It's Just That Simple
There is only one goal in this game: Nuke 'em all while minimizing your own casualties as much as possible - and when the s*** hits the fans, it's not going to be too possible. That's all you need to know, that's all you need to learn.
But that's not to say there isn't any strategy involved. Do you focus on a first-strike approach, or wait for everybody to let their guard down as they launch Armageddon to slip in some of your own fireworks? How long is your ally going to be your ally before he decides that, yeah, it's time for him to win the game at your expense?
Introversion has minimized complexity so you can focus on just playing the game; and because it only takes 22 minutes in real time for a missile to find its way from Siberia to New York City (and while you can speed up the end of the world in the game, there's something to be said for watching all 22 minutes it takes for impending doom to explode brilliantly over your city), you can pack in a lot of games in a day, either with your friends or against a decent AI.
Because the point of the game is basic, the graphic and sound quality has to be considered in that context. For this game, all you need are wireframe map and units with some somber music in the background; after all, you're about to watch hundreds of millions of people die. So, no, there's nothing cutting edge going on here, but there doesn't need to be, and so you don't miss it.
DEFCON allows you to play out all those Armageddon scenarios you watched Joshua simulate in WarGames, and its simple presentation in favor of what can be a rather complicated game makes this a welcome change from the almost endless line of MMORPGs and FPS' which are flooding the market today.
And, to be sure, the first few games you play will make you feel... odd. You will find yourself both detached from and eerily pleased by the deaths of all those people outside of your private war room just so you can play the unwinnable game.
However, if you're the kind of person who can't stand to lose, you should avoid this game. You will be nuked, millions of your people will die, and in the end there's nothing you can do about it. You don't win in DEFCON, you lose the least - and Introversion has made that strangely satisfying.
~*~*~*~
Reviewer’s system specs:
Toshiba Satellite P105-S921: 1.83 GHz processor speed (Centrino Duo), 1 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS.