Thanks to games like Warcraft and Civilization, players can take on the role of leaders and pave the way for their faction’s success. Moreover, thanks to these real-time strategy (RTS) games, players can feel what it’s like to head armies, manage nations, and juggle territories left and right. As such, these RTS games provide a nice change of pace from more action-packed titles. After all, RTS titles give players a top-down view of what’s happening around them.
Unfortunately, some RTS games do outshine the rest. And sometimes, the RTS games left behind tend to get cancelled prematurely, or before they even make a mark in the genre. Just which games were shut down before their prime? Moreover, are there upcoming RTS titles that might change the way gamers play the genre?
10 Dune
Of all RTS games that deserve the reboot, why not remake perhaps the defining game of the genre? Thanks to Westwood Studios’ Dune, players got a taste of what would be modern-day RTS. In this game adaptation of the sci-fi series, players become the commander of one of three houses – the Ordos, the Harkonne, and the Atreides, as they fight for supremacy in Arrakis. Thanks to Dune, the game introduces resource gathering, base construction, and unique units per faction.
A Dune reboot may work just as the same as other RTS. However, given the popularity of the sci-fi franchise, gamers and Dune fans deserve an RTS that encapsulates Frank Herbert’s artistic vision.
9 Psi-5 Trading Company
Interestingly, hardcore sci-fi fans who want to manage their own trading ship would go to Psi-5 Trading Company, a 1985 space game for the Commodore 64, MS-DOS, and Apple II.
Interestingly, the premise of the game is simple: players need to choose a crew to help them transport valuable cargo from one planet to another. Unfortunately, they have to do this in pirate-infested space. As such, they need to manage energy in ship components, crew assignments, and even crew stress while fending off pirates and other threats. A Psi-5 remake might work a bit like FTL. However, algorithms today might help simulate more intricate scenarios involving actual trading and negotiation between players and the AI they meet in their journey.
8 Dragon Force
Fans of grand and epic battles look at Total War to completely immerse themselves in thousands of units duking it out on the battlefield. However, Sega‘s Dragon Force had already done this in 1996 despite the limited graphics of the Sega Saturn.
The game takes place in the kingdom of Legendra, where eight rulers clash in a huge war. Players take on the role of one of their generals, each with unique abilities. Interestingly, the game has a limited grand strategy ruleset where generals can either attack, negotiate, or retreat once meeting. However, fans loved Dragon Force‘s battles, which takes place in a side scroller where up to 100 units on each side can wage war while players adjust their tactics in real-time. A Dragon Force reboot might become a nice change of pace in today’s grand strategy market. After all, Dragon Force‘s anime visuals with stunning effects may look nicely in full 3D.
7 Myth Series
When people say Bungie, they mostly think Destiny 2. However, Bungie also developed games with interesting concepts, such as the real-time tactics title Myth, released in 1997. This game spawned an entire series, and gamers credited Myth to have jumpstarted the popularity of real-time tactics. In Myth, players take on the role of the Nine, a group of mages, and the forces of Light against a mysterious being laying waste to a land of peace.
Strategy fans would appreciate Myth for skipping resource management elements as well as tech trees out of play. Instead, battles in Myth begin with all units prepared, with players managing exactly how they fight in combat. A Myth reboot might serve as the break RTS fans need outside micromanagement-heavy titles.
6 Star Wars Rebellion
When fans hear Star Wars, gamers usually think of high-octane action from titles such as Battlefront. However, Star Wars actually had its fair share of RTS titles, with Star Wars Rebellion serving as one of the more intensive 4X variants. In this 1998 game, players lead the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire in a quest for domination. With the help of their advisors, players slowly conquer the galaxy of 10 to 20 sectors of 10 systems each, each with their own planets and resources.
A reboot of Star Wars Rebellion might become the break Star Wars fans need from the action-packed titles under the franchise. With a 4X game, players can further understand the intricate nature of interplanetary politics in Star Wars – something vastly unexplored in popular material.
5 Imperialism Series
Folks from Frog City Software provided RTS fans with an excellent history-themed RTS in the form of the Imperialism series. Unlike other pre-modern 4X games, Imperialism focuses heavily on the Age of Exploration and the Industrial Revolution. As such, the 1997 Imperialism (Windows, Macintosh) and 1999’s Imperialism 2: Age of Exploration (Windows, MacOS) tasks players with conquering the world from their chosen country. They may play the game from the POV of a fictional country, or from a historical basis.
Moreover, Imperialism also features a unique economic gameplay feature, wherein players solve various economic “dilemmas” depending on their available resources. A remake of this series may enable devs to use improved AI to make realistic scenarios for players to solve.
4 SuperPowers 2
Thanks to GolemLabs, players in the early 2000s can simulate the rise of of modern superpowers in SuperPower. As a 4X game set in the modern world, players become the ruler of one of 193 United Nations-recognized countries and set out to fulfill the match’s predefined goals. In the original game, SuperPower features various “scenarios” that nations have to fulfill to win the game. Meanwhile, a Freeplay mode gives players a Civilization-style sandbox with objectives they need to complete.
Fans may appreciate a modern remake of SuperPower thanks to its impressive in-depth take on nation governance. Players can manage their nations from political, military, and economic spheres, all of which contain separate mini-sections that try to emulate modern geopolitical situations.
3 Armada 2525
Robert T. Smith and Interstel Corporation’s Armada 2525 prove sci-fi 4X games don’t have to become extremely complicated. Despite being an MS-DOS game, the 1991 title gives players an immersive sci-fi experience. Like other sci-fi 4X games, Armada 2525 encourages players to expand their empire and win the match based on different victory conditions.
Interestingly, critics at the time praise Armada 2525 for its ease of play and simplicity. Moreover, critics also praised how it helps new players to understand the mechanics as they improve their gameplay. As such, devs who want to make a straightforward sci-fi RTS might want to give an Armada 2525 remake a shot.
2 Making History: The Calm & The Storm
Folks from Muzzle Lane created a compelling World War 2 grand strategy simulation in the form of The Calm & The Storm. Players may find the title similar to board games such as Risk and Axis & Allies, as it also has a simple approach to resource management, research, and diplomacy. Moreover, its World War 2 setup allows players to choose certain scenarios and play as different nations.
Devas may want to try remaking The Calm & The Storm. After all, it seems schools have found use for the game as an educational tool. A modern take on the game may further improve its take on combat, diplomacy, and economic management.
1 Commandos
Thanks to Eidos‘ Commandos, fans can experience how the special forces work as teams to infiltrate and accomplish missions in enemy territory. Albeit not a faction-versus-faction game, the Commandos series forces players to use their wit to prevail against opponents in a real-time stealth RTS. In fact, unlike other stealth games, players often fail missions when they get caught. With these caveats, the 1998 to 2006 game series deserves a modern remake.
Moreover, the game also features an interesting squad of characters with unique abilities. As such, players can approach missions from different perspectives. However, players need to use their abilities wisely as they need the team to survive to accomplish their objectives.
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