In space, no one can smell your cigar When it arrives on store shelves tomorrow, Blizzard's much-hyped real-time strategy title will have a lot to live up to. The original 88 was released a dozen years ago to strong reviews, and eventually became one of the best-selling PC games of all time -- and, in countries like South Korea, a national obsession. Indeed, for many gamers, StarCraft is the ultimate, genre-defining real-time strategy game. While 12 years is a long time to wait for a follow-up, StarCraft is getting not one but three separate sequels, with Wings of Liberty -- which focuses on the Terrans, one of the three playable races from the original -- the first to arrive. Will the new game be as good as fans hope? Since the game was not made available to reviewers in advance -- multiplayer is a huge part of StarCraft, and Blizzard wanted to ensure that critics would experience the game along with the full gaming community -- we won't know the consensus reaction for a few weeks.

But StarCraft II will have to be very good indeed to crack our list of the top strategy games of all time. Below, we look at the 10 highest-scoring PC strategy titles in Metacritic's database, an elite collection of games that -- yes -- does not include the original StarCraft, which just missed out by a single point. (Insert complaint here.) Not wanting to waste a good opportunity, we have also included a short list of the worst strategy games of all time. Your own personal rankings, of course, may differ from the lists below; feel free to post your own picks for the top strategy games of all time. The 10 Best-Reviewed Strategy Games for PC Title Year Publisher Metascore Users 1 2005 2K Games 94 7.5 'A game with this much depth, this much strategy, this much replayability, and multiplayer is totally unheard of in this space.

Jun 18, 2015. Vile Genius Games is raising funds for Evil Genius: Deathray on Kickstarter! The fine line between genius and madness gets blurred further in the ultimate game of intelligence and strategy. Hoyle Official Book of Games: Volume 1 1989 Play six different card games (Crazy Eights, Old Maid, Hearts, Gin Rummy, Cribbage, and Klondike Solitaire) against 0-3.

Civilization IV stands alone. No fan of strategy games should leave this on store shelves.' -- GameSpy Still the gold standard for turn-based strategy games after five years (heck, we've played it as recently as last week), Sid Meier's empire-building classic was the 2005 game of the year in many publications. Famously difficult to stop playing, the addictive game offers generally better gameplay and graphics than previous versions, although some fans prefer the equally high-scoring Civ 2, especially for combat. Civilization V arrives in September, promising a new take on the nearly 20-year-old series. Related titles: 94 (1996) 90 (2000) 84 (2006) 86 (2007) 83 (2008) 2 2006 THQ 93 9.0 'You've never seen a strategy game with combat as intense as Company of Heroes.'

-- Games Radar Relic's real-time strategy classic is set during World War II, taking players through the Battle of Normandy, including the Americans' D-Day assault on Omaha Beach. Heroes was a hit with players and critics for its blend of chaotic action, demanding strategy, and historical detail.

Related titles: 87 (2007) 70 (2009) 3 1999 Sierra Studios 93 9.0 'Engrossing RTS play matched to a vital and visually intense story make this a gaming experience like no other.' -- PC Gamer It might be over a decade old, but this is the game that StarCraft II must beat to become the highest-scoring sci-fi strategy game of all time. In fact, many longtime PC gamers consider Homeworld (another Relic title) one of the best games ever made, thanks to its compelling story, cinematic 3D graphics, excellent soundtrack, and challenging gameplay.

A 2003 sequel didn't add much to the experience, and certainly wasn't the groundbreaking release that the original was. Related titles: 89 (2000) 83 (2003) 4 2002 Blizzard Ent. 92 8.6 'The yardstick that will be used to measure strategy games for some time to come.'

-- Gamers' Temple The third major installment (and the final one in the real-time strategy genre) in Blizzard's Warcraft franchise that began with 1994's Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and includes the world's most popular MMORPG, Reign of Chaos was a monster hit, becoming the fastest-selling PC game of all time shortly after its 2002 release. With four very distinct playable races, the title offered a lot of replay value, while also wowing in the graphics and story departments (even if it borrowed some elements from Blizzard's StarCraft). Related titles: 88 (2003) 93 (2004) 5 2004 Activision/Sega 92 8.9 'Many games are excellent world-builders, and many are deep real time strategy war games. Rome: Total War sets out to be both and pulls it off wonderfully.' -- Gaming Age The best-reviewed title in Creative Assembly's ongoing historical combat strategy series, Rome: Total War is set just before and after the formation of the Roman Empire. Ostensibly a real-time strategy game, Rome also incorporates elements of turn-based strategy in its empire-building aspects, which can span hundreds of turns and in some aspects can rival Civ 4. But it is the game's intense and highly detailed battles that are its calling card, allowing players to command thousands of soldiers at once.

