If you remember yourself playing this on amiga with a buddy and controller, manually controlling your troops in epic battles THEN SKIP THIS VERSION.
Clicking the units and selecting a target for them to go and attack all by themselves, hardly being able to control them precisely? No thanks...

Note to self:
Read reviews and comments before buying games, even when they're on sale

Back in the days North and South was totally awesome. THIS game here is missing 99% of the funny parts (poke that bum and hear him giggle) and the great soundtrack/music. Plays like a 0.99 cent game they puked out for mobile phones or something. Battles are no fun, maybe they would be a bit better with that hilarious noises the soldiers used to make. Bitterly disappointed. If you know the original, do not buy this...not even on sale. *switching on the emulator, listening to the charging cavalry blowing their horns*

I played this on the Atari ST many many years ago. Seeing it is a fraction of what I paid for the game back when it came out in the 80s, I snapped it up.

Field battles
=========
The controls are very strange on the PC, and doesn't feel as fluid as when I played it on the Atari ST all those years ago. In fact the controls during the land battles is odd, as in this version you select your unit (cannon, calvary or infantry) and then select an enemy unit and then let it "psuedo" auto attack.... you maintain full control over the movement of your last unit you clicked but you can not manually attack with it, it has to auto attack the enemy unit you clicked on if it is in range.

Train Highjacking/Defence
==================
This seems to be changed slightly, instead of jumping onto the train and running along the top to get to the engine, you now stay on a horse, riding along side the train shooting the defenders on the train and ducking under trees or jumping over rocks.

Fort Defence/Attack
=============
They changed this entirely, no longer is it the platform game where you ran along the walls of the fort beating the defenders, it's a shooting range where you have to shoot a number of targets to win. These targets will duck in and out of cover.

Overall
=====
For back in the day when computer power was limited this was a good game for its' day... however given the advancements in strategy and action games over the last three decades. The gameplay in this is very simple compared to what we have available in recent years. It would probably be something you give to a young child to play or introduce to strategy games rather than throw them in the deep end with something like civilization.

Although nice to be reminded of childhood games and be able to play them once again, this version leaves me just wanting to get an emulator and run that version instead.

And yeah it left out all the goofy music too!

It's a clone of the Amiga/NES game but without any of the fun. Game sucks, not worth the $2.50 I paid for it.

I loved this game on Amiga, but they've destroyed it, the controls are horrible. And the new minigames are boring..
Dont buy.

I was playing this game back in 1990's like an old school game called originally: "North vs. South" on my first pc (IBM XT PC - CPU: Intel 8088 (iAPX 88) 4.77Mhz) ... and up there it was pretty awesome game.

GAME TYPE :
Part strategy - part realtime - part side scroll game - a lot of.

ABOUT GAME :
NORTH vs. SOUTH (US civil war) strategy (a part side scroller) game

PLAY STYLE :
You can choose if you like to play like as a NORTH or as a SOUTH ... also you can choose in which year you will enter the war (4 choices).

There is also an option like AI matchs (or you can play in the battlefield), an Indian / Mechican option on/off (they can kill one of the army placed on map), there is also a storm function (if its raining on you/opponent you cant move) and a reinforcement (ship arrives to port ... must be occupy by someone).

There is an "Trainstation states" ... and if you occupy 2 of them and they are connected you will have "an connection" and after your turn (or before) train will come and bring you money (which you can spend for some RPG functions (new army, better weapons, ...).

When you and opponent cross the line ... game switch to battle field mode ... where you controll soldiers ... with cannons, on horses with swords and a cavalry with guns. A mount of "soldiers" is settet by an "cannon ball" that is pictured on state map next to your/opponent soldier.

If your soldier is occupy an state that is setted betwen 2 opponents "Trainstation states" and the train is comming ... the game will switch to 2D (2,5D) arcade mode ... and your soldier will try to rob a train and earn opponents money to you.

If your soldier will try to attack an "Trainstation states" ... the game will switch to 2D (2,5D) arcade mode ... and your soldier will try to occupy this fort to you.

BUT !!!

this new version is all the same of that old one from the 90's ... but in the battle field everythin run so fast ... that you even cant react and all your soldiers are dead.

That is pretty frustrating ... so I play this new version only for like 10 minutes.

THIS NEW VERSION SUX TILL THEY FIX FAST BATTLEFIELDS !!! YOU EVEN CAN REACT.

EVOLVE / DLCs :
Maybe I can say a new version (The Bluecoats: North vs South (2012))

ACCOUNT :
no need

GAME TIME :
one game about hour, replayable a lot of times (sides, years, strategy, ...).

------------------------
OLD VERSION: From 1990's
------------------------

---
+
---

+ idea
+ graphics
+ battlefield
+ train robbery / fort occupy
+ indian/mechican feature
+ AI autobattle
+ more years to choose where you want to enter
+ you can pick sides (north/south)
+ RPG elements
+ reinforcement

---
-
---

- NO ONE !!!

-----------------------------
GRAPHICS: 09/10
LEVEL DETAIL: 07/10
SOUND/MUSIC: 08/10
VIDEO: 01/10
CAMERA: 05/10
SPECIAL EFFECTS: 00/10
STORY: 08/10
CHARACTERS: 00/10
MECHANICS: 10/10
PS3 CONVERTING: 00/10
IDEA: 10/10
ADDICTION: 10/10
MUST PLAY: 10/10
RPG ELEMENTS: 09/10
ADDONS/DLCs: 10/10

------------------------------------------
VERDICT: 10/10 (compare to other late 80 - mid 90s games!)

