12GreatestRealTimeStrategy

VideoGamesOfAllTime
http://www.gamescdkey.com/news/12-greatest-real-time-strategy-video-
games-of-all-time
In a video gaming era dominated by highspeed racers, explosive first person shooters and
addictive pickupandplay iOS games, the Real Time Strategy (RTS) genre does things a bit
differently.Intheirpurestform,RTSgamesappeartoslowthetempodownsomewhat,challenging
their gamer with taking a step back and taking control of an army attempting to vanquish your
enemies. RTS games apparently being slower than the offering of contemporary games is a
misconceptionhowevertobecomeaskilledcommanderinanRTSgameyoumustbeincredibly
quick and accurate at micromanaging your army and base to ensure that you remain one step
aheadofyourenemiesatalltimes.Thoughnewerofferingshaveattemptedtoreconfiguresome
of the fundamentals, generally speaking RTS games involve managing an economy by amassing
resourceswhichcanbeusedtotrainandmaintainaformidableforceofwarriors. Youmustthen
deliberate where on the games map to station your force to give you the greatest tactical
advantageyoucouldplacethemtodefendavitallocation,sendthemintocrippleyourenemys
economywithablitzingattackorgoforbrokeandsendyourentireforcetomountanattackon
theoppositionsbase.OvertheyearsdevelopershavetreatedustosomeincredibleRTSgames,
manyofwhicharewidelyconsideredtobesomeofthefinestgamesinanygenre.Theseclassic
titleshavepushedthetacticalpartofourbrainstotheirabsolutelimits,frustratedustotearsand
givenusauniquerushasweimposeourwillsonaninferiorcommander.Herearethe12Greatest
RealTimeStrategyGamesOfAllTime:
12.Warhammer40,000:DawnOfWar
Relics2004RTSgamesetintheuniverseofGamesWorkshopsWarhammer40kgameforthefirst
timegavefansofthetabletopwargameanincrediblePCtitletoplay.DawnOfWarmeantthata
playercouldamassagiganticarmyineithertheSpaceMarine,ChaosSpaceMarine,OrkorEldar
factions without spending all themoney on thetabletop games extortionatelypriced models.
Indeed,aLandRaidertankwhichyoucanobtaininthegameforahandfulofresourceswouldset
youback45inthestoreDawnofWarisbynomeansjustawayforfansofthetabletopgame
tosave(alotof)money.ThegameisasuperbRTSgameinitsownrightwhichrightfullyappealed
to both fans and newcomers to the 40k universe. Rather than having you mine for the games
resourceswithworkers,youaretaskedwithcontrollingstrategicpointsdottedaroundthemapto
ensureasteadysupplyofresources.Thisinnovativestyleencouragesconflictatallstagesofthe
gameasyouareforcedtoleavethecomfortofyourbasetoestablishapowerfuleconomyfrom
the off. As well as this excellent gameplay innovation on thetraditional mining system,Dawn of
War hasa gripping single player campaign, suitably grizzly visuals and acompetitive multiplayer
community.
11.Dota2
PlayingDota2forthefirsttimeislikelearningtorideaunicycledevilishlyhardtodobutonce
you get good at it, extremely satisfying. Peaking at around 700,000 concurrent players a day on
Steam (as per Valve data), there are literally hundredsofthousands of players who would like
nothing more than to humiliate you on theonline battle arena actionRTS. A game of Dota 2
featurestwoopposingfactionstheRadiantandtheDirewhomustdefendtheirAncients(or
critical structures), meaning if the Ancient is destroyed, your team (normally of 5) loses, with
threepathsleadingtoyourAncientbeingusedasarouteofattackbytheenemyAIcreepswho
attempttodestroyyourallimportantbuilding.SowhatistheroleoftheplayerinDota2?Youtake
controlofoneofthegames107heroes;immenselypowerfulunitswhocanusetheirpowerand
uniquespecialabilitiestooverwhelmanenemyslineofcreepsandalterthetideofbattle.Your
herostartsthegameoffasafledglingwarriorbutwilllevelupastheyaccumulatemoreexperience
ingame,allowingyoutoleveluptheirabilities.Eachhasaradicallydifferentstyle,andoneofthe
gamesmostimportantstrategicelementsistoselectaherowhowillbeofgreatestbenefittothe
team.Withitsintenselycompetitiveonlinecommunity,Dota2canberelentlesslyunforgivingon
theuninitiatedbutonceyoufindyourfeet,canbeoneofthemostrewardingstrategygamesin
recentyears.
