Information RPG Codex Top 10 Strategy Games

[Crooked Bee]

The only thing I'm slightly butthurt about is Celtic Tales not making it, but then again, I forgot to mention it myself, so the blame's on me. And it's a totally great game.

 

[ZbojLamignat]

Well, number one went to a tactical game (still think we should have a separate list for them) and Starcraft is not rally a strategy game and so shouldn't be anywhere near that list especially considering that there are some rts games much more worthy of being called strategic.

I still think it's a really decent list, although only 2 games that I listed got there.

Grunker

 

[Demnogonis Saastuttaja]

No mention of Steel Panthers but instead classics such as Final Fantasy Tactics.

Man, that's so depressing.

Time to register 20 alts just so that I can vote Steel Panthers next time.

 

[Grunker]

No mention of Steel Panthers

2 votes for 2 versions of Steel Panthers. So close but no cigar.

 

[ZbojLamignat]

Well, there's not a single classic hexgrid tb wargame on the list. Pretty surprising.

 

[turn_based_fanboy]

WTF?

3 votes for Incubation? No other Battle Isle ?
4 votes for Syndicate?
<3 for Steel Panthers ?

 

[zeitgeist]

No mention of Steel Panthers

2 votes for 2 versions of Steel Panthers. So close but no cigar.

Could you post the list of games that had less than three votes too please? No numbers or anything, just the names.

 

[Grunker]

No mention of Steel Panthers

2 votes for 2 versions of Steel Panthers. So close but no cigar.

Could you post the list of games that had less than three votes too please? No numbers or anything, just the names.

Sure thing my man. Bear in mind though that these haven't been formatted in any way, they're directly copy/pasted from the Calc-sheet. The first A-S games got 2 votes, rest got 1.

Age of Mythology
Ascendancy
Battle Realms
Championship Manager 00/01
Defender of the Crown
Empire: Total War
Europa Universalis: Rome
Fantasy General
Ground Control
Hearts of Iron 3
Imperium Galactica
Imperium Galactica 2
King's Bounty: Armored Princess
Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns
Mechcommander
Myth II: Soulblighter
Myth TFL
Netstorm Nexus: The Jupiter Incident
Railroad Tycoon 2
SimCity 4
Slay
Starfleet Command 2
Startopia Steel Panthers: World At War
Sword of the Stars
7.62mm
Advance Wars
Aegods
American
Civil War
Alien Assault
Allied General
American Civil War
Ancient Art of War
Anno 1404
Armed Assault 2
Arsenal of Democracy
Battle for Middle Earth
Battle for Middle Earth II
Battle for Wesnoth
Battle Isle
Battle Isle 2
Battle Isle 3
Battletech: Crescent Hawks Revenge
Birth of the Federation
Blitzkrieg
Blood Bowl (1995)
Blood Bowl: Legendary Edition
Buzz Aldrins Race Into Space
Carrier Command
Castles Celtic Tales
Championship Manager 03/04
Close Combat 3: The Russian Front
Close Combat: Invasion Normandy
Commandos 3
Cossacks
European Wars
Crown of Glory: Emperors Edition
Darwinia
DEFCON
Defense of the
Ancients
Disgaea 2
Dominions II
Dragon Age
Dune
Eador
The Genesis
Emperor - Rise of the Middle Kingdom
Emperor Of the fading sun
Empire
Empire Earth
Etherlords 2
Europa 1400: The Guild
Europa Universalis
Fallout Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics A2
Floor 13
Football Manager 2009
Football Manager 2010
Football Manager 2011
Forge of Freedom
Front Mission 3
FUMBBL: Blood Bowl
Gary Grigsby's Pacific War
Genesia
Gladius
Harpoon
Harpoon 4
Hearts of Iron
Heroes of Might & Magic IV
Hidden Agenda
History Line 14-18
Homeworld: Cataclysm
Horde
Hotel Mario: Youtube Poop
Imperialism
Imperialism 2
King Arthur: The Complete Animated Adventures
King Arthur: The Roleplaying Wargame
Knights & Merchants
Knights of Honor
Kohan
Krush, Kill n Destroy
Krush, Kill n Destroy 2
League of Legends
Left4Dead
Lords of Midnight: The War of the Solstice
Lords of the Realm II
Lords of the Rising Sun
Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers (Microprose)
Makai Kingdoms
Mass Effect 2
Midnight/MU
Myth 2
Napoleon: Total War
Netstorm: Islands at War
Ogre Battle
Original War
Paradise Cracked
Populous
Populous 3
Port Royale 2
Reach for the Stars
Renegade Republik
Rites of War
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 3
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 7
Scorched Earth
Settlers
Settlers 4
Seven Kingdoms 2
Sid Meier's Civil War!
Sid Meier's Civilization V
Sid Meier's Gettysburg!
Sid Meier'x Alien Crossfire
SimAnts
Sins of a solar empire
Soldiers at War
Space Empires III
Space Empires IV
Space Rangers 2
Space Rangers 2: Reboot
Spartan
Spellcross
Spellforce Spore
Squad Battles: Winter War
Star Wars: Rebellion
Starfleet Command II : Orion Pirates
StarWars: Rebellion
Steel Panthers 2
Steel Panthers: Main Battle Tank
Sudden Strike 2
Sudden Strike II
Superpower 2
Supreme Commander
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
Syndicate Wars
Take Command 2nd Manassas
Team Fortress 2
Theme Park
Third Reich
War in the Pacific
War in the Pacific: The Struggle Against Japan 1941-1945
Warcraft
Warzone 2100
World in Conflict
Z

 

[Burning Bridges]

A clarion statement with Jagged Alliance 2, made number 1 with a big margin. I think it's best game of all time, hands down.

