WARMACHINE Tactics…if you are a comic book or tabletop nerd like me, you have probably heard about it once or twice. Back home in Florida I spent a good number of weekends hanging out at the local comic book store with my friend Josh playing Battle Tech, Warhammer 40K, and War Machine. The allure was strong, as was the odor of miniatures being glued and painted several seats down.
I watched Josh play for hours, thinking of all the battles won and lost and wishing I could be part of it. Alas, my wallet wouldn’t allow for it. Recently, however, Privateer Press Interactive teamed up with WhiteMoon Dreams to give us WARMACHINE: Tactics, available on Steam for PC.
Utilizing DirectX 11, the game looks absolutely stunning. It’s programmed with the same rules as the physical game, at least from what I’ve noticed, and the digital rendition really makes the tabletop classic come to life.
No game is flawless, of course, and there are always bugs. The camera and UI controls make it hard to play at times. I’ve occasionally run into a glitch where the entire game locks up, but it happens so rarely that I’m willing to blame my graphics card!
Does the digital experience match the real-world feel of playing War Machine at the local hobby store? Honestly, no. There’s nothing like going out with friends and dominating a 10-foot table with pewter figurines. True, many such stores are disappearing. But if there’s one even somewhat close, it’s worth the bus ride every time.
As a War Machine simulation, however, the PC version works pretty well, and eventually, the bugs will be fixed. All in all, is the game worth it? I give it a solid yes, even more so if you’re like me; always wanting to play tabletop but never quite affording it. WARMACHINE: Tactics gives you the tip of the tabletop iceberg, but that may be all you need to have a “titanic” good time.
An autistic gamer with opinions on games who also enjoys making dumb videos on the internet!