Hi, I really dislike the direction the Wargamer site is going. I used to go there regularly for in depth reviews; now I have some little face icon, awful orange banners, fluff pieces barely fit to be called 'reviews' and a really wide definition of what constitutes a 'wargame' that simply does not compute with what I think computer wargaming is about (ie; no magic orcs, bright green elves or barely relevant fantasy firebolts. In short, a more traditional definition of a wargame.)
I just get annoyed with those crazy funster icons and the lack of substance. So, ditching that site. But where now do I now go for serious reviews of more traditional definitions of computer war games? Does anyone have some recommendations? I figure if anyone has some recommendations, it'd be here.
Thank you in advance.
Apoll
The wargamer was purchased off matrix games right?
I'm not sure. Wargamer.com. Used to be good but changed in line with sister site, Strategy gamer, and just in my view, turned into a site that made quantity over quality gaming journalism its core mantra and started pumping out as much light fluff news (not reviews) on anything that could remotely be construed as the title 'wargame'. Doesn't deserve the title Wargamer; maybe fantasy/RPG/miscellaneous gaming news.
So, where do we go now to get good quality reviews of genuine computer war games? This site has quality comments of course, but just where can we get in-depth reviews of games such as Command, WitE2 (when it comes out), that sort of thing?
Grateful views.
Apoll
I dont think PCGamesN is too bad (see their review of the latest Total War Three Kingdoms expansion for example on its front page) but instinctively I defer not to professional "journalists" who may or may not be influenced by game makers but to grognards whose opinions I respect on this forum.
Sometimes " the madness of crowds" is far saner than what is laughably called games journalism ( yes Rock Paper Shotgun I am looking at you)
This site is obviously a good place to get game feedback from hardcore wargamers. Otherwise, I use YouTube a lot for reviews....two names come to mind but there are others: dastactics and thehistoricalgamer. They do excellent 'let's play' videos which as also like reviews.
Quote from: Rayfer on March 11, 2021, 08:07:41 AM
Otherwise, I use YouTube a lot for reviews....two names come to mind but there are others: dastactics and thehistoricalgamer.
Lately I find myself spending more time on Twitch. The names you mention are also present over there and with a higher frequency then on their YT channels.
Other Twitch channels I could recommend : StrategyGamingDojo / SlitherineGroup / KushanGaming / Gamer_1745
Quote from: Pete Dero on March 11, 2021, 08:30:45 AM
Quote from: Rayfer on March 11, 2021, 08:07:41 AM
Otherwise, I use YouTube a lot for reviews....two names come to mind but there are others: dastactics and thehistoricalgamer.
Lately I find myself spending more time on Twitch. The names you mention are also present over there and with a higher frequency then on their YT channels.
Other Twitch channels I could recommend : StrategyGamingDojo / SlitherineGroup / KushanGaming / Gamer_1745
LOL....can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I'm going to be 70 soon...I don't even know what Twitch is. :-[ :-\ ???
Quote from: Rayfer on March 11, 2021, 10:02:37 AM
LOL....can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I'm going to be 70 soon...I don't even know what Twitch is. :-[ :-\ ???
https://www.twitch.tv/
It is like YT but more focused on live streaming (all streams can be watched again later).
Initially only for games but lately there is more activity in the 'just chatting' category.
Owned by Amazon.
He's not done too many reviews yet, but he probably will: https://tallyhocorner.com/
There is no place left to get a good review since The Wargamer blew up several years ago. I have been relying on these forums for my game info with as much or better luck than I ever had with reviews. I remember when I had a subscription to The Wargamer magazine... the mailman brought real excitement! Games were few and far between, compared to now. The good old days...games have come a long way for both better and worse.
Quote from: Pete Dero on March 11, 2021, 10:16:15 AM
Quote from: Rayfer on March 11, 2021, 10:02:37 AM
LOL....can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I'm going to be 70 soon...I don't even know what Twitch is. :-[ :-\ ???
https://www.twitch.tv/
It is like YT but more focused on live streaming (all streams can be watched again later).
Initially only for games but lately there is more activity in the 'just chatting' category.
