Nuclear War (video game)
| Industry | Video game development |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Nuclear War |
Nuclear War is a turn-based strategy title designed for single-player, created by New World Computing and initially launched on the Amiga platform in 1989, with a subsequent port to MS-DOS. The game presents a satirical and cartoon-style depiction of nuclear conflict involving five global superpowers, where the ultimate winner is the last nation retaining a surviving population.
Gameplay
The introduction pays tribute to Dr. Strangelove. Each participant—comprising one human player and four AI opponents—is depicted as a caricatured national leader (the MS-DOS version allows multiple human players). When an AI contender triumphs, its leader is shown celebrating amid widespread destruction; if the human player prevails, only the high score list is displayed. Following defeat, a player’s remaining arsenal is automatically unleashed against adversaries, which can occasionally lead to a scenario with no victor. In such cases, a cutscene depicts Earth's annihilation before the high score table appears.
Characters
The playable leaders parody well-known political figures:
- Ronnie Raygun (Ronald Reagan)
- P.M. Satcher (Margaret Thatcher)
- Infidel Castro (Fidel Castro)
- Col. Malomar Khadaffy (Muammar al-Gaddafi)
- Ayatollah Kookamamie (Ruhollah Khomeini)
- Mao the Pun (Mao Zedong)
- Jimi Farmer (Jimmy Carter)
- Tricky Dick (Richard Nixon)
- Mikhail Gorabachef (Mikhail Gorbachev)
- Ghanji (Mahatma Gandhi)
Reception
In July 1990, Games International awarded the game scores of 7 out of 10 for gameplay and 8 out of 10 for visuals, commending its comedic elements despite a modest difficulty level. Dragon (July 1990) characterized it as "challenging" with satirical humor but noted the limitation of single-player mode, granting it 4½ stars out of 5. Computer Gaming World (October 1990) praised its attractive graphics, fast-paced gameplay, and witty AI competitors. Subsequent evaluations in 1992 and 1994 assigned it a rating of 3½ out of 5 within modern wargame categories.
See also
External links
- Reviews at Amiga Reviews
- LemonAmiga docs, comprehensive introduction and walkthrough
- Articles with short description
- 1989 video games
- Amiga games
- Cold War video games
- Cultural depictions of Fidel Castro
- Cultural depictions of Mahatma Gandhi
- Cultural depictions of Mao Zedong
- Cultural depictions of Margaret Thatcher
- Cultural depictions of Mikhail Gorbachev
- Cultural depictions of Muammar Gaddafi
- Cultural depictions of Richard Nixon
- Cultural depictions of Ronald Reagan
- Cultural depictions of Ruhollah Khomeini
- DOS games
- New World Computing games
- Political satire video games
- Single-player video games
- Turn-based strategy video games
- Video games about nuclear war and weapons
- Video games developed in the United States