Perfect 10: Strategy Games and Simulations

Following on from the RPGs and adventure games to which I would give 10/10, I present the following epitomes of the strategy and simulation genres...

Civilization IV (Strategy, 2005)

The Civilization series is about leading an empire from 4000 BC to the near future, striving to dominate the world through superior military, technology, economy and, in more recent editions, culture. The series is simply the archetype of the 4X genre.

There is much debate about which of the Civilization games is the best and any of them has the ability to hook you in and not let you go for the many hours it will take to complete a single game. I've recorded my own thoughts on the latest version, Civilization V, in which I was optimistic about the direction the series was taking, but it was definitely a departure from the huge detail and complexity in its immediate predecessor. For those who are willing to face up to those challenges, Civilization IV (with the expansion pack, Beyond the Sword) is extremely rewarding.

(Available from Steam)

Alpha Centauri (Strategy, 1999)

The technological victory in the Civilization series ends with a successful colonization of the Alpha Centauri star system. Alpha Centauri takes up the story with you controlling one of the factions from the colony ship, as you strive to dominate your new home.

Like it's inspiration, Alpha Centauri is also a 4X game, and is essentially Civilization on another planet. But what a Planet! The 4X gameplay integrates with an intriguing setting, characters and story in a way that make it feel richer and more involved than even Civilization's Earth.

(Newly available from gog.com)

Championship Manager 4 (Simulation, 2003)

The premise is simple: take over any football (soccer) team from any of the supported leagues around the world and do your best over a number of seasons. Win the Champions League with Manchester United or get promotion out of the 3rd division with Huddersfield Town.

Football management games must be one of the narrowest niches there is: sport and spreadsheet-style management would seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum. Yet there is an audience for them which, at least in the UK, is reasonably large (the almost year-old Football Manager 2011 is only behind the latest Sims 3 expansion in this week's UK retail charts). I'm not going to try convince you that you'd enjoy the sub-genre - this is definitely a case where you either get it or you don't.

So why does Championship Manager 4 deserve a 10 over its technically superior descendants, the Football Manager series. The problem is that the series shows only incremental improvements in each annual release. Championship Manager 4, on the other hand, introduced the graphical 2D view of matchday play and this feature, more than any other, is what ensured I was captivated for hundreds of hours, living an alternate reality as manager of struggling 1st division Watford Football Club.

(Essentially a franchise, buy the latest edition, Football Manager 2011, from Steam)

My pick of puzzle games and shooters next...

Perfect 10: RPGs and Adventure Games

Since I gave Portal 2, a game I very much enjoyed, only 9 out of 10, I've been asked what would qualify a game for a perfect 10 out of 10. I think Portal 2 has the potential to get there in time with the promised post-release free DLC, but meanwhile these are the games I place on that honoured pedestal and against which I compare all the aspiring candidates...

Planescape: Torment (RPG, 1999)

You play as the Nameless One, an immortal being adventuring across planes through the planar hub of Sigil. His amnesia is more than just a convenient plot device - it's an integral part of the whole story (think Memento).

Possessing a quality story, unique setting (for a CRPG) and detailed quirky characters, Torment captures the drama of a good book like no other game I've played. The combat is the antiquated 2nd edition D&D system but it seems incidental to the story anyway, and the harder combats can be avoided with good dialogue choices!

(Available from gog.com)

Baldur's Gate 2 (RPG, 2000)

A more traditional RPG in the D&D setting of the Forgotten Realms, here you are the spawn of the dead god of murder. Initially your struggle is to rescue your fellow Bhaal-spawn, Imoen, your childhood friend who is like a sister to you. But eventually the darkness within you comes to the fore and (with the expansion) will lead you into deadly conflict with all those aspiring to claim your sire's mantle.

