[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 1994
Synopsis: It may be old as hell and you may have to actually
disable DirectDraw to get it to run these days but there's still no PC
game that can compete with the mighty X-COM. Conceptually it's one of
the finest strategy games to ever appear on any system. Putting the
player in charge of a worldwide defense against an alien invasion, the
original X-COM combined elements of sophisticated base management,
high-tech research, engaging roleplaying, thrilling tactical combat and a
tense, terrifying story to create an experience that has yet to be
duplicated by any other game. Leading your squads on missions to reclaim
crashed UFOs or fighting house to house in an effort to repel alien
terror attacks on major cities throughout the world were the highlights
of the game but X-COM has plenty of other pleasures in store, from
juggling personnel and equipment to keeping the nations of the world
happy enough to sustain your budget. Simply put, there's no excuse for
strategy fans not to break this one out and play through it again.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2005
Synopsis: One of the Civilization games was absolutely going to
be in the top 5 in this list, it was just a matter of which one we chose
to occupy the spot. For years, it was largely understood that
Civilization II was the best in the series offering up complex strategy
in a palatable and even graceful format. Some out there would probably
still argue that it's the best of the bunch, but we decided the latest
went above and beyond that great title with more improvements than can
be counted. From the revamped damage system to the diplomatic
improvements and inclusion of religion, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
provides the most addictive 4X experience on the market. Even worse for
those of us incapable of quitting to desktop is the inclusion of a very
workable multiplayer solution. Turn-based strategy has never been easy
this way, but Firaxis managed to make it easy, make saves work, and make
it easily as much fun as the single player if not more so. Civilization
IV is a brilliant game.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: LucasArts
Year Released: 1994
Synopsis: Fans of space combat games will always have a soft spot
to games like Wing Commander or Elite, but no game before or since has
captured the drama and action of the genre as well as [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
Benefiting from the lessons learned from the X-Wing game that launched
the franchise, TIE Fighter boasted some of the best flight mechanics and
mission design ever seen in a space combat game. Long before Knights of
the Old Republic gave us a chance to see what it's like to serve the
Empire, TIE Fighter presented the opportunity for the player to become
the villain. The Collector's Edition went one better by adding improved
polygonal graphics and brilliant sound design. There have been a few
imitators since this classic game was released, but none have come close
to delivering the excitement and joy that we still find running secret
missions for the Emperor.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2004
Synopsis: Creative Assembly's third entry in the Total War series
represents some of the deepest, most polished, and addictive strategic
gameplay out there. Fusing a 4X style overworld map with riveting
real-time battles, there was a near overwhelming amount of expertly
designed content to chew through. The A.I. always put up a challenging
fight, making aggressive overworld map moves and employing effective
tactics on the battlefield. Rome offered even more complex siege
battles, cities whose appearance reflected the structures placed
therein, a wide range of highly detailed units, and unprecedented sound
design. This is one of those games that when you start playing, it's
near impossible to stop, and is certainly worthy of being considered one
of the top PC games of all time.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: Interplay
Year Released: 1997
Synopsis: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
really had it all: dynamic, believable characters; a quality of
narrative and storytelling too rarely seen in games; and the opportunity
for players to drastically affect how events proceeded. It was a game
that above all else recognized and rewarded the player's free will.
Fallout's fiction and game world were vivid, it's character development
system deep, and it possessed an often hilarious tongue-in-cheek sense
of humor. Peering past the post-apocalyptic science fiction surface,
deeper cultural themes become apparent, echoing notions of humanity's
absurd fallacies hit on in novels like Walter M. Miller's A Canticle for
Leibowitz. Though games like Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn,
Planescape: Torment and plenty of others are all worthy of the PC RPG
crown, this 1997 release from Interplay is our choice for the top of the
heap.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: Blizzard
Publisher: Blizzard
Year Released: 1998
Synopsis: When you say the three letters RTS, there are a few games that immediately pop to mind. For millions of gamers, it's [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
It remains as one of the most popular real-time strategy games played
on the Internet around the world. For those of us that only revisit on
occasion, there's still an immense amount to love. StarCraft managed to
create three wildly different factions in nearly all forms. Motivation,
technology, and biology provided an amazing platform for a brilliant
story and universe. Even more amazing was the ability to create checks
and balances when none of the races shared units or even particular
functions. Even the builder units acted much differently to fit the
background of each race. The superb balance translated into enticing and
addictive gameplay. The galactic war between the Terrans, Protoss, and
Zerg proved to be one of the most entertaining pieces of software ever
created and the unannounced sequel (we have hope) is still one of the
most asked about games of the future.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: Interplay/Black Isle Studios
Year Released: 2000
Synopsis: Plenty of Dungeons and Dragons based PC RPGs have come out over the years, but [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
had the biggest impact. Riding the surge of praise after the release of
Baldur's Gate in 1998, the sequel delivered an even more fully featured
pseudo-turn-based combat system, expansive environments, a seemingly
endless number of side quests, and a compelling narrative. If there's a
single element that makes BGII stand out, it's character. The game had a
truly sinister, multi-faceted villain, as well as some hilarious NPC
companions. Take Minsc, for example, a brash fighter who frequently
consulted with Boo, his trusty hamster companion. If you never bothered
with this when it first came out in 2000, you should pick up a copy this
instant. It may not look so good anymore, but it's still one of the
best RPGs ever made.
