WE ARE CRITICAL MOVES

A Strategy Gaming Podcast

Total War: Medieval 3 and Warhammer 40K – What Creative Assembly Got Right (and Wrong) (Ep.60)

Al and Tim examine Creative Assembly’s December announcements of Medieval 3 and Total War Warhammer 40K, exploring whether the new Warcore engine justifies 16 years of waiting, why the studio’s deafening silence on player-controlled space combat suggests auto-resolve fleet battles rather than Battlefleet Gothic-style naval warfare, and whether simultaneous PC and console release will compromise the complexity that defines Total War’s identity, while questioning if Creative Assembly can regain community trust after Warhammer 3’s disastrous AI updates and whether their...
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City Builders from SimCity to Skylines, Anno to Frostpunk (Ep.59)

Al, Adam, and Tim examine the city builder genre’s evolution from SimCity’s 1989 origins through City Skylines’ dominance to the controversial developer change for City Skylines 2, exploring why Paradox removed Colossal Order from development after three years of attempted fixes, whether the game’s failure stemmed from rushed release pressure or fundamental design problems, and how different city builder subgenres—from Anno’s island logistics to Banished’s survival mechanics—serve distinct player preferences between aesthetic builders and optimization enthusiasts. https://criticalmovespodcast.com/listen This episode delivers...
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Age of Empires 2: Chronicles Developer Interview – Ben Angell (Ep.58)

Tim and Jack sit down with Ben Angel, narrative lead for Age of Empires 2 Chronicles, to explore how his team approaches story-driven campaign design within RTS constraints, discussing the balance between historical authenticity and engaging gameplay while examining why single-player campaigns remain the silent majority of RTS players. Listen Link: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/listen This episode features an in-depth conversation with Ben Angel, narrative lead and designer on Age of Empires 2 Chronicles DLCs, covering the challenges of creating character-driven narratives within...
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Anno 117: Pax Romana – Why Even Anno Fans Are Disappointed (Ep.57)

Al and Tim examine Anno 117’s disappointing departure from the series’ strengths, discussing how the Roman setting functions primarily as window dressing while new mechanics like tech trees and religion systems add tedious micromanagement without meaningful gameplay rewards, questioning whether Ubisoft’s design choices justify moving away from Anno 1800’s proven formula. https://criticalmovespodcast.com/listen This episode provides an in-depth critique of Anno 117 through the perspective of longtime series veteran Tim, who has played every Anno instalment since 1602, contrasting the new...
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