Customer Reviews

Defcon

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is not an all too typical "mindless" destroy-the-world-and-savor-the-victory game.

Game Play
The game interface is essentially a world "threat board" format with easy scrolling and zoom features. The interface may sound simple; but the simplicity is augmented by tastefully done effects and a graphical somberness that makes the board seem all too real (think WarGames the movie). At times, in real time mode (you can accelarate time as well), the game seems uncannily real as one tries to reposition naval fleet assets, decide strategic issues on first strike options or not, deciding which assets to sacrifice and which to protect, and managing air assets. Again, one needs to immerse oneself in the game to see how truly intriguing (and addictive) the game is.

Basically, game play starts with a timed asset deployment stage. It is part of the gameplay to sweat out racing against the clock to deploy assets or you lose them (and you will sweat it out). The asset deployment is followed by a timed countdown from Defcon 5 to Defcon 1 with new capabilities available as the condition reaches Defcon 1. Trust me, this is not boring. During the countdown you are racing to discover your enemy assets, trying to redeploy forces, planning strategy, and hoping for more time. Once Defcon 1 is reached, gameplay continues with redeploying assets, protecting assets, reevaaluating strategy, and quickly deciding which changes need to be made. The display shows graphically the destruction you are raining on your enemy (including death counts and shrinking city sizes) or that your enemy is raining on you.

Notes: While I don't think I ever had to run a tutorial for a game before, I had to in this case. The interface is well done but not, perhaps, as intuitive as other games. It took a while to figure out how to deploy some forces, to understand the need to think quickly (which adds to the game), and the need to plan. Once you run through two or three games, the interface becomes second nature, but it may be a minor challenge at first.

Overall
Overall, I think this is a great game. It has some sobering surprises that I don't want to spoil other than to note. The music is exceptional and adds to the mood. In all, if you like something a little different, like fast pace but not mindless games, and like strategy, you may become quickly addicted to this game. A solid four stars.

I bought this game on a whim. Nuclear war seems the most dramatic historical event possible, so I thought I'd give it a shot. The game has a modest appearance that allows a subtle artistry, which is impressive.
The makers of this game do not take the subject of nuclear war lightly. As I played the game, I found myself awestruck that humans have actually prepared for this.
I found myself absorbed, calculating the success probability for nuclear bomber strikes and hoping to sneak my boomers close to the enemy's shore. The ideal plan would be to devastate him with an SLBM strike. And where are his ballistic missile subs? They are, no doubt, sneaking along my coast preparing to rain nuclear hell upon me.
This game confirms my belief that "concept" is the most important criterion for a quality game. Its shortcoming is that its single-player mode is limited. But that's a minor thing. Four stars.

Not sure what weed was up Andrew Broselow's back side when he wrote his review as this software worked on every computer I installed it on. Andrew is like the reviewers who rant about slow shipping time or that they love it but haven't even played it yet i.e., a childish review. Don't these people bug you? We don't want to hear from people who can't get their computers working... Anyway, this is the kind of game you will either really like, or will bore you to death. It's reminiscent of 80's vector-graphics games, and it's refreshing to see something DIFFERENT (retro) for a change. I really like it, as I like Darwinia, also from the same developers. But then again I liked Battlezone and spent all my quarters in the arcade playing that simple yet wonderful vector-graphic tank simulator. With video games costing $40 - $60 dollars these days, many of which require you to also shell out $15 a month for on-line play, its hard to complain about a value like this. If its not your cup of tea, just sell it on Amazon, where you can often pick it up for $20 or less. It is custom-izable, but I found it wasn't as easy to customize as I'd have liked, which is why I'd give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. It's kinda like playing Risk or Diplomacy, but even cooler, if that gives you some idea. You break a pact and attack your former ally, you just might get nuked! BTW, several computer games magazines nominated it for Game of the Year, so they must know something Andrew Broselow didn't.

The Good - It's basically like playing a board game on your PC. The graphics are simple but crisp and nice to look at, and the interface is smooth and easy to navigate. You're given a good amount of countries to choose from and units to command. It's also been glitch free for me.

The Not So Good - The AI is predictible. A common complaint for games like this. It's not horrible, but it could be better. The backgroud music is a little plain and can get old after a while. And while I know this game is all about strategic nuclear war, I can't help but wish for a slower build-up to it. Your basic units are nuclear silos, battleships, carriers, submarines, bombers, and fighters. It'd be nice if maybe ground units were added and countries were split into territories or states. Players could then attempt to invade other players and possibly seize their weapons before they're used.

Overall, it's a fun game that doesn't really get old. It will, however, leave you wanting more.

If you have ever seen the movie wargames, you should know that there are no winners in Global Thermonucluar War. That is why the object of this computer simulation of the movie wargames is not to win, but simply to lose the least amount of people.
There are 5 DEFCON'S in the game. At DEFCON 5, you are allowed to build your defences and missile silos. At DEFCON 4, you are allowed to continue building, but you should start moving your ships into enemy territory to start scouting. At DEFCON 3, you are allowed to launch bombers and fighters. You are also allowed to engage enemy fleets. At DEFCON 2, you should start selecting targets for your missiles. You should target other silos with your bombers and large cities with your missiles. At DEFCON 1, you can launch your nuclear missiles and take out your enemies. But be careful, because even if you think you took out all their nukes, there is always a counterstrike.
I love this game and I can't stop playing it.

I am an unabashed fan of war-related games, espiecally nuclear war games. I discovered this game via Youtube one day. I downloaded the demo & I was super impressed! The 5 stages of DEFCON (Defense Readiness Condition) are very suspensful! I have yet to obtain the full version, but this game gets high marks from me!

This game does everything right about Global Thermonuclear War. I must say the title DEFCON: Everybody Dies was a much better titles. I suggest you buy this product, it is very much worth it. The humor in the manual was pretty good, and I must say I never thought I would have so much fun trying to kill as many people in the world as possible.

Look elsewhere. The game is just terrible. I'll save you the effort of playing - the computer wins every time.

The box shows incredible explosions that have nothing to do with the game. The air traffic controller type interface is correct HOWEVER the producers conveniently forget to mention this is an ONLINE GAME ONLY - no internet, NO GAME. While you can play against the computer (opponents) it must be done online.

ITs quick to learn but crucial planning data is not available... speed of ships, aircraft, defensive and attack factors. While aircraft change their angles as they fly, the ships always face the same angle as they move. It also seems to be an art to separate a vessel from the fleet.

For an online game its nicely conceived but given the marketing deception you will find it properly priced at the $5 range. I still play it but its light years from a much older StarCraft.

The game is very basic, I was bored almost immediately. The tutorial is pretty good and the software works well with XP (the reason I didn't give the game one star). I'd give a more extensive review but there isn't much content to review. The multiplayer portion of the game worked well though but was equally zzzzzzzzzzz.........