Four to Two

4. Defcon (Introversion Software)

Another UK developer, Introversion Software, released their latest game earlier this year and I have to say that a week doesn’t go by when I don’t click on the shortcut on my desktop or laptop to play this small but hugely addictive game. In a nutshell, Defcon has you fighting either the PC’s AI opponents or real people online in a thermonuclear war game with a graphical style that has more than a passing resemblance to the war map seen in the classic film Wargames. Making a game based on such an edgy premise could have been problematic for Introversion but the final result is a game that looks simple on the surface but has a ton of replayability and strategy involved.

Defcon reminds us that the independent developer doesn’t need to spend a ton of money on next gen console and PC hardware to make a game that is fun to play and can appeal to the hardcore gamer. Defcon also has a ton of options for people to make their own custom games and mod teams are making alterations that turn Defcon into vastly different titles. There’s simply no reason not to buy and play this game if you enjoy strategy games. We hope Introversion continues their push to make new and innovative titles.

3. Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords (Stardock)

Turn based space strategy games have enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in 2006 with titles like Sword of the Stars and Space Empires V being released this year. However developer/publisher Stardock delivered perhaps the ultimate product for this style of game when it released Galactic Civilizations II early in 2006. It’s one of the few games out there that we don’t mind the omission of a multiplayer mode; GalCiv 2 presents AI that keeps you on your toes as you build and expand your space empire through the choices of one of eight different civilizations. The 3D graphics and the support for many styles of gameplay (military, tech, diplomacy and more) add to the depth that Stardock has added to this game.

Stardock has also been generous with content additions and changes since the full game was released and of course the developer is currently beta testing the GalCiv2 expansion pack Dark Avatar for release early in 2007. It’s also one of the very few PC games that shipped with no copy protection on the game disk; a huge step up that we wish other game publishers would follow.

2. Company Of Heroes (Relic/THQ)

A World War II RTS game? Oh crikey … did we really need another one of these products taking up space on store shelves? They have been all over the place in the past few years and most of them are somewhere between average and awful. Leave it to developer Relic, makers of innovative games like Homeworld and Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War, to make this tired genre feel like a all new battlefield (no pun intended). From the truly impressive 3D graphics that make you feel like you are there on the battleground of Europe, through the amazing AI, to the use of capturing points on the map to gain more units and resources for your troops, this game makes the once boring click fest that other RTS titles have look old fashioned.

Other aspects of Company of Heroes that make it stand out from the crowd include its highly destructible environments that actually influence gameplay rather than becoming just a graphical trick. Concentrating on just two playable sides, the Axis and Allies, looks like it made Relic focus more on making the gameplay the best it could be rather than spend a lot of time developing a ton of different sides and units. The end result makes Company of Heroes the clear standard for all RTS games to come in the next year.