And anyone annoyed by the game's historical inaccuracies can download the Rome: Total Realism mod. Related titles: 84 (2000) 88 (2002) 82 (2005) 79 (2006) 88 (2006) 90 (2009) 81 (2010) 6 1999 Microsoft 92 9.2 'If you've ever liked any other real-time strategy game in this classical style, then you'll clearly see why this one deserves so much credit, even in direct comparison to the finest examples in its category.' -- GameSpot Set during a thousand-year span encompassing the Middle Ages, the second AoE title took an already acclaimed series and made it even better (especially in the AI department), becoming a huge financial success in the process and influencing countless RTS games that followed. Another full sequel and spin-off titles like Age of Mythology would follow, although none would achieve quite the level of critical acclaim as AoE II. Related titles: 83 (1997) 88 (2000) 89 (2002) 81 (2005) 7 1999 Electronic Arts 92 9.8 'It is, by all accounts, one of the best turn-based strategy games ever made and perhaps the best ever of its kind.' -- Adrenaline Vault While it's arguably a sequel to another strategy game mentioned elsewhere on this list, the thought-provoking and story-driven Alpha Centauri is different enough from the Civilization series to merit inclusion on its own. Picking up where Civilization ends (at least in one scenario), SMAC ventures into the science fiction realm, following a group of colonists who set out into space and crash on a mysterious new world.

The game was compared favorably by many critics to Civilization II, but there has yet to be a sequel to this popular title (though there was a 2000 expansion, Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire). 8 2001 Electronic Arts 90 7.2 'One of the most unique -- and enjoyable -- strategy games we've seen this year.' -- GameSpy If there's a single game on this list that doesn't belong here, it might be this one. Turbulence Modeling For Cfd Wilcox 2006 Pdf Files more. Legendary game designer Peter Molyneux was instrumental in the development of the so-called 'god game' genre, and Black & White -- based on part on his own Populous from over a decade earlier -- is his most famous example.

Critics initially lauded this ambitious RPG-strategy-sim hybrid, which allowed gamers literally to play as a god while attempting to take control of multiple villages and battle the evil god Nemesis. But, over time, the critical consensus moved into a grey area, with publications like GameSpy (yes, the same one quoted above) finding the game.

Critics were also unimpressed with later expansions and a 2005 sequel. Related titles: 72 (2002) 75 (2005) 69 (2006) 9 2002 EA/Crave 90 9.6 'The game's clever design and meticulously well-thought out, considerate presentation are accentuated by innovative gameplay that professionally melds the genres of RPG and strategy into a completely interactive and lively world.' -- IGN While most of the games on this list are either set in outer space or are based on historical conquests, this 2002 release took a different approach, focusing on a team of original superheroes created by Irrational Games. Mixing real-time tactics with elements of RPGs, Freedom Force was hailed at the time as the best comic book-style game ever made, with personality to spare. 10 2000 Interplay 89 9.4 'Gorgeous, polished, groundbreaking, and a lot of other impressive-sounding adjectives, but it's also chaotic and lacking in the precise micro-management and complex planning that endears many people to the genre.' -- Computer Games Magazine This 3D fantasy RTS title puts players in the role of a wizard, able to cast a variety of spells and grow in powers as the game progresses, set in a world with five warring gods. Though Sacrifice was praised for its stunning graphics, original concept, and even its voice acting, it did not sell well, and was quickly forgotten.

Games are ranked by Metascore prior to rounding. Only major releases (with at least 15 critic reviews) were eligible for inclusion; expansions were excluded from consideration.

