3D_Mind
03-12-2006, 02:18 AM
The one thing that makes computers unique in gaming is the RTS genre. No other platform can do this type of gaming justice. It forms the second pillar of PC gaming and is the most popular type of game aside from FPS. The graphics used to be less of an emphisis, but now RTS games are chanellging the FPS head on. So lets take a look at the most interesting (according to me, therefore you must agree :wink: ) upcoming/released RTS games of 2006:
10: Paraworld
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/693/693555/paraworld-20060303054630501.jpg
With thousands of WWII RTS games, it is nice to see something different. This is different. Paraworld allows you to control DINOSUARS! :shock: That’s right, as a group of scientists who travel to a Parallel world (get it, Paraworld), they discover an alternate realm where dinosaurs and war go hand in hand. The scientists decide to spread humanity in this realm and soon another group of scientists enter the area and are not very welcome. The game will be a sort of cartoon-like experience but is still serious in subject and story. The graphics are stunning for a RTS, with all our favorite buzz words being used (normal-maps, real time lighting and shadowing ect...). Game play is not innovative, just more of the core game play we love, but in a new setting and story. Worth the look at least.
9: Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/674/674906/rise-of-nations-rise-of-legends-20051209065843333.jpg
This game is not quite a sequel to the original Rise of Nations, which was a pretty good RTS in of it self. Instead of the history of warfare, this game will focus on an entirely new fantasy realm with magic and an overall ancient feel. Graphics are quite good but not the greatest of 2006. The Conquer The World campaign that was in the original will make a come back and be better then before, integrating an in depth story with non-linear game play, a difficult feat to say the least. There will be 4 factions with radically different play styles and visual themes. Base building is unique with the concept of a Central City and districts that are added on to that give bonuses and new technology. Strategy will require a brain in your head with both a campaign map and ground battles being very in depth, not just point and click.
8: Sword of the Stars
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/695/695141/sword-of-the-stars-20060310020432253.jpg
Being published by the team behind Homeworld: Cataclyism, this space stratigy title will add much needed revival to the space combat sub-genra of RTS gaming. This will be a clasic 4x space combat game with all the research, resouces, ships, combat and empire building we always need more of. Details are skectcy right now, but I will be watching this one for sure.
7: Maelstrom
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/694/694799/maelstrom-20060309061507374.jpg
Now this is a game to look forward to. In the near future, an asteroid hits Earth and sends the planet into genocidal madness as the ecosystem shuts down and water, the new oil or gold, is fought over with extreme vigilance. In addition, an alien race is taking advantage of this situation to take over earth. Did the aliens make the asteroid hit earth? KDV will be making this game. They were the creators of Perimeter, and although that game was average, it had some very interesting potential that looks like it will now get expounded upon. It is being branded an "Action-Strategy Sci-Fi Epic" with fully destructible environments, transforming and evolving units of war, stunning graphics, an epic and well written story, weapons of mass destruction, and the ability to take 3rd person control of any unit at any time to participate in battle. Two very different human and one alien race will fight for planetary domination and survival!
6: Star Wars: Empire at War
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/688/688963/star-wars-empire-at-war-20060215060700927.jpg
While this game has already been released, it is still 2006 and very recent. I personally own this game, and can say that while the game play has a few interesting innovations, what really sets this game apart is the Star Wars setting. This may be the best Star Wars branded RTS to date. The game play has some repetition of it, but when that repetition is destroying an ATAT advancing on your rebel base or using the DEATH STAR to destroy a planet, it really never gets old. An in-depth and story integrated campaign map provides 40 some Star Wars planets to battle across in strategic maneuvering. All buildings and resources are done on this map, freeing the Space and Ground battles to be just that, a battle. Everything is persistent, even a turret not destroyed in a previous battle will be there the next time. The graphics are decent if not bad in some cases, but they still look very good and original when taken as a whole and when viewed with the Battle Camera, which gives a cinematic auto roaming view of the battle at hand. And it is fun.
5: Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/556/556630/sudden-strike-3-arms-for-victory-20041012032303191.jpg
Did you honestly think we would leave out WWII, almost a sub-genre in of itself? This will be the 3rd in the very good Sudden Strike series from FireGlow, featuring realistic, large scale WWII battles across 4 campaigns. Now, not only will ground battles be given the Sudden Strike treatment, but now naval and air battles will now be possible. A brand new GFX engine, called Next7, will render large scale, strategically intensive battles with our favorite units and troops. Everything from AI to multiplayer has been revamped and improved to provide that "I am a general" feeling. And you will feel like a general, too. The maps will be up to 150km in size, yes you read that right! Naval battles will be very in depth and strategic featuring radar systems and fleet formations. You will play as the Americans, Germans, British and Japanese in both the European and Pacific war fronts. Heads up, soldier!
