85
DEFCON's a great example of how a few simple concepts can be combined to make something that's incredibly interesting and pleasantly complicated.
70
The developer’s cleverest trick here, beyond creating a game that’s worth it for the presentation alone, has been to throw open so many of its rules to player customisation. [Nov 2006, p.90]
80
Defcon is as pure and direct a game as its inspiration, and its limitations are ones of the game's basic scope.
8
All-time classic. Pros.: - Simplicity. - Introduction into DEFCON idea. - Multiplayer. - Teaches that everything has its cost, especially in human life. Cons.: - Low replayability. Almost no new features, etc.
7
DEFCON is a great way to teach people the futility of nuclear war. The game's visuals, as well as the thrilling soundtrack, provide for a very credible 80s experience, in direct line with movies like War Game. The game is incredibly simple, yet challenging enough so that replayability is great. However, the simplicity of the game is also its main weakness, in that you will not be able to develop either complex strategy or advanced tactics. The small number of units available (less than a dozen) do not provide enough flexibility to make DEFCON a real strategy game.
9
A chilling and haunting depiction of global nuclear war from the perspective of the war room. It has a very "war games" feel and the minimalistic soundtrack of people crying after the apocalypse will leave you feeling cold, even after "winning", or should I say, losing less than your unfortunate opponent. Brilliant. Masterpiece.
DEFCON: Everybody Dies
Released On:
Sep 29, 2006
Metascore
Generally Favorable
84
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
My Score
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All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Favorable
89% Positive
32 Reviews
32 Reviews
11% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
90
As Defcon is almost entirely a multiplayer game, bots are provided but not much fun to play against. The bots have very limited strategy and are fairly easy to defeat. While one can battle a large number of bots simultaneously this challenge by numbers is less appealing than the strategic challenge one can enjoy in the multiplayer modes and hardly prepares you to compete online.
90
The pruned unit selection, simple relationships and fixed playing field give DEFCON more in common with chess than most RTS games. It's not a game to get lost in for hours on end, but it is one you'll get the urge to play again and again for months to come.
User score
Generally Favorable
67% Positive
62 Ratings
62 Ratings
26% Mixed
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
8% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
May 19, 2013
10
Such a fun game that is so complex strategically, yet so simple in terms of actually playing it. There are only three buildings (silo, radar and airbase) and five units (battleship, submarine, aircraft carrier, fighter and bomber) to control, but exactly where you position them and how you use them is what counts. It also does an amazing job at creating an atmosphere that, for a game about nuclear war on a global scale, just feels right. Well worth the price!
Feb 22, 2011
10
The only bad thing is the lack of servers online. Otherwise, this is a fun, challenging, and interesting game. It's a must have for anyone who loves strategy games.
86
From a technical standpoint, DEFCON may be an outdated game, especially compared to some of the current powerhouse offerings. But from an artistic point of view, the game,s brilliantly designed and really evokes a certain set of emotions.
85
DEFCON's a great example of how a few simple concepts can be combined to make something that's incredibly interesting and pleasantly complicated.
83
A slight affair, but tense, focused and the best finger-on-the-button sim ever. [Nov 2006, p.96]
80
This could have been little more than a Flash game done on the cheap to cash in on this nostalgia. Instead, Introversion has created a chilling, thoughtful, and eminently playable real time strategy game, squeezing more atmosphere into 60MBs than most games can manage with 600MBs. Sometimes, less is indeed so much more.
60
DEFCON’s main issue is the lack of depth.
Apr 13, 2017
9
A chilling and haunting depiction of global nuclear war from the perspective of the war room. It has a very "war games" feel and the minimalistic soundtrack of people crying after the apocalypse will leave you feeling cold, even after "winning", or should I say, losing less than your unfortunate opponent. Brilliant. Masterpiece.
Aug 7, 2018
7
DEFCON is a great way to teach people the futility of nuclear war. The game's visuals, as well as the thrilling soundtrack, provide for a very credible 80s experience, in direct line with movies like War Game. The game is incredibly simple, yet challenging enough so that replayability is great. However, the simplicity of the game is also its main weakness, in that you will not be able to develop either complex strategy or advanced tactics. The small number of units available (less than a dozen) do not provide enough flexibility to make DEFCON a real strategy game.
Aug 21, 2013
7
Defcon is fun. To be honest, that's all you need to know but I'm going to go in depth anyway. Defcon revolves around nuking the other players. That's it; it's a good idea and it's executed pretty well. You can send bombers with mini nukes, have nuclear submarines launch bigger nukes or just use ICBMs because you have stuff to do. It's simple with a nice sound track and style but in my opinion you'll play maybe one game to kill some time and then go do something else for a while.
Aug 5, 2015
5
The main issue I have with this game is that it lacks immersion and therefore gets tiring pretty fast. While the graphics would work great, the soundtrack and the weird game pace destroy it really. Even when I fast forward I constantly feel like: omg, move forward already... this takes forever. And quite unnecessarily so. While there's some micromanagement possible and necessary there's simply long parts in a match which don't need much attention and feel like they take forever. The whole concept just seems unpolished even though it's a simple game really.
Aug 9, 2013
2
This game lacks polish and a tutorial. The strategy wasn't readily apparent to me. After playing a game then reading online, the strategy seemed rather flat to me. You will have a preferred layout for a territory and the constant clicking to dole out orders is very boring.
SummaryInspired by the 1983 cult classic film, "Wargames," DEFCON superbly evokes the tension, paranoia and suspicion of the Cold War era, playing on the fascinating aspects of psychological gameplay that occur during strategic nuclear warfare. You play a General hidden deep within an underground bunker. Your mission is to successfully extermin... Read More
Rated Tfor Teen
