'With a plethora of Xbox Live Arcade games available you would think that every genre would have been covered, well for those strategy fans among us there was still a gaping hole in the XBLA line-up, until now. Commanders: Attack of the Genos is a turn-based strategy game developed by SouthEnd Interactive and Published by Sierra Online.
Players familiar with this genre will be right at home with the setup of Commanders, you have a designated base which is used to build various units whilst collecting resources to fund the manufacture of more units. These units all have their strengths and weaknesses ect, infantry are strong against other infantry but susceptible to scouts, elements which must be taken into account when moving around the field. Movement is based on a grid system, the map is basically made up of little squares with each unit designated a set amount of points for either movement or attack (or both).
You will find the basic premise used by many turn based strategy games here but where Commanders differs is in its application of the commander unit (go figure). The commander unit has both an active and passive power, these powers are unique for each commander, with numerous commanders becoming available throughout the campaign. After the commanders battle gauge is filled they can unleash their specialized powers, selecting the right commander is paramount to a missions success..."
Carlos writes "It’s been a great month so far for the backwards compatibility scheme on Xbox One, but this week may just be the busiest week of all since its introduction. 10 more Xbox 360 titles have made the generational jump and are now playable on Xbox One, so let’s take a look and see if they are worth returning to once more."
Gamereactor caught up with Southend Interactive's CEO and co-founder Anders Jeppsson to talk about the first ten years of Southend's existence and how they transitioned from a small team making games like Deathrow (Xbox, 2002) and working on XIII (Xbox version) to their current projects Lode Runner and R-Type Dimensions for Xbox Live Arcade.
Commander: Napoleon at War manages to get a lot of things right. It strikes a nice balance between simulation and convenience, giving players just enough to make their strategic decisions matter, but not so much that they're crushed under the weight of tables and numbers. With that said, the real focus here is on moving and fighting, not on diplomacy, technology or economy. Those elements are present, of course, but they're on the sidelines. But as fun and as big as the game is, the lack of a solid AI and the strange limitations on how you move and attack limit the amount of fun you'll have here.
Presentation - 8.0
Graphics - 7.5
Sound - 6.0
Gameplay - 7.0
Lasting Appeal - 6.0
Overall -
This looks like it could be a fun little game. I'm really pleasantly surprised at how many strategy games are making it to 360. I can't wait to buy Civilization Revolution after playing the demo.