Strategy Games

SCULLY · 09-09-2003 2:36pm #1

I'm pretty new to pc gaming and was wondering if anyone could recommend a good army strategy game? Cheers

Retr0gamer · 09-09-2003 2:44pm

Well if you don't mind a bit of fantasy then Starcraft and Warcraft 3 and their expansions are my favourite RTS games. Don't bother with C&C generals. Theres far better and more politically correct

RTS games out there. Also Homeworld 2 is out soon so that maybe worth getting.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 09-09-2003 2:45pm

age of empires: rise of rome, age of kings, battlezone are 3 great strat. games

Woden · 09-09-2003 2:50pm

civilisation 3

TheWolf · 09-09-2003 3:51pm

Civ: Call to power and Alpha Centauri (sp?) were also good

Falgorn · 09-09-2003 3:57pm

If you want pure and total realism even at the cost of Gameplay go for Blitzkreig

My current favourate is Rise of Nations, if its modern or historical warfare your looking for it has it all. No real singel player but still lots of game time. C&C generals is amusing but cack, and it is clearly meant for an american politically correct audience. The rhetoric in that game pissed me of the most. twats.

Getting more difficult look into medeival total war or its predecessor shogun total war, both great!

If your a total new gamer, starcraft is the way to go, has all the basics of strategic gameplay and its still widely played on the internet. Super single player and a great expansion pack too. Plus its gone budget so you can pick it up for cheap pretty much anywhere!

Falgorn

ReefBreak · 09-09-2003 4:05pm

Starcraft is stg7.99 on play.com. Anyone know if it'll work on Windows XP?

Dont be at yourself · 09-09-2003 4:17pm

For my money, you only need Ground Control and either Medievil or Shogun Total War. Shogun and Ground Control will be going for pennys nowadays, so there's no excuse.

Lexcorp's strategy heads mostly swear by Homeworld. Haven't spent much time with it myself, but it's genereally considered to be covered in fun-sauce. There's a sequel on the way, so maybe you want to stick it out for that.

Stay the hell away from the last few C&C games and the Total Annialiation series, they're pants.

Retr0gamer · 09-09-2003 4:34pm

Starcraft does work with XP.

The best thing about starcraft is that it's one of those games that I'm still playing on Multiplayer even after so many years.

talla · 09-09-2003 4:49pm

Originally posted by Comic store Guy
If you want pure and total realism even at the cost of Gameplay go for Blitzkreig

Very underestimated game, good game structure, huge amount of units, plenty to keep you occupied for weeks.

Scruff · 09-09-2003 4:58pm

Total Annihilation.
Brilliant game a few years old but doesnt look too dated. Should be able to pick it up with the expansion pack for around €10-15 i'd say. ye can download dozens of extra new units etc online as well.

monument · 09-09-2003 8:38pm

I'll second Rise of Nations.

I'm currently playing it nearly every day online.

Pepe LeFrits · 09-09-2003 10:54pm

Aye, Rise of Nations rocks.

Pugsley · 09-09-2003 11:08pm

AoE2 and Conquerers expansion - Hours upon hours of fun, greatest RTS of all time IMO.

C&C generals isnt bad, the single player is pants (too political too) but skirmish and LAN games are great.

Rise of Nations isnt bad, very good advancing system, but combat is rather poo and them stealth bombers are way over powered. The game is about advancing through the ages and economy, not military, just try to remember that when you play, as the military on the whole is a bit poo.

Starcraft is a superb game, no doubt about it, a real RTS legend.

Warcraft is not a touch on Starcraft imo, always preferred starcraft, but a lot of people like warcraft, it just isnt a favourite of mine, not that bad, has a very good single player tho, even if it does drag on a bit at times.

Civ3, hope you have a lot of time to burn, this game goes through time no problem, prepare to watch weeks of your life dissapear, more addictive than cocaine or Nicotine, you have been warned.

SCULLY · 10-09-2003 9:12am

Thanks!!

DiscoStu · 10-09-2003 9:36am

airborne assault: red devils over arnhem is _the_ best strategy game ive ever played. proper real time turn based free moving tile based strategy game that for once has actual use of strategy. it completly revolutionised wargames when it was released last year and there is a sequal on the way. i seen it on sale in game grafton st. about a month ago(only purchasable online last year)

check this review out http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/airborneassaultreddoa/review.html

Sarky · 10-09-2003 5:09pm

And if your shiny new machine lets you run them, try and find UFO and Terror From The Deep.

Although isn't UFO being polished up a bit for this day and age by some nice people? Forget the links, I'm sure one of you nice folks can fill in my blanks.

