Replying in Hammer & Sickle review: HAMMERTIME!

Last 10 Posts [ In reverse order ]

Ominae	Posted 26th May 2007, 4:37am
	QUOTE(baby arm @ 26th February 2006, 10:23am) Or use a present day Korean setting with the South Korean KCIA (are they still around?) Not to raise this old thread, but to give everyone a heads up. The KCIA is replaced with the National Intelligence Service. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Inte...e_(South_Korea)
WangChangZhang	Posted 31st March 2006, 12:35pm
	Okay, time to post again... Hammer and Sickle hit the stores here two weeks ago, but when I went to check out the price at the local EB store, they didn't have it - not even in their computer archive, as the eager (bored?) employee told me. Hmmm. The game magazine of my choice, PC Games, finally featured a two side report about H&S. To sum it up: 60% of 100% possible (but never achieved by a game in more than 12 years of magazine history). For comparison: Soldiers: Heroes of World War II got 86%, Oblivion 91% . S2 was also about 85%, as far as I remember. The testers loved the story/setting, but said the high difficulty (no save, for example), stupid AI, bad music and the out-of-date controls of Silent Storm ruined the game fun for them. At least the localization is supposed to be good. Here's the link (German!): http://www.pcgames.de/?article_id=459063 . I can't really say if they tested the game with the correct gameplay, i.e. using more stealth and retreat than trying to kill every single enemy, but the review makes me less curious about the game. I just recently deinstalled S2 and S3 because I grew tired of them... well, sooner or later I'll feel like shooting beautifully ragdolled soldiers in a completely destroyable environment again, and then the games will be back on my hd . PC Games lists H&S at 35$, and that's just too much for my taste. I want to play Novik's game, but I guess I'll wait till it drops to 10$. But those of you who got it already, I wish a good cold war.
WangChangZhang	Posted 21st March 2006, 11:00am
	QUOTE(Crazy Gringo @ 21st March 2006, 12:10am) Spoilers might be included I guess that reviewer is one of those 'Are you shooting at ME! BLAM How you like those apples?' types. I got out of Wenzburg without a scratch by looks around for something that is not there doing the 'intelligent' thing and hightailing out of there like a bat out of hell. It was a lose/lose situation so I avoided it completely. "How you do win a battle you can't win? You avoid it" But are some points to be made in that review (I will that the reader sort them out). Summing up those reviews, it seems as if Hammer & Sickle can only be hated or loved. I guess S2 and Sentinel fans tend to embrace it more than the typical tactics/strategy gamer who hadn't played the Silent Storm series. I know my game mag of choice has the policy to not put the prequels of a game into the calculation, but that's exactly what Sentinel players do: marvel at the evolution of the series. There are some issues a lot reviews agree on being bad, like the habit of leaving the gamer clueless about what to do, the missing true rpg elements and some mission design. Well, I guess those "flaws" aren't too surprising because H&S started as a mod and was made mainly by a mod team, which is still a big difference to a professional game studio creating an entire game anew. I want to check it out myself, but I just wish the publisher would sell it for 5$ less - 30$ is exactly the prize where I start to expect really good stuff for my money stabs CDV In case you are wondering: I didn't even buy S2 or S3, I got them as bonus games with my game mag. So now I have them completely legal on harddisk without any starforce trouble. Was this review http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/hammersickle/review.html already posted? Gamespy is such a joke... it's obvious that the reviewer did not really play Silent Storm or Sentinels (which he calls just great and the game H&S is measured upon) because he is criticising things about H&S that already appeared in S2... moron. PS: I was looking for a torrent file for the H&S demo because I couldn't dl it directly from CDV - but all I found were torrent files for full H&S. Needless to say I didn't download them.
Crazy Gringo	Posted 20th March 2006, 11:10pm
	Spoilers might be included I guess that reviewer is one of those 'Are you shooting at ME! BLAM How you like those apples?' types. I got out of Wenzburg without a scratch by looks around for something that is not there doing the 'intelligent' thing and hightailing out of there like a bat out of hell. It was a lose/lose situation so I avoided it completely. "How you do win a battle you can't win? You avoid it" But are some points to be made in that review (I will let the reader sort them out).
Slaughter	Posted 20th March 2006, 9:12pm
	Another one at Eurogamer (Spotted at Tacticular Cancer).
