Crimson Skies tabletop. That's what this game reminds me of most.

I am a huge fan of the original Car Wars franchise, Battletech, Space Hulk... and Crimson Skies.

The video game interpretations of these games are fine and good (mostly) but this game captures the essence of Crimson Skies in a way few others ever have for me. I have been looking for literally 20 years for a video game that can capture the "all plan, all move" sequence of play, and this is the first product that even comes close to scratching that itch since Operation Overlord back in the late 90s (not a GW game).

Pros:

• Turn based means you plan all your moves, click GO, and watch the whole turn happen
• Fast deployments; if you're not through by turn 12, you're still through, win or lose
• Pilot stat improvement means that when someone becomes an Ace they get a new skill - bonus!

Cons:

• See above; you'll either like it or you won't; this is the sort of game where there's very little in-between based on game style

This is a fairly simple game, but it's simple to play and more difficult to master, since learning both maneuvers and AI behaviors seems somewhat random, based on terrain/map layout.... so the tutorial is quite valuable as an intro to the game.

I'm still learning this game and have not yet played versus, but it's got all the right feels in all the right places so far.

As regards bugs I haven't seen anything (only ~6 hours in and no PVP yet).

As regards whether this will be seen by GW fans as a good representation of GW games... mmmm, that's up for grabs... but I think the long-term mixed reviews have a lot to do with people not knowing the game is plan-execute, as opposed to twitch gaming where reflexes matter a lot.

In any case, the current price of $12.50(USD) is worth at least a couple of hours of entertainment, and the learning is rather of the 4-d chess variety, but without the mind-fk headache that can result.

I say this is a fair effort and give Binary Games and Green Man Gaming a solid recommendation at a good price point while on sale... and having bought on sale I can safely say that I would have found value at full price, too.

Well done, lads.

Crimson Skies tabletop. That's what this game reminds me of most. I am a huge fan of the original Car Wars franchise, Battletech, Space Hulk... and Crimson Skies. The video game interpretations of these games are fine and good (mostly) but this game captures the essence of Crimson Skies in a way few others ever have for me. I have been looking for literally 20 years for a video game that can capture the "all plan, all move" sequence of play, and this is the first product that even comes close to scratching that itch since Operation Overlord back in the late 90s (not a GW game). Pros:[list][*]Turn based means you plan all your moves, click GO, and watch the whole turn happen[*]Fast deployments; if you're not through by turn 12, you're still through, win or lose[*]Pilot stat improvement means that when someone becomes an Ace they get a new skill - bonus![/list] Cons:[list][*]See above; you'll either like it or you won't; this is the sort of game where there's very little in-between based on game style[*][/list] This is a fairly simple game, but it's simple to [i]play[/i] and more difficult to master, since learning both maneuvers and AI behaviors seems somewhat random, based on terrain/map layout.... so the tutorial is quite valuable as an intro to the game. I'm still learning this game and have not yet played versus, but it's got all the right feels in all the right places so far. As regards bugs I haven't seen anything (only ~6 hours in and no PVP yet). As regards whether this will be seen by GW fans as a good representation of GW games... mmmm, that's up for grabs... but I think the long-term mixed reviews have a lot to do with people not knowing the game is plan-execute, as opposed to twitch gaming where reflexes matter a lot. In any case, the current price of $12.50(USD) is worth at least a couple of hours of entertainment, and the learning is rather of the 4-d chess variety, but without the mind-fk headache that can result. I say this is a fair effort and give Binary Games and Green Man Gaming a solid recommendation at a good price point while on sale... and having bought on sale I can safely say that I would have found value at full price, too. Well done, lads.