Joseph Dwan writes: I might have been playing a little too much of Frozen Cortex, Mode 7’s newest game. Released just last week, it has received positive reviews from a number of outlets, and rightfully so. A futuristic take on Rugby or American Football (depending on your perspective), it’s a whiteboard strategy simulator. 5 players on each team aim to get the ball either into the scoring zone or through specific areas to get points, the twist being that the game is a mix of real time and turn-based strategy. Both players control the whole team, and set directions for players to follow after each player (or coach) is done. The directions then play out in real time, meaning both players must simultaneously anticipate the other’s moves and outmaneuver them. A range of singleplayer and multiplayer modes on top then boost the variety, but the real enjoyment lies in the base mode.
Those who played Frozen Synapse, Mode 7’s previous game, might recognise the overall style as it also used the mix of turn-based and real-time strategy. Arguably Frozen Synapse is more complicated, as it featured different weapons to increase the variety in strategy required, although I’d say that Frozen Cortex is a better application of the base ideas and themes.
This week’s Humble Weekly Bundle, Make Your Move, features a nice crop of strategy games. While many of the previous bundles have been following a formula showcasing one developer’s games, this one is more eclectic.
PC Invasion where we dish out a dizzying array of truly bizarre awards. The main point of these awards are to look back at the year with a smile and a cheeky wink.
Cubed:
Almost anyone would say that American football and cyberpunk turn-based tactics have no business being in the same game together, but that assertion is actually rather shallow. With its frequent play stoppages and emphasis on formations, American football is a lot more tactical than its stereotypical player and fan image would suggest, and the existence of Blood Bowl proved long ago that hardcore nerd and jock pastimes can coexist surprisingly well. Mode 7 Games have brought this mentality to Frozen Cortex, the spiritual successor to their cerebral X-COM tribute, Frozen Synapse. The result is conceptually brilliant, but fumbles its execution in a number of key areas.