Developer:
Publisher:
Year Released: 1993
Synopsis: Fitter, happier, more productive. The citizens of your
city are free to live long and happy lives presuming you have any clue
what goes into city planning. If not, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
will give you a crash course to help create your own utopia and then
allow you to smash it with an alien or monster attack when your citizens
have grown too fat and lazy (they don't, but imagination opens up all
kinds of possibility). SimCity gave players an open sandbox in which to
create their own perfect (or disastrous) city using a clever paint tool
style interface. The more services a city had, the more attractive it
would become to people hoping to move there. In addition to being
sickeningly addictive, the title helped provide a base for players to
educate themselves on the workings of a city and the dangers of crime
and pollution.. SimCity 2000 is a sleeker model of the original and
still one of the most ingenious and creative titles ever shipped for the
PC.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Software
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2004
Synopsis: For many, the fist-person shooter genre really bloomed
with the original Half-Life. While the game introduced grand new
storytelling techniques and used atmosphere and tension to draw gameplay
along, we decided for today's purposes that [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
is simply the better game. Amazingly enough, the sequel did manage to
best the original through the wide variety of gameplay provided. Whether
it was straight up run and gun, vehicle combat, or physics based
puzzles, there were no dull moments to be found in Gordon Freeman's
assault on City 17. The same story-telling techniques that made
Half-Life so popular were back and improved thanks to character models
with emotion (in voice and animation) and the brilliant dystopian
City-17 of the future. The game immediately managed to draw us in and
create the best single-player first-person shooter entertainment
experience ever made on the PC. That long six year wait ended
heroically.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 1999
Synopsis: When it comes to old-school RTS games, no one did it
bigger or better than Ensemble's Age of Kings. Though it lacked the
sophisticated tactical action of Starcraft, Age of Kings'
rock-paper-scissors combat model and its subtle balancing of a wide
range of civilizations makes it one of the most enjoyable RTS games
ever. Sure, the historical setting required a bit of similarity among
the unit types but the advantages and disadvantages of each civilization
were so intriguing that no one side played like any other. Possessing
one of the most engaging resource models in any RTS before or since, Age
of Kings was just as much about your infrastructure as it was about
your armies. The RTS has definitely evolved a lot over the last eight
years but Age of Kings still represents the peak of what historical RTS
games used to be.
source:.ign.com/articles
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 1994
Synopsis: It may be old as hell and you may have to actually
disable DirectDraw to get it to run these days but there's still no PC
game that can compete with the mighty X-COM. Conceptually it's one of
the finest strategy games to ever appear on any system. Putting the
player in charge of a worldwide defense against an alien invasion, the
original X-COM combined elements of sophisticated base management,
high-tech research, engaging roleplaying, thrilling tactical combat and a
tense, terrifying story to create an experience that has yet to be
duplicated by any other game. Leading your squads on missions to reclaim
crashed UFOs or fighting house to house in an effort to repel alien
terror attacks on major cities throughout the world were the highlights
of the game but X-COM has plenty of other pleasures in store, from
juggling personnel and equipment to keeping the nations of the world
happy enough to sustain your budget. Simply put, there's no excuse for
strategy fans not to break this one out and play through it again.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2005
Synopsis: One of the Civilization games was absolutely going to
be in the top 5 in this list, it was just a matter of which one we chose
to occupy the spot. For years, it was largely understood that
Civilization II was the best in the series offering up complex strategy
in a palatable and even graceful format. Some out there would probably
still argue that it's the best of the bunch, but we decided the latest
went above and beyond that great title with more improvements than can
be counted. From the revamped damage system to the diplomatic
improvements and inclusion of religion, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
provides the most addictive 4X experience on the market. Even worse for
those of us incapable of quitting to desktop is the inclusion of a very
workable multiplayer solution. Turn-based strategy has never been easy
this way, but Firaxis managed to make it easy, make saves work, and make
it easily as much fun as the single player if not more so. Civilization
IV is a brilliant game.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: LucasArts
Year Released: 1994
Synopsis: Fans of space combat games will always have a soft spot
to games like Wing Commander or Elite, but no game before or since has
captured the drama and action of the genre as well as [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
Benefiting from the lessons learned from the X-Wing game that launched
the franchise, TIE Fighter boasted some of the best flight mechanics and
mission design ever seen in a space combat game. Long before Knights of
the Old Republic gave us a chance to see what it's like to serve the
Empire, TIE Fighter presented the opportunity for the player to become
the villain. The Collector's Edition went one better by adding improved
polygonal graphics and brilliant sound design. There have been a few
imitators since this classic game was released, but none have come close
to delivering the excitement and joy that we still find running secret
missions for the Emperor.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2004
Synopsis: Creative Assembly's third entry in the Total War series
represents some of the deepest, most polished, and addictive strategic
gameplay out there. Fusing a 4X style overworld map with riveting
real-time battles, there was a near overwhelming amount of expertly
designed content to chew through. The A.I. always put up a challenging
fight, making aggressive overworld map moves and employing effective
tactics on the battlefield. Rome offered even more complex siege
battles, cities whose appearance reflected the structures placed
therein, a wide range of highly detailed units, and unprecedented sound
design. This is one of those games that when you start playing, it's
near impossible to stop, and is certainly worthy of being considered one
of the top PC games of all time.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: Interplay
Year Released: 1997
Synopsis: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
really had it all: dynamic, believable characters; a quality of
narrative and storytelling too rarely seen in games; and the opportunity
for players to drastically affect how events proceeded. It was a game
that above all else recognized and rewarded the player's free will.