X-Com and MOO2 are also obvious choices.

Otherwise I am not completely satisfied with the top 10. Too many little fantasy games and silly Sid Meier sequels. Instead I would have expected that the top 10 strategy games of all time would include Panzer General, Shogun Total War and Pirates!

I am also a bit dissapointed that not a single games by Ageod made it, not even into the also-runs, but they are probably too new and too non-standard.

But the survey seems to be very thoroughly done. Got to accept the voice of democracy, and it's not a bad vote after all. Good job Grunker.

Next time I suggest that the survey is split into historic strategy & wargames and fantasy, because otherwise it's really too heterogenous genres.

 

[MetalCraze]

What's up with Civilization 2 being on the list!? It's a broken, flashy "next-gen" game of its day that has aged horribly, when you get past nostalgia.

The fuck are you on about? It improved on the original in every way. Sure it's not as good as Civ3 but it's far better than that dumbed down Civ4 which unfortunately is there.

And EUIII instead of HOI2!?!

I don't see how it's a decline. They are pretty different games.

 

[attackfighter]

Well, number one went to a tactical game (still think we should have a separate list for them) and Starcraft is not rally a strategy game and so shouldn't be anywhere near that list especially considering that there are some rts games much more worthy of being called strategic.

StarCraft had a large emphasis on strategy, it's just that so much effort has been put into playing it that the "optimal" builds have mostly been discovered and are now available to everyone online.

I think it's amazing that SC was played for 10+ years and yet the strategy continued to evolve throughout it's entire lifetime

 

[Demnogonis Saastuttaja]

I think it's amazing that SC was played for 10+ years and yet the strategy continued to evolve throughout it's entire lifetime

Yeah, great competitive games are different from others in that after the players reach sufficient skill level, a normal game suddenly starts to suck. I have played a plenty of games where comprehending the game makes you realize it's actually pretty shallow and effective ways to play it are very limited and often retarded. Good games become just better as the players improve.

Never liked fast multitasking games much, myself, and as such I suck at Starcraft 2 too. God, where's the turn button, oh man whats happening bleurgh

 

[ZbojLamignat]

Emphasis on strategy in Starcraft is orbiting near zero absolute. Even when you come up with some clever, seemingly intricate plan it still boils down to how fast you click and how many lonely nights have you spent on practicing being in 5 different places on a map at the same time. That's not strategy.

I could also mention things like using vultures to shoot meele units without getting hit which are almost taken straight out of some popamole twitch game.

And before you go all berserk let me say that I like Starcraft and had some fun times playing it online. I simply think that having it on top10 strategy list is pretty fail.

 

[Blasterhead]

Not to be a boring nit-pick, but I count four votes for Myth 2. Guess it barely makes a difference!

Still haven't played MoO2, gonna fire that one up!

Well, there's not a single classic hexgrid tb wargame on the list. Pretty surprising.

What's the best entry-level title (if there is such a thing) for a classic hex wargame? And what are the main ones that deserve a place on the list? I've tried to get into them but still haven't broken the barrier. And judging from the votes I imagine I'm not the only one. Being indifferent to war history is probably where I struggle...

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

What's the best entry-level title (if there is such a thing) for a classic hex wargame?

Go for Panzer General, or Fantasy General if you prefer a fantasy setting.

And what are the main ones that deserve a place on the list?

I voted for "Battle Isle 3" and am sad to see that not a single game of this prestigious series made it to any of the lists.

 

[Johannes]

Emphasis on strategy in Starcraft is orbiting near zero absolute. Even when you come up with some clever, seemingly intricate plan it still boils down to how fast you click and how many lonely nights have you spent on practicing being in 5 different places on a map at the same time. That's not strategy.

I could also mention things like using vultures to shoot meele units without getting hit which are almost taken straight out of some popamole twitch game.

And before you go all berserk let me say that I like Starcraft and had some fun times playing it online. I simply think that having it on top10 strategy list is pretty fail.

Starcraft has a big emphasis on strategy at any skill level, ie. deciding when to scout your opponent and then react in the way you deem best. Sure it also needs multitasking and handspeed, but having that element doesn't remove the strategy part.

Also consider it's the only game on the list that's particularly well suited for multiplayer, and really when it comes down to it, playing vs AI can be fun but it does not need much strategic insight to win, compared to battling vs someone who can think.

