Like me, most of us have to wait a very long time for any turn-based games to come out because of their relative scarcity in the gaming market, at least of late. While I have personally opted for replays of old turn-based titles and RPGs like Jagged Alliance 2 and Battle Isle 3, there have been a few games released in the recent years that try to fill the niche. One such game is the recently released COPS 2170, developed by Russian developers Mistland and published in the States by Strategy First.

It was only natural that Mistland would have another attempt at developing another turn-based title after the moderate successes of Paradise Cracked and Alfa Anti-Terror in their Russian homeland, but the reception for the former aforementioned title (the latter is yet to be released elsewhere) was definitely a lot less than spectacular everywhere else. While you may lament the poor sales of the underappreciated Silent Storm (my personal opinion of the game notwithstanding) in the United States, there's little of value to be found in the box of Paradise Cracked. Nonetheless, Mistland likely follows the principle of 'trial and error'. Let's see how their latest offering turned out.

Once again we examine the big events in the RPG industry in 2004 and explain why this year sucked even more then 2003:

I'll use this space to thank Spazmo for his help and contribution to this article.

This is a Bloodlines as I see it, clear as day. In this review, I'll be highlighting a lot of the things I liked about the game, as well as all of the aspects that bothered me and caused me to like the game less.

A Frequently Asked Questions dealie submitted by Leon Boyarsky about the technical problems some people are having with Bloodlines.

Venerable game designer Josh E. Sawyer explains what it means to design a mod for a game, what it's like to be on a mod team and how to pull something like that off. Sawyer gives the lowdown on the bare essentials of mod making.

Our interview with David Moffatt, author of Omega Syndrome. It's that nifty shareware CRPG with an eerie aliens on Earth plot and a turn based combat system.

Our interview with Joshua Ritter of Prairie Games about his CRPG title, Minions of Mirth.


Good, evil, and eeeeeeville.

We got a chance to ask Leonard Boyarski a few questions on Troika's highly anticipated Vampire: the Masquerade Bloodlines. Here's a snippet:


Mmm. Nothing like the smell of burning undead in the morning. Click here for the rest of the mouthwatering interview.

We have a talk with Joseph Hewitt, creator of the popular giant robot roguelike Gearhead. Here's a snippet.


I've always wanted to be a charismatic robot. Read more here.

Since Sacred offers such nice options in clothing and accessories and also has some nice, ph4t l3wt, that's what this contest to win a free copy of the game is about.


For full details, click here.