Only the highest-scoring game in a series is included in the rankings; any sequels or prequels are grouped in the 'Related titles' listings and were excluded from the rankings. The 5 Worst-Reviewed Strategy Games for PC Title Year Publisher Metascore Users 1 2009 Mezmer Games 25 3.9 'The worst game we’ve ever reviewed, and that’s being generous.' -- Total PC Gaming While the simplistic game was intended as a parody of World War II real-time strategy titles, it turns out that neither critics nor gamers found much to laugh at in Stalin vs. Critics could not single out just one single aspect of the game that was bad; instead, they found it truly awful across the board. It turns out that when infamous Russian leaders battle invading Martians, nobody wins. 2 2006 Left Behind Games 38 4.0 'Avoid this title like the plague. Not only are you sparing yourself the discomfort of ham-fisted preaching and shoddy game mechanics, you’ll also be doing your part to ensure that this obscene mess of eschatological flotsam and apocryphal jetsam never sees a sequel.'

-- Worth Playing In theory, an evangelical Christian videogame about the Rapture doesn't have to be bad. But when the execution is as poor as it is here, the result doesn't have a prayer of a chance at success. Based on the Left Behind novels, the buggy Eternal Forces couldn't even convert the religious; some Christian groups criticized the game for its violence and lack of Christian values. 3 2004 Magnum Games 42 9.3 'To paraphrase an old psychology axiom, if the game sounds bad, looks bad and plays bad, it probably is bad.' -- Cheat Code Central A team-based strategy game, Beyond the Law is set in a New York City overrun by mobsters. But this low-budget, low-cost title was also low on options, technical prowess, playability, and fun, according to critics, who were left frustrated and bored.

4 2009 Sega 42 4.4 'This frustrating, broken mess is one of the worst strategy games in years.' -- GameSpot While the other low-scoring titles here were from smaller studios, Stormrise was developed by The Creative Assembly (of Total War fame) and published by Sega. But though it demonstrated some good ideas, this post-apocalyptic RTS title -- also released for the 360 and PS3 -- was still a major failure, thanks mainly to a widely-panned control scheme that somehow worked even more poorly on a PC than it did on the consoles. 5 2005 Strategy First Inc. 44 6.2 'There are just far too many better options out there when it comes to strategy games, so why bother with a poorly designed one that is in the end an exercise in frustration?' -- Gamers' Temple This futuristic title blends tactical strategy and RPG in a such a way as to disappoint fans of both genres as well as anyone hoping for a solid cyberpunk gaming experience.

Critic after critic named the plot, voice acting, gameplay, and graphics as just some of the reasons not to purchase this tedious and poorly-executed release. What do you think? What are your favorite strategy games? Are you looking forward to StarCraft II?

Let us know in the comments section below. What about Evil Genius and the Dungeon Keeper series? Also SM Pirates or Tropico series? I have played almost all the games mentioned above and if I had to rank them. Civ 2/4 or SMAC for 4x turn based 2. Simcity 3 w/ Rush hour add-on - general sim 3. Star Craft - smoothest RTS 4.

Master of Orion 2 - best space base 4x 5. Evil Genius - Best evil/dungeon sim 6. Dawn of War - Best mix of risk-like strategy & RTS The rest were good but those titles to me took there perspective genre's to the peak. Writing these lists is a pain because I have spent so many hours playing these games its hard to gauge what makes a game great. If it absorbs more of your time than another strategy title does that make it better?

I agree with staubin that Jagged Alliance 2 should have been on here. Many of the games on this list are games I've spent countless hours playing and are games I enjoy; but JA2, especially since the release of the source code, has taken away more of my life at my PC than any other game I've played, even Civ IV and the games from the Total War series. Also, I agree with al that Homeworld is such a great game that hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. It's been about a year or two since I've played the original, but I still miss many of its gameplay elements that were omitted from the sequel.

December 4, 2017 - •: Last season of Fargo was terrible. Carrie Coon is the worst. Robot season 3 fell apart completely after.

•: My Top 10 10. American Vandal 9. Stranger Things 7. Rick and Morty 6. Silicon Valley. •: My top 10) 1) The Leftovers 2) Better Call Saul 3) Twin Peaks 4) Mr.