I wholeheartedly recommend Ground Control. Pure Realtime strategy, without bothering with building stuff. You get stuck in quickly, and your units get better if they survive, so you have to be clever.

I found Shogun very difficult. Very clever too though.

Scruff · 10-09-2003 6:16pm

Sarky, are you speaking of UFO: Aftermath ?

meglome · 10-09-2003 7:01pm

I'm playing Blitzkreig myself right now, looks good so far.

BlitzKrieg · 11-09-2003 6:56pm

I second the homeworld series....i've only played cataclysm but the single player allows alot more freedom in your tactics (despite the restriction in no. of units) I also rec Ground Control.

If only those two games were combined i would have my dream game...

But i must ask. Do u perfer the system of GC and homeworld where your units are kept from mission to mission or do u perfer the irritating system of new mission rebuild forces. I love keeping my fleet from mission to mission it makes it feel like its growing as i become better...

though i do become paranoid over my units in both games and i refuse to accept victory without all my units making it out...

GC has the best artillary...

Syth · 11-09-2003 7:12pm

I personally prefer ecomomic type strategy games, as apposed to military strategy games. Ie you have to ddeal with more complex resurses and mini-economies so to speak. And for that I'd recommend the Settler's series. Settlers 3 is the best. Settlers 4 looks just like 3. It's a few years old, but really good.

ykt0di9url7bc3 · 11-09-2003 7:26pm

Z: Steel Soldiers

Total War series

Homeworld Cataclysm

Pugsley · 12-09-2003 5:00pm

Id agree with Syth, the Settlers series is very, very good (only played 3 however), and I have to say Settlers3 was a great game, takes a long time to get an army gathered, and your economy flowing, but its very fun to do.

GC has the best artillary...

Id disagree with you here, Total Annhialation and Warzone2100 had far superior Artillary IMO, hmmmm, hellstorms and Big Bertha's *dribble*

Stormfox1020 · 12-09-2003 6:36pm

I dont know if its in the same category, but id recommend The Commandos Series, its Pure Genius, Its also very challeging specially the 2nd one (my fave so far). Anyway its a good WW2 Stratagey/ action, and comm3 is out this month aswell, joy

swiss · 12-09-2003 8:29pm

Just finished a game of Homeworld Cataclysm there, an old but classic game. Red Alert 2 can be a great strategy game too, but only really comes into it's own when you're up against challenging (i.e human) competition. I've also recently started playing Dungeon Keeper 2, another classic title (although stricly speaking it isn't army strategy). Age of Empires 2 and Warzone2100 also get my thumbs up (although be prepared to invest a lot of time into the latter title to enjoy it).

If you enjoy a challenge, play Commandos 2 (be warned though, it is very tough for the novice). If you prefer turn based strategy, I highly recommend Civilisation 3, the tech tree alone puts many RTS games to shame.

I recon to start you off you should pick Age of Empires 2, you really can't go wrong with that one, and then from there you can graduate to more 'hardcore' strategy titles. Just my 0.02 euro.

Fidelis · 13-09-2003 12:29am

Dungeon Keeper, Shogun, Starcarft & Age of Empires.

Submarine Titans - great, purely for the underwater theme!

Entente - I played a demo of this epic WWI RTS, really really engaging, loads of units & quite hard.

BlitzKrieg · 13-09-2003 1:05am

Originally posted by Pugsley
Id disagree with you here, Total Annhialation and Warzone2100 had far superior Artillary IMO, hmmmm, hellstorms and Big Bertha's *dribble*

But u cant do a proper barrage nothing beats two artillary units in GC ordererd to ;ay waste to a area...anything going through that area is so "tenderized" by the time it gets to you ur recons can knock it off. I feel its a more accurate portrayel of artillary being a large number of big shells fired in the general direction rather then for example tiberium suns super artillary which happens to have perfect aim... Also as an opponent it is v.scary seeing those shells flutter down..AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Creature · 13-09-2003 2:15pm

You can't go wrong with Age of Mythology. I mean its the only game going where you get to use units that turn enemies to stone. And if thats not what you look for in a RTS title then I just dont know!

Pugsley · 14-09-2003 12:22am

Originally posted by BlitzKrieg
I feel its a more accurate portrayel of artillary being a large number of big shells fired in the general direction

In Total Annhialation it was like that - Big Bertha would fire a shell about 8 screens in distance (HUGE distance, larger than a lot of maps), they were also horrifically inaccurate (when i say innacurate - i mean you could fire at his outer base defence and hit the midle of his base.... regularly), had a slow fire rate, and could blow a tank into kingdom come if they hit directly...... like real artillary

Strategy Games

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