The story here is also really good (though you really must have the expansion so that you can see the story through to its conclusion). The 2nd edition D&D system can be quite daunting for those with more modern sensibilities, but if you're willing to embrace the system's crunchiness, you'll find that BG2 combats, particularly the boss battle, can be very rewarding.

(Available from gog.com)

Star Control 2 (Adventure, 1992)

After Earth's defeat to the evil Ur-Quan, you build a new alliance of alien species to free yourselves and eventually face a threat even greater than the Ur-Quan.

This is actually more of a hybrid as it incorporates action elements for space combat, and strategy for building up your fleet and alien Precursor mothership. However, the driving force of the game is really it's adventure elements as you explore the galaxy and interact with the various alien species of the StarCon universe. It definitely doesn't fit comfortably alongside traditional adventure games (or RPGs) and really is its own special thing. Everyone should play this game, with a walkthrough if necessary, if only to enjoy the game's special brand of humour.

(Available from gog.com as part of a Star Control 1 & 2 bundle, or as the open-sourced The Ur-Quan Masters on SourceForge.)

We look at my pick of the strategy and simulation genres next...

Thurgen - The Journey Has Just Begun

This weekend saw me push on through the new Cataclysm content to have a second character reach the current level cap of 85: Thurgen, the Worgen Druid (typically specced restoration for healing).

Since most of my time was spent in dungeons, particularly at the higher levels, I had enough justice points (basic max level reward currency) to buy a couple of items and after spending a bit at the auction house, I now have decent enough gear to start on heroic-level dungeons.

In the medium-term, I plan to do some raiding with this druid, possibly when patch 4.2 comes out making the current (Cataclysm-release) raids suitable for pick-up groups and casual raiders.

Anyways ... some statistics on my experience getting to level 85:

• Played 107 hours, 45 minutes
• 138 dungeons completed - 41 unique dungeons; completed Utgarde Keep (lowest-level Wrath of the Lich King dungeon) the most, killing Ingvar the Plunderer 8 times
• 83 deaths (53 in dungeons, 7 in PvP)
• Killed 20094 creatures (including 452 critters, though I never meant to hurt them, I swear!)

Thurgen

Not much gaming lately, but am still progressing in SpaceChem when I can, and a review for the game will be coming soon.

Meanwhile I've also been leveling another WoW character, Thurgen, a Worgen Druid. After running a few heroic-level dungeons with Jahger, my Hunter, I realized that I actually get quite bored just being a DPS character (besides the interminable queues that DPS classes have to endure since they're the most played role). I know, I should have learned my lesson from my early days when I leveled a Mage to the Burning Crusade level cap of 70 before realizing I preferred playing my Priest.

So I'm leveling a Druid now, specced for Restoration (healing) for dungeons and Balance (DPS) for questing. Unlike previous characters, I've tried to spend as much time as possible in dungeons and my time has probably been split 50/50 between questing and dungeons. The Dungeon Finder tool has made it so easy for tanks and healers to just do serial dungeon runs while leveling. While it may not give the fastest XP, experiencing content with a good group is more fun than questing in areas I've been before.

I do still have some concerns with the Dungeon Finder:

• Lack of dungeon variety - despite multiple dungeons being available at a certain level, 90% of the time you end up in the same one if you choose random.
• Too easy - if you have a tank that's at the higher end of the level bracket for the dungeon or has good gear then the dungeon becomes way too easy for the healer (who then spends his time just doing some insignificant DPS).
• Gear gap - at level 80 you're forced to move on to Cataclysm content (otherwise you receive only minimal XP), but a freshly leveling character won't have the gear to be allowed by Dungeon Finder into Cataclysm dungeons. You won't be able to do any dungeons until you've replaced most of your gear with new quest rewards or from the auction house. And don't forget to keep around substitutes for your heirlooms that otherwise count as level 1 items.

Healing with the Druid is fun when the challenge is right, and I hope to be able to do some casual raiding with him in the future. But for now, I'm happy to just take my time getting to the Cataclysm level cap of 85.