Any strategy game enthusiasts?

[Deleted User]

Hello everyone!

Recently, I started playing strategy games. I can't say I'm new to them exactly, as I've dabbled with games like Civilization I and II when they first came out, along with a few others (Age Of Empires, other older games I can't remember right now...), but it has been a resurgence in the genre for me after not playing this genre for years. And, I'm having a LOT of fun with these games!

A few I'm switching between right now are:

Reign: Conflict Of Nations
I would highly recommend this game, especially considering it can be had pretty cheap in bundles and trades. The game is sort of a Civ meets RTS type game, with a lot of city building, a bunch of units you can develop, a pretty deep science tree, some decent diplomacy and a pretty high overall fun factor. It takes place in the 13th century Europe (I think, don't quote me...) and it's a pretty awesome game. Seems to have flown under the radar quite a bit, too.

Master Of Magic
Oh, wow! This game is UNBELIEVABLE! I am completely hooked and this one gets most of my time since I've "discovered" it recently. If you guys haven't played this game, you must play it! It's like Civilization except in a fantasy setting. Tons of depth and very impressive for an old DOS game. Don't let the looks fool you, though, it's still quite fun to play and I consider it an amazing game even after all these years (and I never played it when it first came out, so I have no "nostalgia factor" to increase my opinion of it!)

East India Company
Only played a few hours of this game, but from what I played, it seemed like a pretty fun trading sim. You play as a European country attempting to control the Indian trade routes, and you build fleets, hire commanders (who surprisingly level up, and you can assign new skills to them, which is neat!), secure trade routes, handle some diplomacy and basically make a name for yourself trading with India. I have to play this one more but so far, so good. Not bad at all...

Victoria II
Oh, my! Another game, this time from Paradox Interactive, that will completely eat up your gaming time. Very addictive and deep game detailing the 19th and early 20th centuries of the modern world. Features over 125 countries you can play as, a ton of research and inventions to discover, some very interesting "indirect" game mechanics, and a pretty interesting, historical setting. Definitely recommend this one and I've spent a bunch of hours with it already.

So there you go! Some strategy game recommendations. Hopefully some of you check into these games because they are real gems IMO and if you give them a chance, are something that can hook you just as much as a great RPG.

What strategy games do you guys recommend? Old or new, doesn't matter. Just curious what types of strategy games you guys play or have played in the past...

 

[Warmark]

The Age of Wonders series is my all time favorite but also love Heroes of Might and Magic 2 to 5.

Newer releases I like are Eador: Masters of the Broken World and Warlock: Master of the Arcane.

 

[Galaad]

Sid Meier's Colonization (the 1994 game) & FreeCol http://www.freecol.org/ (a remake)
Europa Universalis 3 & 4
Heroes of Might & Magic 3
Crusader Kings 2 is different but also great.
The whole Age of Wonders series.
Medieval Total War 1&2, Rome Total War (the 1st...don't like the 2nd), Shogun Total War 1&2

There's a lot of others but these are some of my favorites

 

[Couchpotato]

Well it's my second favorite genre to play. If you need more just let me know. I have played plenty of others I didn't list.

Spoiler: List of Games

Paradox Games

Crusader Kings 1/2
Europa Universalis IV
Europa Universalis III
King Arthur 1/2

EA Games

Emperor: Battle for Dune

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king

Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Command & Conquer:Yuri's Revenge
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
Command & Conquer 3:Tiberium War
Command & Conquer 3:Kanes Wrath
Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight

Creative Assembly

Rome: Total War
Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion
Rome: Total War: Alexander
Medieval II: Total War
Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms
Empire: Total War
Napoleon: Total War
Total War: Shogun 2
Total War: Shogun 2 – Fall of the Samurai
Total War: Rome II

Relic Entertainment

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Dark Crusade
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Winter Assault
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Soulstorm
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution

Gas Powered Games

Supreme Commander
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
Supreme Commander 2

Massive Entertainment

Ground Control
Ground Control: Dark Conspiracy
Ground Control II: Operation Exodus
World in Conflict
World in Conflict: Soviet Assault

