Archive for January 18th, 2013

The hex is dead. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to while playing territory-based games like Eador: Genesis on the PC and Battle of the Bulge on the iOS, where you fight over maps built from discrete chunks, each a package of unique personality that you won’t get on a screenful of hexes or tiles.

This is particularly true in Shenandoah Studios’ carefully crafted swathe of the Ardennes where Battle of the Bulge takes place. As an example of level design, it is on par with Facing Worlds in Unreal Tournament, the Shire in Lord of the Rings Online, the last level of Painkiller, Siren Alley in Bioshock 2, and the Glendale track in Need for Speed: Shift 2. So I started writing about each of the territories. I got about half way down the right edge of the map before I was sick of listening to myself write. I’d much rather listen to other people write about this place.

So I opened the mic to various people who either made the game or who have been playing it with me. I asked them to choose a favorite territory and tell me why it was their favorite. The variety of approaches they took is a testament to what a great game this is.

After the jump, the Battle of the Bulge favorite territory poetry/prose slam Continue reading →

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Things besides “fuck you” that Dante says in a boss battle against a succubus (pictured):

1) “You’re dumped.” (upon dropping her into a pool of lava)
2) “You’re all mixed up.” (upon pushing her into spinning blades)
3) “Suck on this, succubus.”

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