4: Faces of War
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/681/681839/faces-of-war-20060118005557156.jpg
You better believe it, ANOTHER WWII game is on the list. So whats new here, besides the amazing GFX? Well, almost everything. How does squad-based RTS sound? A lot like Soldiers: Heros of WWII, I would think, as this is the sequal to that game. You will battle accross Europe in its famous battles, but you only be leading a squad of a dozen or so infrantry, immersed in the context of having hundreds of AI allies and enemys. You are a squad commander, and each unit is more then just point and click with one or two specials. You have full 3rd person control of each unit's behaivor, and each unit will have a unique personality and may not allways follow orders, but will asses the situations dynamically and react realistically. Each troop must be managed and cared for, as each unit is of a certain type. Lose your AT gunner, and that Panzer will have your entire squad for lunch! Americans, Germans, Soviets and British will join the fray with their unique units and abilites. It is sorta like Call of Duty, but the RTS version. An interesting option for playing D-Day for the 100th time.
3: Company of Heroes
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/643/643999/company-of-heroes-20050820001422688.jpg
You simply can not get enough WWII. This game will feature Able Company's epic battle through fully destructible environments, advanced squad AI that really reacts to the situation and provides a sense of chaos, advanced GFX and cinematic intensity. Perhaps the above went in one ear and out of the other. I mean that EVERYTHING is destructible, and it is totally based on true physics and ballistics calculations. This means that when a tank shell hits a building from the left, debris will fly out of the right and hit that light pole knocking it down, shattering the glass light bulb, the fragments of which hop around for a second. Nothing is scripted, even like Age of Empires III, but all objects can shatter into any size and shape resulting from their punishment. An incredible level of detail results from this. If a hole in that building mentioned above did not bring that building down, you can put your men in it and use it for a fire hole. The strategic field of play CHANGES when a tank can literally ram through a building and flank you position. AI will be extremely advanced, constantly aware of how the environment is changing, what the enemy is doing, how to best fight back, and how not to die. Animations and unit models are extremely varied, with a different set of animations used for each MOOD, SITUATION and level of tiredness. Each unit and troop will have RAGDOOL physics, so you can imagine when bodies start to fly, they WILL FLY. This game is really the future of RTS gaming, and everything I just wrote about it does not do it justice in the least. I like WWII again.
2: Supreme Commander
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/652/652972/supreme-commander-20050930112801915.jpg
This game is big. REALLY REALLY BIG. You see, this guy, Chris Taylor, simply likes BIG things. When those things blow up, he is happier. Chris Taylor is the supreme commander of Gas Powered Games, the makers of Total Annihilation, and did I say it will be big? This game will present a HUGE variety of scale. That is to say that the smallest unit compared to the largest maybe a factor of 10 or more. For example, this unit, called the Tzar, is a HUGE flying saucer unit like those in the movie Independence Day can hold an entire army and can fly over the other base and land HUNDREDS of transports, themselves filled with HUNDREDS of units. This RTS combat game will focus on levels of scale, from continent sized battles, down to individual unit to unit battles. The combat will be on the largest scale in gaming history, with entire regions at war in one battle. Nuclear weapons will make a literal 3km wide swath of destruction, destroying 1000s of units and people. Land, sea and air units will be involved with an advanced management system allowing a player to possibly control such huge battles. The setting is a future Sci-Fi world where humans and robots are at war. The whole mechanics of the whole concept of RTS gaming is being reinvented from the ground up to accommodate this HUGE game. The GFX ain't to shabby either.
1: Star Trek: Legacy
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/683/683136/star-trek-legacy-20060124020646654.jpg
So there is this game publisher called Bethesda, maybe you have heard of them, that are making a Star Trek game. "Number 1!" you say? I am a Star Trek fan, so this list is biased in that respect, but this game sure does look interesting. This is a 3D space combat game set in ALL 5 Star Trek time eras, from Enterprise to Voyager and beyond. All ships from all races will be present, as an engaging single player campaign follows Star Fleet's battle with a time traveling enemy. Engagements will range from a few ships to STAR SYSTEM WIDE battles with an as yet unannounced number of fully 3D star trek starship favorites battling it out. Not much detail has been released yet, but this is the latest and long over due entry into Trek gaming, and that alone puts it in spot #1.