Heroes of Might and Magic Games

Heroes of Might and Magic IV

Expansions
The Gathering Storm
Winds of War

Heroes of Might and Magic V

Expansions
Hammers of Fate
Tribes of the East

Might & Magic Heroes VI

Expansions
Pirates of the Savage Sea Adventure
Danse Macabre
Shades of Darkness

Stardock

Elemental War of Magic
Elemental. Fallen Enchantress
Fallen Enchantress - Legendary Heroes
Galactic Civilizations II

Ubisoft

Anno 1404
Anno 2070
The Settlers 5 - Heritage of Kings
The Settlers 6 - Rise of an Empire
The Settlers 7 - Paths to a Kingdom

Big Huge Games

Rise of Nations
Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots
Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends

Stainless Steel Studios

Empire Earth
Earth: The Art of Conquest
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
Empire Earth II

Jowood/Nordic Games

SpellForce: Platinum
SpellForce: 2 Gold
SpellForce 2: Faith in Destiny

Petroglyph Games

Star Wars: Empire at War
Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
Universe at War: Earth Assault

 

[Pladio]

I love Strategy games:
- Age of Empires I and II are amazing : These are the grandfathers of what good RTS games should be like. Lots of different civilisations with unique playstyles and very challenging when playing with friends who know what they're doing. The AI is not stupid, but additional difficulty comes from being able to see everything and controlling everything at the same time.

- Heroes of Might and Magic 2-4 (with 3 taking the cake) are very good : Very good TBS games. Combat as well as map overview is turn based. AI is very good on campaign map, but not so good in combat. If you think you're too good play on very hard.

- The Settlers 2-4 (with 3 taking the cake again) are very special and quite unique I think : RTS games with a twist on expansion. You can only expand using specific buildings (towers), which are your main outposts. Settlers 2 adds another twist where road layout is very important. Settlers 3 removes this but adds some complexity by adding magic to the game.

- Civilisation 2-5 (all amazing) : you know these already

- Master of Orion 2 (very unique game, a bit old now, but very good with great battles too): 4X-TBS game in space. You play as a unique race who is trying to conquer the galaxy or find a long-lost civilisation. Be careful though, they're not actually lost. Game has many different ship types, but lets you build your own as well. You need to do research and diplomacy as well as explore the galaxy, civilise it and fight your neighbours. Each race is very unique too.

- Crusader Kings 2: From Paradox like Victoria 2, but instead of managing a country and mostly its trade, you manage a dynasty and your relations with everyone else (amazing game - but you do need to set goals for yourself as it's a sandbox, I recommend trying out Ireland as a starting count)

- Gangsters 1-2 (1 is very difficult and very strategic, 2 is much more streamlined and more fast-paced with missions) : Gangsters 1 is turn based once per week, which is where you make decisions for the week which are then played out in real time on the map. You can alter some things if your gangster hit any trouble with rival gangs or the police. Expect to lose many times with this game before understanding how to survive. Super steep learning curve. Gangsters 2 is a mission-based RTS. It's quite good and the story is not bad.

Probably know a lot of others, but these are the first ones that popped into my head.

Remember :
Crime does pay!

EDIT : A nod to the Total War series too, which was mentioned above, while I was writing this.

EDIT 2:

If you like trading games then there's :

- Port Royale 1-3
- The Patrician 1-3
- Anno series

 

[greywolf00]

Strats and RPGs are by far my favorite genres. Most of the stuff I'd recommend were already mentioned but I'll throw Dominions, Company of Heroes, Hearts of Iron, and Eador into the mix.

 

[DArtagnan]

Yes, I'm a huge strategy enthusiast - though I must admit I rarely play them these days. Mostly because after I started playing them in multiplayer, I find it all but impossible to go back to singleplayer.

Anyway, I'll give you a list off the top of my head.

Superb strategy games listed in order of personal preference:

X-Com: UFO Defense (1994)
X-Com Enemy Within
Master of Orion 2
Master of Magic
Civilization 2/5 (it's a tie)
Company of Heroes
Heroes of Might and Magic 3/4/6 (it's a tie)
Warlords 3 - Darklords Rising
Homeworld
Total Annihilation Kingdoms
Age of Kings
Birth of the Federation
Lords of Chaos
Colonization
Alpha Centauri
Sins of a Solar Empire
Kohan
Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic
Dominions 3
Clash of Steel
Strategic Command 2
Dungeon Keeper 2
StarCraft 2

 

[Nameless one]

Most of good strategies have been mentioned but some really good have been left out:

Acthung panzer operation star:RTS/Wargame hybrid.RTS part is more realistic than any other game mentioned here, but it can be toned down in options.Real gem imo.