Robot 5) Halt and Catch Fire 6) The. •: My top 10: 1. The Leftovers 2. The Handmaid's Tale 3. Better Call Saul 5. Difficult People 6. •: Why are they using the ballots for AV Club's list instead of the final list?

Update new stretch goal: Minions it has been a whole day since our last update and we thought that was far too much time. We have excellent news! We have come up with a 5 card Candidates Pack for Evil Genius: Deathray. It includes 5 new evil geniuses based off some of the front runners in the presidential race for 2016. Of course we want you minions to have these cards. Here is the deal we will have a new stretch goal of $7,500 if we hit this goal everyone who pledged on Kickstarter will get the promo pack for free!

If we do not hit the stretch goal it will be an addon for $5. Go forth minions, share the project page. Get the word out.

Help us reach $7,500 and you get a free Candidates Pack! Atmosphere Weather And Climate Barry Pdf Viewer. Here is a sneak peak of two of the Evil Geniuses being created: The Don. Once per game, Teddy can pray for a miracle.

He searches the deck for an Action card of his choice. Reshuffle the deck. We will be releasing the other 3 Evil Geniuses soon but the names are: Billary The Sandman Marco Barrio The second printing of Evil Genius: Deathray.

We only have one stretch goal to include our extremely popular promo pack into the base game. The second printing fixes the spelling mistakes of the first printing. We added some extra icons to the action cards to make game play easier. Also we updated the reference card to include the abilities of the minions for quick reference. All of this packed into a slimmer box. Our glorious minions have done it again. We have reached our stretch goal of the promo pack being included in the base game!

The pack included 5 Evil Geniuses and 5 action cards (Punch to the Ego) not included in the first run of the game. They are now included in the second printing. Now is your chance to own the all new, sleeker, sexier Evil Genius: Deathray!

Our goal is to bring people of the world together around the wooden portal of wonderthe gaming table. With our stretch goal unlocked, the base game now includes: 198 playing cards 12 minion tokens 6 quick reference cards 6 Deathray play mats Card Breakdown: 35 Evil Geniuses 55 action cards 46 weapon cards 15 ammo cards 15 guidance systems 17 power supplies 15 Thrones Each piece has a purpose in your strategy to build your personal Deathray.

The Vile Genius Games team are a collection of long-time gamers who are transforming their passion into a series of challenging board games. CREATED FOR THE EVIL GENIUS IN ALL OF US! Each Evil Genius player competes in the greatest arms race of all time.

Geniuses sabotage and steal from each other and draft schematics to upgrade the threat level of their Deathrays. Have you ever dreamed of being an Evil Genius? Vile Genius Labs produces quality components and weaponry for your domination needs.

Your Deathray 1.0 enables you to design and craft a devious machine of global domination! Using Action Cards, Evil Geniuses battle by attacking opponents' Deathrays, stealing components, breaking weapons, calling in political favors, and sending their Minions in to perform other covert operations. We have upgraded these action cards with the icons of the malfunctions that are effected by the card. This makes for easier game play. Your nefarious imagination has no limits when it comes to the weapons and components you add to your Deathray. From guidance systems and power sources to weapons and ammo, you and your minion plug each piece into place, while competing against and sabotaging other Evil Geniuses to complete your Deathray first.

Evil Geniuses Evil Geniuses Let the darkness flow through you as you build a Deathray to your exacting specifications and make your dream (someone else's nightmare) a reality. How to play: Evil Genius: Deathray is a competitive game for 2-6 players. The light-hearted Sci-Fi parody and strategy are appropriate for players of ages 8 to 88.

The Vile Deck is NOT appropriate for younger audiences. We recommend ages 18+ for access to the content contained herein.

The Vile Deck contained 49 cards of some of the darkest humor we could come up with. Risks and challenges Vile Genius Games has a wide range of experience among many fields, including Kickstarter. We are confident we will deliver a high-quality and on-time game. Our last Kickstarter the game started to be delivered on time with all of our Kickstarter customers receiving their packages by the second week of December. Your risk is mitigated by the knowledge that our initial KS run was delivered within 30 days of our projected date. This time our turn around should be even faster because everything has been completed for the game.

We are just waiting on your pledges to receive the illustrious, Evil Genius: Deathray! Thank you so much for your support!