 

[Grunker]

Not to be a boring nit-pick, but I count four votes for Myth 2. Guess it barely makes a difference!

Fine to be a nitpick if I've made a mistake! I count a maximum of three... Assuming all the Myth-games on the list are actually the same game. I admit I haven't played it, so if Myth 2, Myth: TFL and Myth: Soulblight are the same game, I might have missed it. Then it should be on the "didn't make it to top10"-list.

Can't see how your count 4 though... have I missed something else?

 

[Grunker]

Also consider it's the only game on the list that's particularly well suited for multiplayer, and really when it comes down to it, playing vs AI can be fun but it does not need much strategic insight to win, compared to battling vs someone who can think.

Not that I disagree with your other points, but I play Civ very extensively in multiplayer. I have a group of friends with which I play often, sometimes an entire weekend is setup for an epic match or two.

I'd call it the best fucking multiplayer game ever made.

 

[Higher Game]

The fuck are you on about? It improved on the original in every way. Sure it's not as good as Civ3 but it's far better than that dumbed down Civ4 which unfortunately is there.

It's still unbalanced to the point of being unplayable against other people, and the AI is about as bright as you can expect from 1995 (not very). Civ3 is the first game of that series worth looking at, but Civ4 surpassed it in every way. It's one of the most sophisticated strategy games, and the different leaders, with unique personalities, give it some of the best AI in any strategy game ever.

I don't see how it's a decline. They are pretty different games.

EUIII is unoptimized, the AI is stupid, the strategic depth is shallow, and to add insult to injury, it isn't as historically accurate as EUII. Hearts of Iron 2 is the best WWII strategy game, better than Panzer General no matter how much nostalgia you have.

 

[Jim Cojones]

Not to be a boring nit-pick, but I count four votes for Myth 2. Guess it barely makes a difference!

Fine to be a nitpick if I've made a mistake! I count a maximum of three... Assuming all the Myth-games on the list are actually the same game. I admit I haven't played it, so if Myth 2, Myth: TFL and Myth: Soulblight are the same game, I might have missed it. Then it should be on the "didn't make it to top10"-list.

Can't see how your count 4 though... have I missed something else?

Myth = Myth: TFL = Myth: The Fallen Lords
Myth 2 = Myth 2: Soulblighter

 

[GarfunkeL]

Hearts of Iron 2 is the best WWII strategy game, better than Panzer General no matter how much nostalgia you have.

Except they are completely different strategy games, HoI2 and PG.

What's the best entry-level title (if there is such a thing) for a classic hex wargame?

Battle Isles are quite easy to get into, at least that's how I remember from the early years of the 1990's, as is the General series - they are hex-lite games, so to speak. The Operational Art of War and Steel Panthers in their various incarnations are also a good way to get started - especially as there are several smaller scenarios in those games to begin with - you don't want to start with some humongous giant, like regimental-level Operation Barbarossa scenario that exists for TOAW :D

 

[Grunker]

Not to be a boring nit-pick, but I count four votes for Myth 2. Guess it barely makes a difference!

Fine to be a nitpick if I've made a mistake! I count a maximum of three... Assuming all the Myth-games on the list are actually the same game. I admit I haven't played it, so if Myth 2, Myth: TFL and Myth: Soulblight are the same game, I might have missed it. Then it should be on the "didn't make it to top10"-list.

Can't see how your count 4 though... have I missed something else?

Myth = Myth: TFL = Myth: The Fallen Lords
Myth 2 = Myth 2: Soulblighter

In that case, Myth is where it should be

 

[zeitgeist]

Could you post the list of games that had less than three votes too please? No numbers or anything, just the names.

Sure thing my man. Bear in mind though that these haven't been formatted in any way, they're directly copy/pasted from the Calc-sheet. The first A-S games got 2 votes, rest got 1.

Thanks for the rest of the list, there's a surprisingly high amount of must-play titles on it. A lot of which aren't even so obscure or non-mainstream that they'd really deserve only 1-2 votes. Interesting!

 

[kris]

Emphasis on strategy in Starcraft is orbiting near zero absolute. Even when you come up with some clever, seemingly intricate plan it still boils down to how fast you click and how many lonely nights have you spent on practicing being in 5 different places on a map at the same time. That's not strategy.

Play it with friends and even try it without playing on the highest speed. The higher speed, the more it is about clicking quickly and having a better mouse than I currently got.

I had two games with the only vote.
Lords of the rising sun (Cinemaware)
Third reich

 

[chzr]

Well, there's not a single classic hexgrid tb wargame on the list. Pretty surprising.

What's the best entry-level title (if there is such a thing) for a classic hex wargame? And what are the main ones that deserve a place on the list? I've tried to get into them but still haven't broken the barrier. And judging from the votes I imagine I'm not the only one. Being indifferent to war history is probably where I struggle...[/quote]

panzer general is really easy to understand and graphics are still quite pretty.