Mateo

In part one of the Christmas List; I sated the FPS player’s blood lust. Now, what about the Strategist?

We are after all, Tactical Gamers, and there are a significant number of RTS and Turn-Based wonks ready and willing to dish out the conquest on unsuspecting computers and foes alike.

Fear not, noble readers (Stan Lee eat your heart out!)!

This Christmas marks the best year in ages for the Strategy Gamer. With the near simultaneous releases of Civilization IV, and Age of Empires III, Diplomacy, and Shattered Union, as well as others, there is no lack for choices in this category.

So, which should you put on your list?

For the hardcore Strategist, I suggest Civilization IV.

http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/home.htm



Now, I confess, I’m not that serious a Strategy wonk, so the whole Civ series is not really my bag. I prefer real time strategy to turn based. The new version sure sounds good though:

Civilization IV comes to life with a beautiful 3D world filled with dozens of fully animated units. Cities and wonders will appear on the map, while armies are totally customizable. Gameplay has been streamlined for a tighter, faster and more compelling experience with an easier RTS-style interface. For multiplayer excitement, online options offer all-new strategies and ways to play when competing or cooperating with live opponents. Team play provides a new way of setting locked alliances that result in shared wonder effects, visibility, unit trading and more.

If you don’t believe the hype, listen to our esteemed colleague Magnum50, who reviewed the game here.

http://www.tacticalgamer.com/game-re...zation-iv.html

If you don’t have it, or are looking for a good change of pace, Civ IV might just have you covered.

For the less hardcore Strategist, the leading real-time strategy series Age of Empires, has released its third iteration.

http://www.ageofempires3.com/



Take it away Microsoft!

I’m going to be doing a full review of the game later on, but let me share my initial impressions: if you liked Age of Mythology, and you liked Rise of Nations, then you will like this game.

For a stocking stuffer, I’m going to recommend War Hammer: Dawn of War Game of the Year Edition.

http://www.dawnofwargame.com/

A lot of players were surprised by this one, myself included. I wasn’t into the whole War Hammer thing at all. It completely escaped me.

To be sure, the game is not innovative: it’s a fast paced blend of Starcraft-like setting with a Warcraft III like interface set in the War Hammer universe. The game is, however, genuinely challenging, and loads of fun.

Kudos to THQ/Relic on this one.

The War Hammer community has gotten hold of this title, and is introducing more races, units, and missions to the mix. The expansion has also recently been released.

At around $30, the game is a bargain.

Ok kids, those are my recommendations for the Strategist for Christmas 2005. Many titles were called, but the chosen need to be kept few, so if your favorite did not make the list, buy me a copy to show me the error of my ways.

In the next installment, we’ll wrap up the 2005 Christmas List with the options for everyone else.

TychoCelchuuu

Darwinia is a bit of a no-brainer for a strategy fan. You can buy it online over Steam, and it's cheaper if you preorder it. It's innovative, fun, and pretty. It might not stack up to the best RTS games like AoE3, but it's cheap!

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|TG-Irr|TychoCelchuuu

Mateo

That's in the 3rd part.

TychoCelchuuu

Bah. How was I supposed to know? Besides, you said options for "everyone else." Darwinia is a complex enough game that you'd be better off recommending it to RTS fans.

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|TG-Irr|TychoCelchuuu

StrikeFear

Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War

Fantastic game.

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Mateo

Right, but it doesn't really fit categories well. It has RTS elements, shooter elements, is a bit retro and modern at the same time.....it's it's own thing, and deserves a spotlight on its own for being innovative.