Midwinter (Second Review)

Title           Midwinter  (Second Review)
Game Type       3D Combat Sim
Players         1
HD Installable  With WHDLoad patch
Compatibility   OCS and ECS versions (AGA patch now available.)
Submission      Klingon_Kang@yahoo.com

Review
  In spite of some people's reservation about what is considered a
"strategy bug" in the game, I found Midwinter to be very enjoyable. One
can choose to use that bug to finish the game relatively quickly but it is
more interesting to win the game using other methods. I will not divulge
this strategy bug so people can discover it for themselves.

  The game takes place in the post-nuclear winter type of scenario where
people are stuck on a small island somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean under
the grip of a new ice age. A band of survivors are scratching out a
living on the frozen land trying to make ends meet. One day, a menace
appears on the island as a new group of settlers come to inhabit the
southern part of the island and don't seem too keen on sharing the island.
The enemy is led by a  General who has been steadily building up
his forces. You control a ragtag group of policemen who patrol the frozen
land. You start out as Stark, the de facto leader of the policemen. Stark
is on a routine patrol between settlements on skis when the General's army
encounters him. Stark is immediately attacked by snow buggies and mortars
controlled by remote gliders. Stark has to dodge the enemies and recruit
his fellow islanders against this new menace. However, not everyone is
friendly to Stark (or to other people) so he has to recruit some people in
order to recruit others. To win the game, Stark has to either defeat the
entire General's army or blow up his headquarters in the southern end of
the island. Stark and his fellow peace officers and other islanders must
use all types of weapons and vehicles, including snow buggies, gliders,
skis, and cablecars to achieve their goals.

  The game takes place in a shaded polygon 3-D landscape. There are
various details like trees, hills, and houses on the landscape. Although
not too detailed, it is enough to give the player the proper atmosphere
for the game. The player navigates various vehicles around this landscape
going from village to village in order to restock on fuel, ammunition, and
sleep. Sound effects are effectively used to create the sense of the
direction and distance of the various enemy vehicles and missiles.
Fighting the enemy snowcats using your own snowbuggy is probably the best
part of the game. Dodging enemy missiles while avoiding obstacles and ruts
in the terrain can be very challenging. Enough to give the player sweaty
palms. It is also very satisfying to eliminate an entire enemy battalion
by killing its commander. This can also be achieved by eliminating enough
of the vehicles of that unit and so causing them to withdraw. If enough
enemy units are destroyed or withdrawn, the General will give up. This
is very difficult considering the strict time limit and the great
numerical advantage of the enemy.

 Players can also rescue other players who have been imprisoned in
settlements already overrun by the General's army. It can be very
frustrating as some of the characters in the game will respond very
negatively to others but it is also very rewarding to find the right
combination. If all the General's jamming stations are destroyed,
all the characters in the game are activated. This can be hard to do as
many of them are in deep enemy territory.

 This game provides many different ways to play the game. Having many
different ways to travel and fight the enemy give the game a long play
life. It is a fascinating game that will wrap you in the winter landscape
for many nights if you are patient enough to learn the intricacies of the
game. It might be considered old but I think it is one of the classic
games for the Amiga.

Alphabetical list.