Game News Hammer & Sickle GOOOOOOOLD!

[Spazmo]

Tags: Hammer & Sickle; Nival Interactive

Hammer & Sickle, the Cold War RPG by Silent Storm creators Nival, has gone GOLD! today, accourding to a press release from CDV (<a href=http://bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=61662>story at Blue's</a>).<blockquote>November 2, 2005 – CDV’s highly anticipated tactical RPG, Hammer and Sickle, has gone gold for PC today. The game, which is set to ship in North America on December 5, places gamers in the role of a Soviet spy working to prevent a nuclear showdown between the world’s superpowers. More info about the game is available at http://www.hammer-sickle.com.
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Hammer & Sickle is a tactical RPG set in the spring of 1949. In the game, the player will assume the role of a top Soviet spy on clandestine duty in the British-American controlled sector of Germany during the early years of the budding Cold War. In a world where no one is quite who they appear to be, the player is trapped in a hellish plot that could trigger a third world war, this time between the United States and Soviet Union and their respective nuclear arsenals. Gamers will have to navigate a web of intrigue and make decisions that could determine the fate of the world.</blockquote>This is about the only worthwhile RPG coming out for a while, so I really hope it's as good as we've heard.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Pretty cool. Any game with that engine is a good game.

 

[pseudo intellectual]

hopefully they've hired better voice actors this time...

 

[Psilon]

Hot damn. I know what I'm playing over the Christmas break.

 

[Kamaz]

Yeah, this one is good. Havent tried, but friend of mine did and he was really impressed.

He also, though, stressed that it is no full-blood RPG, but more tactical one. Though, it has reactions to your actions and dynamic plot.

Title worth to check out.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Wheee! Let's hope it hits the shelves soon. I need some turn-based goodness in my life. It'll also be good to see that engine put to use once more. Hope this game rocks!

 

[Avé]

Is this the one that got slated in Russia/maybe germany?

 

[Screaming_life]

Is this the one that got slated in Russia/maybe germany?

Night watch?

I've heard nothing but good things about this one.

 

[Hamster]

I've heard nothing but good things about this one.

Night Watch? The game?
On Ag.ru it got 59/100 from reviewer and 44/100 from users.
Game for casual Ivans and Night Watch fanboys

 

[Shagnak]

Hammer and Sickle should hopefully be way better than Nightwatch.

As for VO, just like with the excecrable VO in Prince of Qin, I am certain I can live with it as long as the gameplay itself is good.

 

[Screaming_life]

I've heard nothing but good things about this one.

Night Watch? The game?
On Ag.ru it got 59/100 from reviewer and 44/100 from users.
Game for casual Ivans and Night Watch fanboys

no, i meant hammer and sickle.... and night watch as the one thats not so good

 

[Dragon]

I need some turn-based goodness in my life. It'll also be good to see that engine put to use once more. Hope this game rocks!

I fully agree. I even had to install Windows 98 under Virtual PC just to be able to play Warhammer 40K : Chaos Gate and get some kick ass tactical turn based killing spree. Yes, I had to, it's called Compulsive Turn Based Tourette Syndrome.

 

[Chefe]

Looks pretty good with a ton of neat ideas. A tactical RPG sounds interesting. I need to play a new RPG, there have just been so many bad ones lately that I've avoided alltogether. I'll definitely be picking this one up.

 

[merry andrew]

Hot damn. I know what I'm playing over the Christmas break.

Me 2.

 

[Balor]

Silent Storm engine? Graphic whores!
It's not them main feature of the game.

It's greatest strength is compeltely nonlinear plot - you can have 4 different endings, and some of them branch off rather early, with you later undertaking completely different missions.
...
Btw, this game is really hardcore - you do have to think and plan your actions, cause time is ticking, and your inactions affect plot as much as your actions.
Failed to report to your command about new info bit you've just found? Too ktoo much time before going to invistigate an other bit of info?
Plot goes completely different way...
More often then not 'worse' way, btw. On the other hand, worse is subjective.
After all, people adore postnuclear setting here .

 

[Vault Dweller]

Silent Storm engine? Graphic whores!
It's not them main feature of the game.

It's not about the graphics, which were nice, of course. It's about functionality and gameplay.

 

[bryce777]

Woot. 30 bucks on amazon.

 

[Balor]

Ahem? You sound like Volly.
Engine has nothing to do with gameplay. Check Night Watch when it'll be released to find it out .
...
However, you are quite right in this case - SS was ok, SS:S was better, and in H&S case it was polished to near perfection.
Of course, people will complain about not being able to carry 3 MGs and about ammo being too scrarce for some weapons (Well, since when russian 7.62 caliber ammo was plentful in Germany, occupied by US forces?), but that's beside the point.

 

[Moggs]

Excellent. I'm currently playing through Sentinals - the engine is great, and I'd love to see some more use of it, particularly with enhanced RPG goodness. I don't like the idea of a time limit though...

 

[Vault Dweller]

Ahem? You sound like Volly.
Engine has nothing to do with gameplay. Check Night Watch when it'll be released to find it out .

I meant it's TB, it supports interrupts and different attacks, different poses, destructable environment, etc. That's like chess to me, I don't care what shape and color the pieces are, as long as I can enjoy the tactical element.

No. Don't even start with that RTwP nonsense

 

[Balor]

Ok, I will not start that (but it's not nonsence... and have you played E5 already, heathen? I'm beginning to think you avoid it because you might actually like it and be accused of flip-flopping ), but please remember that map layout and your goals play a HUGE role, and you'll be given only 'kill'em'all' tasks on simple maps, fact that 'it supports interrupts and different attacks, different poses, destructable environment, etc.' will not mean anything.

Well, it's not the case in H&S, but in NW, the situation is kinda close to it.
Well, it's not THAT bad, but it's repeative (kill'em'all) and rather boring in the end - well, at least all people that played it claim (even... or, better said, expecially who liked SS and H&S), and I kinda believe them. Even if it's fun for first 4 or so hours.

 

[Vault Dweller]

...please remember that map layout and your goals play a HUGE role

True

... and you'll be given only 'kill'em'all' tasks on simple maps

That bad, eh? Didn't they get a manual with the engine or at least a copy of SS? Oh, well...

PS. One of those days I'll try E5 just so I can argue with you some more.

 

[Screaming_life]

Whats's E5 ?

 

[Balor]

PS. One of those days I'll try E5 just so I can argue with you some more.

Well, since it will take you some time to 'brace yourself', it seems, you might as well wait for English release .

I think it will not take long, and recent patch added a slew of new features/changes/bugfixes, that will surely end in the English version of the game. (But not into the demo, heh).

Anyway, like I've mentioned, on Bear's pit (not a place for RT-loving casual gamers, that's for sure) this game is being quite 'preloved' already... mostly due to demo and one of it's posters 'Sooner' getting hands on Russian release and posting 'combat reports'.

I am entering a vegetative state where I will only occasionally drool onto my keyboard until this game finally ships in German/English/French/Luxembourgish.

And that's coming from longtime Ja2 vets.

 

[Balor]

Whats's E5 ?

Get educated.
Might want to visit Bear's Pit E5 thread while you are at it. Pay close attention to Sooner's posts .

Yea, I may sound like fanboy, but I don't care, cause I may be called fanboy of SR and P:T too, and I refuse to be ashamed of it .