10.AgeOfMythology
Long before the Ghost of Sparta sliced his way onto Playstations wielding those iconic chains of
Olympus, Age of Mythology was doing a stellar job of representing the mythologies of ancient
civilisationsinvideogames.ThoughnotasuniversallyknownasitsbiggerbrotherAgeofEmpires,
AgeofMythologywithitsincrediblymemorableunits,Godsandgorgeouslandscapesisthe
superiortitle.TherearethreeextremelydistinctancientcivilisationsavailabletoaplayerinAgeof
Mythology,eachwiththeirownuniqueartstyles,unitsandbuildings.Thefactionsonofferarethe
Greeks,EgyptiansandNorse(unfortunatelynoAztecs).Anotherkeyaspectwhichdistinguishesthe
threecivilisationsaretheirgods.Atthestartofagameyouareinstructedtoselectamajorgod
(examplesincludeZeus,OdinorRa)whichwillreflectthestyleinwhichyouchosetoplaythegame.
Youwillthenselectaminorgodeachtimeyouadvancethroughanewage(ortech)whichwill
giveyouaccesstopowerfulmythunitsorgodpowerstoalterthetideofbattle.Theadditionof
the ridiculously powerful Titans in the expansion pack is yet another incredible addition which
meansthatAgeofMythologyissuperiortoAgeofEmpiresandoneofthebestRTSgamesever.
9.RiseOfNations(2003)
SidMeiersCivilization,whileoneofthefinestseriesofstrategygamesevermade,isunfortunately
ineligibleforthislistasitisaturnbasedstrategy,ratherthanaRTS.Thankfullyitsinfluenceisnt
entirelyabsentfromthislistasRiseofNationstheexceptional2003strategygamefromBigHuge
games takes many of thebest elements from Civ and places them in a traditional RTS format.
RiseofNationsfeatures18uniquecivilisationswhichyoumustnurturethroughtheagesenroute
to victory. This broad historical range means that youhave the freedom to control a satisfyingly
hugerangeofinfantryinthegameyoucouldbeintheAncientAgeusingasquadronofHoplites
topoketheirwaythroughacavalryunitorintheInformationAgewithaStealthBomber.Whatis
moresatisfyingaboutRiseOfNationsoverlesserRTSgamesisthemoresophisticatedeconomy.
MorerudimentaryRTSgamesencouragetheirplayerstojustrushthroughthegameandbethe
first to amass the most powerful units available. In Rise of Nations, you can truly dominate the
gamewithaeconomicalanddiplomaticgrip.
8.WorldInConflict(2007)
AgamemadeinanagewhereinstantgratificationandSky+/TiVohasmadeusallimpatient,itmay
comeasasurprisethatdespiteitsspurningofthefundamentalruleswhichwehaveallcometo
love,WorldinConflictisstillanincrediblyrewarding,addictive,compellingRTSgame.Ratherthan
basebuilding and scrambling for resources, the player in World in Conflict is given a pre
determinednumberofreinforcementpointswhichareusedtoairdropagivenunitofyourchoice
tothemap.Gonearethebuildtimesasyoupatientlywaitforaunittoenterthefrayinstead,
youpicktheunitwhichwillbestsuityourstrategicneedsastheconflictplaysoutandsaidunitis
allowed to make an immediate impact on the battle. Set in an alternate vision of 1989 where
ratherthancrumblingtheSovietUnionhasinvadedWesternEuropeandthewestcoastofthe
UnitedStates,WorldinConflictgivesyouaccesstoalltheinfantrymen,tanksandhelicoptersof
theerawhilealsoallowingyoutounleashhellishattacksofcarpetbombing,napalmandnukeson
yourlucklessenemies.Thegamesmultiplayermode(supportingupto16players)wasaninstant
hituponitsrelease,withtheonlinegivingeachplayeronthetwoteamsarole(infantry,air,support
orarmour)andaskedthemtoberesponsibleforthistacticalareawithintheteam.Combineits
refreshingly hectic, innovative gameplay with its incredibly attractive visuals and its no wonder
thatWorldinConflictwasmetwithcriticalacclaim.
7.DuneII(1992)
WidelyconsideredtobethefirstRTSgameasweknowthemtoday,theseminalDuneIIisnotonly
animperativeentryintothecanonofstrategygamesbutitisalsohighlyenjoyable.BasedonDavid
LynchsfilmadaptationofFrankHerbertsnovel,whowouldhaveguessedthatamovietieinwould
everpioneerawholegenreofgames?Thoughitnowlivesintheshadowofthebighittersofthe
genre like Warcraft, Age of Empires and Command and Conquer, the unique combination of
mousecontrolledmilitarymicromanagement,aresourcegatheringeconomicmodelandafogof
war which Dune II first employed has become the standard of the genre. Emperor Frederick IV
challengesthreeHouses(orfactions)withthetaskofdeliveringhimthegreatestquantityofthe
drugmelange(orthespice).ThewinninghousewillbegiventheplanetArrakis,theonlyknown
worldwherethedrugcanbeacquired.Thisisthecompellingpremiseforwhyyouaretaskedwith
commanding an elite troop of futuristic soldiers and vehicles in Dune, plucked straight from the
pagesofHerbertsoriginalwork.Theotherhousesarentyouronlyproblemthoughasyousend
outyourharvestertogatherthespice,youmustbewaryoftheplanetsmaraudingsandworms
thatcanswallowyourvehicleinonebite.
