Strategy Games in Difficult

STRATEGY GAMES IN DIFFICULT
BY JACOB MALEWITZ

Computer strategy games like Civilization, Age of Empires, and Warcraft, are known to those familiar with the genres. However, there are plenty of unknowns in this field which should get more exposure.

I have a deep joy for strategy games and, in a sense, a bitter hatred for them taking so much from my early childhood. I would spend far to many hours trying to conquer the world.

RPGs like Everquest and FPS like Halo dominate the consoles, but strategy games have no success in those fields; you need a computer to enjoy them most.

While Civilization was far from the first strategy game to have worldwide success, it did play an integral part in the development of a loyal fan base. It was created by the gaming genius Sid Meier.

Games like Risk and Chess were the precursors to the strategy games of today and, even in the early years of gaming, could be played on your computer.

What was lacking in these time honored games was the fact they didn’t utilize what a computer could do. Civilization has always had one of the better Computer AIs. Their were some stark comparisons: the best strategy games, like the best board games, are infinitely replayable. Every game could be a different world with different opponents.

Civilization was a game with two options: Conquer the world or reach Alpha Centauri first. Those were the goals, but governing an entire civilization was what made it work. War. Politics. Trade. Science. You could pick from over a dozen civilizations, from the Romans to the Greeks, the Mongols to the Chinese. All these things were involved in the game. All these things made it highly addictive.

And it wasn’t just about graphics, those would be improved in later versions, and different types of games like Warcraft showed what could be done with graphics. Strategy was paramount; guide your civilization from the stone age to the modern age.
Civilization 2 could be the finest strategy game, not to mention sequel, ever made. It incorporated far superior graphics with new takes on civilization. I played Civilization 2 more than any other game in my entire life. I would rise early just to play the game more.
Soon, other games came into the background.

Colonization was another Sid Meier game that focused on the years of colonizing the Americas. You had less options for civilizations, but it was like taking a small portion of a book and making it into a short story where you could focus on one single point in time. The graphics on this game, and the first Civilization, are very outdated, but I would recommend.
Master of Orion 2 was perhaps the best of the old galactic games. From what I’ve read, the third game in the series was far inferior to the second. Master of Orion was like Civilization in space, where decisions were made, war a constant, and spreading civilization important. A recent game has come close to defeating Master of Orion. Galactic Civilizations succeeded in making an excellent turn based strategy game, as well as a good sequel. Both games are similar, and could be recommended, but there is one old game that merits a look.

Ascendancy came out over a decade ago. I bought it for a reasonable price, still hot from my addiction to Master of Orion. Ascendancy really surprised me and, though it wasn’t perfect, came close to defeating Master of Orion.

I still wanted to live in the real world. I bought Civilization 3 and was very disappointed; the graphics were better, but it just didn’t look good next to Civilization 2.

I had played Warcraft 2 some years before. Warcraft and Age of Empires are the two best real time strategy games around. While many know World of Warcraft – which I never played – there are just as many fans of the strategy game. What really made Warcraft work was the story behind it. Straight out of a world similar to Middle Earth (Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings), came a new take on Humans and Orcs. The setting was medieval, yet magic was also incorportated. I was exasperated with Warcraft 2 for a long time, and though it wasn’t as addictive as Civilization, the graphics were superb.

Warcraft 3 I wouldn’t have played nearly as much had I not become addicted to the Blizzard online gaming. This was incredible; replayability for Warcraft was doubled.
The first game I ever played online was Age of Empires. The first two games of the series weren’t necessarily superior to Warcraft, but, I liked to play in the real world more than with magic. I have yet to play Age of Empires 3 due to poor reviews, but the first two games in the series kept me at the computer for days.

Age of Empires online was addicting: The computer could not always win. I could be beaten in different ways. I could be a top player.