This is an archive of the former website of the Maoist Internationalist Movement, which was run by the now defunct Maoist Internationalist Party - Amerika. The MIM now consists of many independent cells, many of which have their own indendendent organs both online and off. MIM(Prisons) serves these documents as a service to and reference for the anti-imperialist movement worldwide.
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At the end of "CossacksII," a movie appears showing battle in the early 1800s. Slogans appear on the screen about defending the homeland and dying for honor if need be. Thus, the main effect of the game will be reinforcing militarism.
We tried to find redeeming elements. Instead we found that one needs a super-computer to run this program and all its units; even though, compared with "Alexander" the number of units is much smaller.
In "Cossacks II," there's no help manual available on the CD or from the game menu. A favorable reviewer on the package speaks of the "click addicted" people, and that is also true: one needs a super-computer and 100% working mouse. If the mouse is so much as a few percent off, the computer will beat you in the meantime, while you compensate for your mouse.
What we liked about this game like some others is the connection between the economy and war. As in "Rise of Nations" there is wood, stone and gold gathering. There is also iron and coal. Peasants gather these materials. A society that does not gather these is at a disadvantage in war.
Also as in "Rise of Nations," there is automatic terrorism. When a player's military units go to the opposing side, they kill the other side's workers until they are all gone. Again it goes to show that terrorism is mainstream in the culture of the imperialist countries playing these games.
In the most advanced strategic mode, there is also a benefit for fomenting rebellions in neighbors' provinces. We were hoping for more politics in connection to that, especially since Napoleon could have offered social revolution every where he went in Europe. Toward the end of Napoleon's life, there was also a consideration whether he should mobilize his own people on a more revolutionary basis, but that question does not come up in the game.
Fittingly, in the reviewer's game, Austria, Prussia and England surrendered first. Then Egypt and finally Russia. It was Russia that ended Napoleon's great string of successes in real life.
The rebellion that the game offers is just a simple exchange of money for a province's rebellion. Taking over in a rebellion is much easier than against a normal defensive situation.
There could have been a lot more done with this game and the details. Instead, it's mostly borrowing from other games and putting new graphics on top of them. There is a trifling amount of history to this game and no new ideas about cause and effect.