Hammer & Sickle - PC

I fault Amazon for neglecting to put this disclaimer on their site, but perhaps they did not yet know. I've tried the only patch for this game - an unofficial one by the developer at that - with no luck, and even tried a no-cd crack which was rumored to fix the problem, to no avail. Rating is not for the game content itself, as I have yet to actually play it. Bought it new, still in the box. Waste of $12.

No issues

Let me start by mentioning another game. X-COM: Terror From the Deep was one of the first computer games I ever played to completion, and is still one of my all-time favorites. Even today, it lives - along with the original game - as two of the greatest games of its era. The unique combination of chance, character building, open-endedness, and tactics made those two games permanent classics.Hammer and Sickle takes all those qualities, minus the overarching strategy, and recombines them in a much more modern package.Set in the Cold War, your character is tasked with investigating sinister happenings in East Germany. As the game progresses, you make choices, make allies and enemies, build and equip your squad. Yes! It has a consistent story, and characterization!So you move from mission to mission, improving the various characters stats, and engaging in tactical combat with a variety of foes. Cover is essential. You choose how to use your equipment best to eliminate resistance, and what equipment you will use anyway. You manage ammo and carrying capacity. Different characters have different abilities and specialties, like the ability to use heavy weapons or grenades, and you can further specialize them by using experience points to upgrade skills and stats.Character death is permanent, and affects the outcome of the story. Choices you make affect where you will end up moving to next, the missions you will face, and the eventual end of the story.This is a fascinating game, and a great play for anybody who loved X-COM or was disappointed by X-COM clones.