Fallout's fiction and game world were vivid, it's character development
system deep, and it possessed an often hilarious tongue-in-cheek sense
of humor. Peering past the post-apocalyptic science fiction surface,
deeper cultural themes become apparent, echoing notions of humanity's
absurd fallacies hit on in novels like Walter M. Miller's A Canticle for
Leibowitz. Though games like Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn,
Planescape: Torment and plenty of others are all worthy of the PC RPG
crown, this 1997 release from Interplay is our choice for the top of the
heap.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Developer: Blizzard
Publisher: Blizzard
Year Released: 1998
Synopsis: When you say the three letters RTS, there are a few games that immediately pop to mind. For millions of gamers, it's [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
It remains as one of the most popular real-time strategy games played
on the Internet around the world. For those of us that only revisit on
occasion, there's still an immense amount to love. StarCraft managed to
create three wildly different factions in nearly all forms. Motivation,
technology, and biology provided an amazing platform for a brilliant
story and universe. Even more amazing was the ability to create checks
and balances when none of the races shared units or even particular
functions. Even the builder units acted much differently to fit the
background of each race. The superb balance translated into enticing and
addictive gameplay. The galactic war between the Terrans, Protoss, and
Zerg proved to be one of the most entertaining pieces of software ever
created and the unannounced sequel (we have hope) is still one of the
most asked about games of the future.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: Interplay/Black Isle Studios
Year Released: 2000
Synopsis: Plenty of Dungeons and Dragons based PC RPGs have come out over the years, but [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
had the biggest impact. Riding the surge of praise after the release of
Baldur's Gate in 1998, the sequel delivered an even more fully featured
pseudo-turn-based combat system, expansive environments, a seemingly
endless number of side quests, and a compelling narrative. If there's a
single element that makes BGII stand out, it's character. The game had a
truly sinister, multi-faceted villain, as well as some hilarious NPC
companions. Take Minsc, for example, a brash fighter who frequently
consulted with Boo, his trusty hamster companion. If you never bothered
with this when it first came out in 2000, you should pick up a copy this
instant. It may not look so good anymore, but it's still one of the
best RPGs ever made.
Developer: Publisher:
Year Released: 1993
Synopsis: Fitter, happier, more productive. The citizens of your
city are free to live long and happy lives presuming you have any clue
what goes into city planning. If not, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
will give you a crash course to help create your own utopia and then
allow you to smash it with an alien or monster attack when your citizens
have grown too fat and lazy (they don't, but imagination opens up all
kinds of possibility). SimCity gave players an open sandbox in which to
create their own perfect (or disastrous) city using a clever paint tool
style interface. The more services a city had, the more attractive it
would become to people hoping to move there. In addition to being
sickeningly addictive, the title helped provide a base for players to
educate themselves on the workings of a city and the dangers of crime
and pollution.. SimCity 2000 is a sleeker model of the original and
still one of the most ingenious and creative titles ever shipped for the
PC.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Software
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2004
Synopsis: For many, the fist-person shooter genre really bloomed
with the original Half-Life. While the game introduced grand new
storytelling techniques and used atmosphere and tension to draw gameplay
along, we decided for today's purposes that [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
is simply the better game. Amazingly enough, the sequel did manage to
best the original through the wide variety of gameplay provided. Whether
it was straight up run and gun, vehicle combat, or physics based
puzzles, there were no dull moments to be found in Gordon Freeman's
assault on City 17. The same story-telling techniques that made
Half-Life so popular were back and improved thanks to character models
with emotion (in voice and animation) and the brilliant dystopian
City-17 of the future. The game immediately managed to draw us in and
create the best single-player first-person shooter entertainment
experience ever made on the PC. That long six year wait ended
heroically.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 1999
Synopsis: When it comes to old-school RTS games, no one did it
bigger or better than Ensemble's Age of Kings. Though it lacked the
sophisticated tactical action of Starcraft, Age of Kings'
rock-paper-scissors combat model and its subtle balancing of a wide
range of civilizations makes it one of the most enjoyable RTS games
ever. Sure, the historical setting required a bit of similarity among
the unit types but the advantages and disadvantages of each civilization
were so intriguing that no one side played like any other. Possessing
one of the most engaging resource models in any RTS before or since, Age
of Kings was just as much about your infrastructure as it was about
your armies. The RTS has definitely evolved a lot over the last eight
years but Age of Kings still represents the peak of what historical RTS
games used to be.
source:.ign.com/articles
