Shogun 2 2500 against 6000

Tonight, after a difficult day of work, I resolved myself to return to Shogun 2. Often I find myself after a day that exhausts me that I fancy anything other than an RTS game. RTS is, in itself exhausting. Or, occasionally, exhilarating. Both of which are the same thing, depending on when you come. So, in Shogun 2, for those who have some familiarity, has an event called Realm Divide. It occurs after you become the most powerful faction in the game. Its consequence is that every faction goes to war with you. As a result, you find yourself in battles like I did tonight; Oda and 6000 troops against my 2500. Once I read on a forum that you should recruit cavalry - that mainstay of crushing battlefield victories - because you risk the multitude of sieges battles in which they are useless. The...

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Should we have a gaming BTEC?

This weekend I purchased a fair few games in the Steam Sale alongside other commitments. Settling down to play, I found my first game - Deus Ex HR - crashed on the first level. Repeatedly. At different points. It tooks 30 minutes of tweaking the settings and files and googling irate forums to get it to work. In a fit of pique, I posted a message on the PC-Gamers forum. The response was particularly interesting. I suggest, by the end, that if we pioneered a gaming BTEC, what would count as a C-grade? You had to be determined to get DOS games to load, or C64 tapes to run. These days, some games are demanding that same dedication. However, what really makes an A* gaming student?Here is the link to the thread. Bear in mind that, as a public forum,...

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Skyrim - First Impressions

I rarely purchase new games, least of all expansive efforts like The Elder Scrolls series. Partly this is snobbery: I feel above the tumble of experiencing that to which I feel the crowd might flock because of its newness. Part of it is because of cost: Total War games slash their prices in weeks. And, like with all great gaming communities, the modding community creates a better, more refined game over time. But it was with great excitement that Skyrim arrived on Friday. As an old friend of sixteen years was visiting my sleepy seaside town, I hadn't planned on getting some gaming time in. Therefore, I had only preordered via amazon.co.uk with a free supersaver delivery. It is with great kudos to that behemoth that it arrived on the release...

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