Midwinter

The Good
A real classic game, and still fun to play today.

Great atmospheric winter world. Hang gliding alone is worth the effort (while listening to Pink Floyd's "Learning to fly" and "Terminal frost" ;) ). The size and diversity of the fractal landscape is enormous (give me that algorithm, please!), the rendering beautiful (taken into account the hardware).

There are many human characters with different abilities. The strategic elements are overwhelming. Who will travel where to accomplish which task? Who will recruit whom? Stay and fight or leave and recruit companions? Attack with a buggy (and risk losing it) or rather try sniping from the steeple? Or use your time to gather explosives and blow up enemy buildings?

The Bad
I lost too many hours of my life playing it...

Apart from that, mortars and bombers are real nags. They make the game very difficult, because they are ubiquitous and their attacks are unpredictable and hard to counter. I switched them off (thankfully, that's possible). This, in turn, makes the game rather easy to finish.

The quasi-parallel nature of the characters' gameplay leads to illogical situations, but that's unavoidable.

Also, the only reason the small guerrilla force actually has a chance to overcome the huge army of General Masters is the simple fact that the enemy vehicles attack one at a time. This certainly is illogical.

And, yes, an option to speed up travel would have been desirable. You spend too much time just watching the beautiful landscape passing by.

The Bottom Line
Great atmospheric strategy game with action and role-play elements.

The Good
Everything. I don't even know where to begin singing this game's praises. Too overwhelmed.

The graphics were superb for their time, with lightsourced terrain, and objects that faded into misting snow in the distance.

The storyline and setting are very unique.

There are at least 4 different methods for characters to travel - skiing, hang gliding, cable car and several different types of snow buggy.

The strategy elements were intricate and many, but the action elements were ever present. While skiing between locales, if you were too cautious you might allow the enemy to advance too far, but move too quickly and you might broad side that conifer or dip into a sudden gully, bang your head and black out.

Characters need to rest and eat - just like in real life, and safe, dry spots are more beneficial - a real bed? Better yet. Wounds to characters actually affect their performance appropriately. A leg wound makes travelling more difficult, but an arm wound decreases accuracy with a rifle.

Actions and choices available to characters seem unending: should you go and search for a vehicle in the nearby settlement, take the time to blow up this fuel depot, climb the church tower and snipe at the oncoming enemy, or take the cable car up the ridge to try to convince 12 year old Davy Hart to join your resistance movement?

The character interactions were brilliant. Send Professor Kristiansen's grandson, Davy, to try to recruit him and you may get a favourable response. But try the same deal with Stark, and you'll find Kristiansen blanching at Stark's overwheening sense of authority.

Character abilities are likewise so widely varied as to make individuals really appear to have personalities. Virginia Caygill, the ski instructor, is an amazing downhill skier, but if you want that processing plant blown up, you're better off turning to Jeremiah Gunn, the mining engineer.

The world is so vast, and so beautiful, it's a delight to explore.

The combat system was a stroke of sheer genius. Higher ground means there's less in your way, and it's easier to aim if you brace yourself against something, or lay prone. But even looking through the telescopic sites of a high powered rifle, the character's breathing makes the sights bob and weave. More experienced shooters can control their breath better.

Taking down enemy vehicles really affects his play. Wipe out enough fuel transport vehicles, or sabotage enough depots in your scorched earth policy and his advance will slow. Take out enough armament carriers and his attacks will be less effective.

You are actually able to control 32 characters from a first person perspective in "real time" by moving them sequentially and synchronizing their watches afterward.

The Bad
Nothing. This thing was flawless. As per usual, just wish I could get it to work on a modern machine.

The Bottom Line
An absolute must see. One of my all time favourite games. I don't see how it has remained so unknown. (Apparently there was a sequel, too, though I never found it - if you know of it, let me know!)

The Good
The depth and scope of Midwinter is just fantastic. The backdrop, the setting, the Map, even the crude polygon graphics have a certain charm to them, seeing a village emerge from the gloomy landscape after a 20min ski trip. If only all games where as Imaginitive and engrossing as this one.

Midwinter is a title, like CARRIER COMMAND, that could do with a comtemporary remake, as mentioned in the other reviews. It can certainly be looked on as a precursor to many things gamers now take for granted such as first person sniping,

The Bad
I believe it was flawed in the fact all you had to do was get a man to the south of the island and blow the HQ up which was quite easy to do and thus bypass all the guerrilla war aspect that the games.

The Bottom Line
Worth a look for research purposes alone not sure if it plays on emulators. It doesn't on my Mac unfortunately.

I never played Midwinter 2, which I think is more complicated, and there is another game called Ashes of Empire which is way over complicated and not much fun.

The Good
This is a game that can genuinely be called unique (apart from its sequel). It defies being placed in any genre. It is very hard to describe this game to anyone who hasn't played it so my advice would be go and play it as it is in my opinion would of the unsung classic games of all time.

The Bad
Crashing my snowmobile into a tree in the middle of nowhere.

The Bottom Line
It can't be done just go out and try it for yourself.

The Good
Cool storyline, mix of action, role-playing and strategy and at the time the graphics were pretty amazing. This one ended up in the bargain bin too soon but the lucky ones that picked it up and withstood the marginally steep learning curve were rewarded, i have found myself considering trying to scare up an old 5 1/4 drive so i can reinstall this one.

The Bad
Nothing

The Bottom Line
An overlooked gem.

The Good
I played this game a long time ago, but the fact that I remember it enough to look it up says something about the impression it made on me. I recall being completely engrossed with it and I think the key was that it so skillfully blended action, RPG,and strategy. It was exciting to be able to coordinate the movements of my different teams over the snowy terrain and act towards a common goal.

The Bad
can't recall any bad points

The Bottom Line
An ingenious blend of strategy, RPG, and adventure. Unconditionally recommended.