Windows

DEFCON

The plight suffered by today’s modern day gaming developer is plain to see. Over the last decade we’ve seen so many independents either swallowed up by one of the big boys, or simply forced out of the business full stop.

A quick game of Speed Defcon against a single opponent, with genocide scoring on (only points per kill count), is obviously going to be far simpler yet no less enjoyable than a drawn-out war at real-time pace with two territories per player and alliances being formed and broken all over the place. It's this latter stroke of genius that seals Defcon'splace among the pantheon of PC strategy classics, with the bargain-basement price cementing its must-buy status.

How deep is the strategy? Hardcore war gamers might be offended at some of the liberties DEFCON takes. Unit control avoids micromanagement, fallout from nukes isn’t an issue, and calling Mumbai “Bombay” is so 20th Century. Still there’s a lot here to love.

If I told you that a game priced less than $20, built by a small team of indie developers, and appearing in the USA only by way of Valve Software's Steam service, was the most immersive PC game of the fall, would you believe me? If so, go buy DEFCON right now. Otherwise allow me to convince you of why you're going to love global nuclear war as much as everyone else I've introduced to DEFCON.

DEFCON, as you've no doubt heard by now, is a real-time homage to the consummate 1980s Cold War film WarGames, where, among other things, U.S. Army General Jack Beringer (played by tabacky-talkin' Barry Corbin) famously declaims, "I'd piss on a spark plug if I thought it'd do any good!" Thus forever conjuring a mental image of the one thing possibly more painful than the dry, scorching bliss of a 50-megaton missile landing in our backyards.

Simply put, Defcon is a fun and fast paced game. While that usually spells out a shorter shelf life, in this case, that brevity is a breath of fresh air. Bringing strategy back to zero, Introversion has proven that fourteen hundred unit types do not make a great game. Strategy games must feature strategy, balance, and most importantly, fun. Although diehard RTS players will scoff at its simplicity, Defcon reminds us why we play games in the first place: enjoyment. If you want to try something different, relive a style from yesteryear, or laugh manically while crushing enemies under your nuclear strong arm, then Defcon is a must play.

Without a doubt, the major attractions to DEFCON are its unique presentation and gameplay, and such games often have a clear advantage by simply being original. After all, a hardcore first-person shooter player trying a strategy for the first time will be intrigued regardless of its quality, but after the initial sense of novelty gradually expires, the good game remains a good game, and the bad game gets exposed as such. For me, a game needs to be well-made first, original later and Introversion have proven before that they can easily fit both in the same package. DEFCON is no exception.

From a technical standpoint, DEFCON may be an outdated game, especially compared to some of the current powerhouse offerings. But from an artistic point of view, the game,s brilliantly designed and really evokes a certain set of emotions. Furthermore, DEFCON is challenging and fun, albeit somewhat limited if you were expecting a title filled with micromanagement. The fact that it only sets you back $17.50 makes it all the more beautiful. You can either download it on Valve,s Steam or purchase a boxed copy on Introversion,s website for a few extra bucks. No matter how you look at it, it,s a moderately small price to pay for having such a blast.

An interesting concept, classic battle graphics and tremendous replayability, this game has it all. Don’t even bother walking to the store, get this one right away online at the games official website. You won’t regret it, but your civilian population might.

DEFCON is een eenvoudig spel met een verrassend verslavend tactische gameplay. Kopen vooraleer de bommen vallen!

DEFCON's a great example of how a few simple concepts can be combined to make something that's incredibly interesting and pleasantly complicated. The nostalgic echoes of WarGames definitely helps give the title a familiar flavor for older gamers, but even folks who haven't seen the movie will appreciate the way this game can seem detached and utterly intense all at the same time. For twenty bucks, you can't go wrong with this one.

Overall, I really liked this game. It's extremely entertaining and easy to learn/play but also contains enough strategic depth to keep most everybody interested. DEFCON is proof that one doesn't require millions of dollars to make a great game in 2006. DEFCON is ultimate pick-up-and-play multiplayer strategy game and I don't know why you wasted your time reading this review instead of playing! :-)

It’s incredibly hard to find fault with DEFCON. The only thing even approaching a flaw is that its events can occasionally become a little confusing, especially with six players throwing nukes at each other. However, this being nuclear war and all, it’s hardly surprising to see things get a little out of hand. Introversion have done it again, and rounded off a hat-trick of utterly unique, utterly brilliant games that continue to shine in the modern gaming landscape. It offers a hugely enticing premise, perfectly balanced and masterfully executed. No doubt we’ll be seeing another excellent hat-trick in the future, but until then lets raise a glass to the end of the world.