----------------------
NEW VERSION: From 2012
----------------------

---
+
---

+ North vs. South game (old-school game)
+ graphics
+ idea (to get back some old-school gold game)
+ more game types
+ battlefield
+ train robbery / fort occupy
+ indian/mechican feature
+ AI autobattle
+ more years to choose where you want to enter
+ you can pick sides (north/south)
+ RPG elements
+ reinforcement

---
-
---

- idea (no fresh idea ... only remake of an old game)
- old-school game robbers
- fast battlefield

-----------------------------
GRAPHICS: 03/10
LEVEL DETAIL: 01/10
SOUND/MUSIC: 03/10
VIDEO: 01/10
CAMERA: 01/10
SPECIAL EFFECTS: 01/10
STORY: 00/10
CHARACTERS: 00/10
MECHANICS: 03/10
PS3 CONVERTING: 00/10
IDEA: 01/10
ADDICTION: 01/10
MUST PLAY: 00/10
RPG ELEMENTS: 03/10
ADDONS/DLCs: 00/10

------------------------------------------
VERDICT: 01/10 (compare to other games!)

RECOMMENDED TIME EATER GAME !!! ... game best buy in sale !

A modern retouching of the game North & South. The original came out around the time that I was born and I remember playing it often with my dad and uncles when I was very young. Much of the gameplay is very similar, though a few aspects have been modified or added to the game.

The most obvious change is the graphic quality of the game. As it was always a game based on humor, the new graphics work well and do not detract from the game in any way.

The economic system still works mostly the same as it used to, owning two separate train stations allows a train to go between them at the end of your turn to generate gold for your treasury. However, now instead of acquiring a new unit after filling your safe, you have a store that you can purchase from. This store includes new units (half the price that they were in the original), protection from Indian and Mexican attacks, protection from storms, and additional ammunition for your cannons in battle.

Combat seems to have been overhauled and simplified, however, which is my main complaint with the game. No longer do you bounce between using direct control over your units trying to outmaneuver your opponent, now it's simply giving commands with the mouse as if it were an RTS. This removes a significant amount of the skill that played a massive role in the original. Taking a fort has changed as well. Instead of, for lack of a better term, playing a 2D platformer beat-em-up to get from one side of the fort to the other to raise your flag, you now sit in a single position hiding behind cover and popping up to shoot enemies until none of them are left. These systems are not neccessarily bad, but may steal a little bit of the nostalgia from the old game if that's why you picked it up.

All in all, the game is a simple, board game like game that can be played locally against a friend. I recommend it as a fun, casual experience, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for something hardcore.

I love how old classics are getting HD remakes

i played this for hours as a kid on my Amiga 500 with my friends

this version isnt half as good, the mini games have been re-designed & are beyond easy, the battles are lame because its all point & click

Original version is vastly superior

I have this game only for a reason. I grew up with The Bluecoats ("Les Tuniques Bleues") because it was published in my country. The comic is narrating the story of Chesterfield, a sergeant who is fighting in the cavalry for the Union (and whose cousins chose to fight for the Confederates), Blutch, a corporal that searches to avoid the fights and the best friend of Chesterfield, Stark, the mad captain whose war cry is well known ("Chaaaaaaaargez"), etc..

Set in a comedy mode, this game is a strategy one, like I don't like them: a map where you're moving your units. Here, the aim is clearly for children. Because there are no real parameters to take into accounts apart random attacks from Mexicans or Native Americans, the thunderstorm moving from a state to another - and you can disable them. Some states have forts, linked by railways. When you connect two forts between each other, a train with gold will travel. Thanks to that gold, you can add units or use other items.

For a battle, you're in control of your calvary, infantry and artillery: it's up to you to destroy or frighten the enemy... or to be destroyed or to retreat. If you have to capture/defend a fort, you have to shoot enemies hiding and aiming at you, in a shooter mode. And if the train has to get through an enemy state (whether it's the South Train in one of your state or your train going into enemy territory), you have to reach the steam wagon to steal the gold if it's the enemy train, by avoiding obstacles or shooting bad guys and if you have to defend the train, you just click on the arrows to make your guys jump on the enemy.

You can choose your difficulty and the AI one. You can also choose a year: the map will be different. And also, the two players mode can allow you to play on the same computer. But well, I use this mode to train too.

Anyway, it's a perfect game for a kid... well, make sure to set the AI to the easy difficulty. If I understood well other players, it seems that the AI is quite the "cheater". I can attest that at a moment, despite being the strong one, I thought that it was the end for me. Thanks god, I've managed well with the minigames.

I must admit. I had much higher hopes about this game...

But I must warn you before you buy it.
The difficulty is easy enough for a two year old to continue winning... There's no competition what so ever. :/
And the length of this game... Wow... Don't get me started. A game lasts about 3 min, unless you decide to give the enemy a chance, and drag the game out. But what's the point?

I could've spend my money much better this time.

I hope they do implement some more features, to maybe make the game abit harder, and maybe make a game last just a tad longer. Because this is ridiculous.

Eitherway, it's a bit like the old Amiga "North and South" game. Although it's much shorter, much easier and well... The mini games isn't really that fun.

I wouldn't recommend the game, but then again.. If you don't know the old North and South, and like this type of games, then buy it. If you know the old game, and wanna keep that precious memory, then DO NOT BUY!

Because this game will ruin any good memory you had of the amiga version of this game.

I'll give it 2/10.

Only for the graphics and well... Graphics and the idea.



TL;DR - Don't buy it. Save your money.
It's too easy, too short and not really that fun.
2/10 is all I'm gonna give it.