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The Raw Recruit #93

	Author: Chris Abele Article Type: Buying Guide Publication Date: 6/6/2006 Related Categories: Business and Industry, Buyer's Guide

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 June 4th

From the perspective of the average gamer, the early summer month of May must always seem particularly slow.  Very few games are released even as schools are letting out for the summer and movies are hitting their blockbuster stride.  However, the explanation is fairly straightforward: everyone is burned out from preparing and covering E3, the annual gaming convention.  Because so much of the industry attends the show, it ties up the majority of the industry's resources for most of the month.  That's the bad news, but now for the good news: The Operational Art of War III, Battlefield 2: Armored Fury, Rush for Berlin, Moscow to Berlin, and DropTeam will all be released this first week of June!

The first title in our list is a classic title, one so revered that sense of excitement among grognards was actually palpable (when's the last time a grognard got excited, anyways?).  The Operational Art of War has long been recognized as an extremely flexible wargame which can model the entire 20th century of warfare.  Arguably Norm Koger's finest work and one of the best wargames ever made, The Operational Art of War will be reborn this week thanks to new work from Koger and Matrix Games.  The license and source code to the series was purchased from Talonsoft by Matrix last year, and the result is a new game with 200 scenarios of 20th century battles, compatibility with Windows XP, improved combat modeling, a stronger AI opponent, and numerous improvements to the original code.  It's priced as a full, new game at $39.99 available as a digital download from Matrix.

For gamers interested in visiting World War II Berlin, two game publishers have provided RTS fans with just such an opportunity this week.  Paradox's new Rush for Berlin is a 3D RTS in which the Western Allies race the Soviet army to Berlin at the end of World War II in an attempt to get the first advantage at the outset of the Cold War.  The game turns on the fictional and hypothetical to make it work (sci-fi units here and there, etc.), but the game is an interesting twist on the standard RTS game.  It emphasizes the efficient employment of time; should you retreat from this battle or continue to drag it on?  Based on the Codename Panzers 3D engine, Rush for Berlin will be released for purchase from Gamers' Gate and major retail stores, priced at $39.99.

A little more historical-friendly is Moscow to Berlin, the latest World War II 3D RTS from MonteCristo Games.  It plays on the tactical level, recreating elements of the major battles of the Eastern Front with dozens of historically accurate units.  Like many other tactical World War II games, it emphasizes armored combat and maneuvering, with no emphasis whatsoever on ancillary goals like economic management or resource gathering.  Gamers interested in visiting this Berlin can pick up the game for $30 from most retailers later this week.

Taking the award for the cheapest game of the week is EA's Battlefield 2: Armored Fury, the latest booster pack for this hugely popular multiplayer FPS.  The new add-on includes several new aircraft and armored units, as well as three new maps at the heart of the U.S.  In this latest chapter of the Battlefield 2 saga, the Chinese and Middle Eastern forces have invaded the U.S., forcing the country into a defensive posture.  The game is just $9.95 and is only available through EA's Downloader Service.

Most gamers will recognize Battlefront for its work on the Combat Mission series and publishing wargames like Dan Verssen's Down in Flames or T-72.  For that reason, the curious DropTeam doesn't appear to fit the Battlefront mold, as least at first glance.  The game is a high-tech, 3D tactical-level game set in a distant future in which soldiers battle in small armored units, not a World War II turn-based wargame.  In reality, DropTeam fits in well with Battlefront because of its near-excessive focus on its physics and ballistics modeling - think of it almost as a sci-fi flight simulation.  There's a demo available (linked below), but the full game can be purchased right now for $45 from Battlefront's web store.

The Volunteer Recruits

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

• DropTeam [363 MB] - Go sci-fi in this detailed tactical game.
• Heroes of Might & Magic V [669 MB] - New World Computing's well-loved fantasy strategy series is back.
• Pacific Storm [300 MB] - CDV's new WW2 game mixes turn-based strategy with a tactical-level simulation.
• Rise & Fall [620 MB] - Try Big Huge Games' unique new RTS will be coming to stores this summer.
• Rush for Berlin [338 MB] - Get to Berlin before the Commies.
• Strategic Command 2 [93 MB] - The beer and pretzel grand strategic wargame.
• Take Command: Second Manassas [178 MB] - MadMinute's second title almost here, but a demo is now.

About the Author

Chris Abele is The Wargamer's Director of Content, managing the entire publication process, from news stories to feature articles.  Originally a flight sim nut, Chris has turned to war and military gaming and now plays the odd mixture of squad-level wargames and first-person shooters, in search of the perfect hybrid.  Chris is currently playing Full Spectrum Warrior, Brothers in Arms, and SWAT 4.  When not managing his various responsibilities with The Wargamer, Chris works as a corporate financial analyst while pursuing his MBA from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.