Currently Good old Games (GoG) features the whole Battle Isle series for Windows PCs at $6.
When old-timers reminisce of past gaming gems, this series is often forgotten. This is a shame because it features some of the absolute best tactical gameplay of the era. Easily outdoing series like Jagged Alliance or X-Com in terms of raw gameplay. The downside of Battle Isle is that the storyline is very secondary.
Battle Isle was an attempt at streamlining turn based tactical wargames. But unlike modern examples of streamlining, Battle Isle never compromised with gameplay. This resulted in a wargame with a somewhat abstract feel combined with action-styled graphics and controls. Wargame purists raged at the lack of real scale and command structures. Those of us who got into the series were amazed by the simple learning curve and huge tactical depth. Abstract systems sometimes manage to create fun gameplay by breaking free of the shackles of realism, and Battle Isle are one of the prime examples of this.
I doubt that die-hard fans of side-scrolling shooters were converted by this series. But for people dabbling in turn-based gaming through RPGs or other light wargames, this one was a winner.
All the games in the series features a campaign with scenarios linked together to form a somewhat contrieved storyline. Units gain XP when fighting battles, and some units carry over between scenarios. All the games start out with very simple scenarios of about 5-10 basic units each side, but as the campaigns carry on the complexity starts to add up.
The pack that is for sale at GoG probably provides more hours of gameplay than most people can handle. If you don't plan on playing through the whole thing, I can reccomend starting at Battle Isle 2. You don't miss much from the story which is clearly secondary to the gameplay.
The game "Incubation: Battle Isle Phase Four" also present in the pack, is a very different game from the rest of the series. Probably an attempt to squeeze a bit more cash from the name, but the game is decent in its own right.
GoG link:
http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/battle_isle_platinum
Wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_isle
This reccomendation is based on the gameplay of the original games that I have played for years. I don't have experience with the pack from GoG and can't comment on stability or compatibility, but GoG tends to get this right most of the time.
When old-timers reminisce of past gaming gems, this series is often forgotten. This is a shame because it features some of the absolute best tactical gameplay of the era. Easily outdoing series like Jagged Alliance or X-Com in terms of raw gameplay. The downside of Battle Isle is that the storyline is very secondary.
Battle Isle was an attempt at streamlining turn based tactical wargames. But unlike modern examples of streamlining, Battle Isle never compromised with gameplay. This resulted in a wargame with a somewhat abstract feel combined with action-styled graphics and controls. Wargame purists raged at the lack of real scale and command structures. Those of us who got into the series were amazed by the simple learning curve and huge tactical depth. Abstract systems sometimes manage to create fun gameplay by breaking free of the shackles of realism, and Battle Isle are one of the prime examples of this.
I doubt that die-hard fans of side-scrolling shooters were converted by this series. But for people dabbling in turn-based gaming through RPGs or other light wargames, this one was a winner.
All the games in the series features a campaign with scenarios linked together to form a somewhat contrieved storyline. Units gain XP when fighting battles, and some units carry over between scenarios. All the games start out with very simple scenarios of about 5-10 basic units each side, but as the campaigns carry on the complexity starts to add up.
The pack that is for sale at GoG probably provides more hours of gameplay than most people can handle. If you don't plan on playing through the whole thing, I can reccomend starting at Battle Isle 2. You don't miss much from the story which is clearly secondary to the gameplay.
The game "Incubation: Battle Isle Phase Four" also present in the pack, is a very different game from the rest of the series. Probably an attempt to squeeze a bit more cash from the name, but the game is decent in its own right.
GoG link:
http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/battle_isle_platinum
Wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_isle
This reccomendation is based on the gameplay of the original games that I have played for years. I don't have experience with the pack from GoG and can't comment on stability or compatibility, but GoG tends to get this right most of the time.