Hogs of War

The Good
Hogs of War was a lot of fun to play. Sure, it's kind of short lived and sure it's unlikely that you'll play it again once you've finished it, but some games are meant to be like that. The theme (World War I), the weapons, the simple gameplay, the hogs themselves.. well, they all got mixed together and out came a game that's just a hoot to play. I can definetly recommend this game for kids of all ages (and even more so if it has been released as a budget title).

The Bad
I honestly haven't got alot of bad things to say about this game. Some might find it too short, some too repetetive and some might have no sense of humor (or atleast not my sense of humor). Personally, I found Hogs of War to be just about right.

The Bottom Line
Well, basically, HOW plays somewhat like Tank Wars (think back, way back), ie. you lob shots at your opponent. But thankfully, the years have passed and technology has advanced. Seriously unlike Tank Wars, Hogs of War thus has a decent 3D engine which means you get things like nicely animated hogs, lush battlefields with plenty of terrain to hide behind and the occasional river to drown in. As if that wasn't enough, you also get different kinds of hogs (medic, sniper..) with different kinds of weapons (bazooka, sniper rifle..) and equipment (jet pack, first aid kit..).

The Good
Like Worms but in 3D and was released before Worms 3D. Drill sergeant/commentator is voiced by the UK comedian/actor Rik Mayall, who is excellently cast. You control a team of Hogs in timed turn-based combat, the campaign objective is to control all of Saustralasia's 25 regions, and thus control the swill. There's plenty of grenade and mortar lobbing and the like, plus sniping, dynamite sticks, jet-packs, homing missiles, air strikes etc. Good old-fashioned fun.

Supply crates are dropped in on occasion and Medals after a particularly decent performance, usually in a hard to reach spot, which adds a little strategy as those turns are very precious. Some of the levels are pretty ingenious, for example, you are entrusted with the rather morally dubious task of wiping out an entire bunch of Medics, now this may at first sound like a walk in the park, but the enemy Medics are forever lobbing med-packs to each other!

Promotion points can be found in the levels and you are awarded one for finishing each level and another if you get all five hogs through intact. Each Hog starts as a Grunt and there are four career paths, Heavy Weapons, Medic, Espionage and Engineer. Now the last level is pretty darn difficult, to have a fighting chance I'd say you'll need most or all your team promoted all the way up to the ultimate rank of Hero, which entails acquiring all possible points from each mission and completing each mission without losing a Hog. The game is still immensely fun for the casual player though.

The Bad
It is dangerously addictive.

The Bottom Line
A Tanks/Worms 3D style WWI/II and James Bond inspired game, sorta. Lots of lobbing, explosions, victories and blunders await!