The Great Battles: Difference between revisions
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'''''The Great Battles''''' is a [[Wargame (video games)|computer wargame]] series based on the ''[[Great Battles of History]]'' board game series by [[GMT Games]]. The three titles in the series—''The Great Battles of Alexander'', ''The Great Battles of Hannibal'' and ''The Great Battles of Caesar''—were developed by [[Erudite Software]] and published by [[Interactive Magic]].<ref name=cgmnews2>{{cite web| author=Ocampo, Jason |title=''Great Battles'' Collection Planned |url=http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/013/024/great_battles_collection.html |work=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]] |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050217190340/http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/013/024/great_battles_collection.html |archivedate=February 17, 2005 |date=July 6, 1998 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> |
'''''The Great Battles''''' is a [[Wargame (video games)|computer wargame]] series based on the ''[[Great Battles of History]]'' board game series by [[GMT Games]]. The three titles in the series—''[[The Great Battles of Alexander]]'', ''The Great Battles of Hannibal'' and ''The Great Battles of Caesar''—were developed by [[Erudite Software]] and published by [[Interactive Magic]].<ref name=cgmnews2>{{cite web| author=Ocampo, Jason |title=''Great Battles'' Collection Planned |url=http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/013/024/great_battles_collection.html |work=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]] |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050217190340/http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/013/024/great_battles_collection.html |archivedate=February 17, 2005 |date=July 6, 1998 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> |
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==Gameplay== |
==Gameplay== |
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==Games== |
==Games== |
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*''The Great Battles of Alexander'' (1997) |
*''[[The Great Battles of Alexander]]'' (1997) |
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*''The Great Battles of Hannibal'' (1997) |
*''The Great Battles of Hannibal'' (1997) |
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*''The Great Battles of Caesar'' (March 1998)<ref name=cgmnews>{{cite web| author=Mayer, Robert |title=Interactive Magic's ''Great Battles of Caesar'' in Stores |url=http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/011/008/caesar.html |work=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]] |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050206165704/http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/011/008/caesar.html |archivedate=February 6, 2005 |date=March 26, 1998 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> |
*''The Great Battles of Caesar'' (March 1998)<ref name=cgmnews>{{cite web| author=Mayer, Robert |title=Interactive Magic's ''Great Battles of Caesar'' in Stores |url=http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/011/008/caesar.html |work=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]] |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050206165704/http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/011/008/caesar.html |archivedate=February 6, 2005 |date=March 26, 1998 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> |
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==Reception== |
==Reception== |
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===The Great Battles of Alexander=== |
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{{Video game reviews |
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| PCGUS = 86%<ref name=pcgamerus>{{cite journal | author=Trotter, William R. | journal=[[PC Gamer US]] | url=http://www.pcgamer.com:80/reviews/499.html | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/19991221123523/http://www.pcgamer.com:80/reviews/499.html | archivedate=December 21, 1999 | title=''Great Battles of Alexander'' | date=September 1997 | deadurl=yes | df= }}</ref> |
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| CWG = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name=cgw>{{cite web | author=Cobb, Jim | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20000618213454/http://www.gamespot.com:80/strategy/alexand/review_cgw.html | url=http://www.gamespot.com:80/strategy/alexand/review_cgw.html | work=[[Computer Gaming World]] | archivedate=June 18, 2000 | date=July 23, 1997 | title=''Great Battles of Alexander'' | deadurl=yes | df= }}</ref> |
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| PCGUK = 58%<ref name=pcgameruk>{{cite journal|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20020319063154/http://www.pcgamer.co.uk:80/games/gamefile_review_page.asp?item_id=1220 |url=http://www.pcgamer.co.uk:80/games/gamefile_review_page.asp?item_id=1220 |title=Suffer | issue=48 | author=Weston, Jason |work=[[PC Gamer UK]] | archivedate=March 19, 2002 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> |
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| rev1 = ''[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]]'' |
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| rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}<ref name=cgm>{{cite web |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050205134248/http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/002/143/great_battles_review.html |url=http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/002/143/great_battles_review.html |title=''Great Battles of Alexander'' |author=Mayer, Robert |work=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]] |archivedate=February 5, 2005 | deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> |
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}} |
