Battleground 8: Prelude to Waterloo
{{Short description|1997 wargame video game}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Battleground 8: Prelude to Waterloo
|image = Battleground 8 Prelude to Waterloo cover.jpg
|caption =
|developer = TalonSoft
|publisher = TalonSoft
|designer =
|series =
|engine =
|genre = Computer wargame
|modes = Single-player, multiplayer
|platforms = Windows
}}
Battleground 8: Prelude to Waterloo is a 1997 computer wargame developed and published by TalonSoft. It is the eighth entry in the Battleground series.
Gameplay
Battleground 8: Prelude to Waterloo is a computer wargame that simulates military conflict during the Napoleonic Wars.
Development
Battleground 8: Prelude to Waterloo is the eighth game in the Battleground series.{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000528231907/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_09/19_waterloo/index.html | url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_09/19_waterloo/index.html | title=Prelude to Waterloo Ships | date=September 19, 1997 | author=Jebens, Harley | work=GameSpot | archivedate=May 28, 2000 | url-status=dead }} It was developed and published by TalonSoft, and was originally planned as an expansion pack for Battleground 3: Waterloo. Scott Udell of Computer Games Strategy Plus reported that "the popularity of that game and the demand for more Napoleonic coverage [led] TalonSoft ... to flush it out into a full release." It was announced in November 1996 as one of the next two titles in the Battleground series, alongside Battleground 7: Bull Run.{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19970101080149/http://www.cdmag.com/news/1119961.html | url=http://www.cdmag.com/news/1119961.html | title=TalonSoft's 1997 line-up | date=November 19, 1996 | author=Udell, Scott | work=Computer Games Strategy Plus | archivedate=January 1, 1997 | url-status=dead }} Prelude to Waterloo shipped to retailers on September 15, 1997. At the time, TalonSoft announced it as the final game in the Battleground series.
Reception
{{Video game reviews
| GSpot = 5.5/10{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000818171339/http://www.gamespot.com/strategy/prelude/review.html | url=http://www.gamespot.com/strategy/prelude/review.html | title=Battleground 8: Prelude to Waterloo | author=McDonald, T. Liam | date=December 5, 1997 | work=GameSpot | archivedate=August 18, 2000 | url-status=dead }}
| CGW = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816004630/http://www.gamespot.com/strategy/prelude/review_cgw.html | url=http://www.gamespot.com/strategy/prelude/review_cgw.html | title=Battleground 8: Prelude to Waterloo | date=November 21, 1997 | author=Proctor, Bob | magazine=Computer Gaming World | archivedate=August 16, 2000 | url-status=dead }}
| CGSP = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050428064035/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/005/106/prelude_waterloo_review.html | url=http://www.cdmag.com/articles/005/106/prelude_waterloo_review.html | title=Prelude to Waterloo | date=1997 | author=McIntosh, Mark | work=Computer Games Strategy Plus | archivedate=April 28, 2005 | url-status=dead }}
|rev1 = CNET Gamecenter
|rev1Score = 8/10{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19990428120051/http://gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-1518,00.html | url=http://gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-1518,00.html | title=Reviews; Battleground 8: Prelude to Waterloo | author=Hill, Ken | date=February 24, 1998 | work=CNET Gamecenter | archivedate=April 28, 1999 | url-status=dead }}
}}
Mark McIntosh of Computer Games Strategy Plus gave Prelude to Waterloo a rave review, calling it "without a doubt the best game TalonSoft has produced" in the Battleground series. Computer Gaming World{{'}}s Bob Proctor was also positive: he dubbed it "a very good game" despite the presence of "more than a few" small flaws.
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Legacy
Although Prelude to Waterloo was announced as the final game in the Battleground series, it received a sequel in 1999, under the title Battleground 9: Chickamauga.