Rise of Prussia-I haven't played new AGEod's releases but form itme I did play thier games(I stoped because there is always lot of games to play and theirs always end in backolog) but this one left strongest impression on me.Historic grand strategy that uses WEGO turn based system(most of AGEod's games do).Check it and check AGEod they make some very good startegies.

Frozen synapse - Strategy where you lead small team.It also uses WEGO system.Game is very good in singleplayer but it excels in multiplayer.Also overlooked gem imo.

From already mentioned games my favorites are:

Europa universalis IV
Crusader kings II
Galactic civilizations II

 

[JonNik]

I love strategy games. Only second to RPGs for me.

Alas they tend to eat up the sort of gaming time I can only afford on my vacations and I seem to have trouble regulating my gaming time when playing one (read: they tend to eat into my sleeping time. Big no no ). So I tend to avoid them the last couple of years...

Still I needed a change of pace and so started on Eador. Seems like a fine game that I will enjoy very much. Just hope I can finish it before Blackguards releases its final(ish) version…

 

[Maylander]

I play quite a few strategy games. Recently I played through most of the Command & Conquer series (+ Red Alert, I consider it part of the same series), in addition to HoMM4. The reason I played HoMM4 instead of 2 or 3 is simply because it had been quite some time since I last played 4.

I also play Warcraft 2 and 3 from time to time, but I just can't get back into Warcraft 1. The interface is hopeless - selecting 4x units at a time without being able to group them makes the actual strategy part of the game a hassle.

Go back a few months and I replayed Age of Wonders, getting hyped for Age of Wonders 3.

I've been thinking about playing Age of Empires again, but I don't think I'll have the time before the crazy release schedule of 2014 starts.

 

[Deleted User]

Nice to see so many strategy gamers here. I figured it would be somewhat popular, since I feel like RPGs and strategy games kind of go hand in hand. I especially like strategy games that have some RPG elements in them.

Thanks also to everyone who had some suggestions of games to try. I'm probably at the limit of games in my backlog right now, but I will keep my eyes open for these games on sale and see if I can't snatch up a few more to save for a rainy day.

 

[zakhal]

Played most of the games mentioned here. Dont feel like making endless list is a good idea. Lords of chaos was one of my favorites on C64.

I play everything from rts to grand strategy. Biggest games been gary grigsbys war in the east and in the pacific. I follow space sector, matrix games and battlefront to get news of new strategy games. Currently there isnt much in my scanner.

I didnt buy the latest total war even in winter sales. First game in the series I didnt get. I guess I finally gave up.

Strategy/rpg hybrid games are my favorite. The latest strategy games I played were dragon commander and airland battle.

 

[xSamhainx]

the warhammer strats are some of my favorite. Warhammer 40k dawn of war and the sequel, and a lot of people done know about Warhammer Mark of CHaos, actually a really good rts as well.

I think Kohan 2 is very underappreciated, great old strategy game and to go back even further I'd suggest Myth 2: Soulblighter, all time classic.

 

[JDR13]

I've enjoyed strategy games in the past, but I've had a hard time getting into them lately for some reason. I most recently played Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes, but it failed to pull me in for very long.

Dragon Commander was the most recent prior to that, and that failed to grab me as well. I do plan on going back and giving it another try though.

Reading this thread reminded me that I purchased Eador: Masters of the Broken World from GOG recently. I think I'm going to install and give that one a try.

 

[Fnord]

East India Company
Only played a few hours of this game, but from what I played, it seemed like a pretty fun trading sim. You play as a European country attempting to control the Indian trade routes, and you build fleets, hire commanders (who surprisingly level up, and you can assign new skills to them, which is neat!), secure trade routes, handle some diplomacy and basically make a name for yourself trading with India. I have to play this one more but so far, so good. Not bad at all…

If you like this, you should try Commander: Conquest of the Americas. It's a sequel (kinda), which builds on what worked in East India Company, and throws out what did not work. Overall, Commander offers more to do, and a more logical win-state, which makes the game more fun. I liked East India Company, but it got rather repetitive after a while.



