After what seems like months of teasing on their official Twitter account, MicroProse have finally announced what they are working on. In the last few days MicroProse posted some archive pictures which suggested there would be a naval flavour to what they were going to announce leading some to wonder if it would be a sequel in the Silent Service submarine sim series but yesterday they announced ‘Task Force Admiral’, ‘Second Front’ and ‘Sea Power’.
The brand is being brought back by David Lagettie who is the man behind the TitanIM software which is used in commercial military simulations and is known for its incredibly realistic looking terrains which is why so many people were excited when it was revealed he was behind this revival as an engine such as TitanIM would look incredible if it could be used to power a new Falcon or Gunship game. David Lagettie has cited ‘Wild’ Bill Stealey as being something of a mentor to him during this revival and there have been teasers about a new Warbirds game with a brand new very detailed looking engine.
The first title announced is ‘Task Force Admiral’ is a naval command simulation in development by Drydock Dreams Games and has been in development for some time. The game puts you in the seat of a US Admiral during WW2 and its your job to take on the mighty Japanese navy and the game will feature:
- As an Admiral, command legendary American carriers task forces in 1942
- Innovative approach to serious wargaming in a full 3D simulation-based environment
- Pausable real-time, time compression available, no clickfest
- The most detailed & authentic WW2 naval command game ever made for PC
- A powerful in-game narrative engine managing scripted & random events
- Lead the US Navy in 30+ historical & hypothetical single scenarios
- Over 90 classes of ships and 40 types of aircraft meticulously researched & recreated
- Accurate real-life ship, aircraft camouflages & markings
- Advanced realistic ballistics and damage modelling
- Play it the way you like it: fully customizable realism & difficulty settings
- High-level of sound immersion, dynamic original soundtrack
- Post-battle replay player & full scenario builder included
The second game ‘Second Front’ is another WW2 based game but this time its a turn-based strategy game that looks to take a more cartoon like representation of the battle. The game is being developed by HexDraw and will feature 40 infantry units and 200 tanks, vehicles and guns over multiple campaigns and will also have a level editor.
The third game ‘Sea Power’ looks like it could be a modern day ‘Harpoon’ type of game with the player again controlling naval forces, but this time in the modern era. The game is under development by Triassic Games and is already looking very promising. The action takes place across the globe, from the Persian Gulf to Europe as you control NATO forces desperately trying to fend off the Soviets.
While the announcement may not feature some of the classic titles we’ve seen published under the MicroProse brand in days gone by its great to see the name publishing games again and hopefully it won’t be long until we see some of those old classic franchises such as B-17, Falcon and Gunship remade in a new modern up to date engine – we can only hope!