Hogs of War

There have been many different turn-based tactic games released over the years but only one stays strong in my mind, always having a soft spot as a true classic of the genre.  That game is 'Hogs of War'; released back in 2000 for PSOne and PC by Infrogames Studios.


The game is set in a First World War-era battlefield where anthropomorphic pigs engage in combat to ultimately control the distribution of Swill (the lifeblood of pigs).  The player takes turns in control individual members of their squad of hogs to engage in war with the opposition, similar to Worms style of play.  Once in control of their Hog the player can move around the 3D environment, jumping over terrain and swimming through bodies of water, only able to engage in combat whilst stood still.  The turns are timed and there are different classes of soldier to choose from with add the tactical element to the game as time can be precious and taking out one particular opposition class can sometimes be the win or lose decision in a game.

There are four main classes of Soldier; heavy gunner that specialises in long distance heavy weapons like bazookas and mortars, engineer that specialises in explosive weapons like grenades and TNT, espionage that don't appear on the mini-map and use Sniper rifles, and the Medic that can heal other units in both long and close range.  Despite the classes, any soldier can pick up any weapon or ability found in the crates dotted around the battlefield.

There are also a variety of vehicles that can be utilised like tanks, pillboxes, stationary turrets and bunkers and tents that provide no weaponry but allow a small healing ability whilst hiding in them.

The single player campaign features a player chosen nation from the UK, France, Germany, USA, Russia or Japan (represented by humorous names and not the country name), trying to take control of regions of 'Saustralasia' a land rich in Swill.

The overall gameplay of the game is pretty solid as it quite hard to get the turn based games like Worms wrong, but it is the humour in the game that made this game a classic.  From the opening sequence to the random quips made by the Hogs in game (all voiced by Rik Mayall), the game is rich in a humour that doesn't try to be clever or up-brow, just plain, simple and easy to get along with.

There was talk of a sequel being released on Nintendo DS,  Wii, Playstation 2 and PC but unfortunately it has never seen the light of day and is currently presumed cancelled.  This is one game that I would love to see a sequel of but with most classics I know that a sequel would never live up to the pure love I have for Hogs of War, and is probably better off left alone.

If you want to give this game a try, you can download the game via Brothersoft.

Theme Hospital

Theme Hospital was originally released in 1997 and was the second game in the popular Theme series of games; following on from Theme Park.  The game was a massive commercial success, selling over 4 million copies worldwide.

Theme Hospital is a simulation game set in a hospital that would make a trip to your local Accident & Emergency a dream experience. The game starts off in an empty hospital with a fairly basic layout and your goal is to build the rooms available, hire the correct staff, fill your hospital with seats, fire extinguishers and all manner of small items, in order to fulfil the targets set for you within the fields of financial attainment, percentage of patients cured, patients cured and hospital value.  Once you have fulfilled the targets for the hospital (within the time limit), you are moved to a bigger hospital, with bigger targets, new diseases, new rooms to build and a more complex layout.

The game revolves around the player buying and placing rooms (or facilities) in a hospital, and hiring doctors, nurses, receptionists and handymen to make the hospital operational. Once the hospital is opened, patients will start arriving will all manner of amusing fictional illnesses which must be diagnosed and cured in order to obtain money and achieve the set targets. The player must also ensure that the hospital and equipment is kept in clean, working order and that staff members do not get to tired or to cold while at work.

There is a somewhat dark sense of humour running throughout the game, the same humour that runs through all of Bullfrog's Theme games. The fictional illnesses adding to the humour with diseases such as Bloaty Head, Hairyitis, Heaped Piles and The Squits. There are loads of little humorous touches that you will experience throughout the game with workers who 'smell faintly of cabbage', references to other well-known computers, and the occasional visit from Death himself if your hospital reputation gets that bad.

It may have been 15 years since it was originally released but Theme Hospital is still a cracking game and the humour within still stands as strong now as it did all those years ago. If you have never played the game, and god knows why, then you should definitely pick it up and experience a game that is nothing short of a classic. You can download the game from the PlayStation Store or you can pick up the Windows version from the GAME website for just £2.99. http://www.game.co.uk/