Introduction

Welcome to The Wargamer's feature article series, "The Raw Recruit." This weekly feature offers release dates for upcoming computer and board games. The list doesn't include every computer or board game being released, however it does include almost all of the games we believe The Wargamer's audience will enjoy. The release dates presented in this article are for North American releases only and indicate "shipping" dates, not necessarily guaranteed in-store dates. Most major PC titles are released on Tuesday or Wednesday and are widely available across the country by Friday. These release dates are provided in association with The Wargamer's affiliate merchant partner, GoGamer.  Please send any new game release announcements to news@wargamer.com.

The Raw Recruits for the Week of February 26th

The January winter freeze brings February's mad rush to retail, followed closely by March's quarter-end bonanza.  We're in the midst of the spring gaming season, so let's get right to the games of the week: SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate, Rome: Total War Gold, and Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II.

I originally began life as a computer game in the arena of sims, and so on occasion I find myself drifting back to my roots.  One of those games is SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate.  Now some readers might find that statement odd: "how can an FPS be a sim?", they might ask.  In the case of 2005's SWAT 4, it's a tactical police simulation in which saving lives and following authentic SWAT training is the key to completing any mission.  It's a real treat to be rewarded for smart, deliberate play, rather than relying on out-of-this-world twitch skills.  This new expansion pack adds more substantial levels, improves the multiplayer experience, and adds new weapons, all boxed into one striking title.  I've been playing a gold copy for a week now, and as a fan of the series, I'm really impressed with the complexity and challenging nature of the missions.  The AI is once again top-notch and the level design is so open-ended that the replay value seems incalculable.  For those interested in learning more (or reading more of my ravings), visit 10-David, The Wargamer's dedicated site on the series, or look for the game on store shelves for $20.

Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II is a name that hardly fits onto most product labels, let alone the skimpy boxes retailers are allotting PC game publishers.  It's also the sequel to the 2004 title, a great 3D RTS for those gamers who loved the movie version of Tolkien's fantasy world.  For those less mainstream fans, EA has moved the subject of the sequel RTS into the realm of the fictional body of work first penned by the author, rather than the trilogy filmed by Peter Jackson.  This new game features more worlds, two new races (Elves and Dwarves), and lots of new references to the written word of the Lord of the Rings.  Otherwise, this one should be quite similar to the original title, which was also priced at $50 when it was first released.  For those unconvinced, a demo is also available and linked below.

Finally, SEGA has seen fit to bundle and repackage two of our favorite wargames from the past two years, Rome: Total War and Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion.  This double Award for Excellence winner has been repackaged into a convenient combo pack, priced at just $30 and available on store shelves this week.  Usually, we dismiss these bundles as marketing fluff, but in reality, this new package should be purchased by every single person reading this article who still doesn't own either game.  You there...get off your doff and buy it, it's well worth it at just $30.

The Volunteer Recruits

Here's the current crop of game demos released in the past few weeks (some links may expire over time):

• Battle for Middle-earth II [1.4 GB] - This 3D RTS is based on Tolkien's literary works rather than Jackson's movies.
• Rainbow Six: Lockdown [500 MB] - The third counter terrorist FPS from Ubisoft is now in demo format.
• Star Wars: Empire at War [742 MB] - Hoth, Tatooine, and Dagobah!  Star Wars is back, this time as a 3D RTS.

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