Does look sweet as a fun game to play for quick fights.
Comments from another site.
I'm not a reviewer but here is my opinion;
Initial impressions are that ToT is a game that offers a spectacular presentation of one of the most simplistic tactical games on the market. If I were to liken it to any of the tactical games currently out there it would be Heroes of Normandy because the player is limited to moving a small number of units each turn and part of the strategy is deciding which ones. As pointed out in the review posted above, players will be able to perform 2 to 4 actions each turn, with some notable exceptions. Using HQ units, a player can also move adjacent units without it costing Action Points.
The game is definitely catered to a beginner and imo, those that have played almost any kind of wargame prior will be underwhelmed with the depth. It may have a following from those that are looking for a quick, simple game that can be wrapped up in a half hour or so.
If I were to rate it for what it is, a beginners game, I would say it does a great job. The visuals are excellent. The colors are bright. The U.I. is clear and easy to understand. Both the maps and counters are fantastic as are the visual effects and sounds of the game. I love the way the hex selected is shown in the upper left of the screen in 3-D ala ASL, but I wish it was displayed for every hex the mouse was scrolled over instead of being limited to only hexes that currently contain a unit. I still don't like the trajectory of the fired shells but that may just be me. Again, the presentation is top notch. I wish other developers would look at this, and HoN, and incorporate these things into a more complex system. I would highly recommend this title hoping to get someone into the hobby or even as just a primer for tactical games, although I think the price point is a little high for the content.
As for me and my taste, I don't really see any longevity with the game. There are several things that make this title fall flat compared to similar titles such as HoN, HoS,Coh etc. First, it is too simple. Even HoN has more depth as regard to unit variety. Every unit has the same attack (the dice roll) and the only thing different is the range the attacker can fire from. There are no attack values at all. A tank has the same attack possibilities as an infantry and only by qualifying for one of the few modifiers are the attacks any different. This is the biggest drawback for me and, quite honestly, a deal breaker. The maps are not that big, but that doesn't matter much because the second most limiting thing about the game is the lack of range on the individual units. Infantry can only attack 1 hex away and tanks have a range of 2 or 3 hexes. This makes LOS mostly irrelevant. It does use los which is blocked by the usual suspects (buildings, woods, hills, other units) but hardly a factor considering most units have a range of one or two hexes. Indirect fire units have a longer range and a big part of the game seems to be using other units in los of an enemy to make a ranged attack with them. IMO, it boils down to moving to close contact and then rolling a sterile, and too similar attack. The modifiers are also too similar. Buildings, woods, fortified positions all have the -1 effect to die rolls. I would have preferred a lower defense value on the units and more variances in modifiers. Maybe stone buildings are worth more?
The AI seems capable, but I think the game relies too much on luck. There is no save feature in the scenarios which may not be too much of a problem because I think most games would be around a half hour or less but I would have liked one for when I do have to shut things down for a bit. As far as bang for the buck. I'm going to have to say not so much. While the game comes with some good maps, imo, there arent enough canned scenarios. That and the fact that it, like most others, uses the same solo play scenarios as part of its campaign. For instance, the Stalingrad campaign uses the same map through 5 scenarios. The exact same map. One that is offered in solo play. This, coupled with the lack of an editor and I can see I'd be through the scenarios in no time and be quite bored with it very quickly. For the price, which is not cheap, I think more maps would have been better. But I'm just not sure that would even help considering the samesy feeling of the limited number of units and stats. Even though this game is similar to Heroes of Normandy in both its interactive and visual presentation and limited actions per turn, at least HoN has units with different ranges, attack values, a complete card system, and unit specific actions.
So what do we have? A beautifully created and much too limited game that, imo, doesn't offer enough in the terms of game play and content to warrant the price. Your mileage may vary.
To fight and conquer in all our battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
Sun Tzu
