DELETED

[SinisterGehe]

Civ series is especially to get in to and addicted to specially Civ5. They are a easy step to the harder ones.
I recommend Civ5 to start with, it has lot of depth and challenge if you want it to have. Also you can go easy mode if you want.

 

[Old Father Eternity]

C&C, just stay away from the fourth instalment in the Tib universe. The new Generals is not looking all that great either.
Pretty extensive modding community

Sins of a Solar Empire (4x in space), I suggest going straight for Rebellion as it encompasses everything from previous instalments and adds new stuff. Also has a pretty extensive modding community.

Endless space (turn based 4x in space) is pretty nice.

 

[Naeras]

Are you intending to play turn-based strategy or real-time strategy? And are you planning on playing single- or multiplayer?

Well, whatever you're planning on, know that Heroes of Might and Magic 3 [http://www.gog.com/game/heroes_of_might_and_magic_3_complete_edition] is a must-have if you want to play any kind of strategy. It's easily one of the best turn-based strategy games of all time, and it was accessible enough for me to understand how to play back when I was 8 years old.
As for RTS, there's no real must-buys unless you're planning on playing multiplayer. RTS campaigns usually aren't all that interesting.

I recommend browsing the strategy section on gog.com. There's a lot of gems lying around.

 

[Aeshi]

Multiwinia & Darwinia are both pretty basic and easy-to-learn RTS games, and they don't cost all that much either.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

Firaxis is a good starting point; both XCOM Enemy Unkown and Civ V are new-player friendly(also both are dangerously immersive, so make sure that you do it on a free afternoon).

If you are looking for RTS games, then check out Age of Empires, III I found to be fairly accessible, though II is the more praised one. Dawn of War(the first games, not II) is also pretty good.

If you aren't into RTS battles with base building, check out the Total War series(Shogun 2 is a good starting point, as is Rome: Total War, and Medieval(1 & 2)); the resource management and base building is separated into a civ v esque empire management campaign map, and only the battles are in real time.

Or if you want a more "tactical shooter" approach, then check out the sequel to Dawn of War, as there is very little base building, and it just becomes a tactial, top down, real time shooter.

 

[Oirish_Martin]

C&C, just stay away from the fourth instalment in the Tib universe. The new Generals is not looking all that great either.

This, actually.

Wasn't sure how far back we were recommending so I didn't mention it, for some reason.

Not to start any fights, but Red Alert 2 is probably one of the most enjoyable and well-balanced members of the series, even though it's quite old now. Gah, and now I feel old.

Multiwinia & Darwinia are both pretty basic and easy-to-learn RTS games, and they don't cost all that much either.

Also this. Definitely play Darwinia. Cheap, easy to learn, and you will likely never play anything quite like it.

 

[mateushac]

If anything strategy would do, try Civ V first. As many have said, it being turn base and quite a bit streamlined are pretty good things for starters in the genre.

If you want RTS, though, I'd tell you to go for Age of Empires 2. To me, at least, it's been the most complete and enjoyable title in the genre since its launch. It's also good to remember that an HD remake has been recently launced on Steam, along with a new "expansion".

If you're looking for an experience different from everything else in this genre, go for Total War. Though it not may be the best at base building/4x out there, the real time battles are truly amazing.

AND PLEASE. For the love of god, if you still own a Playstation and enjoyed the tactical experience of XCOM, try to grab a copy of Final Fantasy Tactics on Ebay. You won't regret it.

 

[Old Father Eternity]

Wasn't sure how far back we were recommending so I didn't mention it, for some reason.

Not to start any fights, but Red Alert 2 is probably one of the most enjoyable and well-balanced members of the series, even though it's quite old now. Gah, and now I feel old.

RA3 is already on the edge, it is ok but it could be much better, especially the aesthetic side.

I more or less agree with you on RA2, its base form gameplay is rather solid.

 

[Maximum Bert]

Chessmaster? trouble is white always has the upper hand.

Advance wars I am not a fan of strategy games usually but damn this game is solid the original one on GBA is still my favourite (or rather the first one that came out somewhere other than just Japan). Its turn based entirely and is really rather good.

Valkyria Chronicles not as heavy strategy as many others especially once you get Alicias Valkyria abilities and mix it with awakened abilities order and you have a pretty op combination. As a game though its fantastic one of the best games ever made imo.

 

[Pseudoboss]

In the genre of RTS: I would have to recommend Starcraft, simply because it has one of my favorite people of all time. Day 9, who on every available day goes and does a stream about Starcraft, analyzing games, giving hints and tips, and most importantly; is an awesome person. He's the reason why I play Starcraft, and once you have a handle on the game by playing the campaign and want to jump into multiplayer, watch his first Newbie Tuesday and mess around, get practice, and check on what you need to work on. Starcraft is the only competitive multiplayer game that i've sunk my teeth into, and I give that credit directly to Day 9. While probably not quite in your $10 range, it'll be well worth it, as I have sunk hundreds of hours into the multiplayer, and more into the custom games that are surprisingly well-done.

 

[RipRoaringWaterfowl]

Since these three haven't been mentioned, I'll throw them out there:

Galactic Civilizations II: An old favourite of mine, as you can tell a interstellar empire game. It is turn based, and really low on the micromanagement; I think it's an easy one to get a hang of. It's AI is generally well designed, as well. Oh, and did I mention you get to design your own ships? If you do buy, try to make sure you get the second expansion pack, Twilight of The Arnor; the expansion packs add so much to the game.

