Best strategy game ever?

[Vigormortis]

My favorite strategy game, hmm? A good question. One that is easily answered.

I could say it's Starcraft or Starcraft 2, as I love both games, but I won't.

I could say it's MechCommander 2 for it's amazingly brilliant and "ahead of its time" action strategy elements, but I won't.

I could say it's Populous: the Beginning for that games brilliant design and unique spin on the genre, but I won't.

I could also say it's Sins of a Solar Empire, as it is by far one of the best strategy games ever conceived, in that it rewards tactics and not "hotkey" memorization and build orders. But, I won't.

So where does that leave me? Simple really...

Homeworld.

Homeworld is not only STILL the best RTS ever made, in my opinion, but has easily one of the greatest stories ever put to the video gaming medium. The game was a pure work of genius, and I still occasionally play it to this day. It was, and still is, fantastic.

(Of note, Sins of a Solar Empire is very much an heir to the Homeworld throne. It lacks the narrative, but drastically expands on the game-play mechanics and ideals.)

 

[Mozza444]

Mine is final fantasy tactics WotL for psp strategy on the go mofos!!!!

Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced. (1&2)

Epic games, never played the PSP version though.. nearly bought a PSP just to play it, is it any good?

 

[rofltehcat]

Can't decide...
MAX (Mechanized Assault & Exploration): Very good old DOS game, my first strategy game. Loved Hot Seat games.
Company of Heroes: Awesome game but lacked advertisement/hype on release. Balancing sometimes a bit off. However, horrible community that will shit on whoever they deem inferior (Brit faction). Random damage rolls can ruin your match.
Men of War: Awesome game with a lot of possibilities but very hard to learn. Severely lacking size of community. Often kind of random and some people are just too lucky (I sometimes fear there may be a 100% accuracy hack out there and used by certain people). Random chance can ruin your match. Still a lot of fun.

 

[Vivace-Vivian]

Though it is likely not the best, I have to say the one I enjoyed the most was Total Annihilation. It's campaign was garbage. But the online portion was outstanding in my opinion,and I loved the unit designs.

 

[Orcboyphil]

A toss up between UFO: Enemy Unknown and Civilisation. Almost added Syndicate to this list buts that's more of a tactics game with some strategy elements.

 

[Amarok]

See now this is rough. I love Starcraft (and Starcraft 2) but I like many others here remember AoE II as being great...
Can I say AoE singleplayer, SC multiplayer or is that a total cop-out?

 

[negimafan587]

Mine is final fantasy tactics WotL for psp strategy on the go mofos!!!!

Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced. (1&2)

Epic games, never played the PSP version though.. nearly bought a PSP just to play it, is it any good?

I've never really played the advanced series so I wouldn't be able to really compare them but WotL really fixed any problems that the original psx tactics had. All the text was redone and battle system was balanced and bugs fixed so it was ,in my opinion, the best port ever done. So its not worth a psp purchase but it is if you include crisis core and birth by sleep.

 

[Malty Milk Whistle]

Age of Empires 2. Not without its share of problems but I have more fond memories of playing it with friends than any other Strategy game. It was good when we could agree on what was OP (Koreans and Goths pretty much) then continue to play interesting matches against each other.

Rome: Total War and Red Alert 2 need to be mentioned as runner ups for me, both amazing titles.

I prefer age of mythology more to be honest, mainly because i like sending armies of flying purple hippos and bronze boars into enemy base's

 

[ParanoidEngineer]

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts.
Play Brits, build arty, shell peeps, win.

 

[Kingfinger]

Although I hate Final fantasy and anime/manga, I loved FF tactics. The game was soo good I could get over it being from a genre I truly disdain

 

[Monsterfurby]

For me: Europa Universalis 3 or Victoria 2, clearly.

Why?

1. They are strategic (i.e. long-term planning), not tactical. (Hence: Strategy games. Not saying that tactical games are bad, just saying that strategy is strategy and tactics are tactics, but they are nor interchangeable.)
2. They are plausible in what happens, not slaves to history but normally not completely insane in their outcomes either.
3. They are more on the simulationist side in that they don't force you to do anything, world conquest is not the goal!
4. Complex but very understandable and easy to get into.
5. They create great stories, and I love games that do that.

 

[Section Crow]

Kingdom under fire : Heroes

i absolutely loved that game and was extremely sad when the second one was been delayed without any information why...

 

[The Last Nomad]

Probably Rise of Nations, pretty basic RTS, but everything it did it did very well. The conquer the world feature was immense.

 

[Stravant]

It was good when we could agree on what was OP (Koreans and Goths pretty much)

Wut? Sure Huskarls were annoying against archers, but the bloody Goths can't build any walls, you'd just waltz right up to their buildings.

Huskarls, really?

Do you have any idea how annoying micro-managed cavalry archers are?!

 

[Panorama]

Command and Conquer Red Alert 2!!!! it is just my favourite rts and just general strategy.

 

[Sacman]

The Advanced War games are really the only Strategy games I've ever gotten into... most others I've played are just dry and boring... but Advanced Wars has some actual personality and isn't bogged down by bullshit, insultingly boring, economic mechanics and tedious micromanaging...<.<

 

[Hyper-space]

Either Europa Universalis 3 or Victoria 2.

EDIT:

For me: Europa Universalis 3 or Victoria 2, clearly.

Why?

1. They are strategic (i.e. long-term planning), not tactical. (Hence: Strategy games. Not saying that tactical games are bad, just saying that strategy is strategy and tactics are tactics, but they are nor interchangeable.)
2. They are plausible in what happens, not slaves to history but normally not completely insane in their outcomes either.
3. They are more on the simulationist side in that they don't force you to do anything, world conquest is not the goal!
4. Complex but very understandable and easy to get into.
5. They create great stories, and I love games that do that.

AW HELL YIEAH, love me some history.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

For me its Civilization V. I prefered it to IV mainly because the stacks of doom in the late game hot rediculous in IV to the point that I hated fightung wars in the modern era.

 

[him over there]

Pokemon, search your hearts you know it to be true. let us separate the tacticians from the soldiers on the field of Pokemon battles.