Reviving the Real-time Strategy Game in 2013

To be quite frank, my outlook on console gaming has been steadily declining over the past couple years. What was once a revolutionary form of digital recreation has now become something of a bore and a frustration in many cases. What I associate with console gaming on the Xbox 360 and PS3 nowadays is repetitive, run-of-the-mill modern war shooters and money-grabbing game developers trying to hoard every last penny through overpriced DLC’s (downloadable content).

Lately, I’ve wanted nothing more than to return to my PC gaming roots for a little while. In particular, I’ve been looking to delve back into a fun and currently underappreciated genre of video games: real-time strategy (RTS) games.

I remember spending countless hours of my time on Starcraft, Age of Empires, Warcraft III, and Command & Conquer. There was some real satisfaction to be had from commanding an entire swarm of Zerg bugs to wipe out a base full of Terran soldiers, or having a full-scale showdown online with my friend playing as the orcs and me playing as the humans.

With RTS, the style of gameplay forced you to really stay vigilant and on your toes at all times. You had to take calculated risks and make smart strategic decisions in order to destroy the enemy army. The generic Call of Duty first person shooter method of recklessly going lone wolf, taking out the entire enemy team on your own did not exist in this realm of gaming.

Over the past few years, with all the hype focused solely on first person shooters and RPG’s on the console, PC gaming – and thus RTS games – have largely disappeared. In fact, the last time I went into a local Gamestop, they only had a single shelf of PC games while the bulk of the store was comprised of Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii games.

It had been difficult for me to really explore other options aside from the most well-known console games. In terms of RTS, the only notable titles over the past 3 years or so include Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty, Sid Meier’s Civilization V, Warhammer 40,000 II: Dawn of War, and Shogun 2: Total War.

However, despite many RTS games for the PC going underground, it seems as if there’s going to be a wild outgrowth of them in 2013. Here are a few of the best titles to look out for if you’d prefer to control entire armies rather than a single character for a change:

1)      Command & Conquer Generals 2 – one of the most popular RTS games of all time finally returns after a decade of hiatus. This modern war RTS game, set to be released toward the end of 2013, will supposedly include a grittier, darker campaign and the same addictive skirmish and multiplayer modes. There are also new and revamped factions to look out for: Global Liberation Army (GLA) will return as the same militant/insurgent faction from the previous title. New armies will also include the European Union (EU), as well as another yet-to-be-revealed faction (possibly USA or China from the first game).

 

2)      Company of Heroes 2 – the sequel to the acclaimed WWII strategy game of 2006 is set to add more to the franchise. This game will bring the Russian Red Army into the fray for the first time in the series (the current armies are Americans, British, Wehrmacht and Panzer Elite), and focus primarily on the Eastern European Front of WWII. According to the game’s Facebook page, developers from Relic Entertainment have visited Russian museums and studied Soviet history and weaponry thoroughly to maintain historical authenticity in the game. Gameplay wise, they also plan to bring in new environmental mechanics such as snow, which will obscure the line of sight and reduce the movement speed of your troops.

 

3)      Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm – the upcoming expansion to the 2010 sci-fi RTS promises new units and additions to each of the three warring factions and will continue Blizzard Entertainment’s stellar storyline, this time from the perspective of the Zerg rather than the Terran. The game’s plot will pick up where the previous left off; antihero Sarah Kerrigan, now in her human form, must regain control of the Zerg swarm and reap some justifiable revenge on Dominion Dictator Mengsk. New units for each army will also be introduced to expand the multiplayer mayhem that the franchise is known for.  

 

4)      Rome: Total War II – the Total War series finally returns to one of its most popular roots with a sequel to Rome: Total War. The game is set to improve upon both the real-time and turn-based aspects of gameplay common to the Total War series. Its turn-based, Risk-styled campaign will supposedly include more diplomacy and historically authentic campaign options and have a larger map that expands eastward into parts of Asia and the Middle-East, in addition to Europe.

These are just a few titles to watch out for in 2013, as well as proof that PC gaming and the RTS genre have not fully died off. Because sometimes racking up Call of Duty killstreaks and slaying Skyrim dragons on the console isn’t enough. Sometimes conquering an entire continent or eliminating armies of enemy troops will tickle your fancy more.