Ryan's Classic RTS Recommendations

Ryan Recommends:

Rome: Total War

Still a great title, still the best Total War, and in my biased opinion, still the best game in history. With Rome II releasing later this year, now's the opportune moment to jump into the bottomless pit of amazingness that is Total War. The original Rome title is by far the best game to start with. Frankly, it still looks great despite being almost ten years old, and the joy of commanding a host of Roman legions will never get old.

While following Total War games have been brilliant, there's something so perfectly deep and engaging about Rome. The fact that most of the huge list of playable factions are totally unique is the key element. Plus, the actual time period is also perfect for this kind of game; the pure division of culture found throughout the globe at this time makes each campaign wonderfully different.

The campaign map system is a bit outdated now, it has to be said. Plus, the historical inaccuracies (I'm looking at you, flaming war pigs) stick out like a sore thumb. Fact is, this is a timeless RTS game that everyone, and I mean everyone, should try.

Alternatively Try:

Company of Heroes

No game has ever been able to transfer the cinematic qualities of a first person shooter to a strategy title like Company of Heroes. The clinical feel of other games like Starcraft and Age of Empires is swapped out for brutal gameplay that really grasps the cold hard reality of warfare.

While the Total War franchise is one of those that most gamers have at least heard of, I often find that a lot of people don't know what Company of Heroes is, which is a real shame. It's a game I would once again recommend to anyone as it's both cinematically beautiful and brilliantly strategic. Easily my second favourite game of all time.

Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II

Bit of a wild card this one, as games like Age of Empires are a more obvious choice. I would argue, however, that this is a much better hidden gem than a lot of other classic RTS titles. The weird thing about Battle for Middle Earth II (and equally the original game), is that it's often forgotten by both strategy gamers and Lord of the Rings fans.

Few fans are aware that this is probably the best Lord of the Rings game ever made; the vast number of units and factions all bring Tolkien's world to life and delve far deeper into the tale of Middle Earth than any other LOTR media product. Add on top of this a well designed game mechanic that ultimately plays a lot like Age of Empires and it's easy to see why this is a great game to try, even several years after release.