Best RTS games?

C

Chihlidog

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
May 3, 2011
Messages
1,183
Was considering giving Starcraft II a shot, but I'm wondering if there are some others out there I've missed. My favorite RTS of all time are Red Alert 2 and Supreme Commander - I've spent countless hours in both but I'm ready for something else.

I did try Sins of a Solar Empire and didnt care for it. Any other suggestions?
 
Notable "modern" RTS games are -

Command and Conquer 4
Company of Heroes
Dawn of War 2
Men of War
Red Alert 3
Shogun 2: Total War
Starcraft 2
Supreme Commander 2
World in Conflict


As for which ones are good, it will be subjective, especially since the genre is more broader now in terms of style. Company of Heroes, Dawn of War 2, Men of War, Shogun 2, and World in Conflict for instance play much more differently than compared to "traditional" RTS games.
 
World in Conflict was somewhat enjoyable, I do have that one. I didnt love it like I did SupCom. I have the full C&C pack as well and the best was RA2. I thought about trying Shogun, I sort of liked Medeival back in the day but again, not a HUGE favorite. I hear so much bad stuff about SupCom2 that I havent installed it yet (its on my Steam library lol).

Thanks for the suggestions!
 
Company of Heroes is my favorite on that list. Still between 2500-3000 people that play it online, but the competition is pretty stacked. Still a perfect RTS game for its campaigns and LAN coop modes alone.
 
limitedaccess said:
Notable "modern" RTS games are -

Command and Conquer 4
Company of Heroes
Dawn of War 2
Men of War
Red Alert 3
Shogun 2: Total War
Starcraft 2
Supreme Commander 2
World in Conflict


As for which ones are good, it will be subjective, especially since the genre is more broader now in terms of style. Company of Heroes, Dawn of War 2, Men of War, Shogun 2, and World in Conflict for instance play much more differently than compared to "traditional" RTS games.
Click to expand...
best game overlooked by many
 
Chihlidog said:
World in Conflict was somewhat enjoyable, I do have that one. I didnt love it like I did SupCom. I have the full C&C pack as well and the best was RA2. I thought about trying Shogun, I sort of liked Medeival back in the day but again, not a HUGE favorite. I hear so much bad stuff about SupCom2 that I havent installed it yet (its on my Steam library lol).

Thanks for the suggestions!
Click to expand...

SupCom2 is rather different from SupCom1, which is where most complaints come from. In particular the game is scaled down, which is a contrast to SupCom1's main draw which was the larger scale.

Personally I have experience with every game I listed except CnC4, although the amount of experience varies greatly. But currently I'm playing Dow2 Retribution and before that it was Starcraft 2, for awhile both at the same time (which was kind of confusing due to the difference in mechanics). Also with a bit of CoH sometimes. I know all 3 have sizable MP communities still, well Starcraft 2 will probably have one for quite awhile :p CoH is not longer actively supported by the developers though in terms of patches or new content (although I think they might give 1 last one? not sure).
 
Shogun 2 and SC2 are top on my list. Stay away from Command and Conquer 4, seriously.
 
Company of Heroes is one of my all time favorite casual RTS games. If you like playing against other people though nothing beats Starcraft 2 and the matchmaking / Ladder system they have.
 
Some great suggestions here, I really appreciate them! I'll be giving all these a look.
 
+1 for Homeworld. Great game, story, and the setting/feel is well done as well. even the music is spot on.
 
obliv said:
If you like playing against other people though nothing beats Starcraft 2 and the matchmaking / Ladder system they have.
Click to expand...

I miss the old multiplayer setup for TA. IIRC correctly it was called Boneyards. There was a galaxy with a bunch of planets and each game that was played would decide which faction would own that planet. After a faction had so many victories it would unlock a faction's homeworld.
 
+1 for Homeworld even though it is a bit dated.
I would go a bit further though and say that I actually liked Homeworld: Cataclysm more.
 
bah. You guys are lame.

Age of Empires 2 + expansion
Age of Empires 3 + expansions
 
An older game that didn't get much press, a starcraft-like game using only space units, Conquest: Frontier Wars. Pretty much a SC clone, but with space ships instead of marines/hydras/etc - similar to Star Trek Armada. Apparently, there's still a mod community alive for the game (just found it while looking for a link). The main developer is no more, but the fans keep it alive.
 