---------------------
So you do not agree with me? Then complain and vote in the poll and show what you think is "The most interesting RTS of 2006".
10: Paraworld
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/693/693555/paraworld-20060303054630501.jpg
With thousands of WWII RTS games, it is nice to see something different. This is different. Paraworld allows you to control DINOSUARS! :shock: That’s right, as a group of scientists who travel to a Parallel world (get it, Paraworld), they discover an alternate realm where dinosaurs and war go hand in hand. The scientists decide to spread humanity in this realm and soon another group of scientists enter the area and are not very welcome. The game will be a sort of cartoon-like experience but is still serious in subject and story. The graphics are stunning for a RTS, with all our favorite buzz words being used (normal-maps, real time lighting and shadowing ect...). Game play is not innovative, just more of the core game play we love, but in a new setting and story. Worth the look at least.
9: Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/674/674906/rise-of-nations-rise-of-legends-20051209065843333.jpg
This game is not quite a sequel to the original Rise of Nations, which was a pretty good RTS in of it self. Instead of the history of warfare, this game will focus on an entirely new fantasy realm with magic and an overall ancient feel. Graphics are quite good but not the greatest of 2006. The Conquer The World campaign that was in the original will make a come back and be better then before, integrating an in depth story with non-linear game play, a difficult feat to say the least. There will be 4 factions with radically different play styles and visual themes. Base building is unique with the concept of a Central City and districts that are added on to that give bonuses and new technology. Strategy will require a brain in your head with both a campaign map and ground battles being very in depth, not just point and click.
8: Sword of the Stars
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/695/695141/sword-of-the-stars-20060310020432253.jpg
Being published by the team behind Homeworld: Cataclyism, this space stratigy title will add much needed revival to the space combat sub-genra of RTS gaming. This will be a clasic 4x space combat game with all the research, resouces, ships, combat and empire building we always need more of. Details are skectcy right now, but I will be watching this one for sure.
7: Maelstrom
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/694/694799/maelstrom-20060309061507374.jpg
Now this is a game to look forward to. In the near future, an asteroid hits Earth and sends the planet into genocidal madness as the ecosystem shuts down and water, the new oil or gold, is fought over with extreme vigilance. In addition, an alien race is taking advantage of this situation to take over earth. Did the aliens make the asteroid hit earth? KDV will be making this game. They were the creators of Perimeter, and although that game was average, it had some very interesting potential that looks like it will now get expounded upon. It is being branded an "Action-Strategy Sci-Fi Epic" with fully destructible environments, transforming and evolving units of war, stunning graphics, an epic and well written story, weapons of mass destruction, and the ability to take 3rd person control of any unit at any time to participate in battle. Two very different human and one alien race will fight for planetary domination and survival!
6: Star Wars: Empire at War
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/688/688963/star-wars-empire-at-war-20060215060700927.jpg
While this game has already been released, it is still 2006 and very recent. I personally own this game, and can say that while the game play has a few interesting innovations, what really sets this game apart is the Star Wars setting. This may be the best Star Wars branded RTS to date. The game play has some repetition of it, but when that repetition is destroying an ATAT advancing on your rebel base or using the DEATH STAR to destroy a planet, it really never gets old. An in-depth and story integrated campaign map provides 40 some Star Wars planets to battle across in strategic maneuvering. All buildings and resources are done on this map, freeing the Space and Ground battles to be just that, a battle. Everything is persistent, even a turret not destroyed in a previous battle will be there the next time. The graphics are decent if not bad in some cases, but they still look very good and original when taken as a whole and when viewed with the Battle Camera, which gives a cinematic auto roaming view of the battle at hand. And it is fun.
5: Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/556/556630/sudden-strike-3-arms-for-victory-20041012032303191.jpg
Did you honestly think we would leave out WWII, almost a sub-genre in of itself? This will be the 3rd in the very good Sudden Strike series from FireGlow, featuring realistic, large scale WWII battles across 4 campaigns. Now, not only will ground battles be given the Sudden Strike treatment, but now naval and air battles will now be possible. A brand new GFX engine, called Next7, will render large scale, strategically intensive battles with our favorite units and troops. Everything from AI to multiplayer has been revamped and improved to provide that "I am a general" feeling. And you will feel like a general, too. The maps will be up to 150km in size, yes you read that right! Naval battles will be very in depth and strategic featuring radar systems and fleet formations. You will play as the Americans, Germans, British and Japanese in both the European and Pacific war fronts. Heads up, soldier!
