Starship Troopers: Terran Command [DLC] The Eradicators – Mad Science [Review]

The good news is that The Eradicators got a story campaign like the other Starship Troopers: Terran Command expansions—but the bad news is that it uses Territory Mode exclusively in the mission design. However, it’s not that bad to be honest. My main issue with it when I tested the beta version was that it had almost zero narrative, just endless combat, which felt very flat and gamey to me. This is now fixed with this campaign—and who knew, giving me a reason to kill the bugs, however little or much, works wonders for the old motivation!

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The Black Pits (Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition) [Review]

The Black Pits is Beamdog’s arena expansion that came with Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition when it was released years ago in 2012. And here I thought it was high time to finally try it out. Now, this little side-adventure isn’t much more than a string of fights put together, but it does have a story, and a prominent antagonist (Baeloth the Entertainer) that will make an appearance again in the future Beamdog releases (The Black Pits II: Gladiators of Thay and Siege of Dragonspear) and Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition itself. Effort was made to at least have the main bad guy in a continuation of sorts, which is nice, as Baeloth is one of the best parts of this expansion besides the battles.

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Warcraft II: Remastered – Orc Fest [Review]

Put on your troll-skin boots—it’s time to return to Azeroth, where the orcs are once again restless and in need of a lesson in etiquette. While Warcraft II: Remastered has seen a little more effort put into it than Warcraft I: Remastered, it still suffers from the same issue: cheap AI slop, masquerading as improvements. Now, to be fair, it runs better and much smoother than the original (I tried), but the new visuals and the upscaled CGI cutscenes are of poor quality. This means that the only part you pay for is the increased performance, as everything besides that is worse, or on the same level as the original.

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Warcraft I: Remastered – My liege? [Review]

I decided that I wanted to experience the canonical storyline of Warcraft up until World of Warcraft. Where else to start than the beginning with the first RTS game in this legendary franchise. Now, I’m not playing the original release, but a remaster simply called Warcraft I: Remastered—made by Blizzard themselves. While it left me with a disjointed feeling towards its presentation, it’s probably the best way to play the original campaign. Many mechanics have been made modern in terms of gameplay, like being able to select larger groups, and hot-key support. 

However, as mentioned, the presentation is questionable at best, with the “improved” graphics seemingly only getting a cheap AI upscaling instead of genuine care to keep the aesthetics and feel of the original game. So, is the remaster worth the trouble, or does it undermine its own legacy?

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D.O.R.F. Real-Time Strategic Conflict – Kickstarter!

This Kickstarter came as a surprise to me, as I thought D.O.R.F. was one of those games that was self‑financed and soon ready to go. But oh how wrong I was, because just recently they launched their Kickstarter campaign. It’s going really well at over 100% funded already when writing this post. This announcement also comes with a Kickstarter trailer, which you can watch after the click. It looks fantastic, appearing to become a great throwback to the RTS games of old. However, the estimated delivery date is Aug 2028.

Ouch! So it’s not a game around the corner exactly. But if you want them to take the project full‑time, make sure to send them some money!

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Cralon – Demo Impressions

It’s time to try Björn and Jennifer Pankratz’s (former Piranha Bytes) game Cralon from their newly established studio, Pithead Studio. Cralon is a first-person dungeon crawler that is clearly inspired by the classic title Ultima Underworld. After finishing the short demo, the exploration and atmosphere sure are there. However, the combat will require some serious polishing, as it felt clunky and not very satisfying. But mood is one of the fundamentals to get right for a game like this—so, I’m glad they nailed this important aspect in the demo.

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