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RPS Ranks the top 50 strategy games of all time

Jason Liang

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https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/11/18/the-50-best-strategy-games-on-pc/51/

A little old (from 2016) if it included this year I'm sure it would add Shadow Tactics.

Not a bad list, top 12 is:

1. Civ IV
2. SMAC
3. CK 2
4. Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
5. King of Dragon Pass
6. UFO: Enemy Unknown
7. EU IV
8. Endless Legend
9. Homeworld Remastered
10. JA 2
11. Invisible Inc
12. XCOM 2

Not too bad, the games we care about rated quite well. I smell Rowan Kaiser's scent all over this list. Missing Vicky 2, alas.
 

sser

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Dunno what you guys are talking about, there are some very spotty choices and omissions.
 

Jason Liang

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ok but there's a TON of strategy games if you're combining squad tactics, rts, 4x, civ-likes, war games and grand strategy games. It's pretty hard to make a top 50 list that doesn't leave something off.
 

sser

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There actually aren't that many good ones and this list still managed to miss a few GOATs.
 

Zednick

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Yeah, there are some glaring omissions and questionable choices. From a quick skim-through, there’s no Age of Empires 2, Dungeon Keeper 2, Master of Magic, Master of Orion 2, or Command and Conquer. That’s pretty awful.


On the questionable side, these games aren’t strategy:


45. Darkest Dungeon

33. Cities: Skylines

31. Championship Manager: Season 01/02


The top ten is pretty solid, though I’d demote Endless Legend in favour of one of the omitted games mentioned above.
 

Nutria

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On the questionable side, these games aren’t strategy:


45. Darkest Dungeon

33. Cities: Skylines

Also they aren't good. Particularly the latter. There's an entire genre of city-builders, and they picked out one that just plain sucks to represent them all. Like, really, that half-finished crap is better than Tropico? I'm supposed to believe that Cities: Skylines keeps getting all this praise just because the reviewers honestly love it so much?
 

Nahel

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Warcraft 3 behind Starcraft 2, Endless Legends and Crusadr Kings 2? CK used to be good but is nowhere a top 5. And Starcraft 2 should never be before its predecessor. Some ok entries but the ranking is retarded except the first entries.
 

Jason Liang

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Darkest Dungeon is barely an RPG. It's a squad-based combat and walking simulator. I guess you could call it a strategy game.

Builders are on the grey edge of strategy games. Obviously The Sims isn't a strategy game, but anything slightly more goal oriented, like build a functional city, is like a Tycoon game which is considered strategy. I mean, what's the real difference between a Tycoon game, Populous, and City Skylines? Although yeah they did ignore Tropico.

Also yeah RPS biased against RTS... RPS only considers "innovative" RTS's, a straight-up formula RTS is trash in their eyes compared to Supreme Commander. Although tbh how many of the older "classic" RTS's have you actually gone back to play recently, besides StarCraft?

I'm still confused why BlackAdderBG doesn't consider Invisible Inc a strategy game...

To me, it's missing SC2 UQM and Pirates! But again, pretty tough to do a perfect top 50 for strategy if you're going to define strategy so broadly.
 
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asfasdf

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Insert Title Here Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/11/18/the-50-best-strategy-games-on-pc/51/

A little old (from 2016) if it included this year I'm sure it would add Shadow Tactics.

Not a bad list, top 12 is:

1. Civ IV
2. SMAC
3. CK 2
4. Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
5. King of Dragon Pass
6. UFO: Enemy Unknown
7. EU IV
8. Endless Legend
9. Homeworld Remastered
10. JA 2
11. Invisible Inc
12. XCOM 2

Not too bad, the games we care about rated quite well. I smell Rowan Kaiser's scent all over this list. Missing Vicky 2, alas.

With the exception of Supreme Commander, it is a pretty solid list. It is missing better games like Master of Magic and MoOs but it is still good. I hope XCOM2 is tftd here.
 

spectre

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Can't be bothered to click through all this, but I am quite surprised to see Invisible Inc hit top 12.
I assume Civ4 gets top spot because of mods, so by the same reasoning Ja1.13 should propel JA2 much much higher.

Is Endless Legends, King of the Dragon Pass and SEXCUM2 actually that good?

Props for no Starcrap and no Total Warts in top 10.
 

IHaveHugeNick

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Endless Legend is HOMM and 4x rolled into one game, with some cool innovations like winter seasons that break the gameplay chain of buildup and steamroll the entire map. I wouldn't call it great but it tried to do something relatively new and managed to pull it of in a solid way, so it has that going for it.
 

Jason Liang

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Can't be bothered to click through all this, but I am quite surprised to see Invisible Inc hit top 12.
I assume Civ4 gets top spot because of mods, so by the same reasoning Ja1.13 should propel JA2 much much higher.

Is Endless Legends, King of the Dragon Pass and SEXCUM2 actually that good?

Props for no Starcrap and no Total Warts in top 10.
If you read the entry, RPS LOVES Invisible Inc.

Invisible, Inc. is a classic that we’ll be talking and writing about for years to come.

Even more superlative in the Best PC Games of all time article:

In desperation, I ask if they would like to play a game.

“Yes,” their leader says. “Among our people, we consider interactive entertainment to be the pinnacle of all artistic achievement!”

Unfortunately, all I have in my back pocket is a deck of cards and the only game I can remember is Gin Rummy. Humanity is doomed.

I’m not saying that Invisible, Inc. would have saved our bacon, but it’s the best turn-based game since Chess, and possibly my favourite game of all time. I reckon we’d have been in with a chance.

I find CK 2, EU IV and X COM 2 overrated here, but that's just quibbles. Makes me want to play Homeworld and Endless Legend. Right after I'm done with ATS.
 

spectre

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Endless Legend is HOMM and 4x rolled into one game, with some cool innovations like winter seasons that break the gameplay chain of buildup and steamroll the entire map. I wouldn't call it great but it tried to do something relatively new and managed to pull it of in a solid way, so it has that going for it.
Yeah, I played Endless Space, it was charming, but ultimately underwhelming. Also, for some reason, I am always getting it confused with Massive Chalice.

If you read the entry, RPS LOVES Invisible Inc.
Yeeeeah, I don't really feel like giving RPS the clicks today.
 

Nutria

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Strap Yourselves In
Endless Legend is HOMM and 4x rolled into one game, with some cool innovations like winter seasons that break the gameplay chain of buildup and steamroll the entire map.

Yeah, it has lots of good ideas, but they don't really come together right for me. I've tried playing it several times but I never felt like I had a handle on how the different systems interact with each other.

King of Dragon Pass is actually that good. It's a game that everyone should at least try.
 

IHaveHugeNick

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Endless Legend is HOMM and 4x rolled into one game, with some cool innovations like winter seasons that break the gameplay chain of buildup and steamroll the entire map.

Yeah, it has lots of good ideas, but they don't really come together right for me. I've tried playing it several times but I never felt like I had a handle on how the different systems interact with each other.

King of Dragon Pass is actually that good. It's a game that everyone should at least try.

I agree, EL does have a lot of going for it, but it doesn't really seem to click together for some reason. Then again I only played vanilla and apparently DLCs added plenty of additional features and extra content. I'm still planning to try those out at some point.
 

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