First off, a preliminary comment. I just deleted a handful of blog threads that were basically worthless rambling on things not even remotely gaming oriented.
I plan to refuse to discuss anything non gaming in the future. What's the point? This is a gaming site.
Back to the reason for today's blog comment.
I am, in some cases, a wargamer, when the circumstances involve gaming. It's not the be all and end all of my life or existence, but, some days I suppose the label is relevant.
And since about 2000 I have been fairly active online and devoted to things wargaming (not always of the electronic medium sort though).
But through it all, it has always been wargaming (when electronic) of the PC variety, because old school wargaming barely exists off the PC (no people, a shooter is not a wargame, that would be termed an arcade game, not that I don't like them).
In around 2006 I bought my first Nintendo DSl (I say first, because this clumsy dolt dropped the first one in an ice cooler and that led to a second one being required
).
I only bought the thing, because I juuuuust had to play Panzer Tactics in it. And then they delayed the durn game for a full year (grrrr).
In the interval though, I was able to enjoy both Steel Horizon (great naval game) and Age of Empires: Age of Kings (I much prefer it in turn mode btw).
I also ended up with a few other titles, but they weren't wargames.
I also found out about flashcarts, and bam, I suddenly had exposure to every last friggin DS game made without need to be choosy.
I discovered I liked Advance Wars (both titles), and I was able to discover a few other quasi military themed games like Front Mission.
But the flashcart made it possible for me to realize, that the majority of the Nintendo DS inventory was reeeeeeally not military titles by any stretch of the imagination.
And the more I talked about the Nintendo DS among my wargaming community, the more it became plenty obvious, my wargaming bretheren couldn't care less if the Nintendo DS had any decent military titles for it at all.
The problem was two fold.
1. the adult world reeeeally sees the Nintendo DS as only something to entertain your preteen children, and maybe your teens.
2. the wargaming community is pretty much convinced 'oh we could never make games for the Nintendo DS, way too expensive for us'.
That is rapidly becoming not accurate for 1. and rapidly becoming a crock for 2.
And as evidence, I present Slitherine.
http://www.slitherine.com/
More specifically their Nintendo DS line up.
They have to their credit so far, a release of their game originally for the PC only, now available on PC PSP and the DS.
Commander: Europe at War.
Which could likely be easily followed by their companion title Commander: Napoleon at War.
They also have The History Channel Great Empires Rome out on the DS, and they have plans to release this year, BBC Battlefield Academy, which will be a 3d tactical turn using WW2 game (likely less 3d on the DS though than on the PC).
It is clear, that Slitherine has managed to disprove the notion it can't be done ie release actual wargames for the Nintendo DS market.
Now I don't truly expect to see members of GBAtemp flocking to Slitherine in droves to obtain my precious wargames
But, the point is, it can be done, it is being done, and will continue to be done.
The DS is not something just for 9 year old girls and their pet animal games, nor is it just an RPG option for teenagers.
My inventory of Nintendo DS wargames is finally getting large enough, I am having trouble carrying them all around at the same time finally
For those interested in these titles, I will caution you, they WILL end up seeming dull to anyone other than the sort that enjoys complex turn based strategy titles.
But, if you routinely enjoy the RPG titles that also feature turn based strategy where you actually have to pay attention to your moves, you might actually enjoy my wargames.
I plan to refuse to discuss anything non gaming in the future. What's the point? This is a gaming site.
Back to the reason for today's blog comment.
I am, in some cases, a wargamer, when the circumstances involve gaming. It's not the be all and end all of my life or existence, but, some days I suppose the label is relevant.
And since about 2000 I have been fairly active online and devoted to things wargaming (not always of the electronic medium sort though).
But through it all, it has always been wargaming (when electronic) of the PC variety, because old school wargaming barely exists off the PC (no people, a shooter is not a wargame, that would be termed an arcade game, not that I don't like them).
In around 2006 I bought my first Nintendo DSl (I say first, because this clumsy dolt dropped the first one in an ice cooler and that led to a second one being required
).I only bought the thing, because I juuuuust had to play Panzer Tactics in it. And then they delayed the durn game for a full year (grrrr).
In the interval though, I was able to enjoy both Steel Horizon (great naval game) and Age of Empires: Age of Kings (I much prefer it in turn mode btw).
I also ended up with a few other titles, but they weren't wargames.
I also found out about flashcarts, and bam, I suddenly had exposure to every last friggin DS game made without need to be choosy.
I discovered I liked Advance Wars (both titles), and I was able to discover a few other quasi military themed games like Front Mission.
But the flashcart made it possible for me to realize, that the majority of the Nintendo DS inventory was reeeeeeally not military titles by any stretch of the imagination.
And the more I talked about the Nintendo DS among my wargaming community, the more it became plenty obvious, my wargaming bretheren couldn't care less if the Nintendo DS had any decent military titles for it at all.
The problem was two fold.
1. the adult world reeeeally sees the Nintendo DS as only something to entertain your preteen children, and maybe your teens.
2. the wargaming community is pretty much convinced 'oh we could never make games for the Nintendo DS, way too expensive for us'.
That is rapidly becoming not accurate for 1. and rapidly becoming a crock for 2.
And as evidence, I present Slitherine.
http://www.slitherine.com/
More specifically their Nintendo DS line up.
They have to their credit so far, a release of their game originally for the PC only, now available on PC PSP and the DS.
Commander: Europe at War.
Which could likely be easily followed by their companion title Commander: Napoleon at War.
They also have The History Channel Great Empires Rome out on the DS, and they have plans to release this year, BBC Battlefield Academy, which will be a 3d tactical turn using WW2 game (likely less 3d on the DS though than on the PC).
It is clear, that Slitherine has managed to disprove the notion it can't be done ie release actual wargames for the Nintendo DS market.
Now I don't truly expect to see members of GBAtemp flocking to Slitherine in droves to obtain my precious wargames
But, the point is, it can be done, it is being done, and will continue to be done.
The DS is not something just for 9 year old girls and their pet animal games, nor is it just an RPG option for teenagers.
My inventory of Nintendo DS wargames is finally getting large enough, I am having trouble carrying them all around at the same time finally
For those interested in these titles, I will caution you, they WILL end up seeming dull to anyone other than the sort that enjoys complex turn based strategy titles.
But, if you routinely enjoy the RPG titles that also feature turn based strategy where you actually have to pay attention to your moves, you might actually enjoy my wargames.
