Summary
Strategy gamesare almost as old as gaming itself; one of the first computer games ever released wasThe Sumerian Game, a text-based strategy game from 1964. Butstrategy games were also ubiquitous in the 1990sand early 2000s, especially in the emerging personal computer market. It’s clear, then, that there are plenty of classic strategy games to remake and remaster for a new generation of gamers.
Just like every other genre,strategy games can age very rapidly. Yet a lot of genre conventions that became popular decades ago are still common today. Click-dragging with the left mouse button to select multiple units and then right-clicking to give them an order is as intuitive now as it was back then. Even a minimal remaster that only touches on the technical side of things is often enough for new players to enjoy an old strategy game.
TheCommand & Conquerseries used to be a staple of real-time strategy lan parties, as well as online play, a rarity when the original was released in 1995. The last few games in the series weren’t very well received, except for 2020’sCommand & Conquer Remastered Collection.
The remaster covers the first two games in the series, the originalCommand & Conquer,and the fan-favoriteRed Alert. Even if they aren’t a fan, players have probably seen some of this game, most likely in the form of Tim Curry in Soviet military clothes screaming about going to space.
Age of Empires 2almost certainly was the most popular RTS of its day. More so than even the original, it was responsible for introducing an entire generation to strategy games. Thanks to alengthy (and mostly forgiving) campaignand a rich, replayable skirmish mode, it was the perfect introduction to the genre. Thanks toAge of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, it still is.
Age of Empires 2: Definitive Editionwas developed back-to-back with the remakes of the first and third games in the series, but it wasby far the most well-received. It has more than twice the number of Steam reviews than the two other remakes combined and a significantly better score on Metacritic.
Warcraft 3: Reforgedis the remake of the popular 2002 RTSWarcraft 3. While this franchise was once one of the most popular among strategy game fans, especially in competitive circles, it has since been eclipsed by its spinoffs, which are set in the same universe but are otherwise completely different.
Warcraft 3: Reforgedmight be interesting to many modern gamers, if nothing else, because it shares its setting with other Blizzard games likeWorld of WarcraftandHearthstone. It even shares its main heroes withHeroes of the Storm, a MOBA inspired by the original incarnation ofDota, a series that started its life as aWarcraft 3mod.
Strongholdis a unique game among strategy titles, especially for the standards of its time. Unlike most RTS games,Stronghold,and its remakeStronghold: Definitive Edition,gives the player control of a castleas well as an army, or rather a fortification and the people that live inside those walls.
Stronghold: Definitive Editionmight not be the only modern hybrid between town builder and RTS, it’s certainly one of the most beloved. The new edition adds even more to the brilliant original game, including a new campaign and an additional ten standalone scenarios.
3Total War: Rome Remastered
Metacritic Score: 75
Total Waris one of the most unique and iconic series in strategy games. The series is almost a genre of its own, mixing real-time, quasi-realistic tactics and light grand strategy elements. The originalTotal War: Romewas one of the most beloved entries in the series, and the remaster is easily the best way to play this classic.
Total War: Rome Remasteredmodernizes the game for an audience that wasn’t around to experience the original and might be taken aback by its more dated elements: things like not being able to rotate the camera or even just being locked to a 4x3 resolution.
2Pharaoh: A New Era
Metacritic Score: 76
Pharaohis a great little city builder from 1999 that lets players take the role of a line of pharaohs in ancient Egypt. While it’sfairly standard for 1990s city builders, especially the kind that Sierra Entertainment used to make, it’s the kind of game that doesn’t really get made anymore.
While the modern city-builder genre is full of fun, interesting, and creative entries, it doesn’t feature many historical games. In particular, it doesn’t have many games grounded in historical fiction. That’s what makesPharaoh: A New Erasuch a great comeback for the genre and an interesting play for anyone looking for something unique.
1Homeworld Remastered Collection
Metacritic Score: 86
Homeworld Remastered Collectionis a weird title. For one, it’s an RTS series that is very focused on story. Not only is there a lot of dialogue and a campaign that follows the arc of a space opera, but the story is actually interesting. Players used toTotal Warcampaigns and rehashedFire Emblemstorylines are sure to find the story entertaining, if nothing else.
Homeworld Remastered Collectionis also one of very few strategy games to fully use the6 degrees of freedom afforded by the space setting. The collection contains the first two games in the series and updates them a little bit, though it mostly brings the first game’s mechanics up to the same level as the second, and updates the graphics for both.