Slaughter	Posted 6th March 2006, 11:43pm
	Two more reviews at The Armchair Empire and Gameplay Monthly.
baby arm	Posted 28th February 2006, 6:55pm
	"Mostly I'm still waiting a some kind of huge optioned turn-based multiplayer game." Check out Tactica Online. But keep in mind that MMOs are Satan's work.
KoMik	Posted 27th February 2006, 9:33pm
	Turn-based 'war-RPG' games where you can choose between armys and free enterprises is a fine goal for games in future. This Hammer & Sickle's spy theme is very clever for a RPG-game. It's a interesting alternative game ego. H&S sure could commandeer add-ons (more cold war phobias) and sequels (new place/time). Mostly I'm still waiting a some kind of huge optioned turn-based multiplayer game. RPG games are great challenge but sometimes I just want to spend some Action Points. Spy hard!
Novik	Posted 27th February 2006, 11:10am
	I tried to write answer... and failed. Err, i have too small bagage of english words, excuse me.
BlunterII	Posted 27th February 2006, 1:59am
	Hi, Novik, I hope you guys don't mind me jumping in . QUOTE 1) I told about RPG with tactical elements or tactical with strong RPG elements. Based on modern historical period (1900+) and without any sci-fi (true history, true reality etc). Not about some sort of RTS, where exists 'units' (not personages) only. 2) Such type of games must have ideological context. They sure do. But do the narrators have to take sides and promote Communism, National- Socialism or Capitalism (Imperialism)? I don't think they do. Why not let the player decide what is right or what is wrong based on the player's knowledge and moral code by just providing them with facts (from documents, for example) or both sides of the story? That would be role-playing, wouldn't you agree? Fictional elements - sure (to make the story more appealing and flexible)! Ideological context - absolutely (there is no way to reconstruct that era without the appropriate ideological background)! Political and Ideological propaganda and indoctrination, one sided narrative - nope (no need for that, imo)! QUOTE This is RPG, yes? If you playing on fascist side, you must play role of fascist. (This is a maxima, of course, but i hope you understand, what i wish to say). What do you mean by a "role of a fascist"? How about a German side and "role of a German" ? I know it requires much more effort then just the black and white approach, but there it is... Or are you saying we'd be obligated to play a "role of a commie " (a ruthless commissar or a brainwashed NKVD officer) if we are to choose Communists (Russians), or a "role of a Yankee/imperialist " (in case of Americans or CIA)? How about breaking those stereotypes? It reminds me of the M.C.'s (main character) and Sanders' verbal exchange upon revisiting the "Convoy" location, about the samovar, cowboys, etc . It did just that, attempted to counter that prejudiced outlook that so many people, unfortunately, share(d), did it not? Did the main character "have to be a commie" at any point in H&S? Nope, I don't recall any of that. Or Sigfried and his service in Wiking Waffen SS division (that's in the game), that had an unblemished by the War Crime tribunal reputation as well as many others. Wasn't he just a soldier? Did he have to play a "role of a Nazi"? No, he did not, and that was the whole point, wasn't it? And what of Admiral Karl Donitz who wasn't even a NSDAP (Nazi) party member but nevertheless was sentenced to many years of prison for utilizing the same naval battle tactics the allies did, he even presented the documents confirming that at his trial. Or Field Marshal Fritz Erich von Manstein who wasn't a Nazi either but was sentenced to several years on some dubious, unconvincing grounds. Strange! To say the least. And I am not propagating anything here (no need for torches and pitchforks ), I have been reading different documents, like Manstein's court trial records, CIA archives (declassified in 2003), and many others and the once clear picture of who is who and what is what became blurred, sometimes so blurred that it is hard to accept certain recognized and "established" positions. Especially when so many ex-Nazis were somehow released without trial, provided with all kinds of help and financial assistance and basically were put on American payroll, for many years...until they formed BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst, West German Intelligence Agency) in 1956 with Major General Reinhard Gehlen leading it (the same Gehlen whom Hitler appointed to be the chief of Eastern front intelligence during the ww2). Well, it seems that RPG, as a genre (where one or more players adopt a role and act it out in a virtual reality) does not force one into a rigid role. And if it does so, when there are no other options available, wouldn't that indicate a poor plot concept? Or are you referring to certain "pressure" from some third party? Blunter II
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