The Download Munkey : Tracking the Treasure Down …

I’ve been a fan of rally racing games for the PC after playing Colin McRae Rally 2.0 (CMR 2.0) years ago. It was probably the first racing game that I actually played for months at end because 4WD rally cars were easier to drive and tended to spin less frequently. Each stage was a individual event which meant you competed to beat the time record alone instead of competing with other drivers at time.

Colin McRae Rally 2005 continues this fine tradition with more cars, more stages and of course more visual eye candy. Gameplay-wise, it’s nearly the same as CMR 2.0 (I missed out on CMR 3 and CMR 04 because my computer back then was crap), but it’s now only USD 9.99 as a digital download on GOG.com so you might want to give the demo a test drive.

The demo contains three stages to race in – a gravel/mud stage in th UK (Gwyddelwern), a tarmac/gravel stage in Germany (Niederlauterbach) and a snow/ice stage in Sweden (Hjalmarson). Two 4WD cars (Peugeot 206 and Toyota Celica GT4) and the classic RWD Lancia Stratos are available in the demo with an additional 31 other cars in the full game.

Aesthetically speaking, the car and damage modelling is way ahead of CMR 2.0 and the mud and rain on your windscreen when you drive around with the in-car camera is really impressive.

The graphics for the tracks themselves are a mixed bag though as most objects are 3D while others are still unmistakably 2D – the biggest eyesore being the sprites for the cheering crowds – which jar the immersion facto quite a bit. You’ll probably not notice these graphical niggles when you’re hurtling along narrow forest dirtpaths at full speed with the responsive controls though

The improved detail of each stage is not only in terms of visual quality but also translates to additional complexity for the player. You’ll really need to listen carefully to your co-driver/navigator as he reads out the turns ahead since some of the turns aren’t visible from the in-car view until you fly off the track

Like its predecessors, the only music is the whine of high powered engines and the crackle of dirt being ignited by the hot exhaust fumes when you slow down. Besides, you need to concentrate on driving and pay attention to your navigator

Download the demo for Colin McRae Rally 2005 (cnet.com mirror) or buy the full game at GOG.com.

MORE @ THE DOWNLOAD MUNKEY:
Flatout Demo Impressions
Subaru, Mitsubishi & Citronen Rally Car Wallpapers
Colin McRae: DIRT / DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road Wallpapers & Screenshots
Motorstorm : Pacific Rift Wallpapers

Sean O’ Connor has been developing games for a long time – back when the indie game scene mainly comprised games distributed on the shareware model. I downloaded the demo for version 2.0 of Firefight, his WWII real time tactics game some ten years ago and now it’s at version 4.1. And yes, this game is one of my recommendations for my Indie Games Worth Buying (IGWB) series.

If you’ve played any of Atomic Games’ Close Combat series, you find the gameplay very similiar, the only major difference being that the later Close Combat games have a strategic layer to tie the tactical battles together with troops that stay with you for an entire operation or campaign. In Firefight however, you purchase the troops you require for a mission and the survivors return to wherever they’re coming from after the mission ends.

Battles occur as an engagement of two infantry companies – you’ll control a mix of infantry sections, mortar and machinegun teams, anti-tank-guns and individual tanks attached to your company.

Troop deployment

Both sides start at opposing ends of each randomly-generated map and attempt to attack or defend the mission objective (signified by the flag). Since Firefight is primarily an infantry-based skirmish, tactical movement, overwatch and mutual support are very important since the enemy AI will often open fire at close short range and pin down the leading sections. Without suppressive fire from supporting sections, isolated sections are quickly and easily suppressed and defeated in detail.

Contact!

Individual tanks, while expensive at the cost of three (or four) infantry sections, do provide an interesting addition to your tactical options since they are almost invulnerable to small arms fire at medium to long range and provide a mobile source of heavy firepower to extricate troops in trouble or support infantry assaulting enemy strongpoints in villages. Just watch out for enemy tanks, anti-tank guns and lucky direct hits from offmap artillery. They’re not invincible though – panzerfausts and their equivalents or a sufficient quantity of hand grenades will quickly disable any tank unsupported by infantry in the built-up areas.

Calling for a fire mission on a 88mm which has just destroyed two of my tanks.

Friendly AI is excellent – soldiers will automatically fire on enemies in range and use grenades in close combat and tanks will turn and back away when fired upon by other tanks and anti-tank guns. Tank crews will escape and attempt to crawl away to safety when their tanks are disabled. Mortar teams act with equal initiative and will provide supporting fires on enemy positions. You rarely have have to issue fire orders and can concentrate on manuevering sections around the enemy flanks or calling for artillery support.

In a nod to realism, off-map artillery has to adjust fire when calls for artillery are requested. Since this takes time to prepare, commanders must plan ahead and cannot simply request for fire support and expect an instant barrage of deadly firepower on top of their enemies’ heads. Adjusting shots that land near the targeted area are a warning that an enemy artillery strike is impending so wise commanders will move their troops out of range or hunker down in cover.

To simulate WWII technology, your HQ section’s radios work to a limited range only so moving your infantry too far outside the radio range will render them unable to receive orders until your HQ section advances into range.

