Hogs of War
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| Hogs of War | |
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 The Sony Playstation cover of Hogs of War |
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| Developer(s) | Infogrammes Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Infogrammes Europe |
| Release date(s) | PlayStation: August 5, 2000 June 8, 2001Microsoft Windows (PC): November 3, 2000 |
| Genre(s) | Turn-based Strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: (T) Teen |
| Platform(s) | Sony PlayStation, PC |
| Media | 1 CD-ROM |
| Input | Controller, Keyboard |
Hogs of War was a videogame released for the Sony PlayStation and PC in 2000. The game is a turn based strategy in which two or more teams of First World War pigs in military uniforms use various weapons to try and wipe out the other team(s). As with the game series on which it is based, Worms, the cycle permits one turn per pig per player, before repeating albeit with the next active pig on the roster. The ethos of the game tends to be that of Britain during the First World War, although some of the weapons are more advanced. The separating points from Worms, besides the setting, is that it uses 3D landscapes, rather than multi-level side scrolling and has a promotion system whereby pigs can follow different career paths and gain different abilities. Most of the basic inventory items are identical in name appearance and function.
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[edit] Teams
The hogs of war are uniformed beasts, each wearing a uniform that identifies with a separate country. The team "Tommy's Trotters" are based on the World War I British Expeditionary Force, and talk about the war "All being over by Christmas".
The German team, Sow-A-Krauts (a pun on Sauerkraut, which has become a pejorative for Germans) wear grey World War I uniforms (including pickelhaube for the Heavy Infantry) and comment that they were "told to do zis", a reference to the Nuremberg Defense.
There is also the Yellow uniformed Sushi Swine representing Japan, who claim their actions are "For the emperor!".
The light blue uniform signifies the Americans; "Uncle Ham's Hogs", whilst the dark blue uniform warns of the "Garlic Grunts", who are French.
The red uniforms are worn by the "Piggystroika", who speak of bizarre communist politics, and represent the Soviet Union.
There is also a secret team from the final level, Team Lard, who represent the game's development team. They wear purple uniforms, but cannot be selected to play without using cheat codes. However, they can be unlocked as a 'Survival Bonus' by completing the final level without any of the player's pigs being killed. The player must then reclaim the world for Team Lard from the team that the player originally used to complete the game.
[edit] Plot
The entry video shows an Edwardian era sergeant-major (with a somewhat blimpish attitude to life) at a recruiting centre preparing his troops for war. He states that his troops must conquer the continent of Saustralasia, which is shaped like a pig, to gain access to "swill". There are seven lands in Saustralasia, each of which must be captured after six battles against other countries involving two teams of five player controlled porkers against 3-7 enemy CPU pigs. Upon completion of levels, players are given points to spend on upgrading their pigs. They can make career choices for their hogs (Espionage, Heavy Weapons, Engineering or Medical). After two or three upgrades, the hogs will end up as the strong Commando level pig, which can swim as well as having a selection of some of the best weapons of the lower class of pig. The Commando himself can be improved upon to become a Hero, the ultimate playable rank in the game. Although Legends appear in the last stage of the game, pigs used by the player can never achieve this rank.
The levels are sometimes complete with pillarboxes, parachuted supplies and sometimes vehicles. The final level contains some swill drills. It also features unique enemies: a single bombardier in a pillarbox to start with, aided later by parachuting Legends.
The game is narrated by Rik Mayall, and the soundtrack is Sousa's Liberty Bell March.
[edit] Quote
"Let us not romanticise these battles though brave hogs. There will be slaughter and butchery. Your job will be to bring victory to your chosen nation, to save your own bacon and make a meal of your enemies. With victory comes great reward. SO great in fact that your brave boars will be as happy as pigs in... well, you get the idea. With any luck, we'll all be home in time for Christmas. So what are you waiting for? Chop, chop! "
[edit] Trivia
- The German band Aerger released a pop record about Hogs of War (or "Frontschweine" as it was known in Germany) in 2000.
- It is a myth that there is a missing medal on Level 17 (Geneva Convention). The game shows that 2 bonus medals are available, where there is only actually 1 available. However later in Level 23 (Heroes Warship), it lists 4 bonus medals, where it is actually possible to get 5.
- The design of Hogs of War is discussed in the book “The Game Maker’s Apprentice” which is co-authored by the lead programmer of the game and has a foreword by one of the game’s designers.
- There are three cheats that involve entering special names for your team at the start of the game: MARDY PIGS (play as “Team Lard”), PRYING PIGS (see all the game’s FMV), and WATTA PORK (see bonus FMV).
- Although Hogs of War was often criticised for being heavily based on Worms, Worms was itself based on an earlier DOS game called Scorched Earth (computer game).
