Recent reviews by Simon Lancaster [ANWF]

In my opinion this is the best DLC so far in the Field of Glory 2 franchise (including Ancients). It doesn't just add army lists and a few new units but it changes the gameplay in a significant way. This really takes us forward and into something different and exciting. You have some Longbowmen with stakes, early cannon, and Men-at-Arms among other new units. Some of the historical scenarios are also really challenging like Crecy and I have rarely played single player games before but I really enjoyed doing so in this DLC.

The attention to detail in terms of the uniforms, banners, and army composition is top-notch. This series just seems to get better with time and a lot of credit must go to the developer and Slitherine for supporting the game. The DLCs are always reasonably priced. 10/10 from me!

I haven't played Madden in about 30 years so this is me coming back to it after some time. I don't know about all the fuss about the latest incarnations so I will judge it on how it plays for me and compares to my fond memories from childhood. I will say that there is a lot of rubbish to forget about or ignore in the game. Side games and some nonsense about playing as a high school QB, blah blah. I just want to play as the Dolphins in the regular season and try for the Superbowl. That would keep me happy. Thankfully, you can do this and the graphics, controls and atmosphere are great. Not so much different from the early games in execution which is a good thing. The hip hop music is terrible but that is only playing at the menu and you can turn it off.

It doesn't look as easy to create audibles so instinctively but it is possible and I just need to learn how to do it. The user interface is fairly poor in terms of the amount of options on the screen and how you have to search around to do anything.

But, the essential game is there and on my very first play I made a 35 yard pass to Gesicki on a crossing pattern which felt really good. The AI is good and I love how the game keeps challenging you to make those 3rd and 4th down plays. When you do it is very satisfying.

This is probably one of my all-time top five games ever. This edition does the job although I am sure they can improve it further. But, the gameplay is as good as the original classics. It took years to return to the PC. I am happy it eventually made it. Recommended for sports fans. 8.5/10

Just a fun and simple poker game. No large adverts or stupid people. The cards are clear and bright. A number of different cash tables. Compared to Prominence Poker there are two big differences. 1. It is about 450 MB to install compared to 7.5 GB. 2. The speed of play is really fast. In other poker games you have to wait quite a while for people to make their bets. This slows down everything especially in large games. The timer on Poker Championship is ultra fast. Once you get used to it the games are really slick and enjoyable. It also makes you think quickly which I like. Recommended. 8/10

A terrific game. A wargamer's dream. You have all the units, the great models (especially the knights), and the tactics. A very large multiplayer scene with zillions of official tournaments organised by Slitherine and competitions organised by players such as the infamous Digital League (see the Slitherine forum for news on all the competitions). This would be one of the best PC wargames of the decade in my view. And, there are plans for further DLCs covering the Crusades and Late Medieval period. The development and updates are constant.

I think Slitherine and the developers should also be applauded for the price point. Currently 21 UKP for those who already have FoG 2 covering the Classical period. The DLCs have always been very reasonably priced.

The only negative I can think of would be the single player campaigns. In my eyes, the game is more orientated towards multiplayer. There are campaigns but they are fairly short and consist of a series of battles. Maybe in the future we will see FoG: Empires expand out to the Medieval period? There are quite a lot of standalone historical battles to fight such as Hastings, Tinchebrai and Kalka River, though.

A true classic and 9/10 from me.

I bought this game in the sale and it is a worthwhile purchase. I generally buy Football Manager games every 3-4 years because sometimes they are not so different. I am coming up from FM 2017.

The best thing about this game is that the graphics are a little better when playing a match. Player animations are clearer and the ball really curves now when shots are taken. Nothing major but it does make for a better playing experience. I also like the addition of the Video Assistant Referee.

Obviously, the game has updated players and this is another big advantage when you want to use players that are at your club now (especially if your team in real-life has improved!).