In a sincere act of tribute, developer Introversion has taken the deadly global thermonuclear warfare simulation from the classic 1983 Cold War film WarGames and fleshed it out into a full game called Defcon: Everybody Dies. The game stays true to the message of its source material, which is that there are no winners in nuclear war, though it does posit that perhaps with the right strategy, you can lose less when it finally does happen. The game's abstract visual style is absolutely striking, presenting Armageddon with a certain cool detachment, and the simple, clear-cut objective makes it an easy game to pick up. Defcon's biggest weakness is that beyond the queasy thrill of simulating full-scale nuclear war, there's not much structure.

This is an incredible game. Granted it is a bit slow starting, soif you’re not interested in seeing little blips and bleeps movingacross the screen, then this is not the game for you. Play Call of Dutyor something like that. Of course, if you want to control a war on agrand scale and destroy everything in your path, then play this game.It can be a bit hard to get used to at first, but once you startplaying against your friends and other opponents, you won’t want tostop. There are a lot of different options to choose from and each timeyou play, your opponents employ different strategies, making the gameunique every time. Granted, it would have been nice if there were morestats, but I’m willing to overlook that and perhaps hope that they addit on for the next Defcon.

Selten ging ein so einfaches Spiel so tief. Was anfangs wie ein Strategiespiel mit wenigen Optionen aussieht, entfaltet schon nach wenigen Matches eine unheimliche taktische Komplexität und verursacht gewaltige Gefühlsausbrüche: Paranoia, schlechtes Gewissen, wahnsinnige Freude über schwere Treffer. Das kleine Arschloch in mir triumphiert, wenn ich kleine Orte zu Gunsten von großen Städten opfere. DEFCON entpuppt sich als intelligente Perle, die mit meinen tief verwurzelten Werten spielt, ohne dabei aber belehrend zu wirken. Das ist wichtig. Introversion hat einmal mehr alles richtig gemacht und aus ihren kleinen Mitteln etwas Großes erschaffen. Und vor allem zu dem Preis. Ich will DEFCON nicht mehr missen.

Avec son concept amoral mais jouissif, Defcon nous permet de nous glisser un instant dans les bottes des quelques fous qui tiennent tous nos destins entre leurs mains. Doté d'un gameplay solide et d'une atmosphère réussie, le nouveau jeu d'Introversion s'impose une nouvelle fois comme une curiosité à essayer et même à adopter.

As a quick game of nuclear holocaust, Defcon is good. As a not-so-quick game of diplomacy, Defcon is a very good game. However, given how successful the diplomacy meta game is, I can't help but feel that the inclusion of some more details, some more units, some more something, may have resulted in an even more intense game. As it stands, Defcon remains limited as even hardcore players may eventually grow tired of the constant genocide without any victory other than points. Still, at Defcon's bargain price of $15, anybody that doesn't mind a game where everybody dies should definitely give it a shot.

Sammanfattningsvis kan man konstatera att det var länge sedan det kom ett så pass enkelt och nätt litet spel som samtidigt är roligt och online. Defcon är litet, det har inga trailers, reklam eller animerade filmer med kända skådisar, utan producenterna har koncentrerar sig på spelet - både på gott och ont. Samtidigt som det inte har grafiska höjdpunkter och lätt blir visuellt tråkigt är det väldigt snällt mot både plånbok och hårddisk (130 kronor och 60 MB). Det finns få ursäkter för att inte inhandla en nyckel för att låsa upp demot.

Science-Fiction-Fans werden bei Defcon sofort an den Hollywood-Klassiker War Games denken. Genau wie im Film spielen Sie ein gefährliches Spiel: Sie kontrollieren eine Supermacht während eines nuklearen Krieges. Was in War Games anfangs wie ein harmloses Videospiel aussieht und später bitterer Ernst wird, bleibt in Defcon reine Fiktion.

DEFCON is currently doing a brisk trade on the Steam download system, and I would recommend at least giving the demo a go. It's easy to access, has a low enough system demand to be run on a gameboy, and could provide you the opportunity to get that warm glowing feeling inside by making your friends literally glow.

Defcon ist einfach zu spielen, aber schwer zu beherrschen. Bis man ein Gefühl dafür entwickelt hat, wann der beste Zeitpunkt für den Atomschlag ist, vergehen mehr als ein paar Runden. Aber wo bleibt bei der ganzen Taktik die Ethik? Atomkrieg spielen! Geht's noch? Geht! Die Minimal-Grafik, die seltsame Musik - all das macht Defcon unwirklich.

Introversion have given us a mixed-quality bag of games, but through innovative minimalism they are well on their way to becoming masters of emotional storytelling, Defcon and Uplink as a package may only entertain you for a week or two, but the experience I can guarantee will be a unique one. Horses for courses, eh?

DEFCON is great for a quick bash at Mutually Assured Destruction; it really exudes that mimicked 1980s WarGames feel extremely well. Longer term it’s a case of nuclear winter, as the game says, everybody dies.