes. Front Mission 1st: Remake hits Nintendo Switch on November 30.

Developer MegaPixel Studio and Forever Entertainment confirm the news today, wit??h pre-orders opening on November 16.

Two more remakes are in the works as well. Forever Entertainment is also working on remakes of Front Mission 2 and 3. The former is set for?? 2023, while the latter is just arriving sometime in the future.

A new gameplay trailer for Front Mission 1st: Remake is arriving soon, too. The video will premiere less than 24 h?ours from this writing, on November 3. You can fin??d it below when it's live:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvj7WerPPF8

Mecha tactics are back in season

Front Mission is a piece of Square's history that is exciting to see return. The strategic maneuvering of Wanzers around environments and big mech management makes it stand o?ut a bit from the PlayStation 1 era of RPGs.

It's been a tactics-heavy year, too. Triangle Strategy started the year off strong, Tactics Ogre: Reborn is right around the corner, and a new Fire Emblem is just a few months away.

With three remakes currently set out, Front Mission 1st: Remake will get to set the tone for what's to come with these updated Front Mission titles. But hopefully it turns out strong. Front Mission is a neat series I've wanted to go back to for a while. Making these entries easily accessible, and putting them on the S??witch at that, seems like ??a worthy endeavor.

Front Mission 1st: Remake hits Nintendo Switch on November 30.

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