Master of Orion II: The spiritual predessessor of the one above. It is much in the same vein as GalCiv, only from a different perspective; in this case, it's not, how do I describe it, on a Civilization-esque board like GalCiv; instead, you always see the galaxy as a whole, akin to always playing on what might otherwise be a mini-map. Harder to get into, and older, but a classic, so you might wish to try it later.

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri: (Though it's more Brian Reynold's Alpha Centauri); The dark horse, and one of the best, of the Civilization series. Based on CivII's engine, it answers the question of "What happens when your CivSpaceship reaches the Alpha Centauri binary/trinary system?" with a, by turns, dark, fun, interesting, and eventually mind screwy answer. The UI is a bit clunky, and, because of its engine, unit movements in relation to one another are wierdly ruled, but another true classic, and is so interesting, engaging, and fun. You will not expect anything that happens in this game from the moment you start playing, the factions are interesting and clearly defined/different from one another, and gameplay... that's part of the surprise.

 

[piinyouri]

Does anyone know some RTS's with RPG progression mechanics? (Persistent characters, levels, equipment ect)
The only two I've played were Celtic Kings and Warlords Battlecry III. (I suck at both, but find something fun about them)

 

[Bostur]

Does anyone know some RTS's with RPG progression mechanics? (Persistent characters, levels, equipment ect)
The only two I've played were Celtic Kings and Warlords Battlecry III. (I suck at both, but find something fun about them)

WarCraft 3 would be the most obvious. It has characters that level up, and there are items to be found in each scenario. It all carries over between battles, although there is a predefined level cap for each battle, to prevent the characters from becoming too powerful. Characters have unique spells and abilities, that can be chosen when leveling up.

Several mods have been made to turn into something that more closely resembles an RPG, there's even one in the original game.

The RPG mechanics are simple though, only 3 stats (Strength, Agility, Intelligence), and a maximum of 6 items can be carried at a time.

 

[piinyouri]

Does anyone know some RTS's with RPG progression mechanics? (Persistent characters, levels, equipment ect)
The only two I've played were Celtic Kings and Warlords Battlecry III. (I suck at both, but find something fun about them)

WarCraft 3 would be the most obvious. It has characters that level up, and there are items to be found in each scenario. It all carries over between battles, although there is a predefined level cap for each battle, to prevent the characters from becoming too powerful. Characters have unique spells and abilities, that can be chosen when leveling up.

Several mods have been made to turn into something that more closely resembles an RPG, there's even one in the original game.

The RPG mechanics are simple though, only 3 stats (Strength, Agility, Intelligence), and a maximum of 6 items can be carried at a time.

Mmm, I had no idea. That's very interesting. : o
I remember watching my friend play WCII on Playstation back in the day but I never thought to check out the third one.

 

[Aeshi]

Does anyone know some RTS's with RPG progression mechanics? (Persistent characters, levels, equipment ect)
The only two I've played were Celtic Kings and Warlords Battlecry III. (I suck at both, but find something fun about them)

Dawn of War II might fit that bill (the Vanilla + Chaos Rising campaigns a tad moreso than Retribution, which is a bit more like a regular RTS.)

 

[piinyouri]

Does anyone know some RTS's with RPG progression mechanics? (Persistent characters, levels, equipment ect)
The only two I've played were Celtic Kings and Warlords Battlecry III. (I suck at both, but find something fun about them)

Dawn of War II might fit that bill (the Vanilla + Chaos Rising campaigns a tad moreso than Retribution, which is a bit more like a regular RTS.)

You know, I've never played a 40K game of any sort. so I went ahead a grabbed the demo of this to give it a shot.
Wish me luck! (I'm gonna die a lot aren't I?)

 

[Aeshi]

You know, I've never played a 40K game of any sort. so I went ahead a grabbed the demo of this to give it a shot.
Wish me luck! (I'm gonna die a lot aren't I?)

It's not that hard to start with, but it becomes real hard near the end (especially if you want to kill the Bonus Bosses, those guys are bastards)

Chaos Rising + Retribution are a tad easier, but still have their moments (the Final mission and the Second level, respectively)

 

[Faelix]

I never played the total war series all that much. At the beginning I just thought it felt bad with the realism, enjoying the death of 1000s of soldiers. Too close to home I guess. But I love RTS, and come to think of it, aren't theyt all about attacking a town and burning it down and killing all the civilians? Why yes it is, and at least Total War series is soldier vs soldier.

So with the launch of Rome 2, I went and bought Shogun 2. Was half the price and very polished and it is a great game and I am really enjoying it. So you don't need to go back all the way to Rome 1 to pick up the series. I'd backtrack if I was you.

If you like the warfare you could try the King Arthur Wargames. It's total war in a fantasy setting. The first one should be the best I heard, hadn't played the second one. But the issues at launch were mostly performance. So maybe new hardware has solved that problem by now. So if you want ogres and dragons and wizards on the battlefield it is a fun game too.

 

[piinyouri]

You know, I've never played a 40K game of any sort. so I went ahead a grabbed the demo of this to give it a shot.
Wish me luck! (I'm gonna die a lot aren't I?)

It's not that hard to start with, but it becomes real hard near the end (especially if you want to kill the Bonus Bosses, those guys are bastards)

Chaos Rising + Retribution are a tad easier, but still have their moments (the Final mission and the Second level, respectively)

Well that ended quickly. Guess my computer isn't beefy enough to run it well. I turned everything almost all the way down and it still stuttered, lagged and made moving and manipulating units frustrating.