Between his frequent stints as a successful privateer and his not so successful attempts to break into the competitive eating circuit, The Good Rev likes to spend time playing the occasional video game. In fact, I've been an avid gamer for a long, very long time. You may be surprised to find out that it wasn't fighting games that got me into gaming, however. One of my fondest memories of gaming is the hours and hours I'd spend playing "The Mother of all Games": Scorched Earth.

The MOAG

What is Scorched Earth? Why is it such an iconic game? Would you like to know more? Find out after the break.


Scorched Earth is an artillery game created in 1991, where up to 10 players take turns planning their moves, aiming their tank turrets, and launching missiles at the other players' tanks. Players can select a wide range of various weapons (from standard missiles to nukes) and enhancements (shields, parachutes, etc.) to help them be the last player standing. Between the insane amounts of different types of weapons, the destructible terrain, and the capability to play with so many players at once, Scorched Earth is widely considered a phenomenal game.

You may know another artillery-style video game series called "Worms". Now, I've had a lot of fun playing Worms, but when I want real strategy, I play Scorched Earth. Worms is funny, sure. I think it's hilarious being able to kill enemies with exploding sheep and super powers, but there's too much variance in Worms. I prefer to rely on my superior intellect to defeat my enemies rather than random chance.

Things I love about Scorched Earth:

1. It takes skill and careful strategy to win.

2. The graphics and sounds have a neat retro feel.

3. Tanks are cool.

Very cool indeed!

Want to know the coolest thing about Scorched Earth? It's available, totally free (although donations are accepted) from the developer's webpage! Why not go give it a shot: http://www.whicken.com/scorch/

Remember, as Sun Tzu once wrote:

"He who wishes to fight must first count the cost."


Sources: wikipedia, giphy