Owned by Amazon.
Thanks PD....I'll check it out.
Quote from: devoncop on March 11, 2021, 07:02:22 AM
I dont think PCGamesN is too bad (see their review of the latest Total War Three Kingdoms expansion for example on its front page) but instinctively I defer not to professional "journalists" who may or may not be influenced by game makers but to grognards whose opinions I respect on this forum.
Sometimes " the madness of crowds" is far saner than what is laughably called games journalism ( yes Rock Paper Shotgun I am looking at you)
PCGamesN is the one that now owns Wargamer and messed it up to begin with.
Quote from: Pete Dero on March 11, 2021, 08:30:45 AM
Lately I find myself spending more time on Twitch. The names you mention are also present over there and with a higher frequency then on their YT channels.
Other Twitch channels I could recommend : StrategyGamingDojo / SlitherineGroup / KushanGaming / Gamer_1745
Twitch sounds like a good idea, but my enjoyment of games is pretty reflective so I really don't have much choice but to buy anything that sounds even remotely good and then suffer (or return! a wonderful thing about steam). Sometimes I think playing a game that annoys you for a half-hour before you return it is kind of refreshing -- at least you appreciate the games you like a little more after some less-than-fun experiences.
On the other hand, I don't think most gamers have my idea of fun so it's kind of pointless for me to review things -- the best I can do helpfully is to put up screenshots and small narratives. I sort of can't believe more people here don't play HLL, Maybe its my fault. I have to say after some wild fighting last night -- its a great game and completely kicks me out of any attempt to reflect on the messy violence it wierdly portrays in a mesmerizing way. Kind of hard to capture that all in screenshots and small narratives, I guess.
Quote from: MengJiao on March 11, 2021, 01:21:46 PM
I sort of can't believe more people here don't play HLL, Maybe its my fault. I have to say after some wild fighting last night -- its a great game and completely kicks me out of any attempt to reflect on the messy violence it wierdly portrays in a mesmerizing way. Kind of hard to capture that all in screenshots and small narratives, I guess.
Because it is exclusively a multi-player experience with no real single player content. Wargamers by nature are very anti-social and do not like relying on others to contribute to their gaming experience.
Quote from: CaptainKoloth on March 11, 2021, 12:48:57 PM
Quote from: devoncop on March 11, 2021, 07:02:22 AM
I dont think PCGamesN is too bad (see their review of the latest Total War Three Kingdoms expansion for example on its front page) but instinctively I defer not to professional "journalists" who may or may not be influenced by game makers but to grognards whose opinions I respect on this forum.
Sometimes " the madness of crowds" is far saner than what is laughably called games journalism ( yes Rock Paper Shotgun I am looking at you)
PCGamesN is the one that now owns Wargamer and messed it up to begin with.
Thanks for that Captain....ownership and editorial control these days are anything but clear I am afraid.
I just thought the particular review of the Total War DLC was reasonable.
The problem with a lot of the so called review sites these days is they are dominated by Japanese games, hentai graphics and ARPG's which I have little time for.
If you like arcade games...... which I doubt you do then no doubt they are ideal🙄
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on March 11, 2021, 01:50:01 PM
Quote from: MengJiao on March 11, 2021, 01:21:46 PM
I sort of can't believe more people here don't play HLL, Maybe its my fault. I have to say after some wild fighting last night -- its a great game and completely kicks me out of any attempt to reflect on the messy violence it wierdly portrays in a mesmerizing way. Kind of hard to capture that all in screenshots and small narratives, I guess.
Because it is exclusively a multi-player experience with no real single player content. Wargamers by nature are very anti-social and do not like relying on others to contribute to their gaming experience.
100% correct in my case. JH.
I make the average hermit look like a social butterfly when it comes to wargaming.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on March 11, 2021, 01:50:01 PM
Quote from: MengJiao on March 11, 2021, 01:21:46 PM
I sort of can't believe more people here don't play HLL, Maybe its my fault. I have to say after some wild fighting last night -- its a great game and completely kicks me out of any attempt to reflect on the messy violence it wierdly portrays in a mesmerizing way. Kind of hard to capture that all in screenshots and small narratives, I guess.
