tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post7699336356425827250..comments2023-11-03T02:44:56.790-07:00Comments on Fortress: Ameritrash: TIDE OF IRON review upMatt Throwerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04426055092986158446noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-68181195210549550912012-03-31T08:34:25.773-07:002012-03-31T08:34:25.773-07:00Quite effective material, thank you for the articl...Quite effective material, thank you for the article.herbalwellspringhttp://herbalwellspring.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-11440893811202903852007-08-06T21:08:00.000-07:002007-08-06T21:08:00.000-07:00Michael, I couldn't be arsed reading most of your ...Michael, I couldn't be arsed reading most of your sycophantic drivel. You clearly only wrote that because either:<BR/><BR/>1. You're screwing/being screwed by somebody at FFG (the poor unfortunate), or<BR/><BR/>2. You got a free copy of ToI for writing it.<BR/><BR/>You disappoint me; this:-<BR/><BR/><I>"TIDE OF IRON is a resounding success as a “pop” war game with definite board game appeal and it is yet another star in the constellation of future classics offered by Fantasy Flight Games. The completely modular, customizable nature of the game and the promise of expansions (the first one will move the action to North Africa) indicate that this is a game that fans will be playing and exploring for many years to come."</I><BR/><BR/>may well have been ripped from somebody else's review, though I suspect it is simply because reason 2 above is the correct one. You sold out; nothing you say is credible any more.Pawnstarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-63136828623143051472007-07-27T13:37:00.000-07:002007-07-27T13:37:00.000-07:00Sudden Strike 3 will be good.I don't doubt that. ...<I>Sudden Strike 3 will be good.</I><BR/><BR/>I don't doubt that. I loved SSII, especially with the UBER hard British first mission. I loved sending my motorcycles out to scout out the German lines and then loved it when the shells started asploding all around them.<BR/><BR/>Thought of a better "sandblasting a cracker" maneuver: AA guns against infantry! Sure, the guns are inaccurate, but the explosions! The men hitting the dirt! You can almost hear them chanting, "shit! shit! shit!" as the shells kick up the earth around them.Rliyenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08644720690880433211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-31094916642288420792007-07-27T08:33:00.000-07:002007-07-27T08:33:00.000-07:00Huh? Why is there a tea stain on the floor of F:A...Huh? Why is there a tea stain on the floor of F:AT?Michael Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01465993224831900150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-26431400721156188902007-07-27T07:54:00.000-07:002007-07-27T07:54:00.000-07:00I'm hearing those voices again, but it sounds like...I'm hearing those voices again, but it sounds like they've been to school during the lull.Muzzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00715756477025218313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-14404324716150265692007-07-27T07:49:00.000-07:002007-07-27T07:49:00.000-07:00I'm against proper breeding.I'm against proper breeding.dbuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05340743918872128456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-55049238182094786702007-07-26T21:44:00.000-07:002007-07-26T21:44:00.000-07:00Never read this blog drunk. Or is it never read t...Never read this blog drunk. Or is it never read this blog sober? I can't remember.robartinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05294186755409903257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-44922597528569015702007-07-26T18:29:00.000-07:002007-07-26T18:29:00.000-07:00From: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/blizzcon.h...From: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/blizzcon.html<BR/><BR/><B>World of Warcraft: the Board Game demos! Come play FFG's best-selling game ever!</B><BR/><BR/>Suck on that you hater bastards.<BR/><BR/>Also I hope Thaadd remembers her favorite bonehead when hides a few of those mini expansions in her bag when the boss isn't looking.Mr Skeletorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17641339798508135450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-7578275109883341142007-07-26T17:57:00.000-07:002007-07-26T17:57:00.000-07:00Sudden Strike 3 will be good.Sudden Strike 3 will be good.Pat Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18200005894774999916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-23582378652827692602007-07-26T17:50:00.000-07:002007-07-26T17:50:00.000-07:00Rumor has it that the upcoming 'Desert Fox' will h...<I>Rumor has it that the upcoming 'Desert Fox' will have 88's.</I><BR/><BR/>Damn it, Darilian, now you're making me want to load up Sudden Strike and blast the crap out of some Wolverines.<BR/><BR/>I HAVE THE PAIN!Rliyenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08644720690880433211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-18715691364610234992007-07-26T16:45:00.000-07:002007-07-26T16:45:00.000-07:00Third paragraph maybe too long and maybe too many ...Third paragraph maybe too long and maybe too many of your own personal reservations. <BR/><BR/>If you hate the game, rip it to pieces. Make it entertaining how bad the game it. That'll make we want to read it to the end.<BR/><BR/>If you like the game, say so clearly.<BR/><BR/>If you think your average reader has reservations, make it suspenseful, misdirect us, then surprise us with the findings.