Tin
Soldiers: Julius Caesar is a turn-based game fashioned
after those nerdy miniatures, complete with painted
figurines and scenery on a stick. The cheesy look
of the game betrays the depth and fun that can be
had if you're into strategy games. The great thing
about this computer-simulated miniatures game is that
you don't have to put all the little pieces away when
you're done for the night.
There's
no denying that tabletop miniatures games is the domain
of nerds but the Tin Soldiers series is really cool.
It's a bit slow in execution but it allows you time
to react properly and really hone your strategy skills.
You can play against the AI or another human. The
computer plays a relatively conservative game and
seldom makes a blunder. It may kick your ass for a
while but it's a great teacher if you learn from your
ass kicking.
Playing
against another human can be done online but it will
require an IP address since there isn't a dedicated
server. This can kind of limit your access to people
especially if you're the paranoid type that holes
up in your apartment on weekends, afraid to even start
a conversation with the pizza deliver guy.
With
the Julius Caesar version you will re-fight historic
battles during the reign of the Roman Empire. There
are numerous troops to choose from, all historically
accurate for the time period. Commands are easily
facilitated by the onscreen interface which displays
all the information that you need at a glance.
Commands
are issued by both players at the same time. It takes
a while for the system to respond and display the
results. More commands can be given at the halfway
point which allows you to respond to the situation
created by your opponent's tactics. You can reorganize
specific units if they were forced to go somewhere
else. Troops can even be kept in reserve at the start
of the commands and put into use in the middle. This
is a tactic favored by the computer and one that you
should emulate.
There's
no annoying micromanagement to worry about. You will
have to consider your army's morale but you can improve
that by playing a good strategic game. The Campaign
mode is where you'll find the most depth although
you can just play one match at a time if you don't
want to commit a weekend to a virtual war. There are
various missions to perform in the Campaign mode.
You can purchase and train troops with Victory points
that you earn from completing previous missions. There
are cards called Strategy cards which will give you
a special boost but they can only be used one time
and they're not anything like a Gamebreaker or screen-clearing
move. They are more subtle.
Julius
Caesar isn't a looker. Although it's not supposed
to look real, it does tend to look like a cross between
a game of chess and a model railroad scene. The closer
you zoom in the uglier it gets. The music is good
and the sound effects are decent. The game plays very
well, so everything above and beyond that is icing
on the cake.
Tin
Soldiers: Julius Caesar lets the little nerd in you
run free without the possibility of getting caught
and pigeonholed for life. Just remember to hide the
lightsaber under the cough when company drops in.
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