C&C Generals & Generals Finest Hour
C&C Red Alert 2
Company Of Heroes + expansions
World In Conflict

Personally haven't tried Men Of War yet, but I will eventually(hopefully steam sale)
 
The Close Combat series are some of my favorite, although certainly old. I remember getting CC: A Bridge too Far when it was new, it was the first RTS style game I ever played, and it started a love for the genre.

Matrix Games has done re-releases and updates on most of the Close Combat games, I purchased Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein (Remake of CC:Battle of the Bulge,which I also owned when it was released) and have been in love with it as much as I ever was with the original, even after all these years.
 
If we are going older, some notable games/series that haven't been mentioned yet are -

Dark Reign
Empire Earth
Rise of Nation

Pezzy said:
An older game that didn't get much press, a starcraft-like game using only space units, Conquest: Frontier Wars. Pretty much a SC clone, but with space ships instead of marines/hydras/etc - similar to Star Trek Armada. Apparently, there's still a mod community alive for the game (just found it while looking for a link). The main developer is no more, but the fans keep it alive.
Click to expand...

I found the gameplay of that to differ very much from SC conceptually. The story, setting, and presentation though can for sure be said to be "inspired" by SC to say the least. Although SC also borrows elements from Warhammer 40k.
 
Chihlidog said:
Was considering giving Starcraft II a shot, but I'm wondering if there are some others out there I've missed. My favorite RTS of all time are Red Alert 2 and Supreme Commander - I've spent countless hours in both but I'm ready for something else.

I did try Sins of a Solar Empire and didnt care for it. Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

Starcraft 2 shins in the ladders and custom games. Do not buy SC2 if you're looking to play skirmish modes.. those to be honest are very archaic and its apparent when you are connected to battle.net and playing the ladders or custom maps.

All I play is Desert Strike in SC2 .. I'm a fiend.
 
Total Annihilation! Yeaaaaah! lol

A few good ones in here for sure, but I'd recommend checking out RUSE. Very slick and fun to play with the best part being that, despite how slow it may seem to the 300 APM crowd, has a LOT more weight to each decision and some pretty kick ass battles. Plenty of balance issues, unfortunately, but if you play with/against a friend you'll have a great time

It is probably my favorite completely-overlooked-by-everyone game.
 
homeworld and wic are must plays, even if you only do sp. also of course sc2, if you were ever into rts at all.

even people that have clearly never played any type of rts or strategy before are buying sc2 for some reason, you will run into all sorts of players that could not even grasp the concept of econ, derping around in customs. it's fascinating the amount of mainstream popularity they have achieved, you can observe this interesting phenomenon in the starter demo if you ever doubted whether or not this is a good game, it comes with unlimited terran and select custom games mp.
 
Chihlidog said:
Was considering giving Starcraft II a shot, but I'm wondering if there are some others out there I've missed. My favorite RTS of all time are Red Alert 2 and Supreme Commander - I've spent countless hours in both but I'm ready for something else.

I did try Sins of a Solar Empire and didnt care for it. Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

You should really give StarCraft 2 a shot, great game. I can't think of many other good recent ones. You would have to go back into classics. You might like the new Supreme Commander, but it is fairly different.
 
Dawn of War: Dark Crusade/Soulstorm

+1 for Homeworld/Homeworld 2
Might also try Nexus:Jupiter Incident, it's kinda Homeworld clone, but a decent one :)
 
I was playing good old RA2 last night. Still a load of fun after all these years. I realized though what I like about SupCom so much - the sheer scale and number of units and the more "epic' nature of the battles.

I had forgotten how FAST Red Alert is, and how small the maps are. SupCom games are just longer by nature, much more strategic, and the overall feel is more serious. That, combined with the micromanagement options, I think is what makes it great for me.
 
Men of War - > Very overlooked and very good. Great story and great game.

Total Annihilation is SupCom before SupCom existed, it's old, but tons of high energy fun (pun)
 
Homeworld was my first online PC game. It is making me all nostalgic. Just wish Relic would make Homeworld 3 or at least a Battlefeild gothic game.
 
Does Men Of War compare to anything gameplay wise? Hoping this goes on sale on steam. Not gonna pick it up for $15 yet since I have so many games that I haven't touched yet
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top