6.TotalAnnihilation(1997)
WhenTotalAnnihilationhitshelvesbackin1997itwasmetwitharguablythestrongestresponse
toaRTSgametillthatpoint.ItbuiltonthefundamentalsofthepreviousyearshittitleWarcraft:
HumansandOrcswithbothgameshingingonconstructingadefensivebase,gatheringresources
and utilising reconnaissance tactics but Total Annihilation upped the ante in several key areas.
Where Warcraft only allowed you to amass a humble force of warriors, Total Annihilation
encouragedyoutogatheragiganticarmytocrushyourfoes,justifyingitsname.TotalAnnihilation
was also far more impressive in the scope of the units you were able to build. Ranging from
hovercraft and aircraft to infantry bots and a gigantic mecha called the Core Krogoth, Total
Annihilation offered a great deal of depth as you learnt which combinations of units were most
effectivetogether.ItisatestamenttohowgreatanRTSgameTotalAnnihilationisthatitstillhas
an active online community over 15years after its initial release. The graphics may be
horrendouslydatedbutthegameplayatitscoreissosolidandrewardingthattherewillforever
beTotalAnnihilationcommandersloggingintoprovetheirmettleonline.
5.SupremeCommander(2007)
SupremeCommanderiswhattheHQMonaroGTSistoacarenthusiastitmaynothavethesame
universalappealasaFerrarioraMercedesbuttoaselectgroupitisoneofthebestintheworld.
Inthesameway,SupremeCommanderisanRTSfanaticsRTSgameitssimplynotgoingtobe
for everyone. The spiritual successor to Total Annihilation, the games learning curve is so steep
that those uninitiated with the genre will likely drown in the games complicated controls,
sprawling maps and deep navigation systems. And boy, are those navigation systems deep
SupremeCommanderpioneeredtheconceptofbeingabletozoomoutsoincrediblyfarthatyou
wereabletoseethewholemapandtherebyhaveacompleteoverviewofyourstrategicsituation.
Fromhereyoucanthenzoomincloseonanypointinthebattlefieldtohaveacloserlookatthe
actionandadmireyourhandiworkifyouveoutfoxedanenemy.Thegamefollowsthreefuturistic
factionstheUnitedEarthFederation(orUEF),theCybranNationandtheAeonIlluminateas
they battle for energy and mass (the games resources). Supreme Commander has four
technologicaltierstoindicatewhichstageinthegameyourein.Byfarthemostappealingisthe
fourthexperimentaltierwhichallowsyoutobuildthegamesincrediblypowerfulunitssuchas
thehighlydangerousCybransMonkeylordSpiderbot.
4.WarcraftIII:ReignofChaos
WarcraftIIImaynothavereinventedthewheelasfarasRTSgameswereconcerned,butittook
thestaplesofthegenreandexecutedthemwithsuchpoisethatitisimpossiblenottorecognise
itasoneofthebestgamesofitskindever.Withitstightcoregameplay,compellingcampaignand
addictiveonlinemultiplayer,WarcraftIIIofferedmorethanenoughforitsmemoryasoneofthe
greats to endure. The game took the Human and Orc armies of the first two games and added
NightElvesandUndeadasplayablefactions(bothofwhicharenowmainstaysinWarcraftlore).
Where in previous games the differences between Humans and Orcs had only been cosmetic,
WarcraftIIIgaveeachofitsarmiesverydifferentunits,structures,technologiesandbasebuilding
methods which meant that everybody could pick their favourite army based on their particular
playing style. The third instalment in the RTS franchise also introduced heroes; powerful
commanding units which amassed experience with each enemy killed thatsubsequently made
them more powerful. Combine these superb gameplay additions with the 3D graphics engine
whichmadeWarcraftIIlooklikeanancientrelic,anditisnthardtounderstandwhyWarcraftIIIis
laudedasthefinestgameintheseries.
