Strategy games

Which are your favorite strategy video games? I loved the StarCraft and the Commandos series. I also enjoyed the recent strategy game, Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun.

What about you? :laugh-squinted:

I think the only one I've really gotten into in recent years are the Civilization games! I've played 5 and 6, and I really enjoyed them - they easily suck you in for hours and hours on end.

Just one more turn... and suddenly it's 3 AM.

RTS is a completely different breed than say Turn based games, although online Multiplayer kind of turns it into a semi-RTS. Needless to say, all Strategy games are 4e or 4x in Explore, Expand, Exploit and Exterminate(Yes, even Starcraft or RTS). What sets RTS and tradititional 4x apart is the pace of play and, in Civilizations case, pure roll of the dice with respect to the map and your starting surroundings. In RTS, experienced players know the map beforehand, leaving a lot up to tactics and capitalizing on mistakes.

For me specifically, I've been playing Starcraft 1 and 2 since their inception but have long deferred from ladder due to not having the time for it and the fact I enjoy its other game modes. Command and Conquer also earns a nod but only for the first two iterations in Tiberian Dawn and Tiberian Sun(and Firestorm expansion). Never played Age of Empires but that is also worth noting. I've also played Civilization since Civ 2 Gold Edition(hence Civ 3, 4, 5 and 6).

Also will give a nod to Empire at War(and it's expansion. See spoiler below for why) and Axis&Allies(via Atari). Best mission is playing as Germany and invading Britain. Fun to steamroll with King Tigers...

Strategy games were my childhood, from Command and Conquer to Age of Empires, Rise of Nations, Civilization, Company of Heroes and StarCraft eventually.

CodeHelmet said:

In RTS, experienced players know the map beforehand, leaving a lot up to tactics and capitalizing on mistakes.

Click to expand...

Not exactly the case with every RTS out there. Age of Empires and Rise of Nations are the biggest ones that come to mind. You can expect what a map has in terms of features but the map itself is randomly generated every skirmish.

TY said:

Not exactly the case with every RTS out there. Age of Empires and Rise of Nations are the biggest ones that come to mind. You can expect what a map has in terms of features but the map itself is randomly generated every skirmish.

Click to expand...

For C&C and especially in Starcraft, the maps were always the same. I suppose you are correct that its not all RTS games but at least in those two particular series, it's the same map.

CodeHelmet said:

For C&C and especially in Starcraft, the maps were always the same. I suppose you are correct that its not all RTS games but at least in those two particular series, it's the same map.

Click to expand...

That is true yes I can even confirm that myself as someone who used to be fairly competitive in C&C