4: Faces of War
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/681/681839/faces-of-war-20060118005557156.jpg
You better believe it, ANOTHER WWII game is on the list. So whats new here, besides the amazing GFX? Well, almost everything. How does squad-based RTS sound? A lot like Soldiers: Heros of WWII, I would think, as this is the sequal to that game. You will battle accross Europe in its famous battles, but you only be leading a squad of a dozen or so infrantry, immersed in the context of having hundreds of AI allies and enemys. You are a squad commander, and each unit is more then just point and click with one or two specials. You have full 3rd person control of each unit's behaivor, and each unit will have a unique personality and may not allways follow orders, but will asses the situations dynamically and react realistically. Each troop must be managed and cared for, as each unit is of a certain type. Lose your AT gunner, and that Panzer will have your entire squad for lunch! Americans, Germans, Soviets and British will join the fray with their unique units and abilites. It is sorta like Call of Duty, but the RTS version. An interesting option for playing D-Day for the 100th time.
3: Company of Heroes
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/643/643999/company-of-heroes-20050820001422688.jpg
You simply can not get enough WWII. This game will feature Able Company's epic battle through fully destructible environments, advanced squad AI that really reacts to the situation and provides a sense of chaos, advanced GFX and cinematic intensity. Perhaps the above went in one ear and out of the other. I mean that EVERYTHING is destructible, and it is totally based on true physics and ballistics calculations. This means that when a tank shell hits a building from the left, debris will fly out of the right and hit that light pole knocking it down, shattering the glass light bulb, the fragments of which hop around for a second. Nothing is scripted, even like Age of Empires III, but all objects can shatter into any size and shape resulting from their punishment. An incredible level of detail results from this. If a hole in that building mentioned above did not bring that building down, you can put your men in it and use it for a fire hole. The strategic field of play CHANGES when a tank can literally ram through a building and flank you position. AI will be extremely advanced, constantly aware of how the environment is changing, what the enemy is doing, how to best fight back, and how not to die. Animations and unit models are extremely varied, with a different set of animations used for each MOOD, SITUATION and level of tiredness. Each unit and troop will have RAGDOOL physics, so you can imagine when bodies start to fly, they WILL FLY. This game is really the future of RTS gaming, and everything I just wrote about it does not do it justice in the least. I like WWII again.
2: Supreme Commander
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/652/652972/supreme-commander-20050930112801915.jpg
This game is big. REALLY REALLY BIG. You see, this guy, Chris Taylor, simply likes BIG things. When those things blow up, he is happier. Chris Taylor is the supreme commander of Gas Powered Games, the makers of Total Annihilation, and did I say it will be big? This game will present a HUGE variety of scale. That is to say that the smallest unit compared to the largest maybe a factor of 10 or more. For example, this unit, called the Tzar, is a HUGE flying saucer unit like those in the movie Independence Day can hold an entire army and can fly over the other base and land HUNDREDS of transports, themselves filled with HUNDREDS of units. This RTS combat game will focus on levels of scale, from continent sized battles, down to individual unit to unit battles. The combat will be on the largest scale in gaming history, with entire regions at war in one battle. Nuclear weapons will make a literal 3km wide swath of destruction, destroying 1000s of units and people. Land, sea and air units will be involved with an advanced management system allowing a player to possibly control such huge battles. The setting is a future Sci-Fi world where humans and robots are at war. The whole mechanics of the whole concept of RTS gaming is being reinvented from the ground up to accommodate this HUGE game. The GFX ain't to shabby either.
1: Star Trek: Legacy
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/683/683136/star-trek-legacy-20060124020646654.jpg
So there is this game publisher called Bethesda, maybe you have heard of them, that are making a Star Trek game. "Number 1!" you say? I am a Star Trek fan, so this list is biased in that respect, but this game sure does look interesting. This is a 3D space combat game set in ALL 5 Star Trek time eras, from Enterprise to Voyager and beyond. All ships from all races will be present, as an engaging single player campaign follows Star Fleet's battle with a time traveling enemy. Engagements will range from a few ships to STAR SYSTEM WIDE battles with an as yet unannounced number of fully 3D star trek starship favorites battling it out. Not much detail has been released yet, but this is the latest and long over due entry into Trek gaming, and that alone puts it in spot #1.
---------------------
So you do not agree with me? Then complain and vote in the poll and show what you think is "The most interesting RTS of 2006".