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What is the best strategy video game of all time?

The best strategy game?

  • Command & Conquer

    Votes: 11 5.9%
  • Age of Empires II

    Votes: 24 12.8%
  • Company of Heroes

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • Civilization II

    Votes: 6 3.2%
  • Civilization IV

    Votes: 8 4.3%
  • Black & White

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Home World

    Votes: 2 1.1%
  • Advance Wars

    Votes: 6 3.2%
  • Command & Conquer: Red Alert

    Votes: 16 8.6%
  • Pikmin 2

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • Star Control 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Myth II: Soulblighter

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Supreme Commander

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • Final Fantasy Tactics

    Votes: 21 11.2%
  • Fire Emblem: Awakening

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • Rise of Nations

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • Halo Wars

    Votes: 4 2.1%
  • Warcraft III

    Votes: 9 4.8%
  • Starcraft II

    Votes: 16 8.6%
  • Rome: Total War

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • Xcom: Enemy Unknown

    Votes: 12 6.4%
  • Another not listed

    Votes: 42 22.5%

  • Total voters
    187
With Age of Empires II definitive showing that no other game in the series will top it, especially after the reveal of IV, I looked back at all the classic games in the Strategy genre and It's mindblowing how many terrific games there are.

I gathered games that are most often touted as the best strategy games of all time in the attached poll: Xcom enemy unknown, AOE2, Rise of Nations, Myth II, Pikmin 2, Rome Total War, Civilization 2 and 4, Fire Emblem awakening, FF tactics, Black and White, Homeworld, C&C and C&C:RA, Company of Heroes, Advance Wars, Star Control 3, Supreme Commander, Halo Wars, Starcraft 2, and Warcraft 3.

If you could pick only one, what game do you think is the best strategy game of all time?

(I've also seen games like Sid Meier's Panther Ferrari, Xcom 2, Age of Mythology, and others on top lists too, though less often. Choose "Another not listed" if you think any unlisted game is the best strategy game of all time.)
 

Nozz-A-La

Member
I know you have Xcom: Enemy Unknown on the list but I would also add UFO: Enemy Unknown. It took up a ridiculous amount of room on my PlayStation memory card, and was brutally difficult (I think Terror of the Deep was even harder), but I so loved that game. It also had an amazing soundtrack that I’m now going to have to find and listen to.
 

Krappadizzle

Gold Member
Best? NO FRIGGIN' CLUE. Favorite? Toss up between Total War: Warhammer 2 and X-Com. Both awesome, both technically in the same genre. Both are very very different.
 
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Shifty1897

Member
Ctrl + F "Tactics Ogre"
No results. Wtf.

If I had to rank my top 5:
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Starcraft: Brood War
Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Civilization 5
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
 
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lachesis

Member
I choose Starcraft: Broodwar as well.
Good intricate balance between tactics vs strategy vs actual physical control of units too.
Only thing about Starcraftis it's in real time... (and time itself is part of the tactics itself) - so it gets pretty hard for a newb like me to excel against seasoned players.

But personally, since I don't really like time limits - I tend to stick with turn based ones. Daisenryaku type of game is my go to. Advance Wars is a very simple, user friendly version of that type of strategy game. I had so much fun S ranking everything in Advance Wars 1 & 2 - but I think it was more like a solving a puzzle & figuring out AI patterns, than a true tactics games with ton of variables. Multi-player would have been quite good, as long as you have a very patient opponent who can wait for your turn to be over... and if I could be as patient as well to wait for my opponent to finish up the turn.

Hence, I do admire expert RTS gamers who can quick-think and react to any scenario on the fly, and lead to the victory.

FFT and Tactics Ogre type of SRPG games - I love them, but they tend to be more limited in terms of strategy you can use as they are character/job based usually - and you are often have to be heavily commited to level up the characters. Hence, I think of SRPG games battles as a variation of regular turn-based RPG battles with a bit more of chess-like feeling.. but unlike chess, one wrong move doesn't mean a death for the character often. On top of that, even with lack of real strategy, you can still win the battle pretty easily if you are on high enough level and all in most of the SRPG games.

Not that it's bad, but when one think about true "tactical" and "strategical" nature - it's little lacking compared to other true strategy games... but being RPGs, they tend to have strong narrative & compelling storyline compared to more open ended strategy games, IMHO.
 
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Guileless

Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
I voted Civ 2. Judges would also accept Rise of Nations.

Honorable mention: Empire Earth. Nothing like playing the AI on the hardest level and dodging lasers while you try to slingshot some rocks back at the AI.
 

Fbh

Member
51spOyTmAAL._SY445_.jpg


I'm a simple man. I want to make a big army, I want my enemy to have a big army, I want to see them fight and I want to see random ground soldiers flying through the air as they are hit by big trolls, magic powers and other types of monster.

And to this day no game does it as well as BFMEII
 

Rockondevil

Gold Member
51spOyTmAAL._SY445_.jpg


I'm a simple man. I want to make a big army, I want my enemy to have a big army, I want to see them fight and I want to see random ground soldiers flying through the air as they are hit by big trolls, magic powers and other types of monster.

And to this day no game does it as well as BFMEII
Easily my favourite strategy game. I will admit I also Nazgul rushed my friends at least once each haha.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
HoMM 3 Complete Edition (yellow cover cardboard box)

When it's on sale for -75% off, you should be able to get this game for about $3.

This version is important as it has all content, including the awesome random map generator feature which the vanilla game doesn't include. The random map maker is better than playing the campaign maps (I never even touched the SP campaign).

You're welcome!

 
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Gaelyon

Gold Member
I can't choose a single one as absolute best, but :

- Ogre battle
- FF Tactics
- Xcom
- Civ 2 and 4

are probably the best i've ever played.
 

BlackTron

Member
51spOyTmAAL._SY445_.jpg


I'm a simple man. I want to make a big army, I want my enemy to have a big army, I want to see them fight and I want to see random ground soldiers flying through the air as they are hit by big trolls, magic powers and other types of monster.

And to this day no game does it as well as BFMEII

I've heard good things about this game but it doesn't seem easy to play in 2021. One of the few games I set out to play on PC and gave up before I found a working way to do it.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Strategy games and tactics/strategy rpg’s are too different to lump them together. Trpg’s like shining force and disgaea are my favourite genre in games

TRPG or Strategy RPG - Shining force 3, Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea or Fire Emblem 3 Houses for me. Shining Force 3 is my favourite game of all time.

strategy games - Civilisation 2 or Total War. Pikmin if your counting those because I love that series
 
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CatLady

Selfishly plays on Xbox Purr-ies X
I had to go with Halo Wars since that and Gears Tactics are the only strategy games I ever played and I prefer it to Gears Tactics. Strategy games really aren't my favorite genre.
 
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