Best Real-time Strategy Games

[T-R-E-V WILL]

Everyone loves a good real-time strategy game. But, which ones were/are top-notch and make you feel proud. Share your views here. Vote.

[CyVan]

The one I keep coming back to time and time again, just because of the sheer depth of it ..

StarCraft...

Homeworld I and II weren't bad either... but no where near the strategic longevity of StarCraft. It might not have the glitz and glamour anymore but that game is still sweet.

[T-R-E-V WILL]

So far, AOE has been cut-above the rest, with its historical battle re-enactments and the units. Its just tough. Battle Realms, even though a new comer, hit the market by storm, with its mixture of ancient martial arts and chinese/japanese magic. The graphics and total gameplay are just exquisite.

[kilaj1]

AOE through RTS into high gear, i still play the very first AOE every now and then

[don_corleone]

red alert 2, rise of nations, age of mythology and ROME: Total War..

[digitalchef]

i'm with vito on this one:
red alert2 and rise of nations

[CyVan]

There is one thing Blizzard has always done with all their Strategy games that I have yet to see other games emulate and its sorta what ruins most other games for me...

most other games upgrade waaaay too fast. The end result is there's very little incentive to actually fight with the starting units. Most ppl just sit in their bases or expand and tech up as fast as they can. An upgrade in most games takes less than a minute if even that long. So the majority of games just devolve into massive battles with end-game units. Its a race to see who can get there first.

With most Blizzard games, upgrades can take upwards of 3-4 minutes or more. meaning u really can't wait on it to happen so u have to make do with what u do have currently. They also have excellent upgrades for their starting units to keep them viable thru to the end-game. Even the lowly zergling, once it has all its armor/weapon/movement/speed upgrades can decimate an opponent when they're carriers around.. just support them with a few defilers and the carriers can only watch while the 'Cracklings' raze the base.

Also usually whoever has the most wins. In SC since every unit including the end-game one have an achilles heel u can blunt a lot of attacks just by good recon and biding a lil time. So a player can waste his time building a MASS of carriers to take you out .. and yet lose them all in a couple seconds to 2 defilers and a bunch of hydralisks. That sorta things forces u to diversify. So u rarely see one unit type win a game in SC if both sides are competent.

Its all about finesse, the surgical strike and tactics... occasionally it does devolve into throwing masses at troops at ur enemy but thats not always the case.


Oh BTW just noticed the Poll... u can't have Civilization in there. Its Turn-based strategy not real-time

[T-R-E-V WILL]

Wats a turn based, first time hearing the term.

[digitalchef]

u play, then i play, u play then i play. like monopoly.

[CyVan]

Wats a turn based, first time hearing the term.

The original style of gaming , players make moves alternately...

like chess, checkers, etc...

Real-Time Strategy was the new kid on the block , grand-fathered by games like the original Dune II back in the early 90's

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn-based_strategy