Galcon

Developer: Phil Hassey
Publisher: Imitation Pickles
Release Date: 2007
Systems: PC (reviewed), Mac, iPhone
ESRB Rating: N/A
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Real-time Space Risk

0:00 A glowing write-up on Boing Boing Gadgets combined with a "free to play in your browser" price point made this one a no-brainer for me.

0:04 Four minutes spent registering for the site and installing a bloated Firefox plug-in... Still better than the average PS3 game...

0:05 On to Practice mode first to figure out what the heck is going on. A simple, one-page instruction screen pops up. Click a planet, use the scroll wheel to choose a percentage, then right-click another planet to send that many ships in real time. Seems relatively simple.

0:07 The tutorial level is already done ... exceedingly simple, of course. Really liking the interface ... makes it easy to keep track of the situation without having to scroll around the map or overly interpret what you're looking at. I like the little "pshew!" sound the ships make when they attack a planet, too.

0:09 Tutorial 2 is a little tougher, but not substantially. The game recommends taking the big planets with a few ships, then using their production powers to gain a tactical advantage. I'm a bit shocked by how fast this strategy works.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer

Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath

Developer: Electronic Arts LA
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Systems: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PC
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web Site

In a nutshell: War from above.

0:00 I got literally three missions into the original Command and Conquer before quitting the series for good. I'm really, really bad at real-time strategy games, you see.

0:01 Straight to the title screen, with a red globe and a generic looking super-soldier in the background. Meh.

0:02 The controls screen is a confusing mess, with buttons like "selection modifier" and actions like "decrement from building queue." I hope they hold my hand a little bit.

0:03 Boot Camp sounds like a good place to start. "This mission will teach you the basics of how to utilize the interface and controls." Thank God.

0:04 "Welcome to the training scenario, Commander." Click on the training stations to get training info. Duh!

0:05 OK, I know what a mini-map is. I don't need THAT much hand-holding.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer

Universe at War: Earth Assault

Developer: Petroglyph
Publisher: Sega
Release Date: March 25, 2008
System: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PC
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Oh man, we're all screwed.

0:00 I'm not very good at or interested in real-time strategy games, but good reviews, the Sega name and an Xbox 360 version convinced me to try this one out.

0:01 A starry sky... oh, no, it's actually the electric lights of a planet, with the sun rising in a thin corona. Some military guys shoot through the dust then get attacked by alien walker thingies right out of "War of the Worlds." Driving rock music accompanies the carnage. Suddenly, some bright white mechs straight out of "Gundam" show up, along with sleek metal robots straight out of the Star Wars prequels. The music turns all techno as they fire missiles at the big walker, bringing him down. Fade to title.

0:03 I'm afraid I'll have to go through the video tutorial. Sorry if this turns out to be boring. I learn that Resources have to be collected. "Without adequate raw materials on hand, your army is doomed to failure." Good advice for real life, too.

0:06 The research tree is apparently "a rich feature of Universe at War," if the game does say so itself -- and it does.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer