Thanks to games likeWarcraftandCivilization, 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.
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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?
10Dune
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 toDune, the game introduces resource gathering, base construction, and unique units per faction.
ADunereboot may work just as the same as other RTS. However, given the popularity of the sci-fi franchise, gamers andDunefans deserve anRTS that encapsulates Frank Herbert’s artistic vision.
9Psi-5 Trading Company
Interestingly, hardcore sci-fi fans who want to manage their own trading ship would go toPsi-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 cargofrom 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. APsi-5remake might work a bit likeFTL. However, algorithms today might help simulate more intricate scenarios involving actual trading and negotiation between players and the AI they meet in their journey.
8Dragon Force
Fans of grand and epic battles look atTotal Warto completely immerse themselves in thousands of units duking it out on the battlefield. However,Sega’sDragon Forcehad 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 lovedDragon 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. ADragon Forcereboot might become a nice change of pace intoday’s grand strategy market. After all,Dragon Force’s anime visuals with stunning effects may look nicely in full 3D.
7Myth Series
When people sayBungie, they mostly thinkDestiny 2.However, Bungie also developed games with interesting concepts, such as the real-time tactics titleMyth, released in 1997. This game spawned an entire series, and gamers creditedMythto have jumpstarted the popularity of real-time tactics. InMyth, 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.
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Strategy fans would appreciateMythfor skipping resource management elements as well as tech trees out of play. Instead, battles inMythbegin with all units prepared, with players managing exactly how they fight in combat. AMythreboot might serve as the break RTS fans need outside micromanagement-heavy titles.
6Star Wars Rebellion
When fans hearStar Wars, gamers usually think of high-octane action from titles such asBattlefront.However,Star Warsactually had its fair share of RTS titles, withStar Wars Rebellionserving 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, playersslowly conquer the galaxyof 10 to 20 sectors of 10 systems each, each with their own planets and resources.
A reboot ofStar Wars Rebellionmight become the breakStar Warsfans need from the action-packed titles under the franchise. With a 4X game, players can further understand the intricate nature of interplanetary politics inStar Wars- something vastly unexplored in popular material.
5Imperialism Series
Folks from Frog City Software provided RTS fans with an excellenthistory-themed RTSin the form of theImperialismseries. Unlike other pre-modern 4X games,Imperialismfocuses heavily on the Age of Exploration and the Industrial Revolution. As such, the 1997Imperialism(Windows, Macintosh) and 1999’sImperialism 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,Imperialismalso 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.
4SuperPowers 2
Thanks to GolemLabs, players in the early 2000s can simulate the rise of of modern superpowers inSuperPower.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,SuperPowerfeatures various “scenarios” that nations have to fulfill to win the game. Meanwhile, a Freeplay mode gives players aCivilization-style sandbox with objectives they need to complete.
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Fans may appreciate a modern remake ofSuperPowerthanks 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.
3Armada 2525
Robert T. Smith and Interstel Corporation’sArmada 2525prove sci-fi 4X games don’t have to become extremely complicated. Despite being an MS-DOS game, the 1991 title gives players animmersive sci-fi experience. Like other sci-fi 4X games,Armada 2525encourages players to expand their empire and win the match based on different victory conditions.
Interestingly, critics at the time praiseArmada 2525for 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 anArmada 2525remake a shot.
2Making History: The Calm & The Storm
Folks from Muzzle Lane created a compelling World War 2 grand strategy simulation in the form ofThe Calm & The Storm. Players may find the titlesimilar to board gamessuch asRiskandAxis & 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 remakingThe 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.
1Commandos
Thanks toEidos’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, theCommandosseries forces players to use their wit to prevail against opponents in areal-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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