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Nuclear War (video game)

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For the card game of the same name, see Nuclear War (card game).

Nuclear War
Developer(s)New World Computing
Publisher(s)U.S. Gold
Designer(s)
Artist(s)Avril Harrison
Platform(s)Amiga, MS-DOS
Release1989
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)Single player

Nuclear War is a single player turn-based strategy game developed by New World Computing and released for the Amiga in 1989 and later for MS-DOS. It presents a satirical, cartoonish nuclear battle between five world powers, in which the winner is whoever retains some population when everyone else on earth is dead.

Gameplay

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The game's introduction includes an homage to Dr. Strangelove. Each player - one human, four computer-controlled - is represented by a caricature of a national leader (the MS-DOS version allowed more than one human player). If there is a computer-controlled winner at the end of the game, that leader is depicted jumping for joy in the middle of a blasted wasteland, crowing "I won! I won!". If the player wins only the high score board is shown. Once a player (computer or human) loses, all of their stockpiled weapons are automatically launched. It is possible for a game to have no winner because of this. If this happens, a cut scene of the earth shattering and exploding is shown, and the high score table appears (though without any new entries).

Characters

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The following characters are available in the game; the public figure being satirized is listed in parentheses.

Reception

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In the July 1990 edition of Games International (Issue 16), Brian Walker didn't think this was a particularly challenging game, commenting, "All good clean fun with nothing to stretch the brain cells." He concluded by giving the game a rating of 7 out of 10 for gameplay and 8 out of 10 for graphics, saying, "What lifts the game above average is the omnipresent humour."[1]

In the July 1990 edition of Dragon (Issue #159), Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser characterized the game as "challenging", despite its tongue in cheek humour. However, they were disappointed that only one player could play the game at a time. Nevertheless, they gave the game an above-average rating of 41⁄2 out of 5.[2]

In the October 1990 edition of Computer Gaming World, Chuck Moss favorably reviewed the game's graphics, fast and brief game play, and humorous computer opponents.[3]

Surveys of opinions about wargames with modern settings conducted for Computer Gaming World in 1992 and 1994 awarded the game a rating of 31⁄2 out of 5.[4][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Walker, Brian (July 1990). "Computer Games". Games International. No. 16. p. 40.
  2. ^ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (July 1990). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (159): 47–53.
  3. ^ Moss, Chuck (October 1990). "Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Weeny 20-Megaton Bikini". Computer Gaming World. No. 75. p. 36. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  4. ^ Brooks, M. Evan (June 1992). "The Modern Games: 1950 - 2000". Computer Gaming World. p. 120. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  5. ^ Brooks, M. Evan (January 1994). "War In Our Time / A Survey Of Wargames From 1950-2000". Computer Gaming World. pp. 194–212.
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