<BR/><BR/>But in the third paragraph, it was like only you had reservations, with the rest of us not knowing what you were talking about. You might as well been talking snooty about wine: "I was closely following the maturing of COMBAT COMMANDER: EUROPE, and was already annoyed that TIDE OF IRON wasn't being put out under the TWILIGHT IMPERIUM house label. I was worried about aftertastes of petrol and gunpowder that routinely come with a WWII vintage. At worst, I was worried it would be bland and overly sugary like MEMOIR ’44, more suited for a juice box than a bottle. Do we really need another rotgut-for-winos tarted up in a more expensive package, something that tastes like koolaid, burns like gasoline, and is guaranteed to leave your friends miserable and with headaches tomorrow?"<BR/><BR/>The first two paragraphs? They sang. Every word was perfect. Great job!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-30294674523787728912007-07-26T14:08:00.000-07:002007-07-26T14:08:00.000-07:00Rumor has it that the upcoming 'Desert Fox' will h...Rumor has it that the upcoming 'Desert Fox' will have 88's.<BR/><BR/>DarilianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-21304331861989628172007-07-26T14:05:00.000-07:002007-07-26T14:05:00.000-07:00Yeah, I hear you on the guns...it's kind of like m...Yeah, I hear you on the guns...it's kind of like my complaint about the uselesness of archery in BATTLELORE. I bet in the future we'll see something a little more detailed on 'em.Michael Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01465993224831900150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-79743243388170737412007-07-26T14:03:00.000-07:002007-07-26T14:03:00.000-07:00FYI- You CAN make a legal force for FOW for about ...FYI- <BR/>You CAN make a legal force for FOW for about $95.00. Its ALL tanks, but hey!<BR/><BR/>A more 'standard' force can be had for about $150. <BR/><BR/>However, both of those prices do not include the rules. The Hard Back rules are $50. List books are extra. <BR/><BR/>So yah, TOI is cheaper- but then I never said it wasnt. Its just for that amount of money, I could get even more toys for my growing Soviet Mechanized Division.......*lol*<BR/><BR/>DarilianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-20755118632465234342007-07-26T14:00:00.000-07:002007-07-26T14:00:00.000-07:00MB- I get your point. However, Iron Golems an...MB-<BR/> I get your point. However, Iron Golems and Blood Apes are not an integral aspect of the traditional Dungeon Crawl. AT guns (required to make the ubiquitous German 'PaKFront') and the 60 and 81mm mortar (needed to satisfy the US penchant to 'smoke anything, anywhere') really are.<BR/><BR/> Now- TOI is immensely accesible. MUCH more so than any miniature game where you have to paint the figures- even FOW, which is one of the most accessible historical miniature games out there today. So I give TOI credit for that. It is a GOOD game.<BR/><BR/> That said- I still don't like the video gameyness of some of the card mechanics (powering up, etc), and I don't like the lack of some integral 'company level' assets. TOI is a company level game- you're running several platoons. Therefore, you should have access to Company level assets is all I'm sayin!<BR/><BR/> Good review, you did a great job of explaining both the game and why you like it so much. I only wish I liked the game as much as you do! *s*<BR/><BR/>DarilianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-35470904884602471882007-07-26T13:59:00.000-07:002007-07-26T13:59:00.000-07:00It'll cost more than $80 to get going in Flames of...It'll cost more than $80 to get going in Flames of War. Then finding oponents etc...<BR/><BR/>Big pain nowadays.<BR/><BR/>I really could care less about Descent, but AT guns are not "Blood Apes" (generic medium monster # 5)and should have been included in the main game and not an expansion. <BR/><BR/>The other elements I mentioned are all coming down the pipes so even non grognards like yourself will wind up using them anyways.Pat Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18200005894774999916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-46955352431779496802007-07-26T13:31:00.000-07:002007-07-26T13:31:00.000-07:00Well, were you griping about the omission of Blood...Well, were you griping about the omission of Blood Apes and Iron Golems in the base DESCENT game?<BR/><BR/>TIDE OF IRON is a popcorn game...it's great for guys like me who like WW2 but couldn't rattle off detailed OOBs, pet names for tanks, or explanations of why so and so did that and that on whatever battlefield. It's a great game that has the right amount of depth, WW2 atmosphere, and "pop"...yeah, I think it's worth $80...FLAMES OF WAR is a whole different thing altogether...those tiny, tiny men...Michael Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01465993224831900150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-40878307980803753692007-07-26T13:30:00.000-07:002007-07-26T13:30:00.000-07:00Correct, Alexa is by no means a rock solid gauge -...Correct, Alexa is by no means a rock solid gauge -- it does provide a good gloss over, though. I'm not at liberty to discuss actual numbers because my boss reads this blog, too. I like my job. <BR/><BR/>Site rank means jack squat, reach and page views are, to me, more important (click the tabs). <BR/><BR/>BGG being down any certain %, IMO, has nothing whatsoever to do with Michael or any of that stuff. It's Internet trends, nothing more. <BR/><BR/>Click on the 1 year tab and you'll see a *huge* spike around Christmas