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REC-A:
GENERAL GAMING NEWS |
The Adrenaline Vault
One of the leaders in online gaming magazines, Avault.com is aimed primarily at the action crowd but includes some more general games coverage.
Blue's News
Stephen "Blue" Heaslip's giant PC and console gaming site, which has
been a fixture of the gaming community for years. Constantly updated
with up-to-the-minute news about computer and console games, and the gaming
hardware required to run it. An entertaining bonus is the "Link of
the Day" feature.
GameSpy
A sprawling network of sites devoted to PC and console gaming, and
home to the Daily
Victim.
Gone Gold
Rich LaPorte's computer gaming site, dedicated to newly released game
titles. Notable for its capsule reviews of new releases, the "Gold
Guide" meta-review index, and Rich's inimitable daily "Roll
Call." Along with Blue's News, one of my two favorite gaming sites. |
REC-B:
COMBAT SIMULATION |
Combat Simulations
Len Hjalmarson and company operate Combatsim.com, one of the older sites
dedicated to PC combat simulations. Now subscription-based.
Cougar World
James "Nutty" Hallows runs the unofficial support site for the
Thrustmaster Cougar, the highest fidelity HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick)
controllers ever produced for the desktop PC. Fully programmable with its
own advanced scripting language, the Cougar replicates the sidestick and
throttle of the Block 50/52 F-16C, and even includes authentic stenciling on its
all-metal construction.
Falcon
4.0 Unified Team
Falcon 4.0, released by the
now-defunct Microprose in late 1998, was the "mother of all jet sims,"
the most ambitious effort ever made at simulating modern tactical aviation on a
PC. For various reasons, the Falcon 4.0 series was terminated; however,
the enthusiast community picked up the code and began building unbelievable
enhancements on top of the Falcon 4.0 engine. Four years later, Falcon 4.0
with the latest "SuperPAK" enhancement package is barely
recognizable. Visit the official site of this amazing grass-roots effort
at building the ultimate F-16 desktop simulator.
Frugal's World of
Simulations
Mark "Frugal" Bush runs this fantastic site covering PC combat
flight simulations, notable not only for its in-depth coverage of modern
flightsims, but also for its series of columns written by flightsim enthusiasts
who also happen to be professional aviators by day. If you want to
understand the hobby, you need to visit this site.
GhostRecon.net
Site devoted to Red Storm's Ghost Recon, probably the most realistic
first-person tactical shooter on the market today. Particularly
entertaining are the various mods that the community has created for Ghost
Recon, including firearms packs that allow you to attach all kinds of exotic
SOPMOD attachments to your M4A1 carbine. Harpoon
4
The latest in the Harpoon series of contemporary naval wargames, which will
probably be released sometime next year. (Hopefully.)
Lock On: Modern Air Combat
From the makers of the Su-27 Flanker series, LOMAC is a
forthcoming modern fighter simulation featuring the O/A-10A Warthog, F-15C
"albino" Eagle, several flavors of Su-27, two flavors of MiG-29, and
the Su-25.
MiGMan's Flight Sim Museum
MiGMan's site devoted to flightsim nostalgia. Remember Microprose's
original F-15 Strike Eagle, or F-19 Stealth Fighter?
The Pink Flamingo Bar and Grill
Pierre "Papa Doc" Legrand's simulations page, mainly devoted to Flanker (although he appears in recent days to have caught car-sim fever or something...) SimHQ.com
An excellent site exclusively devoted to simulations of all kinds, notable for
its first-rate news section. My personal favorite for general simulations
coverage.
SUBSIM Review
Neal Stevens runs this web site devoted to reviews of submarine simulations.
Waypoint
Online magazine of the computer Harpoon community, published by Dimitris V.
Dranidis. Generally published on a monthly basis, and with some very
substantive content. |
REC-C:
WARGAMING
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Battlefront.com
An independent publisher of wargames, whose notable titles include Major
Holdridge's acclaimed TacOps series, and the revolutionary Combat
Mission series of 3D tactical games.
The Complete Wargames Handbook (2nd ed.)
This is James Dunnigan's online edition of his well-known wargames guide, which went out of print in 1997. This is a good read for newcomers to modern
wargaming, from the perspective of one of its leading designers.
HPS
Simulations
Best known for ugly-but-deep grognard games (for many years its
flagship offering was the Tigers on the Prowl series). Published
Jim Lunsford's underrated Decisive Action, the modern corps- and
division-level game that got its start as a learning tool for CGSC
students. Now publishes a number of very popular John Tiller designs.
The Independent Player's Home Page for Strategy and Wargames
Pascal Ode has assembled a fantastic site with tactical tips, utilities, and FAQs for some of the most popular computer strategy and
wargames, including Steel Panthers and Close Combat.
M. Evan Brooks Home Page
M. Evan Brooks is a wargamer (currently assigned to NDU's Wargaming and Simulation Center), software reviewer (CGW's former wargame editor), military professional (currently
USARNG), and tax attorney. He has compiled a remarkably broad survey of wargames and war-related computer simulations. Read his Quintessential Wargamer's List, Quintessential Wargamer's List for Military Professionals, and The Worst in Computer Game Advertising. And if nothing there grabs you, you can look at his Guide to Federal Taxation (he also happens to teach two courses on the subject).
Matrix Games
Independent publisher of a number of notable computer strategy and wargames,
including projects by Gary Grigsby, "Wild Bill" Wilder, and
Simulations Canada. Matrix has been responsible for the updating and
overhaul of several classic wargames, including Grigsby's original Pacific
War (which is downloadable for free). Some interesting projects
are in the works, such as Flashpoint
Germany. TacOps
4
The latest version of Major Holdridge's groundbreaking tactical simulation
of modern land warfare.
TacOps IRC CPX Page
James Sterrett, umpire extraordinaire of the IRC CPX, runs this comprehensive resource to the TacOps Command Post Exercise, which is a remarkably sophisticated, umpired wargame based on the TacOps engine. Best described as Kriegspiel-meets-the-Internet, CPXs are run on weekends via multiple channels on Internet Relay Chat. The scenarios are inspired and the lessons-learned fascinating. Come read a few of the AARs (After Action Reviews) of previous CPXs archived here, and I guarantee that you'll be intrigued.
Uncommon
Valor
Gary Grigsby's acclaimed operational-level portrayal of the South Pacific
war, 1942-1943. A crisp, streamlined interface mated with a sophisticated
game engine makes this wargame remarkably addictive. Manages to place an
incredible amount of detail at the player's disposal without reducing play
mechanics into a spreadsheet exercise.
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REC-D:
REAL-TIME STRATEGY |
Age
of Kings Heaven
One of the single most complete resources devoted to Age of
Empires II/Age of Kings, including downloadable map scripts,
tips and strategies, and recorded replays.
Age
of Mythology Heaven
From the creators of the Age of Kings Heaven site, a new
online resource for Age of Empires III.
AOM
Center
RTSGamer's dedicated Age of Mythology site. Notable
for its download archives.
Mr.
Fixit Online
Offering "powertools for gamers," MFO offers tips and
strategies for a number of games. Particularly notable for
its coverage of realtime strategy games, and includes some fairly
detailed unit analyses for Empire Earth and the Age of
Empires series. |
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