Anyway, my current two addictions are:
Unity of Command. A hex-based WW2 operational level strategy game. When I first looked at it, it did not look overly appealing, but now that I've spent far more time than I probably should have, I can say that it is a really good game. It is easy to get into, yet offers enough depth to be interesting. Also, the first DLC adds a really long campaign, which also fixes some of the minor annoyances that the core game had (the DLC campaign is actually as long as both the campaigns in the core game are, combined). This one is by the way still 70% off on Steam (as is the first DLC, which I think you should get if you get this game). I don't know if the second DLC is any good, but as soon as it hits a sale, I'm getting it.

Europa Universalis 4. This one is still a few DLCs short of being all that EU3 was after all its expansions, but it has a very strong foundation, and if you intend to play a nation in or just east of Europe, then it is better than EU3. It's just as addictive as Paradox's other titles, but with some added transparency in regards to the rule system, which makes it a lot easier to get into. Does it de-throne Victoria 2? No, not yet, but it might a year or so down the line.

I think Kohan 2 is very underappreciated, great old strategy game and to go back even further I'd suggest Myth 2: Soulblighter, all time classic.

I actually played through Kohan 2 in December. It was a really solid RTS, but the first game was a bit more unique. Kohan 2 is probably the better game of the two, but it also feels a bit more like a standard RTS.

Acthung panzer operation star:RTS/Wargame hybrid.RTS part is more realistic than any other game mentioned here, but it can be toned down in options.Real gem imo.

I second that. Both Achtung Panzer titles are very well made. The actual battles feel a bit like a very large scale version of Close Combat, but in very good looking 3D, and with a bit more realism. I guess it's mainly the pace that makes me think of Close Combat.

And I need to actually start playing Rise of Prussia. I bought it during the summer sale, and it has been sitting untouched in my steam library ever since.




And here are some other favourites (both strategy & tactics games), in no particular order:
Civilization 2, 4 & 5 (with expansions!)
Victoria 2
Crusader Kings 2
Hearts of Iron 2 & 3
Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
Dominions 3
Dungeon Keeper 1
Warhammer 40 000: Chaos Gate
Warhammer: Dark Omen
Outpost 2
Warzone 2100
Men of War (series)
Jagged Alliance 2
King's Bounty
Age of Wonders 1 (2 (and it's standalone expansion(?)) is also good, but not as good)
MechCommander
Stars!
Populous
Sacrifice
Warlock: Master of the Arcane
Dwarf Fortress

 

[wolfing]

I'm a strategy game enthusiast, but I hate RTS games (which to me it's more like "Click Strategy games" as you have to click fast all over the map).

Mostly I play Paradox games, started with Rome which got me hooked to their games, then EU3, then CK2 and now EU4 (I tried Hearts of Iron 3 and Victoria 2 but neither do much for me, guess I prefer more medieval type games).

 

[wiretripped]

Crusader Kings 2 is the one that occupies me most. I have a huge backlog, but rather than playing anything else, I find myself coming back to CK each time.
I love its mix of RPG elements and strategy, and PI does an awesome job of throwing new features in the mix with each expansion, so it stays interesting.

Highly recommended.

 

[Deleted User]

@Fnord, thanks for the recommendations. I picked up a few of them recently, just haven't tried them yet (too many games syndrome )

@wolfing, If you like medieval type strategy games, maybe you should check out Reign: Conflict Of Nations. It's heavy on the medieval vibe. You can even marry women from other nations to form a dynasty. Many options to build your kingdom. I really enjoy it. It's similar to a Paradox title.

@wiretripped, I have CKII as well, just haven't gotten to it yet. Heard good things, though. I also picked up the save converter that lets you take your CKII save and import it to EUIV. Pretty cool.

 

[Thrasher]

Fluent, if you really like Master of Magic (and it's one of my favorites as well), I'd check out:

- Masters of Orion (1 and 2)
- Age of Wonders (1, 2, and Shadow Magic)

And I may add that Alpha Centauri is a must play for a more Civilization style game.

Note all of the above are turn-based strategy games. RTS's really aren't my favorite genre.

 

[Couchpotato]

I can recommend one more game if you like Alpha Centauri it's called Pandora: First Contact. The game is basically a clone with modern graphics.

Here was my post about the game with a video.

Link- http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22562