The interface is quite loud and a bit confusing for me. I preferred FM 2017 because it was simpler and cleaner. However, you do get used to it and over time it becomes easier to find out where things are and how to adjust settings. I recommend increasing the text size.

The gameplay has also been updated to include 'gegenpressing' and other tactics. It just makes an already good game better and it is worth getting it in the sale! 8/10.

*For FM 2021, I would like to see goal-line technology and VAR replays shown on your screen.

Just the fun and classic RISK game that we all know. I usually play on the standard world map. There are other maps that you can play for a new experience. The timer can go fast so I like at least 90 secs per turn otherwise it becomes like speed chess. Recommended!

Rocket League is a great game. You can complete a full match in under 10 minutes so it is fun to play after returning home from work. It is one of my favourite games on Steam and it is highly recommended! 9/10

I have over 100 hours now on this game and I am playing in the league. It is tremendous fun. Honestly, the best traditional PC wargame out there. This DLC adds a lot like they all seem to do. 8 new factions including the Persians and the Spartans that are historically important and fun to play on the battlefield. These new armies also introduce new playing styles as the Persians have archer-swordsmen and archer-spears. Spartans have a mass of Hoplites. There are 10 new units such as the Persian Immortals and the Macedonian Prodromoi light cavalry. A lot of bang for your buck!

Finally, there are 10 new Epic Battles like Chaironeia and Marathon. These battles are really fun as they are not always perfectly balanced like in the standard mp custom battles and make you play in different ways. A must buy DLC for a must buy game for the wargamer.

There are very few tactical wargames on the PC that capture the essence of tabletop wargaming. Turn-based, tactical PC wargaming is a seriously neglected area with lots of games for the strategic level (Civilisation series, Hearts of Iron, & Crusader Kings, etc) but very few quality tactical wargames. Fields of Glory 2 is a game that *finally* manages to recreate the feel of a wargaming table with all the pristine and colourful figures arrayed out on the battlefield.

I will say that I was quite sceptical about buying this game. The likes of Pike and Shot and Field of Glory I were boring, stale and basically poor in my honest opinion. FoG I bears no resemblance to this game I would like to make clear. If you played that game and didn't like it then still give this game a go. The updated game engine manages to replicate the armies of ancient times really well. Units are easy to move and combat is exciting. As you zoom in the attention to detail for the uniforms and armour is top notch. You really feel like you are in charge of a tabletop army and everything is smooth.

There are tons of factions even in the base game. There are also some mini campaigns and historical battles. On multiplayer, I am currently playing as the Carthaginians at the Battle of Zama against a friend who is fighting as the Romans. The choices are really extensive and I would like to congratulate the developers on producing a game with so many units, battles and campaigns. The DLCs are being produced around every three months and they have been well received in the wargaming community.

Overall, this is one of the best PC tabletop wargames out there. If you want to have a go at turn-based tactical wargaming then try this out! 9/10

Good game but not up to the level of Football Manager yet. A lot of the scouting and technical research is very rudimentary. Some pics of pit crew will pop up from time to time and you just hire them. You keep hitting the research button for different car parts to go from average, to good, to great. The main gist of the game is in the racing which is actually quite exciting. It is very easy to mess it all up by not choosing the right tyres as you didn't see the clouds coming, or by stacking up your cars in the pit lane which I tend to do quite a lot. Team tactics, type choices, new parts, and the type of drivers that you have all make a difference.

At the beginning it is very frustrating because you don't improve very quickly. Your car parts seem to blow up fairly regularly and it is easy to overuse tyres. Two stops can quickly become three stops because of a botched pit stop or unraveling racing plan.

There are some moments of sheer joy, though, when you do finally get it together. My Chairman gave me the ultimatum to finish 6th or be sacked in the very next race. I had only finished 11th before. I went hunting for a good second driver and shelled out 800,000 per race to some South American female driver. She looked to have some potential. She only went and won the race with my other driver finishing third. Counting down the laps I couldn't quite believe that I was going to win a race for the first time. 8/10