Three Moves Ahead

Rob and Fraser talk about Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault. Someone, on this very show, declares Ardennes assault to be the best - the BEST - that Company of Heroes has ever been. But who? Who would make such a bold claim?

The most regular of panels is together to talk about generals: how are they portrayed in games, and do they accurately represent the effect of true leadership on the battlefield? Rob, Julian, Fraser, and Troy "That's not my lieutenant, that's my horse" Goodfellow debate the finder points of leadersihp. Most importantly: Fraser has the itch to write some fan fiction.

Valkyria Chronicles: a product of Sega's ill-fated R&D development team that was sort of set in Holland and loosely based on a conflict that may have been World War II (but wasn't). Rob is joined by Gamers With Jobs' Shawn Andrich and developer David V. Heron to talk about the 2008 Playstation 3 cult classic that has found new life on Steam, or a platform that closely resembles Steam.

Kotaku's Evan Narcisse joins Rob and Fraser to discuss This War of Mine. Rather than pushing chits around from the remote general's chair, This War of Mine plunges the player into the lives of the people affected by war.

Rob, Troy, and Bruce discuss Pike and Shot, a wargame about everyone's favorite 16th-century military formation.

Rob, Fraser, and Troy "It's my planet I'll do what I want" Goodfellow talk about the latest entry into the Civ franchise, Civilization: Beyond Earth. Is this the game we've all been waiting for? Well, no, not really. Find out why and listen to Troy talk about touching planets, and them touching back.

At long last, console games are coming to Three Moves Ahead. Michael Hermes and Jenn Cutter join Troy "Zodiac" Goodfellow to talk about Square's 1997 Playstation game Final Fantasy Tactics. Listen in and learn about chocobos, time mages, and questionable translations.

The original panel gets together to talk about an original game made by our original intern, Soren Johnson (also known for designing Civilization IV). Rob, Julian, Bruce, and Troy "The Wolf of Nix Street" Goodfellow discuss buying, selling, and exploring in this early preview of Offworld Trading Company.

You think you can get into my castle? You can't. I've got a moat. I've got a moat, and I've got some big-ass walls. See those arrow slits? We're going to shoot arrows at you, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Because I am safe in this castle and you're just some puny little knight on a - oh, you think your ladders are going to help? Gonna put some ladders up and storm the walls? Well, I can - wait. Oh shit. Those are some good ladders. I can pour some oil on you, perhaps? Nope, you're already in the compound. Fifteen years of construction time, countless blocks of stone, and you beat me with a ladder. Shit.

Fraser Brown and Rowan Kaiser join Troy "Restart" Goodfellow to talk about Endless Legend. Most of them agree that Endless Space was good... but not great. Does Endless Legend pick up the slack and become a game for the ages? One thing is certain: it sure is purty.