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''[[Computer Gaming World]]''{{'}}s Jim Cobb wrote, "The seamless interface, useful graphics, great history, and well-written and thorough manual make ''Alex'' simply the best-ever ancients system. It's also one of the most innovative strategy games about any era." While he criticized its slow performance, and its lack of a playable Alexander unit or [[fog of war]], Cobb called the game "an otherwise flawless product."<ref name=cgw /> Robert Mayer of ''[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]]'' wrote of ''Alexander''{{'}}s gameplay, "[F]or a boardgame conversion, this is as good as it gets." He praised its sound design and called the game a "visual feast". While Mayer found the [[artificial intelligence]] (AI) spotty, he summarized the game as "one that wargamers (and others!) will want for their collection."<ref name=cgm /> |
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===The Great Battles of Hannibal=== |
===The Great Battles of Hannibal=== |
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{{Video game reviews |
{{Video game reviews |
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Revision as of 04:27, 22 August 2017
The Great Battles is a computer wargame series based on the Great Battles of History board game series by GMT Games. The three titles in the series—The Great Battles of Alexander, The Great Battles of Hannibal and The Great Battles of Caesar—were developed by Erudite Software and published by Interactive Magic.[1]
Gameplay
Games
- The Great Battles of Alexander (1997)
- The Great Battles of Hannibal (1997)
- The Great Battles of Caesar (March 1998)[2]
- The Great Battles: Collector's Edition (1998)
Development history
Interactive Magic announced the completion of The Great Battles of Caesar on March 11, 1998,[3] and it was released on the 26th.[2]
According to Computer Games Strategy Plus, the Great Battles games were "very well received by wargamers", and were successful enough that Interactive Magic worked with Erudite Software again to produce the wargame North vs. South.[4] This game was built with an updated version of the engine used in the three Great Battles games.[1]
Reception
The Great Battles of Hannibal
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| PC Gamer (US) | 85%[5] |
| Computer Games Strategy Plus |   [7] |
Scott Udell of Computer Games Strategy Plus called Hannibal an improvement upon its predecessor, in that it retained Alexander's best features while fixing its worst. He praised it as "a wonderfully refreshing play aesthetic that few recent wargames have approached, let alone matched."[7] In PC Gamer US, William R. Trotter likewise praised the game and compared it positively to Alexander. Describing Hannibal's place in the Great Battles series, he summarized, "It is perhaps unwise to suggest that any wargame is 'the last word' on a given subject [...] but it's hard to imagine how these three games could be outclassed in the foreseeable future."[5]
In a less positive review, Computer Gaming World's Ron Talbot wrote that "Hannibal marks a step back from Alex." He found its campaign "unimaginative" and noted significant technical problems, which he considered "unforgivable in the second iteration of a series."[6]
The Great Battles of Caesar
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer Games Strategy Plus |  [9] |
| Publication | Award |
|---|---|
| Computer Gaming World | Best Wargame 1998 (runner-up)[10] |
Computer Gaming World's Jim Cobb called Caesar "not only the best of the Great Battles series to date, it's also the most realistic ancients-era game yet on the PC." While he found its graphics middling, and noted that the slow performance continued from its predecessors, Cobb summarized, "If you're willing to put up with its eccentricities, Caesar does a remarkable job of recreating ancient warfare."[8] Mark H. Walker of Computer Games Strategy Plus wrote that Caesar is "fun, challenging, and mildly addictive", but also "annoyingly flawed and somewhat dated." Like Cobb, he criticized the game's slow performance, and called the campaign mode "as strategically challenging as a game of Chutes and Ladders." Walker summarized Caesar as "worth a look".[9]
The Great Battles of Caesar was the runner-up for Computer Gaming World's 1998 "Best Wargame" award, which ultimately went to The Operational Art of War. The editors wrote of Caesar, "With improved graphics, aggressive AI, a solid campaign, and an excellent scenario editor, it's the best ancients game in more than a decade for the PC."[10]
References
- ^ a b Ocampo, Jason (July 6, 1998). "Great Battles Collection Planned". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 17, 2005.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Mayer, Robert (March 26, 1998). "Interactive Magic's Great Battles of Caesar in Stores". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Ocampo, Jason (March 11, 1998). "I-Magic Finishes Projects". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Mayer, Robert (February 3, 1998). "Interactive Magic Profile". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Trotter, William R. (February 1998). "Great Battles of Hannibal". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on December 21, 1999.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Talbot, Ron (February 27, 1998). "Great Battles of Hannibal". Computer Gaming World. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Udell, Scott. "The Great Battles of Hannibal". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Cobb, Jim. "Great Battles of Caesar". Computer Gaming World. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Walker, Mark H. (April 22, 1998). "The Great Battles of Caesar". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Staff (April 1999). "Computer Gaming World's 1999 Premier Awards; CGW Presents the Best Games of 1998". Computer Gaming World (177): 90, 93, 96–105.