Top 50 strategy games OF ALL TIME

[celedhring]

A list that contains StarCraft II, but not StarCraft I? The latter was the defining game of the RTS genre for a decade.

[Devil's Advocate]But is it the better game?[/Devil's Advocate]

Yeah, it's the ages-old debate between "absolute" quality vs historic significance. Best movies of all time lists are full with flicks that probably would be ignored if released nowadays; but on the other hand modern movies wouldn't exist without those.

I personally think there's a case for a game that defines a genre like Starcraft 1 did, versus great games that ultimately are just at the end of a line of incremental improvements, and which themselves will be improved upon in a few years.

[lustindarkness]

Crap list, no Tic Tac Toe.

[sbr]

Dominions IV is 14 and the game is tries unsuccessfully to replace, Master of Magic, is 47?  Bull.

I don't understand your use of replace in this context.  How/where would Dom 4 replace MoM?

I don't think I ever played MoM but in looking at it I don't see much similarity other than they are both turn based games with a fantasy setting.  From what I can tell MoM is a single player only Civilization clone in a fantasy setting.

I haven't played enough of the games on the list to pass much judgement but it is nice to see some small niche games I like (Dom4, Solium Infernum, Dwarf Fortress) ranked so high.

[sbr]

Apparently this makes me weird, but I just can't get into Endless Legend.  It is a game I should like but I just can't get interested in it for some reason.

[dps]

On that other note, hands down I'd say EUIV is superior to EU2, even though I've spent way more time playing EU2.

OTOH (how many hands does that make now?), I'd argue that EUIII is better than either its predecessor or its successor.

I'd also argue that Civ II, not Civ IV, is the best of its series (counting Alpha Centauri as not part of the Civ series), though I think mine is a minority opinion in this case.

War in the East probably should be higher up the list.  Master of Orion II and Heroes of Might and Magic should be higher up as well (though I'm not sure whether HoMM III or IV was the best in that series).  Master of Magic should be much, much higher, somewhere in the top 10 at least.  Colonization should be on the list, probably in the top half.  And there should be more straight wargames listed (The Operational Art of War, anyone?  Maybe something from Talonsoft's Battleground series?  Etc.).

I don't think I ever played MoM but in looking at it I don't see much similarity other than they are both turn based games with a fantasy setting.  From what I can tell MoM is a single player only Civilization clone in a fantasy setting.

A better description would be it's a fantasy version of Master of Orion.

[Syt]

A list that contains StarCraft II, but not StarCraft I? The latter was the defining game of the RTS genre for a decade.

[Devil's Advocate]But is it the better game?[/Devil's Advocate]

Yeah, it's the ages-old debate between "absolute" quality vs historic significance. Best movies of all time lists are full with flicks that probably would be ignored if released nowadays; but on the other hand modern movies wouldn't exist without those.

I personally think there's a case for a game that defines a genre like Starcraft 1 did, versus great games that ultimately are just at the end of a line of incremental improvements, and which themselves will be improved upon in a few years.

Agreed. I think it comes down to the intent of the list - best games to buy/play now vs. most influential games. I took this to be the former.

[Razgovory]

Bit surprised that there isn't any Westwood games (Dune or Command and Conquer), Populous, Steel Panthers, or Harpoon.

[Syt]

It's weird that in the list they have on #35 Age of Wonders II, but in the article itself it's AoWIII.

[garbon]

On that other note, hands down I'd say EUIV is superior to EU2, even though I've spent way more time playing EU2.

OTOH (how many hands does that make now?), I'd argue that EUIII is better than either its predecessor or its successor.

Oh I wouldn't. I'd put it at distant 3rd.

[Martinus]

The list is retarded indeed. Also, with series like EU, CK or Civilization I think they should just put the entire series as an entry. For example, imho, Civilization 5 with expansions is a better game than Civilization 4 was.

[Razgovory]

Eh, they should put either the best or most influencing game in a series.  Otherwise you'd clutter it up with remakes of the same game.  For instance, for the Civ games I'd put Civ 2, which was easily my favorite.  Also no Sid Meier's Gettysburg?

[Warspite]

No Dungeon Keeper!?

[Monoriu]

A little depressing that a lot of these games are old.  Are there no great new strategy games?

[garbon]

I'm surprised that Startopia made the list. That's only slightly more fun than the snoozefest that was Republic: The Revolution.

[Syt]

I've never played it, but it seems to have an ardent fan base.