3.CompanyOfHeroes(2006)
BuildingontheexcellentgameplaysystemtheyhaddevelopedforWarhammer:DawnofWar,Relic
reachedallnewlevelsofRTSgreatnessin2006sCompanyofHeroes.Ratherthanthetraditional
model of an economy being based on hordes of workers gathering your resources, Company of
Heroes challenged you with controlling strategic points spread across the map to acquire
manpower, munitions, and fuel. This system particularly suited the WWII subject matter, where
countless soldiers fought and gave their lives to obtain strategically valuable points under the
command of their superior officers. To protect these vital locations on the map, you can assign
troopstocontroltheareaorbuildupdefenceslikeMG42posts.Withitsincredibleattentionto
detail and destructible environments, Company of Heroes has a rare kind of authenticity never
before seen in an RTS. Both the Allies and Axis are fully playable with a longlistof unique units
takenstraightoutofyourhighschoolhistorytextbook,fromthepowerfulTigerAcetanktothe
legendaryAmericanRangers.SimilartothesystemusedinAgeofMythology,CompanyofHeroes
makes you choose a company (or doctrine for Axis armies) at the start of the game which will
inform the style you wish to play. For example, the Blitzkrieg doctrine for Axis armies puts an
emphasisonspeedwhiletheAlliedArmourcompanygivesyouaccesstothegamesmostpowerful
tanks.
2.Starcraft(1998)
WhenBlizzardsphenomenallypopularStarcraftwasreleasedonthatfatefuldayintheMarchof
1998, the face of RTS gaming would be changed forever this quintessential RTS game is what
immediately comes to mind when someone mentions the genre. Over the course of this list we
havediscussedhowhavinguniqueunitsforeachofanRTSgamesarmiesisanessentialaspectof
makinganawesomeRTSgameStarcraftiswidelycreditedasbeingthepioneeringmasterwhich
firstimplementedproperlydistinctfactionsinthegenreallthoseyearsagoandisstillthoughtby
manytohavedoneitthemostsuccessfully.Indeed,thebalanceanddiversityachievedbyBlizzard
increatingtheirthreeracesisathingofbeautyfromtheallrounders,theTerran,totheelite
butexpensive Protoss and finally the swarming Zerg. It is because of this incredible gameplay
basedonthesethreeuniqueracesthatStarcraftwasacommercialsuccessandremainsplayedall
theseyearslater,shipping9.5millionunitsworldwidewith4.5millionofthesebeingsoldinSouth
Koreawherearenasareusedtoallowfanstowatcheliteplayersatwork(USAToday).Starcraftis
quiteclearlythebehemothortheZergUltraliskifyouwilloftheRTSgenresohowonearth
havewenotfounditinourselvestonotgiveitthenumber1spot?Youreabouttofindoutwhy
1.StarcraftII:WingsOfLiberty(2010)
Some12yearsinthemaking,StarcraftIIisthesequeltowhatwaspriortoits2010releasethe
greatest RTS game ever made. The original still had an incredibly large fanbase and online
community, so as soon as Blizzard had even announced that its longawaited sequel was in
development, expectations were immediately set toastronomically high levels. Though Blizzard
are renowned as being some of the finest developers in the gaming industry, the incredible
gameplayoftheoriginalcombinedwiththesweetnostalgiaallRTSfansfelttowardsitmeantthat
itwasvirtuallyimpossibleforStarcraftIItosurpassitspredecessor.Somehow,StarcraftIImanaged
tobeevenbetterthananyoneimagineditcouldvebeenbettereventhanthe1998originaland
subsequentlybetterthananyRTSgameevermade.Thoughthegamethankfullyretainedmanyof
theelementswealllovedaboutStarcraft,italsomadeimprovementsinseveralkeyareas.Most
notablythesingleplayercampaignwhichhadbeenasecondarydistractionintheoriginalhad
beengivenanoverhaulwithBlizzardreallyflexingtheirstorytelling muscleswhereasinthefirst
game the narrative had been sparse. A number of powerful, varied and suitably awesome new
unitswereaddedtoeachofthethreebelovedfactions.Naysayerspriortothegamesreleasehad
said that the addition of new units (or worse still an entirely new faction) would imbalance the
finetunedharmonybetweenthethreerivalraces,butitdidnothingofthesort.Thenewunitsfit
snuglyintothestyleofeacharmyandfeltlikeasuitableprogressioninthegivenracestechnology
since the original game. The online component of Starcraft II was as good as ever and it is fully
deservingofthetopspotonthislistoftheRTSgenresbestgames.
PCGameCDKeys:
EAGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/publisher/ea.html
RPGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/rpggame.html
ACTGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/actgame.html
FPSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/fpsgame.html
AdventureGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/avggame.html
RacingGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/racgame.html
SportGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/sptgame.html
FTGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/ftggame.html
RTSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/rtsgame.html
SLGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/slggame.html