time. BGG is a happenin' place when people are shopping, and it seems to keep a pretty solid core base throughout the year. This is even more glaring when looking at the 3-year graph. (I'm talking page views here, not rank). <BR/><BR/>So no, BGG doesn't need or depend at all on the Merry Band of Ameritrashers. A site like BGG, I would assume, will see pretty big spike and drop offs based on new releases and the holiday net surfers. <BR/><BR/>Anyway, next week Michael continues his reviews with a look at Age of Empires III.bill abnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557904727767952205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-68522535957042752672007-07-26T13:13:00.000-07:002007-07-26T13:13:00.000-07:00I agree and have been griping over the omission of...I agree and have been griping over the omission of AT guns, armoured cars, light tanks and other heavy weapons but that is just me wanting everything in the box.<BR/><BR/>Video gamers (well PC gamers at least) are used to expansion packs - myself included. I really have no problem if a product will be supported, as a matter of fact I like it. <BR/><BR/>Also for me it is the fact that I can rather easily set up and store the game. I have painted too many figs and scenery pieces and now need all that space for kids things etc...Pat Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18200005894774999916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-48706402600329097382007-07-26T12:55:00.000-07:002007-07-26T12:55:00.000-07:00Now that the voices in my head have been positivel...Now that the voices in my head have been positively identified as a douche bag dork, I can put in my $1.05 for freedom and TOI.<BR/><BR/>I've only had a chance to play twice, so I'm not an expert, but my initial response was... meh.<BR/><BR/>I mean, its a good game. But is it $80 good game? For that amount of money, you're pretty close to being able to get a force in 15mm for Flames of War- and MORE than enough for a force in 1/285th (6mm) Cold War Commander/ BlitzKrieg Commander. So the game gotta pretty well rock....<BR/><BR/>My two big beefs are 1)that some of the game mechanics (like taking certain positions for extra command 'boosts') seem too 'video gamey and 2) No AT guns, light mortars, or HMG's. Its hard to really get a combined arms thing going with only infantry and tanks on the table.<BR/><BR/>That said, it IS fun. As I said above, I'm just not sure that its <BR/>$ 80 fun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-40076230220810232952007-07-26T12:47:00.000-07:002007-07-26T12:47:00.000-07:00Although Alexa's number are kind suspect because t...Although Alexa's number are kind suspect because they use a weird spyware app to gather their usage data. The detail data is interesting, but comparing site rankings is kind of dubious. <BR/><BR/>As to Madcatz, they really stopped making nice controllers back in the PS1 days. <BR/><BR/>As to Gameshark, they have made nice products, but I would so worry about their core line. The new consoles are rapidly becoming unhackable without breaking warranties.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-89861520483781558282007-07-26T12:15:00.000-07:002007-07-26T12:15:00.000-07:00I should have edited in the Company of Heroes comp...I should have edited in the Company of Heroes comparison. That's a damn good one to make. Fits perfectly, really, and that is such a fantastic game in its own right. <BR/><BR/>As for Mad Catz, they pay the bills, but I've never used a MC controller or used the GameShark PS2 code device in my life. I am a crappy company man, I guess. <BR/><BR/>As far as readership goes:<BR/><BR/>This is a public site so I'm not breaking any confidences by posting it. Go here:<BR/><BR/>www.alexa.com<BR/><BR/>Change the sites that it plugs in to gameshark.com and boardgamegeek.com and see how they compare. BGG is a big, big site so that should give you an idea how how many readers we have, generally speaking. <BR/><BR/>Of course..type in GameSpot and yeah...they're rather large.bill abnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557904727767952205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-221864508301013232007-07-26T12:01:00.000-07:002007-07-26T12:01:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Fortress AThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07867827199097107795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-61166390907821822007-07-26T11:55:00.000-07:002007-07-26T11:55:00.000-07:00(Empty bottle of "CC" hitting the floor)Uuuhh...I ...(Empty bottle of "CC" hitting the floor)<BR/><BR/>Uuuhh...I feel better now. Hey, what's this? A soiled meeple and equaly defiled autographed photo of (insert board game reviewing afraid to offend anyone personality name here).<BR/><BR/>(Searching pockets for substances containing at least a three letter acronym)Pat Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18200005894774999916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-48824712727537964032007-07-26T11:46:00.000-07:002007-07-26T11:46:00.000-07:00Rilyen? You OK? You're quoting text that doesn't e...<I>Rilyen? You OK? You're quoting text that doesn't even exist! Someone get Richard Launius on the horn, I've got an idea for an ARKHAM HORROR "Environment" card.<BR/><BR/>WHY I EYES YA</I><BR/><BR/>The voices in my brainmeats, they won't stop gibbering! I saw the words! <I>I saw them!</I> *eye twitch*<BR/><BR/>Why doesn't anyone believe me!?!?!<BR/><BR/>*imbibes more medication*Rliyenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08644720690880433211noreply@blogger.com