Because it is exclusively a multi-player experience with no real single player content. Wargamers by nature are very anti-social and do not like relying on others to contribute to their gaming experience.
Right, so no amount of reviewing would make any difference.
Ok. Thank you everyone for your comments and ideas. As I said, this site is a great source of views; I will also check out those two names for YT reviews.
Apoll
Jar just described me to perfection. How does he know so much about me? Hold-on, I'll just go over to those 2 Black Cars that're always parked across the street and ask one of them. :o
Quote from: Sir Slash on March 13, 2021, 10:20:12 AM
Jar just described me to perfection. How does he know so much about me? Hold-on, I'll just go over to those 2 Black Cars that're always parked across the street and ask one of them. :o
Brothers from a different mother.
I have a few suggestions. There is a wealth of older and newer players out there who popped up over the last year. They all complement each other, and the main advantage I see in this is that I never get bored.
I will just leave the URLs here. Enjoy!
http://tallyhocorner.com
https://letstalkaboutwargames.wordpress.com
https://strategyandwargaming.com
https://strategyfrontgaming.com/
https://avidwargamer.com/
Plenty of reading out there for you gentlemen :)
Admiral, thanks for posting those links, very good websites
Videogamegeek had the potential to be good but I don't think there is enough critical mass in terms of users providing content.
Quote from: demjansk1942 on March 14, 2021, 06:41:19 AM
Admiral, thanks for posting those links, very good websites
Yes, thanks for that Admiral - I wasn't aware of any of those
Admiral, thank you very much! Didn't have a clue about theses. Exactly what I was looking for. Really appreciate it.
Apoll
You're welcome! Happy to help chaps! O0
Also allow me to point you to some podcasts which will be, literally, very much in-depth indeed due to their mere nature (that is talking one hour or more about one topic, or even one single game).
Single Malt Strategy
https://www.spreaker.com/user/single_malt_strategy
Three Moves Ahead
https://www.idlethumbs.net/3ma/
A third one of course would be the Let's Talk about Wargames piece, mentioned above, which is available on their website too.
https://www.talkshoe.com/show/let-s-talk-about-wargames
A lot of other wargame-centric podcasts exist of course, but these three are more often than not dedicated to the videogame medium. That's the perfect format for morning commute or drivin', and there's a lot of ground covered over the years. Have fun!
Cheers!
I would just like to point out (as someone who has not done this) that there is no reason, if you feel compelled, that you can't write and submit a review to this site.
Speaking for myself, I can say unequivocally that I see a game on Steam, read the Steam reviews, and then immediately come on Grogheads to see what the GH crowd is saying. Almost 100% of the time I can agree with the GH crowd sentiment.
There is no reason why we can't support our own and write our own reviews for everyone else. To some extent we do that in the forums, but if you ever wanted to get your name in shiny lights on the front page of a website, with the cash and hooker bonuses inherent therein, this is the place to do it. *
* no booze or hookers may be forthcoming
I listen to single malt sometimes. Great podcast, but sometimes the language is a little hard to listen to. I assume this is because they are using single malt to power the podcast :)
A little off topic, but thinking of podcasts, there is a great ancient history podcast as well called Ancient Warfare Magazine podcast. These three or four article writers (one is a re-enactor) for the mag get together and do 40 mins or so of rambling on a subject. It goes back years. They cover things like whether Romans used loose or closed formations etc. ...
http://thehistorynetwork.org/category/podcasts/ancient-warfare-magazine/
Per Toonces' last post, that is exactly how I got involved with the original Wargamer almost 20 years ago. They put a call out for writers, I replied, and good ol' Jim Zabek actually answered. And here I am, still waiting for the hookers he promised.
Quote from: Gusington on March 21, 2021, 10:14:46 AM
Per Toonces' last post, that is exactly how I got involved with the original Wargamer almost 20 years ago. They put a call out for writers, I replied, and good ol' Jim Zabek actually answered. And here I am, still waiting for the hookers he promised.
Me too. That was in 2006.
Did you get your hookers?