The butcher’s bill

Morale is an essential part of any realistic tactical game and Firefight does it very well. Suppressed troops take potshots before returning to cover while pinned or badly mauled squads cower, hug the ground and refuse unachievable orders or evensurrender when they had enough. Likewise, the enemy break and surrender when their casualties reach unacceptable levels.

All in all, a very enjoyable and well-executed tactical game with infinite replayability thanks to the randomly generated battles.

Download the demo for Firefight (full game costs 20 USD) or check out Sean O’ Connor’s other games.

Other IGWB selections:
IGWB (I) – Mount & Blade
IGWB (II) – Battle of Tiles

MORE @ THE DOWNLOAD MUNKEY:
Iron Grip : Warlord Demo Impressions
Retro Tactical Warfare in Nectaris for Windows
Autumn War – Zombie Killfest
Modern Tactics 3 – Call of Duty 4 in 2D?
The Complete Wargames Handbook PDF

Found Phil Wohr’s blog by chance from the blogroll of one of his fellow concept artists (only problem is I can’t remember whose blog that was ). A concept artist for Ensemble Studios until it disbanded early this year, Phil did some of the concepts for the Xbox 360 RTS Halo Wars, some of them which can found in the Concept Art gallery in the official Halo Wars website.

© Ensemble Studios / Microsoft

For me, I enjoy his personal portfolio a lot more than his Halo Wars stuff (I’m not a very big fan of Master Chief or the Halo universe), of Kaylyn the Patron Saint with that dangerous-looking hammer and Cujo with a helmet painted to resemble a snarling wolf. View these two paintings at their original size here.

© Phil Wohr

A varied selection of fantasy, sci-fi character designs and environmental design works from his portfolio below.

© Phil Wohr

And saving the best for last, this couple of recently posted artworks Pilgrimage Through the Portals of the Lost and Apocalypse Rider were for CGHUB’s Natives of the Lifeless Forest and Drawing Jam #9 Mount em’ Up! challenges respectively. And yeah, the ominous Apocalypse Rider won Drawing Jam #9

© Phil Wohr

Phil mentions on his CGHUB profile that one of his previous projects is Gearbox Software’s upcoming Borderlands. Hopefully we’ll see some stuff for that game at his blog or CGHUB gallery soon enough

Check out his blog Art of Phil Wohr or his CGHUB gallery for more of his stunning art.

MORE @ THE DOWNLOAD MUNKEY:
My Favourite Dominance War III Wallpapers
Favourite Illustrators of Warhammer 40,000 (VII) – Nacho Fernandez (nachomon)
Dan LuVisi’s Portraits of Movie Characters & More!
My Favourite Pepper Project Entries
Kai (Ukitakumuki) – Concept Art for Nuclear Dawn and More!

An upcoming console game featuring the elite superhuman warriors from Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe. And of course, it’s the familiar blue Space Marines from Primarch Roboute Guilliman’s Ultramarines chapter again, a chapter which has featured prominently in most games bearing the license to Games Workshop’s grim vision of the far future – from leading a team of Terminators to explore and cleanse space hulks in Space Crusade (1992), awesome tactical squad-based action in Chaos Gate (1998) to a cameo appearance in the singleplayer campaign in the original Dawn of War (2004) and even in the PSP game Squad Command (2007).

© THQ

A mix of CG and gameplay snippets in the trailer released at the official site @ www.spacemarine.com and at THQ UK which devotes significant footage time to one of the space marines wielding an unusual weapon looking suspiciously like a thunder hammer commonly equipped by Space Marine Terminators.

© THQ

I know I haven’t been keeping up with the latest rules for the tabletop game but such a powerful weapon in the hands of an ordinary Tactical or Assault Marine looks just plain ridiculous. Besides, swatting Orks around with a huge hammer doesn’t seem to provide the same feel of more conventional assault marines jumping into the fray with bolt pistols firing at point blank and then proceeding to stab and parry with whirring chainswords – that IMHO is much more bloody, messy and WH40K-ish

© THQ

Watch the trailer at THQ UK or the official Warhammer 40,000 : Space Marine site.

MORE @ THE DOWNLOAD MUNKEY:
Warhammer 40,000 Papercraft
More Warhammer 40,000 : Dawn of War II Wallpapapers
Favourite Illustrators of Warhammer 40,000 (VII) – Nacho Fernandez (nachomon)
Games Workshop 2009 Collector’s Guides
Lord Solar Macharius & The Macharian Crusade

Saw this free-to-play multiplayer FPS, Sudden Attack over at g4g.it. The first wallpaper reminds me of Counterstrike, that’s all I can say

© CJ Internet Corp & GameHi

Download these wallpapers at Asiasoft’s official site for Sudden Attack.

MORE @ THE DOWNLOAD MUNKEY:
David Andro – Military/Police Illustrator (GIGN, GIPN, RAID, etc)
Alliance of Valiant Arms Wallpapers
Black Shot Wallpapers
Iron Grip : Warlord Demo Impressions
Exterminate the Alien Threat in Area-51